Rebel T3 to 70D

[jdundas]

Hello, thanks in advance for your input if you decide to read and reply. 

I currently have a rebel t3, an EFS 18-55mm 4.5, and an EFS 55-250mm lense. It has been a great first DSLR, but I feel greatly held back by the setup. I have been shooting for 4 years now and have come a long way and feel that an upgrade in either lenses or a body (OR BOTH) would improve my photos. I am getting into timelapse and hyperlapse photography as well as some filming too. I am looking for crisper, higher quality images and I just feel like the T3 is holding me back of my potential. 

Would going from the T3 to a 70D be a nice upgrade? I also need this to be affordable. I figured I could sell my in perfect condition T3 for 150-200 and buy a referbished or new 70D for 700-800. Or, is would there be a different body you guys would recommend? Would it even make sense to sell the lenses too and start fresh with new lenses?

I appreciate your inpute,

Jeff

[Waddizzle]

My advice is to never compromise on buying what you really want.  You will never be fully satisfied with your purchases, if you do compromise.  This holds true for camera bodies, lenses, and probably everything else in life, too.  Save your money, and purchase what you really want.  Never buy something just to have something similar to what you really want.

I suggest taking a look at the new 80D, instead of the 70D.  It seems to be a much better camera, particularly for shooting video because it offers full time AF with certain lenses.  The 80D also has a better AF than the 70D, is generally a better camera, across the board.

[RobertTheFat]

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@jdundas wrote:

Hello, thanks in advance for your input if you decide to read and reply. 

I currently have a rebel t3, an EFS 18-55mm 4.5, and an EFS 55-250mm lense. It has been a great first DSLR, but I feel greatly held back by the setup. I have been shooting for 4 years now and have come a long way and feel that an upgrade in either lenses or a body (OR BOTH) would improve my photos. I am getting into timelapse and hyperlapse photography as well as some filming too. I am looking for crisper, higher quality images and I just feel like the T3 is holding me back of my potential. 

Would going from the T3 to a 70D be a nice upgrade? I also need this to be affordable. I figured I could sell my in perfect condition T3 for 150-200 and buy a referbished or new 70D for 700-800. Or, is would there be a different body you guys would recommend? Would it even make sense to sell the lenses too and start fresh with new lenses?

I appreciate your inpute,

Jeff

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If you want crisper images, buy better lenses. In particular, consider replacing your 18-55 with the 17-55mm f/2,8 IS. But don't buy a new camera unless you fully understand why you're doing it and what you actually need. "I just feel that the T3 is holding me back" is too vague. When you buy new equipment without understanding why you need it, you risk spending important money to achieve an unsatisfactory result. Yes, if you're trying to take your photography to the next level, a new camera may help you do it, but only if you understand the relationship between the purchase and the objective. I suspect you need to do more research.

[jdundas]

So you think I would be better off investing in a lense?

I do agree with you that I  have more to learn regarding lenses and their relationship with the camera.

To be more specific, I am not able to achieve the level of sharpness I would like. I play around with shutter 1/200 to 1/3000 and ISO 100 to 3000. And as you have said, I am sure my current lenses are not helping me. 

The auto focus on the T3 is pretty disappointing. I'm sure you'll agree with me easily on this one..

I read great things about the auto focus on the 70D

Not to mention, honestly i've been shooting a $300 intry level camera and the idea of getting a nice body would be awesome, but so would getting a nicer lense.

This might sound silly, but if you were to look at some of my photos, could that tell you anything as to what might help me out relative to my current setup? I know there are alot of people on this forum with alot more experience than me.

Thanks for your input.

[jdundas]

This might be a dumb question, but besides a 17-55mm 2.8 being capable of zooming between 17 and 55, a 50mm 1.8 prime lense would produce the higher quality image but would just have the inconvenience of not being able to zoom, right? So if that is correct, why wouldn''t I just spend $100 for a prime lense  instead of $700 for a 17-55 2.8 (because honestly for the photography I do, I can survive just fine without zoom in most situations), and then If I want buy another lense or even a better body.

[Waddizzle]

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@jdundas wrote:

This might be a dumb question, but besides a 17-55mm 2.8 being capable of zooming between 17 and 55, a 50mm 1.8 prime lense would produce the higher quality image but would just have the inconvenience of not being able to zoom, right? So if that is correct, why wouldn''t I just spend $100 for a prime lense  instead of $700 for a 17-55 2.8 (because honestly for the photography I do, I can survive just fine without zoom in most situations), and then If I want buy another lense or even a better body.

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It is a false assumption to believe that the "50mm f/1.8 prime lens would produce the higher quality image." There are many zooms that easily outperform budget prime lenses.  Besides, I don't think your T3 would realize much of difference in IQ between the EF 17-55mm f/2.8 STM, and the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM [the one with the metal camera connection, instead of black plastic  that could wear out easily]

Good shots start with good gear, from start to finish.  The first piece of gear on the process would be your lens, followed by your camera, followed by any post-processing you might do: like raising the brightness or color levels.  But, it all starts with the lens, and the photographer who is using it.  If you get off to a bad start [a poor lens], you're not going to have a good finish [a great photo].

I assume that you have the T3 camera kit lens.  Upgrading either the lens or the camera will improve your shots, particularly at higher ISO values if you upgrade the camera.  A lens upgrade should improve your overall image quality.  A fast f/2.8 lens can help improve the high ISO performance of your T3. 

Until you can better understand photography, and how to get the most from your camera, a lens upgrade may be better than a camera upgrade.  But, you have to understand photography better so that you can make an informed decision on choice of lens.  Remember, nothing is compelling you to purchase new gear, not as much as you need to learn some more.

[kvbarkley]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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Good shots start with good gear, from start to finish. 

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But good photographs can be made with almost anything.

[Waddizzle]

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@kvbarkley wrote:

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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Good shots start with good gear, from start to finish. 

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But good photographs can be made with almost anything.

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Oh, really.    Have you ever seen that cooking contest show "Chopped"?  I'm putting a roll of film, some clothes pins, a shoe box, and some aluminum foil into your basket? 

[kvbarkley]

Hence the "almost" qualifier - and I love Chopped.

The point of course is that a good photograph is a lot more than a technically perfect shot.

[Waddizzle]

"I do agree with you that I  have more to learn regarding lenses and their relationship with the camera." 

Actually, we all have more to learn.  Excellence is a never ending process of self improvement.  If you do not know what the phrase "exposure triangle" means, do a web search for it.  You'll be up to speed in 5-10 minutes.

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"To be more specific, I am not able to achieve the level of sharpness I would like. I play around with shutter 1/200 to 1/3000 and ISO 100 to 3000. And as you have said, I am sure my current lenses are not helping me."

High ISO values, greater than ISO 400/800 on a T3, will begin to show noise.  The first trick I learned to getting sharp pictures was to try to grab as much light [wide aperture], as fast as I could [high shutter speed], using the biggest bucket [low ISO] I could find.

Strive to always put a priority on shooting with the lowest ISO possible.  That goal is easier with wide aperture lenses, like the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM that they keep talking about.

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The auto focus on the T3 is pretty disappointing. I'm sure you'll agree with me easily on this one..  I read great things about the auto focus on the 70D.

The auto focus on the 80D is even better.  Take your time, save your money, and do more research while you practice your shooting skills.  The T3 is more than adequate for shooting still subjects.  Taking action shots with a T3 is another matter entirely.

I turn off the automatic AF point selection mode, and manually select just the center AF point, which is only possible when you shoot using one of the Creative Zones.  Now I have control of what to focus on, not the camera. 

I suggest using the "P" mode, to learn about the camera.  Use Av and Tv modes, to learn about and observe the Exposure Triangle in action.  Note the settings in each mode, and how they change if you raise or lower a value by one click, or stop.  Try those same settings in "M", manual mode, which my son calls "monster" mode.

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Not to mention, honestly i've been shooting a $300 entry level camera, and the idea of getting a nice body would be awesome, but so would getting a nicer lens.

There is no substitute for quality lenses, A.K.A. glass.  However, there is no substitute for good technique, either.  Bad technique trumps a quality lens, every day of the week. 

If you do not have a tripod, I suggest investing in one.  Stay away from the big box store, plastic tripods.  All that they do is "shake and break" on you.  Look for a quality tripod kit, one with an interchangeable head.  Ask questions before you plunk down cash for one, too. 

Try taking a few shots of well lit, still subjects in bright daylight.  Use "P" mode, or "Av" and "Tv" modes, dial in ISO-100, and go for it.  A tripod can greatly improve the image quality of your shots.  Learn how to hand hold a camera properly, too. 

http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/home/home.shtml

Canon offers a lot of online tutorials for learning photography basics, as well as the fine points of using features in Canon DSLRs.