My wife likes taking pictures, especially on trips and such. We currently have a Panasonic ZS-20 compact point and shoot. She loves the 20X zoom and how small it is. It usually takes pretty nice pictures outdoors, especially on a nice sunny day, but they can sometimes be a bit grainy on less than perfect lighting. I’m trying to convince her to get a better camera.
Is the Canon EOS Rebel T6 a good beginner DSLR? This seems like a pretty good deal with the 2 lenses and the extra 15% off using the Prime card.
The biggest two hurdles are, spending the money on a new camera when ours still works, and the size of the camera. She loves being able to stick the camera in her pocket. Also, the zoom on the points and shoots is so much more powerful. Anyone have some good arguments to tell her for why to to to a DSLR?
Is it true that you can get nearly as good results as a powerful point and shoot zoom capturing a distant object with a low zoom DSLR by just cropping because the image quality is better?
In addition to the DSLR’s resolution, the lens really effects the sharpness of the image. I was able to crop-zoom with a fixed 50mm on my Rebel, but the 18-55mm stock lens wasn’t quite sharp enough to pull it off.
I haven’t bought a camera in a few years, but based on past experience I’d say the Rebel series is great for an entry level DSLR (I.e. it’s what I bought). A 300mm lens will also give her plenty of zoom to play around with. A big zoom lens is preferable for outdoor shots, but if she does a lot of close-up or still-life shots you might want to check out a fixed macro lens.
If the 300mm lens gets to heavy, a monopod or beanbag is also useful to steady the camera.
Missed this the first time around. The best argument for a DSLR is that you both can start printing and displaying her photos! Costco will print up to 18x24" canvas wraps for $50 and less. With canvas prints, you can get away with 150dpi, so you can get a decent sized print off a DSLR.
I have a Sony A6000, the mirrorless range. The Alpha range are full size i believe. I like mine, far more portable than a DLSR and easy to use as a beginner with all the advanced stuff when you learn it and i can still stick all the expensive and fancy lens on it.
I’ll be a negative nelly for a second - DSLR sales have plummeted and Canon and Nikon have desperately introduced mirrorless mounts to try and capture some, any, interest in cameras, but sales continue to drop.
On a slightly more positive note, it’s still a great hobby. The DSLR would work well if the hassle is not an issue, also consider a flash unit, as one of the powers of ‘real’ cameras is bounce flash / lighting.
Maybe consider an RX100 V as a hobby camera as it is small and light, or maybe a different mirrorless camera. Or a photography class, all good ideas.
We are price sensitive so the $399 price tag + 15% off it a big draw. Can anyone think of a better buy for the price than this deal with the two lenses, other than the accessories bundle Rich mentions above?
Is this Nikon a better camera for the price? Doesn’t include the second lens for zoom shots. Looks like it has image stabilization and a higher megapixel sensor.
Having forgotten my DSLR recently and used my dad’s high-zoom point-and-shoot, the biggest difference is speed (followed by image quality, though that’s affected a bit by the lens). DSLRs are nearly instant, have a higher frame rate, and you can get so many shots you’d miss with a point-and-shoot. It was really frustrating trying to get any decent pictures.
I also have a Sony RX 100 VI that I use when I need a pocket camera. It’s dramatically better than a typical point-and-shoot, but trying to use it at an airshow this summer showed it was no substitute for a DSLR.
Canon and Nikon quality are very similar; there are aspects to each company’s product and lens designs that will appeal to one type of photographer or another at the very high level, but at the beginner level, they’re essentially identical. I’d go for Canon because of the flexibility multiple lenses afford at the package prices you’re looking at. The megapixel difference isn’t likely to matter.
I would also get the Canon “nifty 50” lens. It’s an amazing quality lens for just over $100, and you can do beautiful portrait shots with a nice blurred background easily with it. I know the 50mm range is covered by the kit lens with the T6 package you linked, but the Nifty 50 will be noticeably sharper – it’s really akin to Canon’s $700-2000 “L series” professional lenses in image quality, (The kit lenses aren’t bad, mind you, but the 50mm will really show the full potential if she gets into the hobby. The 50mm is also really small, which makes the T6 “purse-able” (in a big purse) vs the bigger zoom lenses included.
We’ve been very happy with our Rebel. We still use the kit lenses, and added a speedlight and the little 40mm pancake lens (I prefer that zoom level vs 50mm with this camera - the focal lengths are referenced to the bigger “full frame” bodies/sensors).
Double-check your order to make sure it comes with the US warranty.
For lenses, flash and even the kit if it turns out you need to return your Amazon order, keep an eye on the CanonUSA refurb pages: Lenses / kits They run sales sometimes. Everything I have bought refurb directly from Canon has looked and behaved just like brand new.
