CatfishRebel48 Loc: Nesbit, Mississippi

I have recently retired and always interested in photography as a hobby. I have just joined a camera club in my county and gone to my first meeting. There are so many DSLRs on the market, I need advice on buying a relatively inexpensive but good camera. I am looking at a CANON EOS REBEL T3 at the moment, but I know that NIKON is an excellent camera. ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR ME? MANY THANKS FROM MISSISSIPPI.

Ree

After a couple years of research and procrastinating last week I invested in the Canon T3i. I'm in the process going back to school to earn a business degree in visual communication w/emphasis in photography. Mind you I've not been in school for over 20 years. I found that nikon and canon are similar however the nikon lens can be more costly than canon. After finally deciding to go w/canon my dilima was t5i or t3i, my research found that for $200.00 difference I could buy accessories. Included with my t3i was the 75-300 lens and the 18-55, memory card, photo case and strap. The sale was 3 days only but I only caught it because I was on a mission to part with my money with as much as I could get in return. So far I'm getting more confident each day. Hope I was some help!

CatfishRebel48 Loc: Nesbit, Mississippi

Ree: thanks for your post. Let me know how you like your new Canon T3i. I may decide to get that instead of the T3, which I assume, is an older model.

Ree

I forgot to include price, $600.00 after tax $645.00.

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Checkout some of the equipment your camera club peers use. Everyone has a reason for choosing what they own (some reasons are good, and some are not so good). Asking questions face-to-face will get you a lot closer to making a decision than 5 or 10 pages on this forum. Good luck.

cntry Loc: Colorado

There are several good brands, not just Canon and Nikon. Sony, Pentax, Olympus, Panasonic...ALL of them make cameras that will suit your needs. What do the others in the camera club use? They would be your best resource both before you buy and, most importantly, after you buy. If they mostly shoot one brand, I'd go with that brand. It's much easier to explain something to someone if you are both looking at the same thing and menu systems vary greatly.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

48, welcome to the Hog.
Yes, there are no bad brands out there.
But, I would stick to your thoughts about getting a Canon. Not necessarily because they are the best, but because ultimately they are the best and most dominate camera system made. But for reasons that you do not yet know. Again, welcome and good luck. ;-)
SS

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

It seems that you've narrowed your choice to a DSLR, so that's good. Nikon or Canon are two good choices, and you can't go wrong with either. Don't aim too low when deciding on a model. More expensive bodies generally have controls available without going through the Menu system, and that makes it easier and faster to make changes. In asking for recommendations, people will generally recommend what they own, which doesn't help you at all. On the other hand, if 99% of the club members have one brand, you might want to buy that brand so you can get help using it.

Consider a refurbished body. That's always my first choice. Keep asking questions. the more you learn, the more you'll want to know.

Nosaj Loc: Sarasota, Florida

Best for the money: Pentax K50 !! If skeptical, check out the technical, use and commercial reviews.

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Really? I don't see this as a big negative. It's better than people recommending something they DON'T own---wouldn't you say? :-)

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

Canon folk will tend that way (Their mistake :lol: )

Those of us who shoot Nikon will go our way. But seriously you can't go wrong with either.

Go to http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3300.htm Ken Rockwell has never steered me wrong in many years and many cameras. (I even bought my Canon P&S on his recommendation.) According to him and other review sites, the new Nikon D3300 blows away all the rest of the less expensive cameras. But read his review.

shutterbob Loc: Tucson

Some of the best advice I've read. Especially about not aiming too low. While it may seem like a good idea at first to get the lowest entry level DSLR, you will more than likely "outgrow" it after a while and spend more money on something a little more advanced. You don't need to go out and get a D4 or EOS-1Dx, but a little extra money spent up front makes more sense than going to the bottom of the list.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

I'm not going to step into the brand debate, there is lots of good stuff out there. I would however think about this as buying the start of a system rather than just a camera. Once you have the camera you will most likely buy other stuff (lenses, flash etc.) and once you've chosen a brand it is expensive and hard to switch to another.

Now, I'm a Canon guy (have been since the 1970s) and I would strongly encourage you to choose the T3i over the T3. The T3i is more capable and has 18Mpixels vs 12 for the T3. For all the time that you will spend with the camera, the extra expense will reward you well in my opinion.

There will always be new models in most years, but frequently they are just incremental changes. Both the T3 and T3i are still in Canon's line up for a reason. It is worth noting that the newer T4i has already disappeared from the line up, superseded by the T5 and T5i. The T5 is a similar price to the T3i, and still not as versatile. The T5i does add some new capabilities, but most are around video functionality rather than still photography.

Always a difficult choice, but if you stay in the Canon Rebel camp, I would go for the T3i as the best balance of price and functionality.

Good luck.

Bram boy Loc: Vancouver Island B.C. Canada

no I wouldent say that . what if I had a canon I just hated . and I recommend a nikon . your saying it would be better to recommend the canon hated ?
any way

I will recommend if you get the rebel .try to get a little better one at least the
t2 or t3 . I would go for a refurbished T4 or t5 if that is braking the bank . I would wait tell I had the money for the T4

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

^^^This is great advice.

Let me only add this: the camera you choose NOW will determine which lens system you will use in the future. It is VERY important that you are happy with your selection because after you buy a couple of lenses, your investment in a specific brand or system will be set.

Take a good long look at Sony DSLR and SLT cameras. They are excellent values for the money and produce superior quality images.

And while Sony marketing is not on the same level as canon or nikon, the quality of their products is as good as or better than the competition. FOR LESS MONEY.

Check Sony out BEFORE you buy Canon or Nikon. ;)