# N[DSLR]D: Canon Rebel T3



## Philligan (Jul 22, 2013)

New DSLR day! 

I always said that I wouldn't leave the country without a good camera. Then, after my race this weekend, my girlfriend drops the bomb on me that she's taking me to Europe for Christmas. Almost right away I started looking into seriously getting an SLR, and after finding out that they aren't that much cheaper than eBay, I saw that Future Shop had a sale that ends in two days, and I went in and got one.

I know it's not a good one, but my budget was under $500, I wanted something that would be easy to learn on, and I also wanted something that would let me get started on a more serious lens collection in the future. The T3 fit the bill. My buddy's got a ~8 year old base model Rebel that I've used and liked the results I got, so this should still be more than enough camera for me for at least a couple years, and my photographer uncle uses Canon stuff so I'm hoping I can inherit some cool hand-me-downs. 

Now for some cell phone pics of my DSLR.  

Immediately post-purchase:




The aftermath:




The contents:




I was looking at a bunch of the bundles, but I figured a lot of the stuff that gets bundled with them would be pretty shitty (tripods, flashes, etc) and it's not stuff I desperately need, so I'd rather slowly start collecting decent peripherals. Aside from SD cards and spare batteries, the only things I'm really worried about for the trip this winter are a good tripod, a stabilized telephoto zoom lens, and a solid camera backpack that I can use as a day backpack, too.

I work in the morning so it's too late to mess around with it sadly, but I'll hopefully have some time after work tomorrow. Any tips for a photography n00b?


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## Philligan (Jul 23, 2013)

Got out and took some pictures after work today


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## straightshreddd (Jul 23, 2013)

Nice, crisp images, man. I want a dslr so bad. Congrats

How's the video quality?


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## Philligan (Jul 23, 2013)

Thanks man  I'm just getting used to it still but I'm really digging it so far.

I haven't tried video yet, I need to get around to recording a song, but that'll be a while.


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## Philligan (Jul 23, 2013)

I'm shopping lenses now - would a 40mm f/2.8 be better than a 50mm f/1.4? If the 40's a bit shorter, it should look a bit more up close and personal, right? and with the slightly narrower aperture, wouldn't it be a bit sharper?

I'm reading into this more and realizing that this could be way more beneficial on a trip than a big zoom lens.

Basically, I'm looking for a lens I could more or less leave on to get shots quickly when we're out and about.


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## crg123 (Jul 23, 2013)

Nice man! I have the T2i and I love it. I highly recommend the nifty fifty (the 50mm f/1.4) never had any experience with the 40mm though. Prime lens are great but it takes use to shifting around instead of turning the zoom. I have a canon zoom lens (55-250mm) but I'm actually thinking about selling it since I mostly landscapes and architectural photography (detail shots are always nice though...). Good luck!


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## Khoi (Jul 24, 2013)

Philligan said:


> I'm shopping lenses now - would a 40mm f/2.8 be better than a 50mm f/1.4? If the 40's a bit shorter, it should look a bit more up close and personal, right? and with the slightly narrower aperture, wouldn't it be a bit sharper?
> 
> I'm reading into this more and realizing that this could be way more beneficial on a trip than a big zoom lens.
> 
> Basically, I'm looking for a lens I could more or less leave on to get shots quickly when we're out and about.



Go for the 50mm f/1.4. I'd recommend the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 over the Canon 50mm f/1.4

You also have to keep in mind that the T3i is a 1.6x crop sensor body so the 50mm will actually be more like a 80mm.


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## Philligan (Jul 24, 2013)

Awesome, thanks guys. 



Khoi said:


> Go for the 50mm f/1.4. I'd recommend the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 over the Canon 50mm f/1.4
> 
> You also have to keep in mind that the T3i is a 1.6x crop sensor body so the 50mm will actually be more like a 80mm.



That's kinda why I think I'm leaning more towards the 40mm, just for a slightly wider angle? I'll check out the Sigma, too. With the 40, shouldn't it end up being the equivalent of a 65mm or so, and be a bit better as an all-purpose lens?

Basically, I'm looking for a lens I can more or less leave on as my go-to while we're walking around - it's mostly gonna be pictures of streets/buildings/architecture/people. So I'm more interested in street shots and cityscapes than macro shots.


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## MetalBuddah (Jul 24, 2013)

You might want to take a look at a 35mm lens as well. I have one for my Nikon and it is extremely versatile. Gives you a bit more wiggle room when you are shooting so you can still do macro shots but still have plenty of room to get a lot into a landscape shot


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## JeffFromMtl (Jul 24, 2013)

I just got Sigma's 30mm f/1.4 from their new "art" line 3 or 4 days ago. On my 7D or your Rebel, it's equivalent to 48mm, so just about as close to what the human eye sees as you can get on a crop sensor. It's an outstanding lens, and for the price (about $500), I don't think it can be beat. I also have a 50mm, and I love it for portraits, but it's a little too long for most things, and will often be far too cramped to shoot indoors. I ended up using my 18-55 as my walk-around because the 50mm just wasn't applicable in many situations. As far as I'm concerned, if you're using a prime on a crop sensor, 30mm will be the perfect focal length as a great walk-around and street photography lens, and having the f/1.4 aperture still makes it a viable option for beautiful portraits.

Lozeau | Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM A for Canon

Here are a couple samples of shots I've taken with the lens:




IMG_4834small by J Henry, on Flickr




IMG_4943small by J Henry, on Flickr

Both shots have been edited with film emulation presets and stuff in lightroom, but should serve as examples of how nice it can look wide open at f/1.4.

This one was shot at f/2.8, at which point the lens is right around its sharpest. This shot is also not quite as heavy on the processing (just a bit of curve adjustment, resulting in the raised/faded look), and can give you an idea how well this lens performs if you're into a more modern/contemporary aesthetic.




IMG_4639 by J Henry, on Flickr


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## Furtive Glance (Jul 24, 2013)

Philligan said:


> I know it's not a good one, but my budget was under $500, I wanted something that would be easy to learn on,



Oh come now, that camera's legit. I think they're great for the money!


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## Ocara-Jacob (Jul 24, 2013)

Nice, the T3 is an excellent entry-level DSLR. I do, however, LOVE my 60D  
Regarding lenses, I will say that the Canon 40mm F2.8 is sharper than the 50mm F1.8. I don't have personal experience with the 1.4, however.


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## Khoi (Jul 25, 2013)

Philligan said:


> Awesome, thanks guys.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



In that case, look into a 35mm. 50mm with a crop sensor might be a little tight for street shots, but I personally love around the 85mm range.


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## Tang (Jul 29, 2013)

The T3 was my first DSLR, and it taught me all the basics.. I loved the T3 + 50mm 1.8 combo


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## Bevo (Aug 2, 2013)

Great camera, nothing wrong with entry level, my D40 gets used 100-1 compared to my 7D.... But I use it at work.

I am a fan of a zoom lens as a carry around lens, my D40 has an 18-105 4.5 and it never comes off, actually it's now my only Nikon lens.
Last week I changed my mind on the 105L lens at $1500 and bought an 18-200 IS EF lens that I got on sale for $470. The L lens may be better but the reviews and my experience say its more than good enough for me.

I like the range of the croped 18 I can get much closer than my 50 and at the long end the 200 works out to 300 mm which is great for the action or bird stuff I love.
To me this is truly a full featured carry around lens fo what "I" like.

Another thought, due to the quality of the shots you can zoom open a small picture a reasonable amount and still have amazing quality, crop and save for a great shot.
What this means and I use all the time is this, a shorter lens can take amazing pictures even if you don't have it fully filing the screen.

Ken Rockwell had a picture of a small tree on a hillside in a landscape shot, when he blew up the picture he found his kids in the middle of the field and then croped it, quality was amazing considering you could barely see them in the first image.


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