Official "What Gear Should I Buy?" Thread

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Darren, I think we need to get a "What Should I buy" thread.

I will create one.

[imola red zhp]

Darren, I think we need to get a "What Should I buy" thread.

I will create one.

Cool!!

[bimmer848]

thanks Marcus!

[Marcus-SanDiego]

My pleasure, Darren.

[UdubBadger]

My wife and I would like to buy a camera. we mostly take pics of the little one and everyday life, but we also go to races and the track and would like to handle fast moving stuff as well(two year olds are fast too!) im looking for suggestions. our budget is hopefully under $1k. should i go pre owned?? i would love to take pics of the cars too and what should i have in my iMac for fun with editing?
-Cheers

Darren

Darren...

First off, on your Mtech front, I always wanted that on my E90 also.

Anyway, sounds like the camera body will be less of a concern of yours as the lens(es) will be. I would go for an entry level body such as a T3i (or even a T2i if you can save some $ finding one) if you want something "newer" or else you can try to find a gently used older Mid Level body such as a 40D or 50D and try to concentrate as much of your budget to glass as possible. Chances are for the baby pix a standard kit lens 18-55mm will do you just fine. For the track pics you'll want something with a longer focal length and if possible, a faster aperture (like an f/4 or even f/2.8), which also means you'll need some $ to play with.

I personally have no issues buying pre owned stuff because I tend to purchase them from places I know they were well cared for such as B&H or Fredmiranda.com forums (loaded with Pros who swap lots of well cared for gear). This path could easily save you some money to get better glass.

Lenses to consider (sorry if you like Nikon but I'm strictly a Canon guy so that's all I know).

All in 1 lens
18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
You'll get a lens good for baby pix and something with some distance but the distance might not be long enough for the track events depending on where you are. Also the aperture @ full zoomed in 135mm will be f/5.6 so you'll need a lot of light to keep your shutter speed up fast enough to catch a car @ 100+ mph. If you go this route I'd say pair it with a newer camera body that has lower ISO noise, like a T2i or T3i.

Length
EF 70-200mm f/4L USM

With price in mind, this is the least expensive and best glass you'll find for a track or sporting event application. You won't get your Image Stabilization (or a 2.8 version) on this and be in your budget with a camera body too (you can look used at the IS version if you want but expect at least $800 for a decent condition one) but you do get f/4 aperture throughout the focal range which will help you A LOT when you are shooting close ups from far away. You could get a 75-300mm but those won't give you f/4 all the way up so you can get closer, but you'll need more light somehow or to keep bumping up your ISO as you lose light. The trick with shooting moving cars is also to keep your shutter speed fairly high so you want a lower aperture to compensate there. Also @ 70mm it makes a nice close up portrait lens for baby shots.


See how you feel about those options.

[UdubBadger]

Oh and for basic editing I think the general consensus is Light Room 3 for beginner/intermediate users. Photoshop really isn't needed until you get into editing on the layering system.

[bimmer848]

WoW!
thanks for all that info! and yes without an mtec e90's just dont look as nice imo. so, i may need you to translate that a little better, lol!! in layman terms, i need to buy a Canon t3i with a 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS lens? is that one thing or a range to stay within? that lens is an add on to a normal camera or do i buy it equipped that way? sorry, im a point and shoot guy right now so this is greek to me.. thanks for all the help badger

i will do research on this, but i just didnt even know where to start!

[bimmer848]

this?...


http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Canon+-+...S|b|6975373359this?...

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Nice camera. And don't forget: Best Buy is an affiliate of ours.

But our other affiliate, Amazon.com, sells that same camera and lens for about $125 cheaper here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B004J3V90Y

[bimmer848]

and this?..


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B002NEGTT2