Please recommend a good starter DSLR camera
 

I want to buy a gift for a friend of mine that loves photography but is a poor student.

I want high value and relatively low maintenance cost, I know nothing about cameras and less about art.

Please help, cheers!

I tend to like Canon for the consumer level models, but again, I know nothing about this stuff.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16830120506

Not sure is there Tax.

T 2 i 18MP
Canon EOS Rebel T2i Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm IS Lens
$576.00 + Free shipping over $50.
http://www.diymicro.com/prodinfo.pht...9&ref=froogdiy
In-The-Box
Canon EOS Rebel T2i Digital SLR Kit w/ EF-S/18-55 IS
EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
Eyecup Ef
Wide Strap EW-100DBIII
USB Interface Cable IFC-130U
AV Cable AVC-DC400ST
Battery Pack LP-E8
Battery Charger LC-E8
EOS Digital Solution Disk and Instruction Manuals
"Great Photography is Easy" Booklet and "Do More with Macro" Booklet
1-Year Manufacturer's Warranty

T 3 i 18MP
Canon EOS Rebel T3i Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm IS Lens
$712.95 (Just for some extra function from the T2i.)
http://www.abesofmaine.com/item.do?i...1855&&kbid=T3i
Included in the box with this product:
EOS Rebel T3i Body
EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
Eyecup Ef (not shown)
Wide Strap EW-100DBIII
USB Interface Cable IFC-130U
AV Cable AVC-DC400ST
Battery Pack LP-E8
Battery Charger LC-E8
EOS Digital Solution Disk and Instruction Manuals "Great Photography is Easy" Booklet and "Do More with Macro" Booklet (not shown) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arr6ZYuabQY

So, Which one did you get?

I may be too late for this, but if you're going to go Canon, take the recommendation OrionCheung made and go with the T2i. Even though the T3i has been out a while now, the T2i is still selling great and getting a lot of praise. The T3i just seems to be a repackaging of the T2i without enough incentive to pay the extra $200.

If you're going to go Nikon, go with the D5100. It's considered to be the best entry level DSLR out right now because of it's range, ISO performance, and great sensor. It's predecessor the D5000 had a lot of issues that Nikon seemed to have addressed.

The only thing I'm going to mention about Nikon is that they've recently increased their prices. So Canon is likely going to be cheaper in the long run if we're discussing lenses and other photography accessories.

I own a Nikon, but prefer Canon bodies for both their feel and interface. Decision is yours though. Can't go wrong with either option.

I pulled the plug on this idea.

The person that I was considering for this does not take real photography serious at all. Just Facebook crap.

Thanks anyway.

Canon 1000D?

This idea is back up.

Is T2i the one to get?

Hello??? Anyone? http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/cry1.gif

In terms of a memory card, what size should I get for 13MP? Also, should I be worrying about the speed? I planned on getting Class 10 or better.

Why Canon?

Sony has amazing video capabilities. Nikon has great sensor and accessories are pretty well priced.

IMHO Canon in entry-level is overpriced turd.

8 gb card will do fine. I've had hard time filling up mine even though this nx200 has 20mp sensor.

What's wrong with the 1000D? It's 2x cheaper than the T2i

Look at this article. That's in part because it's a semi-pro camera, dressed down. The $900 T2i is essentially Canon's mid-range $1900 7D, one of the best DSLRs for the money, shoved into a simpler, smaller body. Namely, it uses an 18-megapixel APS-C image sensor that's not too different from the 7D's; the same 1080p/full manual video capabilities; and the same IFCL 63-layer dual-zone metering system, adjusted for the T2i's different autofocus setup.

I got myself a Canon 600D 2 weeks ago (which is a T3i States side). Took over 2500 shots at an airshow and got some really good shots. So for a starter DSLR, I would recommend it. (T3i has the swivel screen. T2i doesn't, but is pretty much the same)

Battery life is ridiculously good on it as well. I got an aftermarket battery grip for it. (grip, remote and 2 batteries package from Amazon. £26.54) Took 2500+ photo's with the 2 aftermarket batteries in the grip,(Fits both 600D and 550D (T3i and T2i)) and it still says the battery level is full. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/blink1.gif

Going to another airshow next weekend, so I'll get a few thousand more pics, then. Also got myself booked on a photography course in the week, so hopefully I can set the camera to it's optimal settings beforehand.http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...s/biggrin1.gif

Switch to RAW shooting for even more control http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/smile1.gif

Just look at the EV meter on your display/ovf. Set your camera to M. When the EV meter is at 0 you have pretty good settings. If it's sunny I would presume that 1/200s-1/300s, f/5.6 and iso 100.

And of course RAW. Detail level something else compared to jpg. And you can correct the EV and dig up some more detail out of the picture.

The best way to learn to use the camera is to set to
it to manual.

An expensive camera does not a great photographer make. Kertész achieved amazing results using a Polaroid.

Without a firm grasp of the fundamentals and theory behind photographic image making, your imaginary friend will end up relying heavily on the auto features of his camera and his photos will look as banal as his subjects (like most DSLR owners/tech-geeks, mostly shots of garden flowers, pics from his vacation and of his pets.)

I'm sure your friend would be quite happy (and better served) with a 35mm SLR film camera and a few rolls of Ilford SFX200. A used Nikon F is a great camera and can be had for $300. And there's no reason why you should restrict your options to SLRs. Twin-lens reflex cameras like the Rolleiflex 3.5E or the classic 4x4 are still revered and used by photo enthusiasts. Even a simple pinhole camera would make a better gift.

She has been using a 1970s Pentex K1000 for about 6 months almost everyday.

That was my solution, originally.

Banality is not a function of owning a Digital SLR or Film SLR.

Other than very specific reasons (preference, or need for highest resolution via large format cameras) there's little reason not to with a digital camera like a DSLR. It actually makes learning photography techniques much easier/faster because you can do tests and practice easily.
- Image files automatically tagged with important metadata like exposure information etc that you can look back on.
- Faster feedback between taking a photo and examining its results.
- Little time/financial impact in doing tests/practice because you are not "wasting" film and spending hours or days developing them.