"mcseanerson" (mcseanerson)
01/07/2016 at 12:54 • Filed to: None
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"mcseanerson" (mcseanerson)
01/07/2016 at 12:54 • Filed to: None | 2
| 17 |
I took a bit to wrap up some camera buying advice and after writing it up I realized more people could possibly benefit from this so I’m going to share it here because sharing is caring.
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I’ve been thinking about it and I didn’t want to give my recommendation as it’s one of the cameras I want to get next for myself but I will just let you know that up front and that should address that bias.
I would recommend a Canon 50D.
It’s a more professional level crop sensor camera with a weather sealed body and shoots 15 Megapixel stills.
Reasons I would not recommend it would be if you want a really cheap camera, these are a hair under $300 used and you can get something that gets the job done and is fun to learn with for about $100 if you just want something you can swap lenses with and get digital pictures you can print.
It has no articulating screen and you might prefer something a little more entry level like a T3i that does have an articulating screen.
It’s EF mount and all that is good and bad with that. You can use a lot of different lenses but not as many as mirrorless and it does not natively have focus peaking, although that can be added with Magic Lantern.
Now for the positives.
It takes Compact Flash so it has a lot of bandwidth for really fast communication which can be taken advantage of with stuff like Magic Lantern.
It has a bigger sensor than most anything else you could afford in this price range (Unless you want a first gen 5D)
It’s weather sealed so you don’t have to freak out if it rains.
It is beastly as a Video Camera with Magic Lantern only falling short of the 5D Mark III which is a $2,000 used camera. That said it doesn’t have a microphone but you shouldn’t use an onboard mic for video anyways.
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To sum it up this is my favorite affordable used Canon DSLR and I think it’s the best option as you have more lens options than Nikon thanks to the flange distance and available adapters for Manual Focus lenses and the wide selection of EF and EF-S lenses. That said it may not be the perfect camera for you but it’s a good example of how much more camera you can get for around $300 used compared to $100 -$150. Those cheaper cameras are great to learn on but if you want something to really grow with I think taking the time to save a little more money for your initial investment will serve you better in the long run.
Good Alternatives would be:
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a used Panasonic GH2 for $300.
You give up some sensor size and therefore lose some low light capability and shallow depth of field capability but you get the advantages of a mirrorless system with even more options for lenses and an articulating screen. Native Panasonic lenses will cost more than comparable Canon lenses though and there is less selection available.
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Sony A5100 for $300 used.
A lot of the same benefits of the GH2 but in a very compact body. You do give up a viewfinder for that though.
All of this stated there are still a ton more options to look at that are all good recommendations but this is just a good example of how much camera you can get on the used market for $300. If you just want something to play with and learn and are not concerned about the overall quality of everything you can still get tons of different cameras for under $100 used.
Hope all this helps.
Wacko
> mcseanerson
01/07/2016 at 13:12 |
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I find a Canon Rebel is a good entry to the EOS world. Same lens(EF) as the 50d, so you can change the body once you get more professional. takes SD cards. and mine came with a IS lens.
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mcseanerson
> Wacko
01/07/2016 at 13:19 |
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I’d say there are a lot of good cheaper options like the rebel but I wrote this under my current perception of how I wish I’d invested my money in my first camera.
I wish I’d spent just a little more and gotten a more substantial camera. The problem now is that I like my camera and don’t want to give it up but I want a new one as well so I have to wait until I can get a new one in addition to my current one.
That said that will probably be a while because I have a hunch I’m going to go nuts buying film gear soon.
jariten1781
> mcseanerson
01/07/2016 at 13:21 |
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Mirrorless lens selection has overtaken EF? crazy town.
I'm still sitting on a collection of FDs haha.
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Wacko
> mcseanerson
01/07/2016 at 13:23 |
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but can’t the 50D shoot video?
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mcseanerson
> jariten1781
01/07/2016 at 13:23 |
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I was referring to the shorter flange distance giving you a greater selection of manual focus lenses. Those FDs for instance won’t work without a piece of glass in between them on an EF camera but they work great on a mirrorless camera.
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mcseanerson
> Wacko
01/07/2016 at 13:25 |
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With Magic Lantern installed it can and it actually out performs every other Canon dslr in RAW video performance except the 5D Mk iii.
http://www.eoshd.com/2013/07/canon-…
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jariten1781
> mcseanerson
01/07/2016 at 13:33 |
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Interesting. Had no clue mirrorless could take standard lenses. I figured it was all proprietary nonsense. Granted I'm not in anyway a photo-nerd (used an AE-1 until ~2005 when I picked up a Rebel XT which I'm still content with today).
Anon
> mcseanerson
01/07/2016 at 13:37 |
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As an A5100 owner I would reccomend spending a bit more and getting an A6000. That evf is priceless in bright light. Also dat 12 fps! Also sony’s dynamic range is amazing when edited with capture one!
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mcseanerson
> jariten1781
01/07/2016 at 13:41 |
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I completely agree the Rebel is a good camera today but I’m trying to help people find the camera they buy in 2015 that will still serve them well in 2025.
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jariten1781
> mcseanerson
01/07/2016 at 13:46 |
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Wasn’t trying to argue any points...haha...kinda saying the opposite, I’m fully ignorant of the whole mess since I only look at equipment every 10 years.
BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
> mcseanerson
01/07/2016 at 13:56 |
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While your choice is solid, recommending anything that still takes CompactFlash is irresponsible. Very, very few current laptops use those cards and it makes teansferring photos just that much more difficult.
If it doesn't take SD, I can't see any amateur really enjoying the camera.
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mcseanerson
> Anon
01/07/2016 at 13:59 |
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While I whole heartedly agree I wrote this as a guide for people who might be looking at the $50 - $150 range and wanted to demonstrate what increasing their budget to $300 would do. That said spending $350-$400 on an A6000 would be a great investment.
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mcseanerson
> BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
01/07/2016 at 14:05 |
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My intention was writing this for people who want to get a bit more serious in the long run than just buying to try it out.
Textured Soy Protein
> jariten1781
01/07/2016 at 14:24 |
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Mirorless is easier to adapt lenses to. You can’t just slap any old lens on there. The lens flange on the front of a mirrorless camera is a lot closer to the sensor than on an SLR, because you don’t need to leave room for the SLR’s mirror.
So to use old SLR lenses on mirrorless cameras, you just need an adapter that mounts to the mirrorless body, and holds the old SLR lenses at the same distance from the sensor as they would be when mounted on the old SLRs they were originally designed for.
Because mirrorless cameras always give you a live view for manual focusing, and many of them have focus peaking to help with that, it’s relatively easy to use old manual lenses and light metering on a mirrorless camera.
The adapters range from basic mechanical ones for old lenses, to ones that have electronics in them to make autofocus lenses for another camera system work (somewhat) with the mirrorless camera’s AF system.
Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> mcseanerson
01/07/2016 at 14:52 |
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50D. Best choice. I agree.
I own a 50D, a 7D and a 5D. I sold my 50D to my brother, then bought another one. The 5D produces some buttery full-frame portraiture that’s hard to beat, but beyond some bells & whistles, I can’t say that the 7D is any better than the 50D.
And the 50D allows you to calibrate the autofocus per lens so that if you’re using the Sigma prime lenses from a few years back that didn’t always play well with the EOS bodies, you can dial them in and shoot reliably at f/1.4.
I think a nice 50D nowadays is around $300. Pair it with the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and you’re sub-$800 for a camera that is orders of magnitude better than what you’ll spend $1,000+ for in the Rebel line at Costco.
MUSASHI66
> BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
01/07/2016 at 14:59 |
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Really? Adapters are like $10. Very few older laptops ever used CF cards to begin with anyway.
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MUSASHI66
> mcseanerson
01/07/2016 at 15:05 |
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I have a 50D and it is great. I don’t even have magic lantern on it - I don’t do much video so I never felt the need. I also have the 6D, and in all honesty, other than getting a wider angle photo when I use my 16-35mm f4 L, I can’t even tell a difference between the two on my photos unless I pixel peep. 50D is a great bargain.
I am going on a vacation soon, and I will probably bring both - wife likes to use my 50D as her camera, and I like having it as a backup. I took this with my 50D and my old 17-40L