More fun...please tell my friend why you picked YOUR beginner dSLR

[Pea-n-Me]

Yup, have a good friend looking to buy first dSLR.

She has no real photography experience and has never used an SLR before, other than a few shots she's taken recently off of other people's beginner dSLRs at her DD's sporting events to try them out. Since her interest was piqued in the whole concept, I lent her my first dSLR w/ two kit lenses this week so she can see how it feel to use one regularly.

She doesn't have a budget persay, but commented that she'd spent $800 on several point and shoots over the years and is still getting crappy pictures. She wants to get family pics and will be shooting a lot at sporting events, some indoors.

I think she thought that the camera and kit lens or two and leaving it on Auto would be it. I've explained some of the things involved in actually getting good pictures, such as learning photography principles, eventually investing in better lenses, holding the camera in your hands to see ergonomically which the best fit is, yada, yada, yada.

When she asked my opinion, I did not make any brand recommendations persay, just talked a little bit in general about what is available, including some of the mirrorless options. I spent more time talking about dSLR use in general, as we often do here on the board.

I thought it might be fun to hear from everyone why you chose yours. No holds barred (other than no fighting back and forth). Let's hear it for real. I'm encouraging people to be completely honest and I'm asking that no arguments ensue because of that honesty. Let's be respectful of everyone's opinions and experiences, please. I'm sure a lot of people also looking to buy will be interested in hearing these experiences. (And just for the newbs who may not know, brand preference in photography can be an extremely controversial topic, sort of like religion and politics, lol.)

Let's hear from users of ALL brands.

Include your photography background. Would you buy the same one if you had it to do over again? What don't you like about your system? Is there anything you learned about your camera "after the fact" that you didn't know going into it? Where did you buy and why? Describe your learning process. How much did you spend initially and how much have you spent overall? When you found out your pictures weren't as you thought they might be initially, did you automatically assume it was the camera, or did you realize you had to work harder than you'd thought you would to get good pics? Share what surprised you about using a dSLR. Etc.

Let's hear it! :woohoo:

[SrisonS]

Well.... I had a Nikon p&s that I was happy with. Got a newer model Nikon p&s that I was very unhappy with. So that experience kinda turned me off of Nikon. I couldn't understand at the time how a camera that was a couple of years newer was way worse than an old one. (The newer camera wasn't really an 'upgrade' from that older one though. i.e. like T1i, T2i, T3i). Flawed thinking... i know.

So when shopping for a camera between a p&s and a DSLR, I came across the Canon Powershot S3 IS. I absolutely loved that camera; so that basically made me a Canon fan. So when looking to improve my picture quality, and wanting to really take advantage of knowledge that I was slowly acquiring in this hobby, Canon was number 1 on my list. I slightly considered a Nikon; but as mentioned before, I was already in Canon's arms. I never even thought about Pentax, Sony, Olympus, etc; mainly because I was unfamiliar with their cameras. Shopping for a DSLR is confusing as it is, so I just wanted to stick with someone I at least knew more about. And I'm not rolling in the dough, so I didn't wanna regret that major purchase. So as I was about to pull the gun on a Canon Rebel XSi, I saw that the T1i was about to come out. Glad I waited. Now I love my new baby. :cool1:

As mentioned before, most of that was the thinking process of a newbie. So would I change a single thing about that search now???? Definitely not. ;)

But for any p&s users that are somewhat hesitant about jumping to a DSLR, I would highly suggest getting a bridge camera. You won't have as much versatility and creative control, but you'll at least be able to know how a DSLR works; as far as controlling aperture and shutter speed, or shooting full manual. Heck, the settings dial on the S3 IS is almost the same as on my T1i. And they aren't bad cameras at all.

[alloyd1170]

For starters, see if there is a local photography club in your area where you go could and get a closer look at all the different kinds of cameras with first hand knowledge. You could also check out a local store, but chances are, if it's a chain (ie Best Buy, Ritz) they won't have the extensive knowledge (unless you get lucky). You can at least hold them and play around with them. Another option would be to look at your local community college. Some offer a photography class (either basic, or certification). You might need to own a dslr to take the class. However, do consider taking a class once you do purchase a camera as it is very informative! It will get you off the auto and program settings. They will also teach you composition-don't put you subject smack dab in the middle all the time, don't shoot down on subjects, etc.

At the same time, you need to research like crazy. There are so many cameras, with lots of bells and whistles. I just did a photo trip to the Galapagos with Nat Geo. Some had simple point and shoots while others had the high tech gizmos (like me). At the end of the trip a slide show was made using our photos. It was hard to figure out which photos came from the high tech cameras from the point and shoots. You will hear which camera each person thinks is best (the one they own), but until you understand what each camera can do, you won't know where to go. You also need to take into consideration what kind of photography you want to do. If you're into sports, the a dslr would be best as it faster than a point and shoot. If you want some that can fit in you pocket or purse, than a dslr is not the way to go as they are big! Then there are the bridge cameras like SrisonS pointed out. I carry a Canon G11 in my bag all the time. It is smaller than a dslr, but has almost all the same functions (with a few more options) as my Canon EOS 7D. Speed wise, it is much slower than my dslr. There are smaller, thinner options too. This is where you need to research! Coming here is a great place to get some options.

It does seem like Canon and Nikon are the two big names that you'll hear the most. However, there are many others out there. I just read that Lumix (Panasonic I think ??) just came out with a camera where you can actually edit in camera by adding makeup and smooth out wrinkles of people! Sony has a camera where you can pan a scene to make a panoramic photo. I went with Canon mainly because of it's reputation, and because my father-in-law and a friend (both serious photographers) are Canon users.

Good luck on your quest and have fun!

[PrincessInOz]

My husband is an avid amateur photographer. He used to have a Minolta SLR with a couple of lenses and then we got an early digital point and shoot (top of the range 2Mpx). We figured it was time to finally get the dSLR camera, for him, in Feb/Mar last year because we had a trip planned to WDW.
I was the occassional button presser...when he wanted to get in a shot, I would be the one the camera got handed to.

At that time, we were thinking about a Sony because someone on this subforum told me that we might be able to use his Minolta lens on the Sony.

We first started out with a budget in mind and then I started researching and checking out all the camera reviews on the Sony Alphas. I realised that there was a whole lot more to buying a camera than the cash register. In any case, there were a whole bunch of cameras from different brands that met our budget, so we hit the shops.

After looking at the reviews, DH had decided that we were going to settle for a Nikon or a Canon. Most of our friends that shoot with dSLRs have Nikons and they all seem to love the brand. So the Nikon edged ahead. But when we went to the shop to hold the camera, it turned out that the Nikon cameras were too big for DH and also for my hands.

We also picked up the Sony Alpha, Pentax and the Canon. The Canon range seem to suit our hands better and the controls seemed more intuitive for us to use.

At this stage, we came back to the reality check of the budget. The Canon T2i had just been newly released and I knew that I could get it in the US for a whole heap less than what they were retailing in Oz (would you believe 40% less??).

We ended up with the Canon T2i because one of our local camera shops was prepared to do a great deal and pretty much gave us a quote for the T2i for nearly the equivalent price as buying it in the US.

Buying a camera is the easy bit. You just hand over money and get a widget in return. But there is no point in getting an expensive dSLR camera, if after you buy it, it sits in the bag and doesn't get used for months on end. Which is exactly what happened in my household when we came back from holiday.

And then I found the summer scavenger hunt and decided that it seemed like a bit of fun, and as no one knew me on the boards, it didn't matter to me what sort of pictures I posted, bad or indifferent (I had no illusions that I was going to post any good ones at the very start). So I wasn't losing out on gaining a bad reputation on the boards with crappy pictures and didn't really care what anyone else thought of my sad non-existent photography skills :rotfl:.

But as I took more pictures and saw more pictures being posted, I found that I was learning and getting more interested in the photography thing. So, I kept taking pictures and working out what I liked seeing, what I didn't and hitting that delete button. I also kept posting on the boards....and then decided that I wanted to keep hanging out here. All of a sudden, I started to care about posting half-decent pictures and I no longer wanted to be ignorami'ed on the photoboard.

That camera is now mine! DH doesn't get to lay a finger on it anymore. In the last year, I've gone from pure indifference to a photo-nut, still an amateur.

I've learnt how to shoot with my camera purely from looking at other people's pictures and working out what they are doing and from what angles. My aim for this year is to be shooting purely in Manual mode. I'm not doing too badly so far.

I've learnt that I really, really want to be a food porn queen and most of my pictures involve food, particularly when I'm on holiday.

More importantly, I've learnt that if you are going to buy a camera, you need to keep using it no matter what. There is a shot in every situation and in order to keep that photo mo-jo, just keep shooting.

And with the lenses that I've bought in the last year, I've ended up spending a small fortune on this hobby. I've now got the 50 mm, f/1.8; 17 - 55 mm f/2.8 and the 10 - 22 mm f/3.5+....and I still have the two kit lens.
I plan to upgrade the 55 - 250 mm kit lens at some stage.

So, it looks like I'm sticking with Canon....and also with a crop camera. Definitely looking at the 7D as my next body.

princess::upsidedow

[polkadotminnie]

I was looking to buy a camera several years ago to get great shots of competition cheer. The venues are inside with low lights and usually spotlights on the stage. Couple this with high speed tumbling and I could never get the shot I wanted. I had a little experience since I owned a Nikon N65 film camera and a bunch of point and shoots over the years. I went to the camera store thinking that I would get another Nikon but it felt too small for my grip. I tried the Canon and liked it OK. I then picked up the Sony Alpha 300 and it fit my hand perfectly. I loved the option for live view when needed. I liked the swivel screen so I could shoot over peoples' heads using live view. I have to do this occasionally. I upgraded from the Alpha 300 to the Alpha 500 the following year as I wanted it to shoot more fps. I am very happy with my 500 and have no desire to replace it any time soon.

[margitmouse]

popcorn::

Great inforMation for another "in search mode"!

Please keep it coming

: )

[mom2rtk]

I bought my first Canon Rebel in 2004 when the DSLR broke the $1000 barrier. I bought that brand because that's what they had at Sears! :lmao: They were the same price everywhere, but I wanted to buy from a store with a full return policy with no restocking fees, if I wasn't happy with the quality of the photos. I ran home, snapped a few frames, and ran to Walgreens to have them printed. I was completely sold and completely in love with that camera from then on.

I had a film SLR up until then, but was running out of room to store photos and negatives. I love taking pictures of the kids and scrapbooking, and wanted to find a way to keep taking the photos without having to add a wing onto the house!

I had seen digital cameras, even had a small 3mp Kodak, but the shutter delay was a dealbreaker for me since the boys were both in sports. When I saw the first DSLR with no shutter lag just under $1000, I was in!

I've had several other Rebel models through the years, because I kept it under an extended warranty from Sears and they replaced it with a new model any time anything small went wrong. Seems they aren't too much into fixing stuff......... so they just replace it with what's available!

I was very happy with my DSLR, but never moved out of program mode. I wanted to learn, but didn't have anyone around me I could ask questions of, and with 3 little kids, didn't really have time for classes. A couple years ago I found the DIS photography forum, and it has opened up a whole new world for me. I love that I have been able to get my questions answered in a non-threatening environment.

I now have the T2i and LOVE the higher ISO capabilities it offers. I do wish it had more FPS, so that will be a priority next time I upgrade.

So, I'm in Canon because that's what there was in 04. But it works for me. Just know that while you're not married to a brand your entire life, the odds are that once you start acquiring lenses and accessories, you'll want to stay with that brand. So check them ALL out at the start!

[MissJanice]

I got my DSLR about a year ago. And I am SO still learning and taking lots of bad pictures. But the main reason I bought it was because I could not find a point and shoot that could take an in-focus picture of my very quick moving two year old. I am still on my beginning Cannon t1i and kit lens. I want to take some classes and figre out how to use the camera.

But I still love my "bad" pictures because they are in focus! :cool1:

[ukcatfan]

I got my first four years ago. I had been a huge Canon p&s fan for years, so I went in very narrow minded thinking I would get a Rebel XT. I had even handled it and thought I liked it. Then I got some good advice to check out all my options. It lost its luster immediately! I then ended up thinking I wanted a Nikon D50 and almost bought that. I had been hearing about the great deal the Pentax iST DL was, but hadn't handled one. I finally came across one at Circuit City, but it was the newer K100d. I fell in love with it! It seemed so much better for me and also had more for the money, so I went with it. Three years later I upgraded to a K-x and have had it for a year and a few months. I am overly pleased with it. Another thing I liked about Pentax is that the build quality of the kit lens is a little better than most other brands and since I am budget minded, that was a plus. Four years later, the basic kit lens is still my primary lens.

[Nayan]

I, like a PP have a Minolta SLR which I loved. I also had heard about being able to use my glass on Sony camera's, but sadly that wasn't the case. I had also spent big bucks on point and shoots and always chose Canon, since the more expensive ones allowed you to choose settings and go manual. When I was looking at DSLR's I looked at both Canon and Nikon. I ended up going with a Canon XS, simply because I wanted a camera with no video. I am very happy with it and am already looking at more lenses to get.

[zackiedawg]

I, like a PP have a Minolta SLR which I loved. I also had heard about being able to use my glass on Sony camera's, but sadly that wasn't the case.

Curious...was your Minolta P&S older than 1985, and used the old manual MD lenses? Those don't work on Sony bodies of course, without an adapter, and then only manually. Just to clarify so there's no confusion for anyone else though - ANY Minolta SLR lens from 1985 or so, when they invented the Autofocus Maxxum line, will work perfectly and beautifully on Sony DSLR bodies. In case any Minolta Maxxum users got misled!

To the original question...
Basically, no worries on which one you pick, as they all have outstanding capabilities and flexibility and room for growth.

For me, after decades of SLR shooting, followed by a decade of shooting with digital prosumers, I had run into the limitations of P&S sensors and controls. I had accidentally fallen into semi-pro photography after having some photos from my prosumers start selling then being asked to do a few paid shoots - and I didn't have the camera truly capable of doing it. I needed maximum control, higher ISO capability, much faster shutter speeds, much faster focus systems, and lenses specifically suited to different types of shoots. So DSLR was the way to go.

For me, as a veteran of film SLRs, I relished having all the manual controls and settings again, but at the same time, saw the relevance and usefulness of P&S-style live view - where you can shoot off the LCD, using histograms, white balance previewing, etc. So I really wanted a camera that could have that option for the 10-20% of the times I might need or like it. At the time, there was exactly 1 manufacturer who made DSLRs capable of normal operation in live view or optical viewfinder mode, so that strongly influenced my decision towards Sony. Combined with the Minolta heritge lenses available, I knew I could find what I needed...so my first DSLR was the Sony A300. Not only did it fulfill the live view promise, but it added the tilting LCD - which was quite unique in the DSLR world, and made night shooting off a tripod a dream. After building a collection of Sony, third party, and Minolta lenses, I needed to upgrade the body after a year or two to get even better high ISO performance, and preferably something with faster burst modes and larger buffer - Sony came out with the A550 just in time. Same fast live view system (still the only manufacturer with normal operation in live view!) but beefed up to include a slow accurate main-sensor live view too, like other DSLRs...and seriously amped up the high ISO performance and burst speed. I love the large grips and heavier bodies of the Sony DSLRs as I don't do as well with heavy shooting with a light, compact DSLR or small grip. I love the availability of cheap Minolta lenses on the used market - primo pro-level glass for chump change. And I love that any lens, new or old, prime or zoom, wide or telephoto, are all stabilized with the in-body stabilization system. I use the camera to 9/10ths of it's capabilities, and shoot a ton - it's past 50,000 shutter actuations, with my extensive weekly wildlife and bird shooting, occasional event shooting, and my handheld and tripod night shooting. No complaints!

[Anewman]

Been shooting Canon since the early 80s... I had never been disappointed, still haven't.
If I need a lens or accessory, always readily available.

I did consider the "feel" of the body, and IQ just as EVERYONE does. I also needed somthing FAST, not just in frames per second but in locking and keeping focus on fast moving subjects. And I needed specific lens options.

I just purchased a New Canon 60D(wish I could afford the 7D), I just felt it focused so much quicker and tracked better than any of the cameras in the price range and the lens choices are exactly what I need down the line.

Any DSLR can take sports shots, Just as any DSLR can take low light shots. But each DSLR has strengths and weaknesses, as a photographer you have to decide which line(not just camera) suits you best.

[Jalva22]

I was debating between the Canon 40D and the Nikon D90. I really wanted to get into the Nikon flash system, but ended up going with the 40D because:

-it was more intuitive for me in my hand (loved the big wheel on the back)
-it had a 2nd lcd on the top, which seemed easier for me to use than the D90's single screen system
-it had a faster burst mode
-it had the better build
-it was rated better (from what I read) for high iso's

Of course, the 40D was priced higher as well.

Did I make the right choice? I don't know. They're both great cameras with individual pros and cons, and I've seen some tremendous shots from the D90. It also seems like there are more people who still use their D90's than there are people who still use their 40D's. I do really like my 40D though.

[Anewman]

It also seems like there are more people who still use their D90's than there are people who still use their 40D's. I do really like my 40D though.

Not that it matters, but for sake of discussion.

The 40Ds line from Canon has already been updated twice, while the D90 is still their current model in that line.