Pulled the trigger on my first DSLR (Canon T3)

[jaydee]

So my wife has been REALLY wanting a DSLR for awhile and we haven't really been able to justify it, but I saw a good yesterday and pulled the trigger as a Christmas gift. Hope I did ok, I really just spent about an hour yesterday doing a crash course on DSLR's online via dpreview, imaging resource, AT D&V C forums, etc.

I bought a new Canon EOS Rebel T3/1100D (with EF-S IS II 18-55mm lens) for $350 on ebay. We are moving up from a Canon SX200 IS, which we like, but looking at the photo's it produces compared to our neighbors Nikon 6.1 MP DSLR (don't know the model), the Nikon just has an indescribable (to me) quality to the photos, despite half the MP's as our SX200 IS. So at first I was looking for older DSLR's used to save money, but I couldn't really find much under $300 (with a lens at least), so that's when I went for the T3.

Questions:
Didn't really realize how expensive lenses were, how limited are we with just having the lens that comes with a kit? I read in the sticky that the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II is a good value lens for a beginner, I was wondering what the quality difference is vs the lens that comes with the kit.

I have a 16GB class 6 SDHC card, am I going to need faster than that to take pictures in burst mode (3/sec)?

How is the video quality typically in DSLR's? Will I see as much of an improvement compared to a point in shoot, as I will in picture quality?

Thanks!

 

[jpeyton]

Answers: Not limited, the kit lens is quite versatile and will take great photos once you learn about your camera's settings.

The quality difference with the 50/1.8 lies in its larger aperture (lower f-number), which allows you to take pictures with a shallower depth-of-field; it's also a sharper lens, but you can't tell unless you're pixel-peeping.

No you will not need a faster SDHC card.

The video quality is excellent, but it requires even more knowledge about your camera's settings to maximize the potential; you'll need to learn about focus, exposure lock, depth-of-field, stabilizing your camera, and more.

Do yourself a favor and buy a tripod. It really opens up a lot of photographic possibilities that you simply can't do handheld.

 

[randomrogue]

With a crop camera you wont' want the 50 anyways. You'll want a 35 and they're about $200 as well. Do not buy any lenses though until you have mastered the camera and "know" what you need. Instead invest in a flash, off camera cable, tripod, and/or remote shutter. Take a class, read some books, and go out and practice.

She'll be happy with what you got her. Just let her learn it now.

 

[SecurityTheatre]

That "indescribable" difference is probably two things. First, the extremely low noise on a large-format sensor like a DSLR. Also, probably the more shallow depth of field, rendering the background blurry, but the subject sharp.

The first, you got with the purchase. The latter, you may have in limited quantities. The really nice background blur comes with faster lenses (lower f-stop number). This is where the 50mm f/1.8 and 35mm f/1.8 lenses are an inexpensive option. You can isolate your subject, blur the background and really make nice looking photos with one of those.

Even poorly framed snapshots of assorted table settings can look "artistic" with this effect.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vagartmour/5910363774/


Keep in mind, the 50mm and 35mm are not zoom lenses. To get a fast zoom lens (f/2.8) you will need to spend north of $400 each (usually north of $800). Canon's top-end normal-range zoom lenses are a bit over $1500 each. This is what you most likely see if you peek into the bag of a full-time photojournalist or wedding photographer. You probably won't end up with one of these.


Good luck!

 

[Xonim]

I mostly agree with the other posters, the 18-55mm kit lens isn't really all that limiting, especially for a DSLR beginner. However (you knew it was coming, right??), I don't necessarily think that you need to wait to see what lens/focal length you want. A 35mm lens on a crop-sensor camera (which yours is) is about equivalent to what the eye sees.

When I bought my DSLR (D3100) it came with the 18-55 kit lens, I got a combo with the 55-200 VR lens, and I bought the 35mm f/1.8. I used the 18-55 for ~2 weeks before I was able to find the 35mm in stock somewhere, and now that I have it, I RARELY use anything else. It's just such a fantastic lens, the image quality is a definite improvement over the 18-55 in certain conditions due to the lower f-stop. I wouldn't hesitate at all to recommend a 35mm f/1.8 to a beginner.

 

[HendrixFan]

The kit lens should be fine while you are learning. I have a canon crop (t2i) and I can tell you that the 28mm 1.8 I have gets tons of use for everyday shooting.

 

[jaydee]

With a crop camera you wont' want the 50 anyways. You'll want a 35 and they're about $200 as well. Do not buy any lenses though until you have mastered the camera and "know" what you need. Instead invest in a flash, off camera cable, tripod, and/or remote shutter. Take a class, read some books, and go out and practice.

She'll be happy with what you got her. Just let her learn it now.

Thank you for the input. We already have a decent tripod, it looks like the next best investment might be a book. Amazon has this, and it seems to have all good reviews: David Busch's Canon EOS Rebel T3/1100D Guide to Digital SLR Photography

edit: Also should probably look for a good camera bag. This should probably do it? Canon 2400 SLR Gadget Bag for EOS SLR Cameras

Maybe in the summertime I'll look into a new lens, a flash or remote shutter. Thanks for the input all.

 

[randomrogue]

Camera bags are an interesting thing. They're really expensive for what you get. That one is only $30 so no big deal but I'd rather put that $30 towards buying a remote shutter right now. You do need some sort of backpack to put the gear in though. I for one keep getting free camera bags when I buy cameras at BH but throw my gear in a regular backpack.

There are probably a lot of good book suggestions. I would get one for your camera but wait for a proper recommendation from someone who owns it. I'd also get one on exposure. Go to the library and pick up a book detailing the zone system. It's developed for film but is a good read for digital as well.

 

[TuxDave]

I have the Canon t3 and I know I spent a lot of time thinking about "what lens should I upgrade" before I got it. If you follow what I did, I still use the kit lens because the more you experiment with photography (casual pictures of family, artsy-fartsy photos), you realize that the biggest improvement you can get is just improving your photography skills. Well composed shots with interesting settings beats sharpness any day in my book. I'm still in the "fad" stage where every time I see a new photography idea or technique, I get really into it and want to go try it out. I haven't felt limited with a kit lens through all that.