My mission: get a DSLR by 14 Sep

Wife's birthday is coming up and she asked for a new camera. She has an incredible eye for photography, especially with the kids. As such, I'd like to get her a new DSLR but my knowledge is pretty basic.

Initial research has it narrowed to a few models: Canon T2, T3 and Nikon D5100.

Cnet reviews of the T3 were good EXCEPT for its speed...something to the effect of it not being a good model if you're taking photos of kids and pets that move quickly. No reference given for the T2.

Nikon gets rave reviews from friends, to include the version my wife borrowed and fell for.

We have four lenses from previous 35mm bodies that will fit Canon. But these lenses are between 13 and 20 years old. (the older models may not be compatible, but they're still in the closet and free)

I found one website with the Nikon for $535 including the stock lens, a tripod, case, cleaning kit and LCD screen protector. Seems like a great buy, but eliminates the option of using old lenses we still have. Is a good lens from 12 years ago obsolete compared to a mediocre one today?

Thoughts on the three models? I'd like to get it ordered and here by the 14th. Any and all help is appreciated!

I have a T2i that I took with me to Alaska, it was great. It took me a couple of months to get back up to speed, since my last SLR was film, but it was worth it.

As a camera, it is very fast, very flexible, and easy to use. It takes great pictures if you go off of the programmed modes, and make the decisions yourself regards to aperture or shutter priority, and keep your white balance right, and pick the appropriate ISO.

It takes about 4 shots per second in hold-down mode, and with a fast card, I have hit about 20 shots in a row (calving glacier), without running into to buffer slowdown.

Whether your older lenses will fit, well, IDK.

Too, I upped the kit lens to an 18-135 (~28-126 film equivalency) to not have to change lenses so often.

Here is a link with recent photos. https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resi...PXVaDRLVCCU9dA

The very-rectangle shot is a photo taken off of a video, shot by the T2i. There are a couple of pictures in there taken with other cameras, and I think you can see which are which, on the side of the screen.

Originally Posted by Kamdog

I have a T2i that I took with me to Alaska, it was great. It took me a couple of months to get back up to speed, since my last SLR was film, but it was worth it.

Here is a link with recent photos. https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resi...PXVaDRLVCCU9dA

The very-rectangle shot is a photo taken off of a video, shot by the T2i. There are a couple of pictures in there taken with other cameras, and I think you can see which are which, on the side of the screen.

There's some cool shots in there, looks like a great trip.

I'm amazed at the video quality of these new cameras (got a D7000 recently). It's hard to go back to P&S or camcorder quality after seeing video from my D7000 - although it's a pain to use.

Originally Posted by Chris90

There's some cool shots in there, looks like a great trip.

I'm amazed at the video quality of these new cameras (got a D7000 recently). It's hard to go back to P&S or camcorder quality after seeing video from my D7000 - although it's a pain to use.

I used the camera to do a video. The quality was high, but the shooting was awkward, and it sucked up megs like nothing. The original 2 minutes took over a half a gig, and I couldn't share it with anyone. I down sized it to about 300 MB and put it on my skydrive. http://sdrv.ms/PhZ8yM

It is a good memory, but when you make the file smaller and smaller, it loses a lot, the full length version is smoother.

Originally Posted by Kamdog

I used the camera to do a video. The quality was high, but the shooting was awkward, and it sucked up megs like nothing. The original 2 minutes took over a half a gig, and I couldn't share it with anyone. I down sized it to about 300 MB and put it on my skydrive. http://sdrv.ms/PhZ8yM

It is a good memory, but when you make the file smaller and smaller, it loses a lot, the full length version is smoother.

Yeah, even compressed way down you can tell it's a DSLR. You just don't get that kind of detail from a P&S or camcorder video with the tiny sensors.

I usually upload to vimeo, quality is not great but it's easy to share.

Those we're great shots! Any complaints on the T2 with shutter speed for high action shots?

Using the right combination of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, the whale bubble feeding pictures, the groups of whales with their mouths open, were shot at 640 and 1000 to freeze the action, and it was a fairly low light.


What is very versitile about this camera, and probably the comparative Nikon, is that I can use either the aperture, shutter speed, or the ISO as the variable. I have other shots where I manually selected an F stop of 8, for depth of field, a shutterspeed of 1000 to stop the action, and set the ISO to auto (kept track of it in the viewfinder) and got good photos.

I went with the Cannon because I couldn't get the lens I wanted with the Nikon.

With zoom lens that rival primes, you shouldn't have to invest in one or two zooms if you decide to go the Nikon route. Be careful, new Nikons are coming out, D600 http://nikonrumors.com/2012/08/23/ni...acements.aspx/ Nikon has updated their full frame cameras at reduced prices!!!!!!!!!!!

The D7000, a great cropped camera has dropped from around $1200 to $1000, Nikon D700 is still the best consumer full frame camera at around $2300.

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

With zoom lens that rival primes, you shouldn't have to invest in one or two zooms if you decide to go the Nikon route. Be careful, new Nikons are coming out, D600 http://nikonrumors.com/2012/08/23/ni...acements.aspx/ Nikon has updated their full frame cameras at reduced prices!!!!!!!!!!!

The D7000, a great cropped camera has dropped from around $1200 to $1000, Nikon D700 is still the best consumer full frame camera at around $2300.

Thanks for the help, but $2k is too much juice for the use. Looking at entry level approach to DSLR. Although an incredible, amazing, talented and loving human, my wife won't realize the full capability of a $2k camera as a beginning enthusiast. Digital depot.com has a Canon T2i with 28-80mm lens and case for $299. But I know nothing of the website or its reputation.

Originally Posted by Dork Knight

Thanks for the help, but $2k is too much juice for the use. Looking at entry level approach to DSLR. Although an incredible, amazing, talented and loving human, my wife won't realize the full capability of a $2k camera as a beginning enthusiast. Digital depot.com has a Canon T2i with 28-80mm lens and case for $299. But I know nothing of the website or its reputation.

When a price is too good to be true.......

I would do a thorough search for complaints on them.

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

With zoom lens that rival primes, you shouldn't have to invest in one or two zooms if you decide to go the Nikon route. Be careful, new Nikons are coming out, D600 http://nikonrumors.com/2012/08/23/ni...acements.aspx/ Nikon has updated their full frame cameras at reduced prices!!!!!!!!!!!

The D7000, a great cropped camera has dropped from around $1200 to $1000, Nikon D700 is still the best consumer full frame camera at around $2300.

Thanks for the help, but $2k is too much juice for the use. Looking at entry level approach to DSLR. Although an incredible, amazing, talented and loving human, my wife won't realize the full capability of a $2k camera as a beginning enthusiast. Digital depot.com has a Canon T2i with 28-80mm lens and case for $299. But I know nothing of the website or its reputation.

I don't know what you budget is, but the D3100, D3200 and D5100 are all good consumer dSLR cameras. Here's a link: http://www.d5200.org

Regardless of the system you choose, purchase the camera from an authorized US dealer. B&H and Adorama are safe bets, but online dealers like Buydig.com, Beachcamera.com and abesofmaine.com offer good deals. They are all authorized Nikon USA dealers. Stay away from "package" deals because the included accessories are usually low quality.

I've been using Nikon gear since 1970 so I am a bit biased. I love my Nikon gear.

Regards...JL

Thanks for the help, all. Should know soon.

As an aside, I'm not sure how or why my post above got entered twice. That's a first. Hmmm.

Have no exp with that site...reviews are mixed. And, dunno what lens they are pairing in that pkg you quoted. Most Rebel EOS T2i deals on the web, from reliable sellers are ~$600 with a Canon EF-S 18-55 lens. That lens is 'kit lens' for many of Canon's consumer oriented cams, and is 'decent' by most accounts/reviews. It may not have the 'reach' your wife may want for medium tele, like a 17-85 or longer zoom range on some lenses.

Shopping for lenses, separate or as part of a pkg will drive you crazy, esp for the newer cam buyer, imo.

Canon, Nikon, Sony, et al, all put out some remarkable products these days, esp aimed at the 'step up/step into' DSLR stage of photography. I am partial to Canon, but they are all good.

If it were me, I would shop in that ~$600-$700 range, and the T2i and it's equivalents are all good entry level cams. If your CEO is as enthused/good as you suggest, she will not be disappointed, and can always 'step up' down the road, esp lens-wise. But, that T2i body will do about anything she requires; it just isn't as rugged/hardcore as the $1000/$2000 bodies are.

That gift should delight any enthused, beginning/better than novice DSLR recipient, imo.

Agree with shop the real joints that were mentioned, and resist the 'add on' crap they will all try to sell you...maybe a high quality Skylight 1A or Haze filter just to protect the lens, but that can be bought after the fact, and good glass is good glass and filters, even HQ level, are always suspect, imo.

You might upsize the SDHC memory card; dunno what size mem comes with any deal you are looking at, but 16 Gig is decent, 32 is more pics than one can take in days unless one is shooting RAW. Brands of memory cards don't matter, in my experience..
My 50Cts...
GL, Ol'UncleMotor

Can we get an update?

Hey motordavid. I don't think I can ever spend two months on the road. But, I did take a 10 day RT from Houston to CA by way of Las Vegas, Yosemite, Gold Country, and LA to visit people. Driving through NM at 125 mph (GPS) on I-10 was fun. 4600 miles in all.

Sorry for the delay -- an update is certainly in order. Long story short, I got a T3 for a good price from a REPUTABLE local vendor for $495 with the standard proprietary lens and startup kt and love it.

My experience with digitaldepotonline.com will certainly go on the "Dude, WTF were you thinking?" list. After weeks of non delivery of the camera, being told the system didn't come with a battery or a charger, and them never answering the phone during business hours, I realized I'd been duped. They may be legit as a business, per se, but not one I'd ever recommend anyone doing business with. Buyer definitely beware. I had to dispute the charges with my credit card company as a result. It's not over yet, either...they have the chance to reply and I could find myself in a lengthy and drawn out dispute if things go poorly.

The camera works great. I've taken a fewest shots of the kids and dog to see how it responds and my only complaint is the lag between initially pressing the shutter button and the first shot. If you're on auto focus it takes a bit to think through everything and fire a shot. But after that first shot, everything is substantially quicker. I suspect working with a manual set up vs the AF will remedy that. I consider this basic learning curve more than camera failure.

My wife loves the set-up and didn't seem intimidated by it at all. I consider that to be a huge victory, and one of the subtle objectives going in. I'll post some pictures when I get the chance and am at the computer where they're stored. Big thanks to everyone for the help. In the end the purchase was a mystic mixture of price, availability and previous research.

Here are a few of the first photos we took with the new camera. To say there's a learning curve is an understatement, but I was really pleased with how much the camera covered for my shortfalls. We intend to learn more along the way and get better with composition, framing and other disciplines vs just pointing and shooting. The photo where our dog has the ball in her mouth isn't all that great in terms of composition and the like, but I was really amazed that I could see the sunset in the slobber on the ball. Something about that was just cool to me. As for the flower photo, this shows how far I have to go in terms of macro shots. (not my forte by any stretch)

Pictures saved by the cuteness of the dog.

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

Pictures saved by the cuteness of the dog.

So true. Long road ahead of me. But at least the first steps are taken.

Congrats on joining the DSLR world. Dunno if it's you or your wife shooting, but some comments:

- several shots are out of focus, not sure why, could be a lot of reasons.
- try to focus on the eyes of animals (and people)
- that's probably the reason for lag in shutter, it's probably hunting focus - a DSLR should have zero shutter lag.
- macro shots like the flower should be shot with high f number, so all of the flower is in focus - looks like you missed focus anyway, but keep that in mind. This is why a tripod is preferable for macro
- I recommend getting a fast prime, a 35mm f/1.8, if you shoot a lot of indoor family/pets, or 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 if you shoot more outdoors. This will solve any focus hunting issues in low light, and shots of kids and dogs will look much better with some subject isolation.

This kind of thing, a fast lens isolates the boring backgrounds:

Originally Posted by Dork Knight

Here are a few of the first photos we took with the new camera. To say there's a learning curve is an understatement, but I was really pleased with how much the camera covered for my shortfalls. We intend to learn more along the way and get better with composition, framing and other disciplines vs just pointing and shooting. The photo where our dog has the ball in her mouth isn't all that great in terms of composition and the like, but I was really amazed that I could see the sunset in the slobber on the ball. Something about that was just cool to me. As for the flower photo, this shows how far I have to go in terms of macro shots. (not my forte by any stretch)

Couple other comments - when shooting animals or children, try to shoot at eye level. Your 2nd shot (eye level) is much, much better than your 1st shot (looking down at the dog). Same goes with little kids.

I know you are on a budget, so I highly recommend a cheap fast prime lens. Nikon has a $200 35 f/1.8, not sure if Canon has a cheap equivalent. They have a cheap ($100?) 50mm f/1.8, but that's a tough focal length to use indoors, so if you're gonna shoot kids indoors much, go with 35mm.

Sigma makes terrific prime lenses, like the 30mm f/1.4 ($400) or 50mm f/1.4 ($500), but dunno if that's in your price range.

A fast prime will teach you a ton about photography, and will get you great shots of kids and animals - since we had the baby, the 35mm never leaves my camera, except when I switch to the 50mm Sigma outdoors.

Keep in mind that if you do autofocus without assigning a specific focal point in the camera, you will get the closest thing in focus. So, your dog's nose will be in focus rather than the eyes.

Next, the center focal point is usually the most accurate, so try to pick that as your sole focal point.

Get off of auto and experiment. Go with Aperture priority to fix your depth of field and to stay in the middle of the range to avoid issues with being fully stopped down or fully opened up. Go with Shutter priority when there is any action or using a long focal length. The standard minimum is the shutter must exceed the focal length, so if you are shooting at 250mm, you need to be at least at 1/250. But I always go for faster by at least another stop, even with lens stabilization.

Then there is ISO control, which controls the sensitivity of the light meter.


You have three exposure variables to master, so you should play with using each one as the variable. Fixed ISO, fixed F stop, variable shutter speed. Variable ISO, fixed F and fixed SS., etc.

Wow way to make him have to spend more money on primes! I love a good prime. I shot next to people using pro zooms that ask my pictures on my screen and ask how I'm getting those photo's with that little lens.


Untitled by Auston Tkaczuk, on Flickr