Digital SLR advice

[Zinfan]

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/0450645720/consumer-dslr-camera-roundup-2014

A comparison review of several cameras including the T5i.  This site has tons of camera reviews and info if you want to look it up.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canon-eos-700d-rebel-t5i

A stand alone review of the T5i

[EvanM]

Thanks for all the replies.
I'm going to hold off for a bit, and look up some reviews. I like the look of the Pentax K-50, especially with it being "weather proof". If I were to forgo the kits, and just grab a body, would a Sigma lens be a good way to go?

[Xlratr]

Thanks for all the replies.
I'm going to hold off for a bit, and look up some reviews. I like the look of the Pentax K-50, especially with it being "weather proof". If I were to forgo the kits, and just grab a body, would a Sigma lens be a good way to go?

The Olympus is weatherproof too! And the lens! Just sayin'! 😉



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[boatdetective]

The Pentax line is good- but because you will not find the same market penetration, the lens selection will be somewhat limited from third party vendors.  Just sayin'.  Rather than compete head to head with the big boys, Pentax has positioned themselves as more of a niche brand. Their lens line has concentrated on prime lenses (not a bad thing- but if you want many zooms- it's not the brand to choose).

I hate to harp on this- but tell us precisely what you want to shoot. It does make a huge difference.

One other thing to keep in mind- don't get hung up on geting one lens to "do it all". Wide zoom range lenses generally are a compromise optically. If you are travelling and cannot carry the weight, well that makes sense. Otherwise, you are best advised to find the lens that will work best for what you want to do. I know it sounds backwards- but many pros will tell you to choose the LENS FIRST- then find a body that will fit your shooting style.   

[rocker59]

Thanks for all the replies.
I'm going to hold off for a bit, and look up some reviews. 

 ;-T

[Yukonica]

EvanM, While you are doing your homework check out B&H Photography; based in New York they ship into Canada Hassle free (I've bought several lenses from them) They also have a really good used department that is less risky than Ebay. ~ You can't tell if a lens has been dropped simple from a picture.
Second resource to check out is Photoprice.ca. A buying tool I use before every purchase.

My most versatile lens? 70-200. Available in F4 or 2.8 with stabilization on either (My kit is Canon). I shoot mainly outdoors.
The F4 IS is a really nice lens you can pick-up used because most advancing photographers end up upgrading to the f2.8. (check B&H)

Sigma et al are like the big guys: parts of their lens line is awesome... other parts are make to be flogged. Read... a lot. I have a Sigma and a seaming in the drawer. Both good pieces of glass.

[rboe]

The Pentax kit lens is worth it, not sure about a Sigma, Tokina or Tamron. So far, my experience has been Pentax glass being superior to third party glass (assuming one is buying the DA* level stuff. Pentax also makes some price point lenses. That said, the Sigma F2.8 70-200, especially if stopped down a bit, is pretty good. Not quite as good as my F4 50-260 pentax zoom. I have kept the Sigma because sometimes F2.8, for softening the background, is the way to go.

Pentax does not have the market penetration in the lens department like Canon and Nikon, but it has the basics covered just fine; I have yet to find a prime or zoom range they don't cover well. There is a new 150-400mm zoom coming out this year for the really long distance (the only area they really lack in) but its $2500. Expensive but in line if not cheaper than Canon and Nikon offerings. Sigma has their Bigma zoom - but I've never used it. Unless you like to collect glass, this is really not a big issue at all. But it does get annoying when Sigma or Tokina come out with a what appears to be a killer lens and Pentax is listed as "later".

dpreview.com is a great place for reviews. dxmark does sensor reviews - you'll see that Pentax, using Sony sensors, hangs with the best.

I tend to do dog agility shows, close ups of bugs and flowers so I need a good fast auto focus (Nikon, last time I really looked, had the best there) so semi-macro lenses and long zooms are my go-to lenses. I have a 12-24 wide angle (with very little barrel or pin cushion, really good for motorcycle shots) for landscape work, a fish eye zoom for dock diving dogs (fish eye zooms are like pickled herring, good in small doses, a very specialized lens), the 60-250mm getting the most use and a 300mm prime that is an absolute killer lens. Just a bit long for some work, and too short for a lot of wildlife work (Pentax has a new 1.4 teleconverter I'm dying to get). I have a bunch more, but those are the ones that get worked. I have this really nice 50-135mm pentax zoom that optically is very very nice, but the larger zoom seems to get picked (and if it was a fixed 250mm I could make do - many times I ditch it and just use the 300).

You will read that the 70-200 is very versatile but I find the 70mm is too much when I need to open up the field of view and the 200 is too short when I need to reach out. The Pentax 60-250 is better, 40-350 would be even better. :D I did keep the 70-200 at work for portrait work. Seemed to excel at that.

As you can see, what you shoot will dictate what lens you put on the camera or pack in your tank bag. Once you get a better camera you may find yourself doing some shooting that you held off on until better equipment came along, but try to get a focal range for what you like to shoot now.

[EvanM]

The Pentax line is good- but because you will not find the same market penetration, the lens selection will be somewhat limited from third party vendors.  Just sayin'.  Rather than compete head to head with the big boys, Pentax has positioned themselves as more of a niche brand. Their lens line has concentrated on prime lenses (not a bad thing- but if you want many zooms- it's not the brand to choose).

I hate to harp on this- but tell us precisely what you want to shoot. It does make a huge difference.

One other thing to keep in mind- don't get hung up on geting one lens to "do it all". Wide zoom range lenses generally are a compromise optically. If you are travelling and cannot carry the weight, well that makes sense. Otherwise, you are best advised to find the lens that will work best for what you want to do. I know it sounds backwards- but many pros will tell you to choose the LENS FIRST- then find a body that will fit your shooting style.   

As to what I'm planning on shooting, I'm going to guess 90% of it being scenic shots, the 10% being people, animals, interesting things that catch my eye. Im mostly planning on taking it on trips, but I am not too concerned about size, as my point and shoot is too big to pack in any jacket pocket right now anyways, so I always budget the room to take it along. I have no intention to photograph professionally or anything like that, just want to have good quality pictures that I can print out if I ever decide to get a printer.

[rboe]

Stick with the kit lens then. It's a very good all around piece. As you use the camera other focal lengths will suggest themselves as you "specialize" in some areas.

At this point we're strongly at risk of over thinking things. Between Pentax, Samsung, Sony, Fuji, Nikon, Canon, Sigma and who I missed it's tough to buy a POS. Although I think going to a brick and mortar store to handle them and see how they fit and how the user interface works for you is very important. If you "get" the camera and how it works you'll take better pictures than with a technically superior camera that you just don't get. And some fit your hand better than others.

You have choices out there, go grab some and see how they feel. If you're going to spend that much money on a camera I'd like to think that you should enjoy using it.

[boatdetective]

If you really are travelling- do not discount weight. Prosumer grade DSLRs are waaay bigger than your P&S. There's a reason why you see former DSLR people (like me) moving down to mirrorless.

If you like doing scenics, then wide angle is an absolute must. I would say that 24mm (equivalent) is a necessity if you want an angle of view to give you sufficient drama. 35mm is great for street scenes. Portraiture requires something past "normal"= both for working distance as well as to help compress depth of field. The zoom range of 24-100 or so would cover all of that. Once again- a great piece of glass can cover that range and get the shot. XXX frames per second and some other whizzbang features in a body will not.   

If you are pretty sure you are goign to become a "system guy" who buys lenses, flashes, etc- then great. However, if you are pretty sure you're goign to stick with one piece of kit- then you really should consider some of the top end all in ones- the current olympus stylus comes to mind. Read the reviews- it's quite something for one package.

Focus speed, low light,  and dynamic range are still best handled by a DSLR- though the gap is being closed. If you'd like to shoot without a flash (or only use the flash for fill) in low light, then consider one of the DSLRs. Don't forget the mid grade cameras (I'm thinking of something like the 5000 series Nikons- they do a good job.