Considering the purchase of a Canon 60D

RogerRoger
edited April 2012 Posted in » Canon 60D Forum
I want a camera that shoots nice clear photos inside and out. I have a Nikon Coolpix S9100 and a Canon Powershot SX10IS, but I am not happy with either. I am thinking a Canon 60D would be just right. This is just for family shots, scrapbooks mostly. I am not experienced, but it looks like the Canon 60D is good for a point and shoot automatic focus and gives lots of room to learn to use features.

The other cameras gave some good pictures, but indoor shots often were not focused. It may be operator error, but we want a better camera and think it is time for a single lense reflex. I know Nikon has a similar camera. Of course, then we need to figure out what lense to get. I also enjoy shooting birds in the backyard and would like a telephoto of some sort. Your thoughts? - Roger

Comments

  • MooseMoose
    Howdy @Roger - I always tell prospective buyers to first find an appropriate lens and then spend the remaining budget on a DSLR and possibly even an external speedlite (flash) if most of your shots are indoors. Over the course of your photographic journey you'll tend to hang on to your favorite lenses (and speedlites), while upgrading from one DSLR to another. If you can give me a ballpark budget, I can recommend some lenses and speedlites to take a loot at. Happy shooting! :)
  • RogerRoger
    edited March 2012
    Whatever I can afford and whatever makes sense. $5000 doesn't make sense. Half that, maybe. I don't need professional stuff, but I believe it is time to buy quality.

    If I had done this in the first place I would have $1200 to spend (the amount of my other two cameras). I also had another somewhat expensive Nikon Coolpix that quit working. I don't want to buy any more cameras after this one.

    I do want some kind of telephoto capability for birds and wildlife. I saw some combination packages on the net, but they had Tamron lenses and I didn't know if that was a mistake or good deal. I would love to get something pretty quickly. Going to see grandchildren in two weeks. Thanks - Roger
  • RogerRoger
    edited March 2012
    @Moose - I just saw a bunch of Canon 60D packages at Amazon. They range from $1200-1900. I don't know which lenses to get, etc... but these are in my price range. Let's say up to $2500 for a great package. Which do you suggest or what should I look for? - Roger
  • MooseMoose
    edited March 2012
    Howdy @Roger - It sounds like your primary focus will be family shots (grandchildren) and occasional bird/wildlife photos. Here's what I would start with...
    • Canon 60D body only (see here)

    • Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 (see here) - Great for family photos and portraits

    • Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (see here) - Excellent reach for birding and wildlife shots outdoors in bright light

    • Canon 320EX Speedlite (see here) - Will allow you to get natural looking shots indoors

    This is a quality setup that puts you roughly $450 less than your maximum budget, giving you some breathing room for a memory card, bag, tripod and whatever else suits your shooting style. Hope that helps and happy shooting! :)
  • ShermanatorShermanator
    edited April 2012
    I don't mean to highjack the original posters thread, but I too am looking to upgrade my Canon 55-250mm IS kit lens into something better for wildlife photography and was wondering if what I currently have is a major improvement compared to the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens you stated above. What about the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM for that matter?
  • RogerRoger
    edited April 2012
    @Moose - Thanks so much. I ordered all of these plus a kit for the flash that includes a tripod. I also got a SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB SDHC-1 flash memory card. Now I just need to learn how to use them. Any suggestions for a neophite? The camera appears to have a "how to" book with it. I guess I'll start there.
  • MooseMoose
    @Roger - Glad I could help and welcome to the 60D family! As for recommended books, I would check out Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Book (see here). Each page focuses on a specific tip or technique, along with a photo example to make things easy to digest. It's written in a way for beginners to understand and will help you out immensely when trying to photograph different subjects. As always, if you have questions about settings or specific features...you know where to find me. :)
  • StalwartjahStalwartjah
    edited April 2012
    Read the Kelby books. There's three. Well... when I read them there were. VERY useful to me and though I had been playing in the digital world for a few years... I still found useful tips.

    I believe you stated that you had the SX10 IS? That's the camera I just made my back up camera. I loved it. I only really ever had one complaint and that was low light ability and noise. Otherwise, I was able to get really comparable shots to the lower end SLR's. Yes. I know... The quality isn't as good. But for basic printing 4x6/5x7 and even 8x10, my clarity held up. It's the reason it took me until just last week to go ahead and get my 60D also. That and I'd been waiting for Canon to finally put a rotating LCD on the back of an SLR. I happen to like all the controls on the one side.

    Of course, having had the 60D for a week now I've greatly increased my quality. There's just so much more data! I thought I would hate having to change lenses all the time, but a nice shoulder strap bag allows me to just dig in there and grab out the one I want without a fuss. I stuck with Canon because I'm an auction hound.

    I had been to a sale and picked up an old Elan IIe. The camera came bundled with a 28-80mm and a 75-300mm (both USM). Paid $70. =)

    I think the old Elan IIe FILM camera turned off some folks. I wasn't buying the camera though. I was shopping the glass. I bought them because I knew the EF would mate with the new digital SLR bodies. Happy me! I also picked up the 18-135mm package just so I would have a new piece of glass and pick up that extra 10mm wider.

    I like the wide shots. Really captures the area. I like the macro too. Really gets in there good. I'm researching now the need for a prime macro. Hopefully I find it at an auction. =)

    Anyway, just wanted to stick up for the SX10IS. Really has served me well over the last two years. I'm gonna miss it.
  • RogerRoger
    Our complaint was indoor low light situations. The straw that broke the camel's back was pictures indoors in Disneyworld of birthday party for grandson that were horrible. Can't get that opportunity back. I think the new camera is being delivered today, so I am excited. Thanks for your input. I will probably keep the SX10IS as a back up.
  • MooseMoose
    @Stalwartjah - Thanks for sharing your experiences (kudos on finding the cheap lenses). Happy shooting! :)
  • StalwartjahStalwartjah
    edited April 2012
    Thanks, Moose. @Roger...that's what did it for me too. The processor just can't handle ISO's above 400. It just gets all grainy. If you slow the speed down to let in more light, you get nothing but blurred shots.

    Sorry about your trip. Sounds like the kid gets a make-up vacation next year. =)

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