Camera Labs

Coming from a point and shoot and a impressive sunset with desired results to a point,i can safley say i am ready

I have read about the A55 and A35,my concern with the A55 is battery life reviewers complain about which was supossadly iproved with a firmware update
If this is true,how much better?

I have heard nothing but good things about the Canon T2I,but it is in the 8-900$ range

I was looking into the Nikon D3100,then the D5100 came out and that peaked my intrest

I have had cheap dollar store film cameras,pokemon film cameras,cheap digital cameras but used the film more often,stopped for a while,got back in god knows when with a point and shoot

Little do i know i go to key west and i used my Canon A490 to take a sunset,ruined to the cameras autofocus(overexposed) because the manual on point and shoots suck,and thiswas the tip of the iceburg being i wanted a SLR time and time again,never got one before,and now with my skills being there more now then ever,i think it is really my time to do this and not put it off anymore and the fact i would of hated the mistakes,but transiting to a SLR,i will need to accept that it will happen and i will only get better with practice and should of realized that earlier and got over it

Which SLR out of this list is going to have more creative control(why i am leaving the point and shoot world for good,auto sucks on my point and shoot and will use at times,not all the time) and is it cheapest on Amazon or retail?

Or if you have a unlisted one,tell me what it is and i will look into it



Oh wait,i felt the Canon T2i in Walmart,fit in my hand well

I held a D3100,same body as the D5100 and liked it


Even worse,these limits messed up a perfectly composed sunset and i gave it to a girl i liked,she said it was pretty,and i could tell it was not proper somehow till i paid attention to other sunsets
THE CAMERA OVERXPOSED!

Canon and Nikon has the most expandability in my opinion (wider variety of lenses, flashes, used gear, and support than other brands).

As far as Creative Control goes - all DSLR's have the same basic functions - they all expose photos with the same type of settings. My suggestion would be to go to a store and hold a few, see what feels right in your hand. You wouldn't go astray with either brand suggested above.

I've recently made the same decision. After looking around I now have a Canon 550D (T2i) in my bag most of the time

My thoughts are:

Stick with Canon or Nikon. Most pro users use one of these brands and have done for years. This means the level of support that exists now ois excellent and will continue to be so for a vary long time to come. With your first DSLR your not so much buying a camera but investing in a brand. Because as your kit increases over time its very difficult to switch once you've made the commitment

Any of the cameras around this level are semi pro and there for outstanding bits of kit

I went for the 550D because of its video capabilities and because its smaller than the7D for travel use

Enjoy your decision making process!

Ian

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Canon EOS 550D (with Magic Lantern)
18mm - 135mm Kit Lens, 50mm f1.8, Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM
430EX II Flash with Phottix Strato Wireless Tigger Set
Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 with 496 Ball Head. Gorilla Pod SLR
Canon Powershot A720IS with CHDK and intervalometer script. Pentax Optio W90

My Blog - http://www.ianganderton.wordpress.com

I'd say ignore brand names, shop ALL brands, handle them, and really take a look at various features to weigh which ones are truly important to you, then choose the camera that has all the key features you really want, while being comfortable in your hands and fitting your budget best. You're not going to get a bad camera nowadays, so no worries on that front. As far as lens or accessory selection, Sony and Pentax have well over 100 lenses currently available each, and 300-400+ used lenses that are fully compatible with them - they don't have to offer two versions of every lens since stabilization is in the camera body, and they don't have to distinguish between lens or body-driven focus motors since their bodies all have motors built in to drive either type. While Canon has the most and Nikon the second most lenses, there are very few photographers who would honestly be limited by a selection of 'only' 300+ lenses to choose from. What the pros use doesn't mean enthusiasts and amateurs all need to use the same thing - pros long ago committed to a system and are fully entrenched in it with tens of thousands of dollars invested, and can ill afford to switch. And if you are a pro, who needs in-the-field lens repair or replacement and camera repair in exotic locales...hardly something that needs to be weighed for the local enthusiast who just wants to enjoy some hobby shooting. But if those things weigh importantly to you, so be it...include that in your decision making process.

It should be all about considering ALL options and weighing ALL features, accessories, services, and price, and then finding the best camera with the least compromises. Think on if any particular thing might be a standout necessity for you: live view, video autofocus, battery life, stabilization in body, microfocus, weatherproofing, tilting/movable LCDs, and so on. Some have a few of these features, some are missing...some may be very important to you.

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Justin Miller
Sony DSLR-A580 / Sony 18-250mm / Minolta 50mm F1.7 / Sigma 30mm F1.4 / Tamron 10-24mm / Tamron 200-500mm / Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro / Minolta 300mm F4 APO
Sony NEX5N / 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 / 55-210mm F4-6.3 / Pentax K adapter / Konica K/AR adapter / bunches o' Konica & Pentax lenses!

Galleries:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg

Despite being a Canon owner, I agree that you shouldn't depend solely on Canikon as you could be denying yourself ergonomics and other features from other brands you may find preferable. Canon and Nikon may have a wide product range, both their own and third-party, but they don't cater for everybody.

Sony and Pentax are solid brands themselves and bear in mind that Sony purchased Konica-Minolta's photography business about five years back so the latter's A-mount lenses will be compatible with Sony's DSLRs. At a given price point, you'll find that Sony and Pentax may have features Canikon fall shorter on e.g. if you really need a high continuous shooting rate for fast moving objects, Canikon have no answer at the same price point to Sony's a580. Even Pentax's K-r, placed at the bottom rung of their lineup, beats Canon's 60D in terms of frames per second.

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Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control