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Rebel T3 to 70D

jdundas
Contributor

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

28 REPLIES 28

ebiggs1
Legend
Legend

I am going with Robert's suggestion of the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens as a first choice.  You can't go wrong with it.  But I do think the Rebel T3 to be a pretty limited body.  A great solution would be a T6i and the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens.  Most of the time lenses are where it's at. They are what make the picture. Not the camera.

 

"I could sell my in perfect condition T3 for 150-200"  Yes, a good idea.  Get somebody else started in the hobby. Smiley Happy Also sell the lenses you have, "EFS 18-55mm 4.5, and an EFS 55-250mm", too.

 

Better camera deserves better lenses. Right?

 

Now about the 50mm f1.8.  i wouldn't buy one.  Primes offer little and are very specialized now.  Zooms are nearly as sharp and far more versatile.  The 50 does offer a little more than a stop in aperture.  That's about it though.

 

Give the T6i and the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens a good look.  Just a suggestion but I would get the battery grip with a T6i. It turns it into a totally different feel. Much better, IMHO, of course.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Considering my very limited budget what would you think about me picking up a helios 135mm 2.8 for around $120-150? I also picked up a 50mm 1.8 yesterday which I am enjoying. Right now I can't drop $700 or more on a lense. If I were to buy a 70D it was going to be in the future..


@jdundas wrote:

Considering my very limited budget what would you think about me picking up a helios 135mm 2.8 for around $120-150? I also picked up a 50mm 1.8 yesterday which I am enjoying. Right now I can't drop $700 or more on a lense. If I were to buy a 70D it was going to be in the future..


What purpose is this "helios 135mm 2.8" going to serve?  How good is that lens?  Your 55-250 covers that focal length already.

 

The EF 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS II lens that I have is a pretty good lens for the price.  It gets great bokeh.  Here is a shot with your same lens, that just happens to have been set to 135mm.

 

IMG_2015_07_120201.jpg

 

Rebel T5, EF 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS II, 135mm, 1/250, f/5.6, ISO-200, "P" mode.  This is a "practice" shot, for bokeh [and DOF].

 

You have just picked up a new(?) 50mm lens.  I hope you have the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM, the one that has a metal connection to the camera, instead of the cheap black plastic.  Learn to use that lens' wide aperture effectively, save your money.

 

Practice controlling the bokeh [depth of field], to produce shots like the one above.  Both foregraound and background wild flowers are equally out of focus, with only the flowers at a mid-range distance in focus.  I had to move to just the right distance, and focal length, to get that shot.

 

Remember, the more money you save now, the sooner that you can get that camera upgrade at some future date.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

"It gets great bokeh."

 

There is a big difference between OOF backgrounds and bokeh.  Yours is OOF.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!


@ebiggs1 wrote:

"It gets great bokeh."

 

There is a big difference between OOF backgrounds and bokeh.  Yours is OOF.


What's the difference?  OOF is OOF.  Isn't "great bokeh" more a matter of personal taste, than anything else?

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

"...  a matter of personal taste, than anything else?"

 

Yes sir, it is.  And that, my friend, is the point to all photography.  You just might make it yet! Smiley Happy If you like it that is all that is important no matter what 'terms' are applied. 

 

But, my deffinition of bokeh has more to do with specific "points' or highlights in an OOF background.  The Christmas tree light example is one that is always passed around.  Bokeh is mostly or largely controlled  by the shape and number of aperture blades.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

"Yes sir, it is.  And that, my friend, is the point to all photography.  You just might make it yet! Smiley Happy If you like it that is all that is important no matter what 'terms' are applied. "

 

It was merely a test shot, a self-imposed homework assignment, if you will.  I achieved everything that I wanted with the shot, as seen in the lower left and right corners.  I was figuring out how to get nearby and more distant flowers equally OOF, while the mid-range wild flowers could be in focus.  For that lens, it is a pretty good shot.

 

As far as bokeh goes, the more distant background greenery is my idea of bokeh, not the OOF flowers.

 

[EDIT] "Practice controlling the bokeh, to produce shots like the one above."

 

I suppose that I mispoke there.  I should have said practice controlling the depth of field.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

"I suppose that I mispoke there."

 

Possibly.  The only real difference is, if you get into a group of other photographers, there are a certain number of definitions that have agreed upon meanings.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

diverhank
Authority

You've got a lot of good advices thus far...I just want to add a couple more things for your consideration.

 

1. I think the T3 is a little bit old and something like the 70D will feel like you're driving a BMW instead of a Corolla..The 70D has a lot more features (I love the articulated LCD and the touch screen) but not sure AF is that much better and Image Quality wise, they are essentially the same with the exception of low light and high ISO performance where the 70D is greatly improved (I'm talking in general so don't get into the mud and argue the details).  My point is don't expect that your photos will improve greatly with the new camera...Sure the new camera will make things easier for you, creating more chances to make good pictures but it still depends upon you to make them.  I've seen a few people with great cameras who produce so so pictures and a few people with so so cameras and a single lens making incredible images...

 

As people pointed out there is the 80D out there...better than the 70D but also costs a whole lot more.

 

2. I agree that if you can only improve one thing, improve your lenses first then camera body.  Regarding lens, you need to be aware of the difference between EF-S and EF lenses.  If you ever want to upgrade to a full frame (6D, 5D, 1DX), your EF-S lenses are not compatible.

================================================
Diverhank's photos on Flickr


@diverhank wrote:

You've got a lot of good advices thus far...I just want to add a couple more things for your consideration.

... 

I've seen a few people with great cameras who produce so so pictures and a few people with so so cameras and a single lens making incredible images...


A few years ago there was a woman in our town who used to win local photo contests with a really low-end digital camera. She didn't even know whether it was an SLR or not! (That is a fact; I was the one who asked her the question. And it wasn't, as I could see when I got a better look at it.) But she knew her limitations and had an excellent eye for composition, so she managed to get some very respectable landscapes with what was, even by the standards of the day, pretty much a piece of crap.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
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