Q&A: What is the best Canon SLR digital camera model available in the $500 range?

by Captain Kimo – Transmittable Up!

I’m an amateur photographer, never having used a professional camera before. I am quick to learn things though, especially electronics, so mastering a camera shouldn’t be that large of a conundrum for me.
My camera will be for a leisure activity, nothing professional (maybe I’ll sell a few photos here and there though), but I want the best available, not simply a starting one.
I’m plotting on photographing portraits mainly, but I’m also interested in buildings and scenery (I know that mostly has to do with the type of lens, so what lenses would you recommend?). I won’t need a camera that is too durable any.
I would prefer if the camera came with some lenses and additional accessories and still be in my price range, but if it doesn’t, I’ll manage.

Some things I’m looking for are:
High Resolution (this is the most vital for me. I like small details like life able to see individual strands of hair)
Ability to connect to my PC (with a USB cable of some sort)
Optical Zoom (Leaning towards higher zoom)
Decent Battery Life (would like both rechargeable and standard batteries)
NO record, I don’t care for it. I wouldn’t use it.
Removable along with built in memory.
Hardly any Shutter Lag (not too concerned over this though)

What cameras fit most of persons features?
If you will suggest a camera, an explanation of why would be appreciated! Thank you!

Answer by Elvis
All of the major brands are excellent. Choose a brand that appeals to you. Then you have to reckon about getting a spare battery, what size memory card, if you want an extended warranty, how much you can afford, what size zoom, if you want manual controls, the size of the camera, result a reliable place to hold it, and the list goes on and on and on…….

The first business to realize is that nearly any digital camera will take excellent pictures. If more public would read the manual more than once, they would be able to take better pictures. Usually, the person assumes it is the camera when it may maybe be them not knowing exactly what to do. Just give yourself more photographic knowledge by doing more reading on the internet.

I really judge buying a camera is an individual choice.
The person needs to read alot of reviews on cameras so they can choose on the features that they really want and need.
Go to the store and hold them so you can see if they feel comfortable in your hands. If possible, take some pictures in the store to check the quality of the pictures.
I can only give a suggestion of what to look for in a new digital camera.
Excellent Luck

my suggestion
go to this link for help

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camera-buying-guide/

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/dap_10153_12605_DAP_Holiday+Splurge+Camera?adCell=W3

Answer by What?
You won’t have any choice additional than an entry DSLR with a $ 500 budget. The few choices you do have are the later (descending by price):

– List EOS Digital Rebel XS / 1000D
(current base entry)
– List EOS Digital Rebel XTi / 400D
(entry flagship that preceded the current XSi)
– List EOS Digital Rebel XT
(update of the first Digital Rebel)

If you’re willing to spend about $ 150 more then you can buy List’s current entry-level flagship: the XSi.

You shouldn’t expect to get everything you’ll ever want in a single hold of an entry level DSLR. The kit is very capable of ordinary shooting, but you’ll quickly learn that you’ll need to spend more to do more. This will be an unfortunate consequence of your foray into photography. I’ll do a quick run-down of your concerns:

“I’m plotting on photographing portraits mainly, but I’m also interested in buildings and scenery (I know that mostly has to do with the type of lens, so what lenses would you recommend?) … I would prefer if the camera came with some lenses and additional accessories and still be in my price range, but if it doesn’t, I’ll manage.”
– The recommended lenses for landscape and portraiture are reasonably different. Wide angle (24mm equiv. is a pretty well loved starting point) is suggested for landscapes and architecture while a quick normal or telephoto lens is suggested for portraiture. Of course, you can always experiment. If you like the results then who cares about any rules. The List EF 50mm f/1.8 II is a nice lens for portraiture. It costs about $ 90 new, $ 70-80 used.

“High Resolution (this is the most vital for me. I like small details like life able to see individual strands of hair)”
– This is more or less a property of the lens now. Current DSLRs have very excellent resolution. This shouldn’t be a concern unless you plot to print your pictures. High resolution is not necessary for digital viewing (TV, web sharing, digital picture frames, etc.).

“Ability to connect to my PC (with a USB cable of some sort)”
– All current List DSLRs include a USB cable for image transfer and remote shooting. Remote shooting software (List EOS Utility) is built-in with your hold and enables you to control the camera with your computer.

“Optical Zoom (Leaning towards higher zoom)”
This is a property of the lens. The kit lens is a wide to small telephoto 3x zoom lens.

“Decent Battery Life (would like both rechargeable and standard batteries)”
The Rebels include a proprietary lithium ion battery and a charger. You can typically take 300-500 pictures on a single charge which is average for a DSLR. If that’s not enough for you, you can always buy more batteries or a battery grip for extended shooting.

“NO record, I don’t care for it. I wouldn’t use it.”
– Excellent. None of the current Rebels, with the exception of the recently announced T1i, have record features.

“Removable along with built in memory.”
– No DSLR has internal memory; only memory cards are used. The List XT and XTi use Compact Flash (type I, type II, and micro drives) memory cards while the XSi and XSi models use Reliable Digital (SD and SDHC) memory cards.

“Hardly any Shutter Lag (not too concerned over this though)”
– One of the benefits of a DSLR: no noticeable shutter lag.

Answer by Shorty
Hi. First of all, operating a camera is nothing like using a iPod or a cell phone; where you simply operate it and use it without ever needing further instruction. Even if the same can be applied to cameras, if you want to take GOOD pictures, you’ll need to know a lot more about the fundamentals of photography. For that I highly suggest taking a photography course in person, or read up photography basics on the net.

So looking at your criteria, I have a few camera bodies to suggest.

List XS with kit lens: http://www.adorama.com/ICADRXSKB.html?searchinfo=List+XS+rebel

List XSi body only: http://www.adorama.com/ICADRXSIB.html?searchinfo=Xsi+List+rebel

List XTi refurbished: http://www.adorama.com/ICADRXTIBR.html?searchinfo=List+XTi+rebel

Lens are a small trickier. Here are some lenses that will accomplish what you want to do, without a hefty price tag.

Portraits: http://www.adorama.com/CA5014AFU.html?searchinfo=list+50mm+f%2f1.4

building and scenery: http://www.adorama.com/SG1020EOS.html?searchinfo=Sigma+10-20mm+EF

“do-it-all” superzoom: http://www.adorama.com/SG18200SEOS.html?searchinfo=Sigma+18+200+EF

I know what you’re thinking right now. You call that cheap? A camera body with all persons lenses will cost me a fortune! So I suggest using the18-55 kit lens for now until you saved up sufficient amounts for another lens.

Answer by Regall L
List Rebel XS is a fantastic List DSLR for under $ 500. It offers affordability, function, and fantastic shots at a wonderful price point. For a bit more than a full featured point-and-shoot, you can get an equally full featured DSLR.

This camera offers ease of use for beginners to the SLR market but also has a full feature set that even experienced photogs want to have.

I’m not going to get into all the features here, you can read them above on Amazon’s product page, but I will tell you that they are there to help you get the most of your shot. You can, of course, control exposure, shutter, and aperture, but you can also control white balance and color modes with a push of a button.

At high ISO speeds you can shoot indoors without a flash, your pictures will turn out gorgeous and perfect every time. What once you would need a 80a or a neutral density filter for you can now do with a few brief menu options on the camera.

Another fantastic feature is the live view feature where you can use the LCD screen to see what the camera sees. This is so you won’t have to look through the viewfinder and especially useful when doing tripod work.

Also the EF-S mount on this camera will also accept your older EF lenses, though EF-S lenses won’t fit on your EF mount camera.

Overall this is a fantastic camera. It offers wonderful features, price, and takes fantastic pictures. So why don’t you go up to a DSLR and start taking fantastic pictures instead of just excellent pictures.

List Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
Price: $ 488.88 + $ 8.52 shipping

http://www.amazon.com/List-10-1MP-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6/dp/B001CBKJGG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1238902746&sr=1-3&tag=commentglitte-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325

Give your answer to this question below!

I have a leisure activity of making films, I’m even majoring in T.V Production, but in all of the classes that I have taken and all of the teachers etc. that I have questioned, I have not gotten an answer to this query.

Theres a different quality to Theater movies(sort of like a glaze of some sort) that makes them different from home record. I have a 3,000 dollar digital camera and still its not even close to that “Cinematic” look, no matter how the lighting is or what the filter is.

I used to reckon it was just digital vs. film, but I know that the majority of professional cameras are digital nowadays, so I question:

Is there a way to get the cinematic “Look” without spending millions?

Answer by usinf
Alot of that “Glazed” look is added in the control room, they do this because of the way the film projects on the canvace of movie theather. If you have a real excellent control program it will add it for you.

What do you reckon? Answer below!
Increasing iStockphoto makes high-end record play
Extension is key to iStockphoto and its parent company, Getty Images. A new Vetta record collection launching today leads the charge, but it’s not the only new category on the way. Originally posted at Deep Tech
Read more on CNET

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• Aluminum and Fiberglass Water Resistant Body

A water-resistant camera for all seasons, its light (4.3 ounces/123 grams) anodized aluminum body withstands dust, dirt, mud, and snow. It is also shock, vibration and impact resistant.

List Price: $ 249.99

Price: $ 222.95

www.learndigitalphotographynow.com Camera tripods had been used the decades to help photographers with making their very unique images. I tripod is an essential item that every photographer should have regardless of the level of experience as they offer support for the camera and they can be used in varying degrees of lighting for example at night, or; for landscape photography Not all tripods are made the same, as there are many different varieties of tripod. Some of these include a mini tripod, Compact tripod and professional tripod for studio or place work. As tripods are different also are some tripod heads, for example some tripod heads are used in the television and movie industries to provide support to their very heavy gear. Additional tripod heads are calculated to support a variety of different cameras, everything from smaller compact digital cameras, 35mm cameras, digital cameras and standard format cameras all the way up to large format cameras. I have also seen tripods that are used to support additional items such as overhead projectors, slide projectors, record cameras, binoculars and telescopes. Tripods are manufactured by a variety of companies some of these include Manfrotto, Velbon, Gitzo, Bogen, Slik, Dynatran etc and each provide somewhat similar functions.
Record Rating: 4 / 5