Help! Looking to buy a canon rebel and need advice

[ºoºMinnie_CHEERºoº]

Hi, My family is looking into buying a Canon rebel Xs. We don't know anything about the canon rebel and need some advice. We currently have a Nikon COOLPIX and we just aren't happy with the way our pictures are turning out. We have never had a high-end camera before but recently decide to invest in one and before we do I would like to see which camera will be best for us.

My sister and I are cheerleaders in high school and I am all about taking pictures for my scrapbook and the challenge with taking pictures at a game is the low lighting conditions and the fact that we are constantly moving so the pictures come out blurry. We also love taking pictures in WDW and we would love to have a camera that takes excellent pictures of fireworks etc...
I know several people that LOVE their Canon Rebels and they tell me that it is very easy to use. So I have a few questions,

Is the canon rebel the best camera for us? Is it easy to use? Which Canon Rebel should we invest in? Is there another brand you like better?

We need a camera that will take excellent pictures under low-lighting conditions and one that will take great sports pictures and of course fabulous pictures when we are in WDW=).

We have been trying to research all of this and so far we have been told that it might be better for us to go with a cheaper camera and get a more expensive lens is that true? They said that it didn't matter about the camera but that we should go all out on the lens. If so then which lens would be the perfect one for us for the low-lighting, sports and WDW pics?

Of course I also know that sometimes it isn't so much the camera as the person taking pics and if they know what they are doing LOL so since we don't know what we are doing We want to make sure that we don't waste our money and get stuck with the same quality as a cheaper digital camera.

Thank you so much in advance for all your help as you can see we know nothing about the high-end cameras and there might be something that I left out that we should know about and is important to have in a camera so any advice you can give will be much appreciated=)

 

[JR6ooo4]

to start you are going to look for a camera body with the good high ISO quality. ISO relates to old fashioned film speed. faster speed helps with stopping action in low light.

Once you have a camera body in mind then you have to choose the right lens. the kit lenses do a pretty good job in ideal conditions, but fast moving action in low gym lighting is not ideal, as you have already know.

if you can get really close you can use the 50mm f1.8 lens. the lower the "f" stop number of a lens the better it will do in low lighting. but accordingly the more expensive it will be.

zoom lenses are generally not low f stops. I shoot local musical theater. It is always dark and fast moving. I struggle with a canon 70-300IS with a lowest f stop of about 4.0.

Mikeeee

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The short answer is that there's nothing magic about getting "excellent" and "perfect" pictures with a Canon Rebel, or any dSLR for that matter. Getting the types of shots you want require some knowledge of photography and even a specialized lens or two. You will, however, be closer to achieving what you want with a dSLR, but you still need to put some time and effort into equipment and technique if you want to be truly happy with your shots. (This board is a great place to learn.)

It would be wise on your part to do some research into what a dSLR is, what lenses are all about, and what each of the different brands and models offer. You cannot really go wrong with a Rebel, IMO, but there are also other brands that people are very happy with as well. It boils down to research and personal preference to get the most out of your choice. Make sure you read about and try out each brand for intuitive feel.

Good luck!

 

[ukcatfan]

To be honest, any DSLR is capable of capturing incredible shots. The big differences are the accessories available for it and the price. You should research what the different brands offer to see if you can get what you want for the budget you have. Also, you must go out and actually handle them. For example, I was set on a Rebel until I held one and did not like the feel at all so I ended up with a Pentax. Others love the feel of the Rebels. No advice anyone can give will help you here because everyone is different.

 

[boBQuincy]

I know several people that LOVE their Canon Rebels and they tell me that it is very easy to use. So I have a few questions,

Is the canon rebel the best camera for us? Is it easy to use? Which Canon Rebel should we invest in? Is there another brand you like better?

Best? Difficult to say, that depends a lot on you. By this I mean does it fit your hands; does it have the features you need; etc. The Rebels are entry level models so they are a good choice for most beginners.
Is the Rebel easy to use? Yes, although getting good results in low light takes some $$$ and some effort.
Which one? The Xs or Xsi, the T1i costs more (but has video).
Other brands? I use Canon so I know little about the other brands except that there is probably not a lot of difference between comparable models of the brands.

We need a camera that will take excellent pictures under low-lighting conditions and one that will take great sports pictures and of course fabulous pictures when we are in WDW=).

The Rebel Xs can take excellent photos under low light, as can just about any dSLR. You will need some lenses that are good for low light, such as the $100 50mm f/1.8. For longer range you might want something like a 70-200, the f/4 models start at $600 and the f/2.8 models (better for low light) start at about twice that and go up (way up). This is one of the issues with low light, apart from the 50mm the good low light lenses are expensive.

For WDW the 18-55 kit lens that comes with the camera is actually pretty good. For longer range the 55-250 will do but with the f/5.6 aperture it is not a good low light lens.

 

[JR6ooo4]

the photos in this thread were taken with an ancient (about 3 or 4 years old) rebel XT and a canon 70-300 IS. I think that lens is about $600 still.

MIkeeee

 

[Frantasmic]

How close will the photographer be able to get to the cheerleaders?

If the photographer will have fairly close access, a relatively inexpensive route to go would be the Canon XS and either an 85mm f1.8 or 100mm f2.0 lens. These are good at low light and produce sharp pictures. However, they are fixed lens and so you wouldn't be able to zoom, so the pictures would have to be framed. However, if the pictures can be shot from with the first 5 rows of a football stadium, I think you would be happy with the results.

 

[jann1033]

i think the biggest challenge for you with a canon might be the lack of IS in the body of nikon and canon.( image stabilization) you want to take low light photos and said your photos are blurry which could be because low light photos need a longer exposure and/or larger aperture( ie f2.8) so it's hard to hold the camera long for that length of time. IS could help you some with that since it helps stop your motion( so you can use a smaller aperture and/or slower shutter speed that way, with out IS you would notice the lens shake from your hand movement, breathing etc and get blurry photos)

but with canon( and nikon) the lower priced( ie under $1000) lenses don't have IS and large aperture , those with IS and larger aperture are expensive.( $1000+). third party lenses give canon and nikon the edge since i don't know of many that don't come in canon and nikon mounts but then again there aren't a lot with stabilization in them (even though they are less expensive than brand lenses).

other wise the xsi and 18-55mm, 55-250mm IS lenses would be a nice set up, just neither lens has a large aperture( fyi when you look at zoom lenses the f3.5-5.6 means the lens aperture at the widest angle, ie with a lens that says 18-55mm f3.5-5.6, the 3.5 is only at 18mm and at the longest zoom ie 55mm it's 5.6 which will not let you take low light photos...so you really want something in the 2.8 or so aperture throughout the zoom for the best chance of getting a good shot.) or get a tamron 17-50mm f2.8 and skip the 18-55mm. it's about $450 and doesn't have IS but does have very good image quality and the better aperture. that would at least help in low light closer and wide angle photos. ( ie wdw)

to me that isn't a huge deal( had a rebel now have a canon 40d) since you can use a monopod and hold the camera correctly which helps but it depends on how much you want to perfect technique vs just snap some shots.

http://lightingmods.blogspot.com/2008/10/tip-camera-holding-technique.html
a good technique if you use your left eye to focus, you can't do it if you use your right eye( i don't use my left as i don't have vision in it, hmm maybe i should try it anyway and see if it helps my photos by shooting blind) left eye focusers are supposed to be more creative btw.

good technique for the rest of us humble right eye users
http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-hold-a-digital-camerahttp://

 

[wenrob]

http://lightingmods.blogspot.com/2008/10/tip-camera-holding-technique.html
a good technique if you use your left eye to focus, you can't do it if you use your right eye( i don't use my left as i don't have vision in it, hmm maybe i should try it anyway and see if it helps my photos by shooting blind) left eye focusers are supposed to be more creative btw.

You know this only works if you have one of the bigger cameras and bigger shoulders. I've tried it but I've got no shoulders and the D90 is not tall enough. I know you're supposed to wrap yourself around it but it still doesn't work for me. I end up looking down into the viewfinder and the effort it takes to stay in that position makes my arm shake...counterproductive, lol.

OP-take the advice given here, you can't go wrong with these guys.

 

[bob100]

would love to have a camera that takes excellent pictures of fireworks etc...
I know several people that LOVE their Canon Rebels and they tell me that it is very easy to use. So I have a few questions,

Is the canon rebel the best camera for us? Is it easy to use? Which Canon Rebel should we invest in? Is there another brand you like better?

We need a camera that will take excellent pictures under low-lighting conditions and one that will take great sports pictures and of course fabulous pictures when we are in WDW=).

We have been trying to research all of this and so far we have been told that it might be better for us to go with a cheaper camera and get a more expensive lens is that true? They said that it didn't matter about the camera but that we should go all out on the lens. If so then which lens would be the perfect one for us for the low-lighting, sports and WDW pics?

I have the Canon XSi (450D) and it will take good pics in low light however if you're far away from the action it helps to have a large aperture lens which can get expensive. Any of the entry level Canons with a cheap telezoom like the Canon 55-250 can get decent pics at night (increasing the ISO), that lens costs $200 - $250. The newer Rebel model (T1i / 500D) is probably a bit better and has video

 

[ºoºMinnie_CHEERºoº]

Thank you so much for all of your help!! Everyone has given me really great advice and I can't wait to research further and get our camera!! I think I know now what we need to research further!! Thank you so much again!! When my mom takes the pictures we are pretty close my sis and I are in the front row of the lineup, and my mom is probably 8 ft away so hopefully we can get some great shots. The only problem will come in when we are in the middle of the field doing the halftime routine and it sounds like there isn't one that takes great pictures under low light and still be able to zoom in a lot looks like we may have to compromise on one of them a bit. But, I will be happy with anything that is better than the camera we have now lol! We actually have a team photographer that gets really close and takes pictures but last year he barely got any of us and sometimes he missed half of our routine so that's why we wanted to be able to take our own pics this year!! You have given me a lot of information!! Thank you so much again!!!

 

[Frantasmic]

The only problem will come in when we are in the middle of the field doing the halftime routine and it sounds like there isn't one that takes great pictures under low light and still be able to zoom in

Oh there's definitely a zoom lens that can do that; it's just expensive.