topic Looking for a new camera! in General Discussion

Looking for a new camera!

TC13 — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 23:29:00 GMT

I currently have the Canon EOS Rebel T5 (gifted to me in 2016). I am halfway through an online photography class and am looking to buy a new camera. I have been looking into the Rebel t7i or Rebel SL3. I am obviously a beginning photographer, but hope to make a side career out of it in the future. I don't want to spend money on a new camera if I am going to have to upgrade again in the near future. Just curious as to what cameras anyone reccommends or any reviews on the cameras I listed. Hoping to keep it under $700 if possible. Thanks in advance!

Looking for a new camera!

TC13 — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 23:26:24 GMT

Re: Looking for a new camera!

Waddizzle — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 23:42:30 GMT

"Buy it once. But it right."

If you want to elevate your photography to the next level, then I suggest that you forget about any Canon body named "Rebel" or SL-anything. Go for one of the "mid-range" camera bodies. Look for a body that has only two numbers followed by the letter 😧 80D, 90D, or even the 77D. Raise your budget up to around $1000.

All of the mid-range camera bodies, except for perhaps the 77D, offer a feature called AFMA, Auto Focus Micro Adjustment. This feature allows the user to micro fine tune each lens to the camera body, thereby cancelling out any minuscule variations in manufactuing tolerances.

I also suggest that you check out the Canon Online Refurbished Store for the best deals on the 80D in the coming weeks, as graduation season is quickly closing in upon us.

Re: Looking for a new camera!

jrhoffman75 — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 00:19:56 GMT

Canon has some strange pricing systems, but depending on which lenses you already have one of the les/camera kits is a great buy.

The first lens kit has the 18-55STM lens, which is superior to the non-STM lens in the second kit. But, the 55-250 STM lens is a very good lens.

Re: Looking for a new camera!

Tronhard — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 04:17:09 GMT

@TC13 wrote:
I currently have the Canon EOS Rebel T5 (gifted to me in 2016). I am halfway through an online photography class and am looking to buy a new camera. I have been looking into the Rebel t7i or Rebel SL3. I am obviously a beginning photographer, but hope to make a side career out of it in the future. I don't want to spend money on a new camera if I am going to have to upgrade again in the near future. Just curious as to what cameras anyone reccommends or any reviews on the cameras I listed. Hoping to keep it under $700 if possible. Thanks in advance!

What exactly is it about your existing camera that requires you to get an upgrade? You mention you have a Rebel T5 (not the T5i?), and what lenses do you have at this point? You have not idenfied what kind or kinds of photography you wish to pursue - that is important as it has a major impact on the gear, especially lenses, that you would consider.

" I don't want to spend money on a new camera if I am going to have to upgrade again in the near future." Then DON'T.

There are a lot of changes coming on line in the technology area in the near future and with your limited experience and budget I don't think you have enough of either to warrant spending money right now.

As you say you are just starting out and in the middle of a course - do NOTHING until you complete the course.

Learn to use your camera to its maximum and take a LOT of images.

Invest time in REALLY examining the images of great photographers (and painters) in the genres you want to pursue. When I first started my photographic journey I studied other photographers for almost a year before I bought my first camera.

With practice you will get to know your camera - you will know when you are there when you can touch any control you want without looking at the camera. Most Canon DSLRs work much the same, so your investment will pay dividends when you do upgrade. Practice will help you to learn about the limitations of your gear and then you can be precise as to your needs.

If you are serious about wanting to progress into a semi-professional then $700 will not get you outfitted with the gear (bodies and lenses) you would need. An interchangeable lens camera is far more than a body - it's very much about the glass, and an investment in good lenses will last you a lot longer than a body. A great lens on an older or cheaper body will generally outperform a great body with cheap glass, but frankly a good balance of both is important.

The image below was taken with a Canon EOS 400D (Rebel Xti) and a Canon EF-28-300 L zoom. Both vintage 2004.

I can understand the temptation to get better gear, but better equipment does not, in itself, make you a better photographer.

Just in case you need more guidance read THIS post

One of the best things you will ever learn is that photography is more about technique than tech...

Re: Looking for a new camera!

RobertTheFat — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 13:03:57 GMT

@Tronhard wrote:
@TC13 wrote:
I currently have the Canon EOS Rebel T5 (gifted to me in 2016). I am halfway through an online photography class and am looking to buy a new camera. I have been looking into the Rebel t7i or Rebel SL3. I am obviously a beginning photographer, but hope to make a side career out of it in the future. I don't want to spend money on a new camera if I am going to have to upgrade again in the near future. Just curious as to what cameras anyone reccommends or any reviews on the cameras I listed. Hoping to keep it under $700 if possible. Thanks in advance!
What exactly is it about your existing camera that requires you to get an upgrade? You mention you have a Rebel T5 (not the T5i?), and what lenses do you have at this point?

" I don't want to spend money on a new camera if I am going to have to upgrade again in the near future." Then DON'T.

There are a lot of changes coming on line in the technology area in the near future and with your limited experience and budget I don't think you have enough of either to warrant spending money right now.

As you say you are just starting out and in the middle of a course - do NOTHING until you complete the course., Learn to use your camera to its maximum and take a LOT of images. You will learn about the limitations of your gear and then you can be precise as to your needs. If you are serious about wanting to progress into a semi-professional then $700 will not get you outfitted with the gear (bodies and lenses) you would need. I can understand the temptation to get better gear, but better equipment does not make you a better photographer.

Just in case you need more guidance read THIS post

One of the best things you will ever learn is that photography is more about technique than tech...

The way I like to summarize the argument Trevor is making is that while better equipment will make any photographer better, how much better depends on how good you already are. The better you already are, the more difference better equipment makes (because you will know better how to make use of the improvement). And, as Trevor points out, the more experience you have, the more likely you are to spend your upgrade money wisely.

And definitely follow Trevor's advice not to do anything until you've finished your course. I can't imagine that it won't include at least one lesson on equipment selection, and you might as well get the benefit of the information provided.

Re: Looking for a new camera!

ebiggs1 — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 15:05:10 GMT

" I don't want to spend money on a new camera if I am going to have to upgrade again in the near future."

Sounds like the 90D would be a great middle of the road choice. Much better than the Rebel line but not quite a full on pro level. It should serve you well even if the "side" career takes off. Now the wave of the future is mirrorless but I am not there yet so I don't recommend them....yet.

I consider the 90D and the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens a top of the line option. Yes that blows the price limit for sure but it is something that will take you far. An even better lens choice might be the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens. This combo can produce some fo the sharpest images that can be made.

Re: Looking for a new camera!

Waddizzle — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 22:19:56 GMT

I think that is good advice above to finish the course before making any purchase decisions. I know you have had the camera since 2016, so I assumed that you had some experience with it. A camera course never hurts, and it should teach you a few things.

But, the best teacher is just going out there and gaining experience taking photos under a variety of conditions, and subjects. I used to challenge myself on the weekends with a photo assignment.

I would spend one weekend only shooting stuff that had a specific shape, or a specific color. Later on, I would repeat the same exercise, but only using a past prime, 50mm is my favorite on a full frame.

My favorite challenge was to go out and capture stuff, and then convert the RAW files to B&W JPEGs. You tend to see things a little differently for each of these exercises. Of course, I would practice framing and composition.

Re: Looking for a new camera!

ebiggs1 — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 14:33:16 GMT

"... the best teacher is just going out there and gaining experience taking photos under a variety of conditions, and subjects."

Absolutely!

Re: Looking for a new camera!

ebiggs1 — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 14:44:45 GMT

"Look for a body that has only two numbers followed by the letter 😧 80D, 90D, ~~or even the 77D."~~

I agree, if the side career thing is more than a thought, you do need a better camera. However, none of the packages suggested above has "great" lenses. Lenses is where its at, not the body. Now any of those packages are fine for the hobbyists or even the advanced hobbyists. But one thing always keep in mind is, if you are going to do a service for people like weddings, you need to offer what they can't get or do for themselves cheaply or for free. Something worth paying you for! Everybody has a Rebel. Probably the most popular DSLR ever made.

Re: Looking for a new camera!

Tronhard — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 20:01:54 GMT

I would personally avoid suggesting any hardware at this point for the following reasons. I think that the whole premise for the discussion is flawed because the focus from the start has been on buying a camera body - always a trap for young players.

We have little idea the OP's situation apart from a their statement "I am obviously a beginning photographer, but hope to make a side career out of it in the future", and that they have an Rebel T5. We have no idea what lenses they have, or what they intend to do in terms of the kinds of images they hope to generate - or to put it another way, what are they going to shoot? That has a huge impact on lens selection, and arguably even the sensor size. "Professional" identifies with a wide range of activities from large, high quality traditional prints to people posting reduced images on the web. So again knowing the input and output are very helpful.

The only thing we DO know is that they are new and in the middle of a photography course. As Bob, Bill and I have said the best things they can do is to finish the course, take a lot of photos and learn from them. I also recommend spending a lot of time studying the composition of great photographers and painters who practice in the genre in which they have an interest *whatever that is".

Finally, the question of cost/benefit come in. What is the market like in the area in which the OP lives and wants to work?

Is it saturated with competition or pretty open. These days it is more likely to be the former. What sort of gear is generating the work that he is interested in? As Ernie says customers will want professional-quality products, and that means decent gear - something that $700 will not touch if it is to include the glass.

Let me make myself absolutely clear - I am not saying that the OP will never upgrade (that would be silly), I am saying that right now, with limited knowledge and budget this is not the time invest money in gear. It's time to invest effort into learning the basics of good photography, both the technique of using cameras and the art of composing great images - and then there is post production to master. That can be done with the camera body they have - we have had no information provided about lenses so it's hard to comment on that one, but one can still compose great shots on a less than ideal lens. Better to further their education and experience, take on free jobs for friends and small businesses to get some idea of how to be a professional - better still to learn WITH a professional as an assistant if they will let them.

The following image was taken on an EOS 600D (Rebel T3i), vintage 2011, using the EF-S 60mm macro lens (2005) and much reduced to post here.

The family love this photo of their patriarch - I am not a portrait photographer, and I took it because he is a friend, but his family wanted to pay for it (I declined) because they felt it captured his essence. If I was planning to make large, detailed prints of this to sell, I would have used more professional equipment, but it was just a casual moment.

I'm not posting this to say "I'm great look at me", I'm posting it to say that older gear can render results if it is used with experience, and certainly can be sufficient to hone one's skills upon.

Re: Looking for a new camera!

ebiggs1 — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 14:24:47 GMT

Great shot!