Camera buying advice

[Tasuma]

Hey all! I am getting into photography thanks to my cousin and with my 21st birthday coming up I want to treat myself to a nice DSLR. I was curious if I should get a used Canon t3i + lens from Keh or a new dslr camera bundle from amazon? Open to advice and feed back just be nice! I am new and just looking for a good base line.

 

https://www.keh.com/shop/canon-rebel-t3i-digital-camera-body-18-m-p.html + https://www.keh.com/shop/canon-ef-s-18-55mm-f-3-5-5-6-is-zoom-lens-116304.html

 

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Rebel-T5-18-55mm-Standard/dp/B00V58IOUO/ref=sr_1_22?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1455031815&sr=1-22&keywords=dslr+camera or http://www.amazon.com/24-2MP-Camera-18-55mm-Ultimate-Telephoto/dp/B017UWCPCQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1455032490&sr=1-2&keywords=nikon+d3300+bundle 

 

[ALwin]

OK, here are my thoughts.

 

1. If you are buying a second hand camera with a 18-55 kit lens vs. a brand new entry level camera with a 18-55 kit lens.  Get the new one, unless the price differences are significant (more than $50) and you need to save as much as you can.  A brand new one will give you manufacturer/store warranty and will be certain that it will have 0 shutter acutations.

 

2. As for the Amazon bundles.. the items that come in the bundles are merely good enough for complete beginners, but for those a bit more experienced... a lot of those items are crap.

[Tasuma]

4 minutes ago, ALwin said:

OK, here are my thoughts.

 

1. If you are buying a second hand camera with a 18-55 kit lens vs. a brand new entry level camera with a 18-55 kit lens.  Get the new one, unless the price differences are significant (more than $50) and you need to save as much as you can.  A brand new one will give you manufacturer/store warranty and will be certain that it will have 0 shutter acutations.

 

2. As for the Amazon bundles.. the items that come in the bundles are merely good enough for complete beginners, but for those a bit more advanced... a lot of those items are crap.

 

The used set is $98 cheaper than the bundle. 

[Sunshine1868]

Go for new,

Like @ALwin said, the warranty and 0 shutter actuations are key. If you get the used one, it could begin to fail and that will cost you ALOT of money down the road...far more than the $98

[ALwin]

5 minutes ago, Tasuma said:

 

The used set is $98 cheaper than the bundle. 

The T5 bundle on Amazon seems to be only $400, for the used set you need to buy the camera and lens separately, if you take the higher quality version of the used set which will be more expensive.

[Tasuma]

5 minutes ago, ALwin said:

The T5 bundle on Amazon seems to be only $400, for the used set you need to buy the camera and lens separately.

I was looking at the expensive bundle opps. Then the new one costs $12 less. How is the quality of the t5? I've read some reviews but should I take those into consideration as a beginner? 

 

@ALwin I love your DSLR or Video camera guide btw! Read it the other day.  Very insightful. 

[ALwin]

1 minute ago, Tasuma said:

I was looking at the expensive bundle opps. Then the new one costs $12 less. How is the quality of the t5? I've read some reviews but should I take those into consideration as a beginner? 

Also keep in mind that you need to buy memory cards, camera bags, etc.  A bundle could save you some money on that aspect.

 

As for image quality.. for photography the T5 is good enough.  The Nikon D3300 is better in general, but also more expensive.

 

With photography, the quality of the photo will always depend on your skill as a photographer.  The camera is just a tool to help you achieve that.

[Tasuma]

21 minutes ago, ALwin said:

Also keep in mind that you need to buy memory cards, camera bags, etc.  A bundle could save you some money on that aspect.

 

As for image quality.. for photography the T5 is good enough.  The Nikon D3300 is better in general, but also more expensive.

 

With photography, the quality of the photo will always depend on your skill as a photographer.  The camera is just a tool to help you achieve that.

Makes sense. So it is like "A bad carpenter blames his tool" kind scenario. Thanks for the advice guys!