Upgrading to a DSLR. Narrowed in down to 3... I think.

[Justin Wilcox]

Short and simple, sort of. Out of the three, which would you chose? I pretty much made up my mind, but just need that little nudge.

Nikon D5200
Canon T4i/T5i
Canon 60D

Also, all 3 with have to be used with their kit lenses. Thats about all I can do this season. I just want to get out of this turquoise blue Canon SX230 HS...
Thanks guys.

 

[Skip Talbot]

Pick them up and use them if you can. I think that's the best way to figure out what body you want. How your hands fit and reach the buttons, how easy stuff is to use, and the durability and quality of the body are more important than some of the technical specs. All three will shoot great pictures. The T4i/T5i might be able to get a nicer picture than the 60D with it's newer imaging processor, but that difference is probably going to be small. The 60D has a better build than the Rebels, and quite a bit more play with extra wheels, buttons, and top LCD display. I have both a 60D and a T2i rebel, and I definitely miss the added wheels and top displays when I switch over from the 60D to the Rebel. I'm not going to tell you Canon just because I'm a Canon fanboy. I think both brands will be just as good at launching you into the DSLR world and getting you on the path to taking great pictures. One thing I really like about the Canons though is the third party development that's taking place with the Magic Lantern firmware mod. So many great features and expansions are being unlocked that it really makes those cameras a lot more powerful than they are out of the box.

 

[Brett Roberts]

The 60D and T4i/T5i have sensors that are (virtually) identical, so if you're shooting RAW, there will be no difference in image quality. The main reason to get the 60D would be better build quality, ergonomics, and a more sophisticated autofocus system. Personally, I shot with the Rebel series for eight years and never felt compelled to upgrade, at least in a chasing environment. It may be a case where you don't miss those extras until you've actually been using them.

Throwing the Nikon in makes it tricky. On the one hand, Nikon's D5x00 series is rather cheaply-made -- they're even more stripped down and plasticky-feeling than Canon's Rebels. But at the same time, the sensor in the D5200 is better than Canon's by a margin that can be quite noticeable in some situations. If you shoot RAW and are willing to spend time processing your photos in Photoshop (or similar software), the D5200 will give you more to work with than any of the Canon bodies.

Have you considered the Nikon D7000? It was basically the direct competitor to the Canon 60D, and should be around the same price. It gives you a great sensor and much better build quality than the D5200.

Are you planning to use a DSLR mainly for stills, or will video be a major consideration? If so, Skip is correct in that Magic Lantern might make Canon the better choice.

 

[JeffGonzales]

I went with the 60D as my first DLSR recently thanks to Skip's suggestion as I was looking at a few other models. I mainly did it for my video, and this will be my main video device for this season, but its nice to be able to take quality pics on it as well. Highly recommend the 60D . I have not played around with Magic Lantern yet, but excited to try it out

 

[MClarkson]

I would highly recommend never to buy Nikon. They sold me a camera that broke rapidly and then refused to pay for its fix, in your standard argumentative bad customer service sort of way. Go with the Canon.

 

[Rob H]

Don't be afraid of used gear!

If I had to do it all over again, I'd go to someplace that sells quality used gear and buy a used body. Bodies don't hold their price well at all. I'd also go with Nikon because their low-end sensors are way better than Canon's in dynamic range and ISO performance - both of which are very useful taking pictures of storms. An excellent condition Nikon D5100 goes for $325 at keh.com which is a heck of a bargain.

Then I'd pair it up with a good, fast lens since Canon/Nikon kit lenses are rather poor in many areas. Again looking at keh.com you can get a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 for $300.

So for $625 you would have a camera and a lens that would cost thousands to replace with something higher quality. Canon and Nikon lines have been stagnant for years and the only way they're getting new customers is by adding gimmicky features like flip screens, touch screens, etc. We all *like* those things, but they'll never be the thing stopping you from getting a good picture.

 

[Brett Roberts]

I would highly recommend never to buy Nikon. They sold me a camera that broke rapidly and then refused to pay for its fix, in your standard argumentative bad customer service sort of way. Go with the Canon.

I will say that based on extensive research, Nikon seems to have measurably worse customer service over the past few years than Canon. Unfortunately, they also have superior sensors in their DSLRs, so you can't have it all.

For the type of shooting that chasers do -- high-contrast outdoor scenes where low ISO can often be used -- the sensor differences are large enough to be worth considering strongly. Personally, I shot Canon for eight years (2005-2013) and just switched to Nikon for this reason. The sensor advantage was compelling enough for me to go through the hassle of selling two bodies and four lenses, AND to overlook the chance of worse customer service. But that's just me.

 

[Justin Wilcox]

Buying my car last Spring was a far easier experience than shopping for a new camera has been lol.

These are the replies I was hoping for. Making it harder for me to decide is a good thing. The thing with buying a dslr is trying to decide where I want to compromise. Do I care more about video? Although its not #1 in priority, it does matter to an extent. But it really only matters 4-7 weeks out of the year. Since this past May I have been drooling over everyone's shots of the same structures and places I have shots of, but much much better. I also recently finished an intro photography filler class, so the bug is further planted lol.

Such a tough decision. And to add to the frustration, Canon will give me $155 trade-in value for my p&s toward reburbs. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Justin Wilcox]

I just browsed your Flickr Brett. Your XSi shots are wonderful.

 

[Justin Wilcox]

Came across a T2i w/ 18-135mm STM Lens on Portland's Craigslist a little while ago. Heres a quote and a link to a clip of the film. Thought it was pretty interesting.

"It's going to be tough to say goodbye to this camera, but its time for an upgrade. I filmed my first feature length documentary film "Drawing Dead: The Highs & Lows of Online Poker" with this camera, which I sold to DirecTV earlier this year. It's a great camera, and it could be all yours!"

Heres the clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovf103Ax6yU

 

[Rob H]

Came across a T2i w/ 18-135mm STM Lens on Portland's Craigslist a little while ago. Heres a quote and a link to a clip of the film. Thought it was pretty interesting.

"It's going to be tough to say goodbye to this camera, but its time for an upgrade. I filmed my first feature length documentary film "Drawing Dead: The Highs & Lows of Online Poker" with this camera, which I sold to DirecTV earlier this year. It's a great camera, and it could be all yours!"

Heres the clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovf103Ax6yU

Yeah, if you want to do video a firmware hacked Panasonic GH1 or Canon with Magic Lantern installed are the way to go. I don't think anyone is truly happy with trying to do both video and stills out of the same camera - you have to sacrifice something at one time or another.

 

[Greg Campbell]

Another possible route would be a factory refurb from Adorama or another reputable dealer. Most of the bodies on Adorama come with a 3 month factory warranty. (Better than Craigslist!) The saved $ might allow you to get a proper superwide zoom, ideal for chasing, as well.

 

[Patrick Martin]

Regardless if you are buying Canon or Nikon, the ultimate difference really comes down to which lens system you want to buy into. Both offer high quality products. I went with Canon several years ago starting with an XSi and currently have a 50D. If you shoot jpg exclusively, Nikon seems to offer a slightly "punchier" default processing in camera which can easily be replicated in post processing if shooting Canon. However if shooting RAW, either sensor system will provide substantial room for processing in post.

As others have said, don't be afraid of used or refurbs. My 50D was a used refurb (came w/only 50 clicks from the seller) and have never had a problem in approximately 3yrs of use. Only 1 of my 5 current lenses was purchased new, all the others were used and purchased on a Canon forum at substantial savings vs new but perform flawlessly. Canon offers a 1yr warranty now on factory direct refurbs and a short time ago, was offering 20% off refurb lenses with purchase of a refurb body.

I have not shot Nikon, so have no opinion on which body to start with. However, if starting from scratch and choosing Canon, I would look at a refurb 60D or T4i along with a general purpose lens that covers your focal length needs. You could also consider the Canon Loyalty Program (CLP) which is a program where if you turn in a broken Canon Camera (I am holding a busted P&S one in reserve for future purchase), you receive 20% off the current refurb price. It requires a call to Canon to make the arrangements, but it's a great way to get into a Canon camera at substantial savings vs new.

 

[Robert Edmonds]

If you are a noise snob there is a reason to pay attention to the sensor. Remember there is a trade off between high and low resolution sensors. Higher resolution sensors will in general have more noise, but you can blow up that picture more at the cost of added noise. While most cameras these days are CMOS (due to power consumption of large arrays) a CCD will have better read noise (this is resolution independent) because of how the sensor is read. Also look at the A/D converter. I think this may still change a little between cameras. A higher bit A/D converter in raw will allow you more room to play when blowing out the contrast in post processing .

 

[Justin Wilcox]

Thanks alot guys for all the advice. Greatly appreciated.

I think im going to pull the trigger on a T4i w/ 18-135 STM reburb. For $640 shipped. Thats even cheaper than the CLP option, if I decide to sell my sx230.
It came down to these 3 options:

All refurbs
T5i w/ 18-55mm STM - $544 shipped (Canon CLP)
60D w/ 18-135 IS - $614 shipped (Canon CLP)
T4i w/ 18-135 STM - $640 shipped (B&H)


From what I have gathered, the STM lenses are great for kit lenses. What im not clear on is how big of a difference there is between the STM and the IS. Otherwise I may go with the 60D. Should the difference in those 2 lenses be a deciding factor?