Beginner camera: Rebel T3 or G12?

[Backhome77]

Hi. My little sister wants to get into photography, so I was going to get her a camera for Christmas.

My first thought was a

Canon G12

Canon G12

, primarily because it fits my budget (plus I've always wanted a G series, myself.) Not a full DSLR, but it has full set of manual controls, it’s portable, and she won’t have to buy any lenses. If she does get more involved in photography, she can buy her own DSLR down the road and the G12 will make a nice, purse size back up for travel and such.

Or, I can get her a refurbished Canon Rebel T3 for about the same price. A full DSLR, albeit a basic entry level one.

Both of cameras represent the upper range of my budget. Which would be better for someone just getting into photography as a hobby?

[SS904]

Depends of what she wants. From my perspective when someone makes a claim that they are interested in learning about photography, it normally means they are looking into an SLR. I'd probably go with the T3, but only you know your sister and what she might be looking for. Maybe have a Best Buy catalog open to the camera section when she's around and watch what she "zooms in" on, the DSLRs or the P&Ss...

[MTScott2]

some just want a small compact camera that is easy to carry,
some want to play around with settings and experiment...

there are so many out there that take good snaps
I would go to a camera store that takes trade and see what they have used ,
Also let the recievee pick and possibly they may add to the amount and get what they really THINK they want...
Win Win situation...
It would be hard to pick out a camera for someone without them telling you want they want exactly...

AND after Christmas there are some of the best deals going on ...

the stores sometimes advertise GREAT DEALS and do not have the stock (limited supplies)

Take her shopping after Christmas for the best deal????
A camers is a great gift...

[Bill_Anderson]

Check out my threads for the past three years in the Rides forum for photos I have taken with my Rebel XSi, which was my first dSLR.

Although I have upgraded to a 7D for bird photos and a 5D MkII for landscape and sunset shots, I have hung on to the Rebel as the camera I pack along on motorcycle trips. It is compact, light, and has the option of interchangeable lenses like any dSLR.

[DUCeditor]

Originally Posted by SS904

Depends of what she wants. From my perspective when someone makes a claim that they are interested in learning about photography, it normally means they are looking into an SLR.

And I'd lean towards recommending the opposite choice for... basically the same reason.

To me "learning photography" means just that, learning to write with light. Thus the type of camera is less important than the amount of controlability -- and by this I mean thought-driven controlability, not the many do-it-for-you modes that are so popular on amateur cameras these days.

The later is to me similar to buying a keyboard or guitar for someone that automatically fills in the chords when you play a one-fingered melody. Yes, it may sound good -- maybe even better than the student's own chord playing for quite some time -- but over time it will hamper growth.

So the question then becomes (again, to me) do they actually want to "learn photography" or do that simply want to be able to take pleasing pictures of the people and places in their lives.

Both are legitimate desires, but very different ones. For the former I'd lean towards the G12.

-don

[Jeph]

Not somthing that you mentioned, the olympus e-pm1. It has a sensor as almost as large as a DSLR in a p&s body with interchangable lenses if you want. Sensor size and image quality go hand in hand and the 4/3s sensor is about 12 times larger than that on compact camers like the G12. To me it is the best option. I am an avid Nikon shooter and just bought an e-pm1 and am really pleased with it. The controls are not as easy to adjust as on a DSLR but the full control is there and the image quality is great. Also, for a budding photog, all of your changes are shown in realtime on the LCD screen on the back. To me its the best choice in all worlds, full control, small size, interchangeable lenses, and great image quality.

[SS904]

Good points, as always, Don. But I'll add some thoughts as well. The Rebel and the G12 are pretty similar in reality. They offer the same basic levels of control. Same "easy modes" (although the G12 has tons more gimmicky scene modes) and also the same level of manual control, except manual focus is kind of useless on the G. The advantage of the Rebel would be the ability to eventually move into wide angle and telephoto lenses adding that dynamic to the mix. Not to mention a much reduced shutter lag with the SLR. The G's shutter lag, while pretty good for a P&S, can be frustrating if you’re trying to capture some action. The G12 is also limiting as far as useful depth of field control goes compared to any SLR with a larger sensor and larger aperture lenses available. She would be unable to explore important composition attributes that those features would provide. Really boils down to what she wants, but I still lean towards the SLR. If we break it down to the “learning to write with light” theme, we should be recommending a full manual film camera with a hand held light meter : ). Modern cameras will all have their “toy” modes, but if she wants to learn the basics of shutter, aperture and ISO either would do.

[DuckMan]

Good point about DOF with the small sensor compacts.

[Bill_Anderson]

Did the OP reach a decision? IMHO, it will take a person a lot longer to "outgrow" an entry level dSLR than an advanced p&s. As I stated earlier, I have hung on to my first dSLR, a Rebel XSi, despite having "upgraded" to a 7D and 5D Mk II.

[todka]

Late to the thread, but my thoughts are similar. If the T3 comes with a reasonable lens, it would give the best platform for learning the settings (ISO, Shutter speed, aperture) that allow you to control the image outcome you are seeking.

What lens does it come with?