| 08 April 2010
Our very own Easy Mode contributor Giang stayed with us over this past week, and his ridiculously awesome photography skillz (demonstrated here) inspired me to finally take the plunge and get one of those digital camera things that have detachable lenses (DSLRs to the rest of the world). If you're curious about doing the same, here is my story.
Initially, I bought a Canon XSi, which came with a Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. This lens is basically a standard lens, complete with a fairly powerful zoom. I don't know what the numbers mean per se, but I know that the "18-55mm" is how much the lens zooms, and the "3.5-5.6" is the aperture speed, and the lower number means how much the background will blur when you focus on something. After trying out the camera for a bit, I was underwhelmed by the whole experience; basically, the camera was taking good pictures - better than with a point-and-shoot digital camera - but it didn't have the "wow" factor I was expecting. After talking to Giang about it, I decided to emulate his setup, but on a cheaper scale.
I bought a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens for $100 on Amazon, and it made a world of difference. The 1.8 aperture speed takes really dramatic pictures, and it's exactly what I was hoping for. The only drawback is that you can't zoom with this lens, but it's actually teaching me to move around and frame my photos, and it brings a real intimacy to everything. And lastly, I settled on upgrading my camera to the Canon T1i, which is the newer model over the XSi. Its only real function over the XSi is that it can take video (1080p HD at that), but I think that it's a feature I'll be using a lot in the future. I also bought only the body because I wasn't blown away by the pack-in lens. If I end up needing a wider-angled lens, I'll probably buy a Sigma 18-50mm f/3.5-5.6 lens which is only $80 and its reviews say it is built better than the Canon lens. I bought the Canon T1i "like new" used on Amazon for only $599, which was a great deal considering it's going for $678 new on Amazon right now.
I also looked into the Nikon DSLRs, which are comparable to the Canon models and about $100 cheaper per model. The biggest issue is that the lower-priced model, the Nikon D3000, doesn't let you use autofocus with its 50mm lens. The D3000 and its more expensive upgrade, the Nikon D5000, both shoot video but only in 720p. That being said, the Canon T1i's 1080p video records only 20fps (30fps at 720p), so I've been using the 720p anyway.
So here's what I recommend as your best bet for the lowest price: buy a Canon XSi, and then buy the 50mm lens. The combination of the two really takes great photos, and together they're less than $600 if you get the XSi body only. Here are the current prices for everything on Amazon, so you can price things out yourself:
Canon XSi: $485 (body), $530 (kit)
Canon T1i: $678 (body), $750 (kit)
Nikon D3000: $375 (body), $450 (kit)
Nikon D5000: $599 (body), $665 (kit)
Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens: $100
Nikon 50mm f/1.8D lens: $125
In action (using the XSi with the 50mm lens, with no effects or alterations made afterwards):
Also, here is a test video I did with the T1i and 50mm lens. I just adjusted the focus manually. Look at how sharp everything is when I get to its plane of focus:
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