Which camera for beginners?

Sibil wrote in post #16989903
You are correct. They can be bought used, separately, for OK price.

Yeah, but probably not for much cheaper than you'd pay for them in a kit, new.

I'd go with a T4i or newer rebel or the 60D. The T4i was when they finally made all the AF points cross type. Added benefits of the 60D over the rebel line are the better controls like the addition of the rear dial. It also has a larger buffer so if you are doing burst shots or shooting fairly quickly, you are less likely to have to stop and wait for the buffer to clear. The rebel was always small in my hand and I was forced to use a grip to make things more comfortable, even so my trigger finger would always get sore after a day of shooting since I had to scrunch it to press the button. Now that I have my 5D3, the grip on it is thicker and I am much more comfortable using it. I almost never use the battery grip.

I find this thread very interesting, as I just bought my first digital camera. I went with the Canon body because I can still use my old lens that I used on my Canon RT. I must admit that this new camera is a bit overwhelming. I bought a 70D last week and I realize I have lots to learn, but from what I've read here on this forum, this is the place to learn. Now all I need to figure out is what to set the AF Method at. Have them get the best body they can afford with only one lens to start, then add on as they go along.
Denny

dennyo2 wrote in post #16990214
I find this thread very interesting, as I just bought my first digital camera. I went with the Canon body because I can still use my old lens that I used on my Canon RT. I must admit that this new camera is a bit overwhelming. I bought a 70D last week and I realize I have lots to learn, but from what I've read here on this forum, this is the place to learn. Now all I need to figure out is what to set the AF Method at. Have them get the best body they can afford with only one lens to start, then add on as they go along.
Denny

just to put your mind at ease, the basics of photography are the same regardless of camera. apature/shutter/iso etc work all the same way regardless of camera you have used in the past or will use in the future.

like most modern cameras they have features that can take a while to learn and understand. Take your time. the camera is going to last a while and you don't have to upgrade every time a new one comes out.

I started out putting the camera in P mode instead of the green box. this way you can get access to all features but the camera is choosing the apature/shutter while you can play with the rest of the settings.

don't forget to have fun while doing it.

I would suggest the canon t5i,kit, for $900 you get body, 18-55 and 55-250.....
Add a 50 f/1.8 for a $125 when then what to play with fix apature/lowlight stuff
Buydig has the kit for $900, they even give you a bag.

tagnal wrote in post #16990077
I'd go with a T4i or newer rebel or the 60D. The T4i was when they finally made all the AF points cross type. Added benefits of the 60D over the rebel line are the better controls like the addition of the rear dial. It also has a larger buffer so if you are doing burst shots or shooting fairly quickly, you are less likely to have to stop and wait for the buffer to clear. The rebel was always small in my hand and I was forced to use a grip to make things more comfortable, even so my trigger finger would always get sore after a day of shooting since I had to scrunch it to press the button. Now that I have my 5D3, the grip on it is thicker and I am much more comfortable using it. I almost never use the battery grip.

IMO, the 60D has really bad resale value because the T4i/T5i have just about everything it has, except slightly better ergonomics and controls, plus I think you'd end up wanting to upgrade to something better. T4i or T5i each offer a better value.

Mark0159 wrote in post #16990239
just to put your mind at ease, the basics of photography are the same regardless of camera. apature/shutter/iso etc work all the same way regardless of camera you have used in the past or will use in the future.

like most modern cameras they have features that can take a while to learn and understand. Take your time. the camera is going to last a while and you don't have to upgrade every time a new one comes out.

I started out putting the camera in P mode instead of the green box. this way you can get access to all features but the camera is choosing the apature/shutter while you can play with the rest of the settings.

don't forget to have fun while doing it.

Thanks Mark, P mode is where I have it for now, and I am having fun.
Denny

Costco online has 2 bundles on sale now: Camera,18-55,55-250,16 GB card, bag.
T3i is $699, T5i is $899, both with free shipping.
Either would be a great start for a beginner.

http://www.costco.com …le.product.1000​57275.html
http://www.costco.com …le.product.1000​75344.html

Apricane wrote in post #16990275
IMO, the 60D has really bad resale value because the T4i/T5i have just about everything it has, except slightly better ergonomics and controls, plus I think you'd end up wanting to upgrade to something better. T4i or T5i each offer a better value.

If you get into high pressure shooting, that rear dial can make a huge difference to change settings without coming off the viewfinder.

If you ever want to shoot at f/1.2 in full sunlight, the 1/8000 shutter speed will be necessary if you don't want to use a filter.

Wow, the suggestions and comments are very helpful! I really appreciate you all taking the time to comment on the topic. I have pitched them the options that you guys suggested. We'll see what they say.

as a beginner I got a t4i this year with the lenses you can see in my sig, the nikon lens was from my moms old film camera and its all manual so its good for me to learn with.

if you can find a t5i for a good price get that. thats just my 2 cents.

waterrockets wrote in post #16990562
If you get into high pressure shooting, that rear dial can make a huge difference to change settings without coming off the viewfinder.

If you ever want to shoot at f/1.2 in full sunlight, the 1/8000 shutter speed will be necessary if you don't want to use a filter.

I hardly think a 'beginner' would need to shoot at f/1.2. Hell, I've been into DSLR photography for three years now, and have never owned a lens faster than 1.8 yet.

The same holds for high pressure shooting. It is very true that a rear dial is very useful, so much so that I wouldn't do without it now that I've had a 60D for more than a year and now recently got a 70D. It still remains that this is hardly something a beginner needs to worry about, as being in a 'high pressure shooting' situation, to be efficient, you need to know your exposure needs rather instinctively.

One of the Rebels, esp. the T4i and T5i are really capable cameras that will stay attractive for beginners, so if you want to upgrade or don't want to stick with photography, should be easier to re-sell than a 60D that has little added value, especially regarding its labelling as a 'Super Rebel', and would likely be harder to re-sell.

I went with the 40d and I still use it. Absolutely loved it. I tried out schools rebel cameras and decided to shoot with mine instead. I like the 40d cause it seems to fit my hands better, rebel seems a bit, plastic. I believe the xxD series has better easier to access settings and buttons. But I could be totally wrong. Haven't touched a rebel in almost a year.

Apricane wrote in post #16990723
I hardly think a 'beginner' would need to shoot at f/1.2. Hell, I've been into DSLR photography for three years now, and have never owned a lens faster than 1.8 yet.

The same holds for high pressure shooting. It is very true that a rear dial is very useful, so much so that I wouldn't do without it now that I've had a 60D for more than a year and now recently got a 70D. It still remains that this is hardly something a beginner needs to worry about, as being in a 'high pressure shooting' situation, to be efficient, you need to know your exposure needs rather instinctively.

One of the Rebels, esp. the T4i and T5i are really capable cameras that will stay attractive for beginners, so if you want to upgrade or don't want to stick with photography, should be easier to re-sell than a 60D that has little added value, especially regarding its labelling as a 'Super Rebel', and would likely be harder to re-sell.

"Little added value" is a ridiculous statement. True for some, not for others.

So, for how long will one be beginner? How important is this hobby to them? Everyone is different, and some would be better off with touch screens, and some would be better off with a rear dial. The depreciation on new Rebels is much more severe than a 1-generation-old XXD body, so if OP decides to upgrade, there's less money to work with. Minimizing the differences between XXXD body and XXD bodies removes information needed for decision making.

I am not suggesting that a 60D is the right answer. I am helping OP and future thread visitors to understand what the 60D features mean. It certainly may be true that a T5i is the correct route. I even recommended that body to an extremely well-off family member, just based on the kind of shooting he wanted to do, even though he could drop $100k on the hobby and not miss the money. On the other hand, I've started beginner friends off with the 50D to stretch their limited budget as far as possible with a goal to eventually shoot sports for money.

But how can you have a reasonable discussion about which camera is the best for a beginner and advise on what features may or may not benefit the beginner when the person in question is not a member of POTN and so is therefore not contributing to the discussion which means that we don't know the type of photography that they will be doing how often they will be going out with their camera and what their future plans will be regarding their equipment.

Bloody hell I said all that without any full stops.