Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Merry Christmas to Me?

Each year at Christmas and at the end of the school year the parents in my class have all chipped in to get me a mall gift certificate.  It is an awesome gift as it allows me to buy things that I usually really need like shoes or clothes for work. 

Last summer I put off buying anything with my gift certificate, and I'm pretty sure in a few days I'll be getting another, which should give me enough to pick up something that I could reasonably argue that I need, but is also something that I really WANT. 

That something is a new digital camera. 

My old camera is really starting to show signs of wear.  Not surprising since it is a number of years old and in the past eleven months I have taken what I am sure amounts to thousands of photos of The Bean. 

So, I'm thinking a digital SLR.  A Canon or a Nikon.  I've heard the Canon Rebel is a nice model, but which version?  Is the standard lens fine, or should I also think about getting a second lens? 

I know a lot of you are photo junkies like me, so for those of you with DSLRs, which models do you have and what features of those models do you like or dislike? 

12 comments:

  1. We have the Canon Rebel XS that is a few years old at least. Love it. Easy to use. You can play with the settings. Takes great pictures.

    We have a Macro lens (for close ups) but I never swap them...a bit of a pain. So maybe I would just get the camera and play around with it and if you feel comfortable and want to try new things, get a lens later.

    Our friend is a photographer and loves Canon but really you're on one side of the other. I don't care but I think it had to do with the way the lens zooms between the two which is why we went with Canon.

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  2. Eeee, in excited for you!!! I have a Canon Rebel T1i and I love, love, love it. I bought it before the T2i came out, but I don't miss the features I don't have (swizzle screen, most notably).

    I have the standard lens and it is fine for all manner of daily photo-taking. I'd like a telephoto lens, but I haven't been able to justify the cost yet....

    Have fun shopping, I don't think you can go wrong with either a Canon or Nikon :-)

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  3. I have a Canon 1000D which I believe is the Rebel in the US. I have an extra 2 lenses for it. I love my prime lenses!

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  4. We have the same model of Canon Rebel as Stacey, which is the most basic model and it's mostly all we need, though at times I have wished we had a zoom lens (the Canon zooms a bit but not much.) I want a zoom lens because I like to take pictures at concerts, but most times with kid photos, we don't seem to find ourselves needing it. But maybe that will change once we start attending school concerts and stuff like that.

    My only complaint about having the Rebel is that it's not as easy to carry around as a regular camera. I feel like I have to be careful with it and it's big so I can't just throw it in my purse like a regular point and shoot. And when Kim went to Jamaica, she didn't want to take it because she was worried something would happen to it and instead she ended up borrowing my mom's camera. (I would have taken it, so that's just a matter of opinion.) But for the photo quality, it's worth a little extra hassle.

    Also, the Rebel (the version we have) doesn't have video. The more expensive versions do. I don't miss it because we have a Flip but something else to think about if you want both in one camera.

    For photo quality and ease of use, I would totally recommend the Rebel. Our photos are awesome. I've captured some incredible moments because there is no delay.

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  5. We have the Canon Rebel XT that is about 7 years old. I still love it and think it takes great pictures. We also got a Macro lens a few years back, but like Stacey I rarely switch to it.

    Very exciting for you!

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  6. We too have the Canon Rebel XS. Also a few years old but we love it. Easy to use. We only have the standard lens but it can take lots of awesome pictures with just that. Would highly recommend it.

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  7. I'd love a true DSLR, but we have a compact one (its an Olympus) which is great. I'm not so good at manual anyway, and it fits in my purse (and no worries about padding, etc!)

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  8. Jenn got the Canon Rebel T3 and LOVES it! It's super easy to use, takes great pictures and is reasonably priced.

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  9. We hane a Nikon D5000 and we absolutely love ot! Easy to use and takes great photos! Well worth the money for sure!

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  10. somehow missed you were a teacher! me too! what's your grade level?

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  11. Looks like the Rebel gets good reviews! I'll probably go for one of the T3 options... I've got some more research to do.

    @Teaberry I teach kindergarten! Lots of fun but exhausting at times!! (I'm glad it's Friday night!)

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  12. First of all, great blog discovery! Your about page story made me smile! I worked as a full time photographer until 2010, when I quit to spend more time with my kids and work on some health issues. There are pros and cons to both Canon and Nikon. Nikon has FANTASTIC color, andgood function in low light in its entry level cameras, however lenses can be pricey. Canon's color is a bit warmer/more magenta than Nikon in it's T-series, but I prefer the intuitive controls, affordable lenses, and the focus quality. Nikon has also had some lens mount issues with its entry level cameras. If I had to choose, I would opt for an entry level Canon dslr for my first camera. Wow, what a tangent!

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