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Canon T4i (Practice Phase)

shaner014

By shaner014,
in Photo & Video Discussion

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shaner014

shaner014

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Is the T4i worth the extra scratch for a beginner? I would be starting with the kit lens, and am buying refurbished from canon. Any input apprciated.

Comes out to be about a 150$ difference, FWIW.

TL;DR: Got the T4i with kit lens for 579.99 no tax free shipping. I list price not to gloat, but to show why it became worth going newer body.

 

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SouthFlorida_Tron

SouthFlorida_Tron

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Had a t3i, friend had 60d.

 

Don't b cheap. Get the. 60d. Same sensor my ass, it is far better in performance. Kit will work fine for basic shooting, then invest In a decent macro.

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shaner014

shaner014

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Had a t3i, friend had 60d. Don't b cheap. Get the. 60d. Same sensor my ass, it is far better in performance. Kit will work fine for basic shooting, then invest In a decent macro.

 

The 60D body only is 611 vs 545 on the T4i vs 475 for t3i with kit lens.

 

What lens would I get for the 60 or T4 if i wen body only route?

 

Comparison of 60D vs T4i

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SouthFlorida_Tron

SouthFlorida_Tron

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I would buy an affordable used lens from photography-on-the.net/forums

 

Become a member readup and research. Scan the used forums, most of the equipment is from pros making space for new gear and is often like new.

 

If I did my dslr all over I'd spend extra bucks up front on a nice body, such as a 60d instead of t*i.

Certain things such as top screen and wheel are convenient, but focus points and intervals of ISO are so much more superior on the 60d

 

You could do a rebel as I did, then 4 months later as you start investing in pro lenses, and learn proper shooting techniques and get knowledgeable you figure out how you could have put the stronger camera to use, and it's tools....

 

I'd get the 18-135mm as the basic lens is just as fine for the most part on regular shooting as a $1500 24-70mm. "L" lens unless your an OCD pro shooting weddings as your business, but i invested money in an amazing lens , the canon 100mm "L" macro f2.8 with Image Stabilization

 

It allowed me to shoot amazing sharp photos handheld that I had to use tripods to achieve with the non L non IS macro from canon.

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shaner014

shaner014

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I would buy an affordable used lens from photography-on-the.net/forums

 

Become a member readup and research. Scan the used forums, most of the equipment is from pros making space for new gear and is often like new.

 

If I did my dslr all over I'd spend extra bucks up front on a nice body, such as a 60d instead of t*i.

Certain things such as top screen and wheel are convenient, but focus points and intervals of ISO are so much more superior on the 60d

 

You could do a rebel as I did, then 4 months later as you start investing in pro lenses, and learn proper shooting techniques and get knowledgeable you figure out how you could have put the stronger camera to use, and it's tools....

 

I'd get the 18-135mm as the basic lens is just as fine for the most part on regular shooting as a $1500 24-70mm. "L" lens unless your an OCD pro shooting weddings as your business, but i invested money in an amazing lens , the canon 100mm "L" macro f2.8 with Image Stabilization

 

It allowed me to shoot amazing sharp photos handheld that I had to use tripods to achieve with the non L non IS macro from canon.

 

Thanks so much for this info. What are the main useful tools of the 60D over the t4i you mention?

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Withers

Withers

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I highly doubt you would see the benefits of going for a 60D over a T3/4i, it's mostly quality of life stuff (better build, better size, etc). Either would be more than capable of producing good pictures.

 

Between the T3i and T4i I would go with whichever is cheaper. The T4i has a swivel screen, which may come in handy if you want to use it for videos. Other than that, there isn't much benefit for going for the T4i.

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SouthFlorida_Tron

SouthFlorida_Tron

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from my HANDS ON, experience, it has much stronger focus points, even though it reads as the same sensor, it seems to be much stronger on the 60d vs the t3/4i, the additional ISO intervals is very useful for lower light settings. the wheel on the back allows for faster setting switch, and the top view LCD is very useful. also weather sealed apposed to the t3/4i is not

 

 

all im trying to say is that in 5-6 months, you will be wishing you had the non beginner type slr...

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Hexadron

Hexadron

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Go with the cheaper one for starting out. I have the T2i and it takes amazing photos. The part you will want to invest in is the lenses anyways. A more fully featured expensive body should come as you gain experience/decide if you even like DSLR Photography! I say use the money saved to buy yourself a nice prime lens or Macro :)

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uwwmatt

uwwmatt

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all im trying to say is that in 5-6 months, you will be wishing you had the non beginner type slr...

 

I'm still rocking out with my rebel xti 6 years later B) (not gonna lie though, when they finally drop the 7D Mark II its mine)

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shaner014

shaner014

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The T5i was just announced for release next month. I would wait a bit and the prices for the 3i and 4i will likely drop again.

 

Source: http://www.canonrumors.com/2013/03/canon-announces-the-eos-t5i/

 

Canon refurb sale ends 3/30. I'm probably gonna pull the trigger tonight or tomorrow.

 

Go with the cheaper one for starting out. I have the T2i and it takes amazing photos. The part you will want to invest in is the lenses anyways. A more fully featured expensive body should come as you gain experience/decide if you even like DSLR Photography! I say use the money saved to buy yourself a nice prime lens or Macro :)

 

I might end up saving my pennies like you say and getting the t3i, to get my feet wet. It's 465 plus tax refurbed. Not too shabby.

 

 

 

I appreciate al the input, keep it coming! This has been the hardest reef involved decision thus far.

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SDartifex

SDartifex

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The only notable difference between the t2i and the t3i is the swivel screen. The sensor in the rebel series has the same resolution as its bigger brothers, but is smaller so if you do the math you can compensate for not having a full frame camera fairly well. Auto-focus points will not be as precise at the full frame body's, but if you are serious about photography you should learn how to manual focus anyways.

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shaner014

shaner014

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If I were you I'd just buy the body and skip the kit lens.

 

Get yourself a cheap 50mm Prime and use your feet as the zoom. Your pictures will turn out infinitely better (unless your taking large group shots from a tiny room).

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007E7JU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

The t3i with kit is cheaper refurb than anywhere I can find the body only new. I have read enough about refurb to be ok with it.

T3i body and 100mm macro

 

Tamron 17-50 2.8 for everyday life stuff

 

If I went t4i I would probably go body only and this route, but then again I want something that just works out of the box. So the extra $65 for the 18-55 kit lens would suffice till I saved some more and did more research.

 

The only notable difference between the t2i and the t3i is the swivel screen. The sensor in the rebel series has the same resolution as its bigger brothers, but is smaller so if you do the math you can compensate for not having a full frame camera fairly well. Auto-focus points will not be as precise at the full frame body's, but if you are serious about photography you should learn how to manual focus anyways.

 

If I could find a t2i refurb or cheap new I probably would. Can't seem to though.

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shaner014

shaner014

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It is likely between these two: Refurbished Canon's

 

And from what I gather here, I'm better off going t3i and getting a decent lens. (sorry tron, I just don't see the value in going with the almost 3 year old 60D. Everything I read says the T4i is identical other than the quick settings and LCD. So if I did spend more, it would be the newer T4i)

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Hexadron

Hexadron

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Good choice. I know uwmatt said to skip the kit lens, but I find mine very useful. A prime 50mm (which was my first purchase after the camera!) is a great lens, but the lack of ability to zoom in or out can be annoying. I made the mistake of just bringing that to Japan and I missed out on some really nice shots because I couldn't "zoom out"

 

Even though some say the kit lens isn't all that great, you'll really like it to start out and get used to manual focusing and zooming. Worth it!

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shaner014

shaner014

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Good choice. I know uwmatt said to skip the kit lens, but I find mine very useful. A prime 50mm (which was my first purchase after the camera!) is a great lens, but the lack of ability to zoom in or out can be annoying. I made the mistake of just bringing that to Japan and I missed out on some really nice shots because I couldn't "zoom out"

 

Even though some say the kit lens isn't all that great, you'll really like it to start out and get used to manual focusing and zooming. Worth it!

 

For the prices refurb I can't say no. What do you mean by "zoom out" this is totally new to me so pardon my ignorance.

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SouthFlorida_Tron

SouthFlorida_Tron

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its all good homey, im just pitching my 2 cents... its all preference, i wish the you the best, no matter what, itll take sharp pics! here are a few taken with the t3i to comfort your decision, its down the road you'll want the extra things here and there

 

 

F/4 with the 24-105L lens, IS was on
f/1.4 with the canon 50mm 1.4
macros with the money 100mm f/2.8 IS
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shaner014

shaner014

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Awesome shots! and given the decent resale on these things, I am ok with dumping the body after realizing more of what I personally need/want. Thanks so much again!

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Veng

Veng

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I've been going through this same search. IMHO, the extra cost of the 60D isn't worth it. Going to a full frame is the only way you are going to get a serious bump in photo quality (better higher ISO/low light performance), but those start at 2-3x the cost. The 5i is a rename, not an upgrade. The t4i has better video performance. As far as autofocus, this was posted on PotN earlier today, so I'll just quote it.

-t2i 9 pt center af point is cross-type

-t3i 9 pt(center af point is cross-type, vertical line sensitive at 2.8)

- t4i all af points are cross-type at 5.6, center af point is diagonal cross type at 2.8

- 60d 9 cross type, center af point with dual cross sensor for f2.8

If you're looking for a macro lens then the 100 Macro IS (IS = image stabilization, longer shutter speeds without blurring from you moving, better for hand held, not that useful if on a tripod, and won't keep your subject still) refurb is on sale for 700$ which is about 200$ less than amazon and seriously tempting. The non-IS is 407, which is probably the way I'd go if you're only going to use it on fish tanks w/ a tripod. That being said, it's probably pretty addictive and you might kick your self later for not getting the IS, but a macro lens w/o IS is much better than no macro lens at all.

 

The 18-55 will give a maximum magnification @ minimum focus distance of .34X while the 18-135 will give a max of .21X, the macro above will give 1X of course. Something to keep in mind before you blinding think the 135 is better. Now, it will give you more zoom at something more than a few feet away, but your tank isn't a few feet away. Something for you to know and keep in mind.

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