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InFlames235 posted:Hey all, I'll be joining the Canon club with my first ever DSLR very shortly!! I found a factory refurb for the 80D that was priced really well so I jumped on it. I know it's considered more mid-level than beginner level so I'm hoping it's not too difficult to learn. Any recommended internet websites or guides for beginner DSLR folks or is YouTube going to be my best friend? Go read Understanding Exposure, figure out how to work your camera on Manual mode, and take a bunch of bad photos. Install one of the exposure meters on your smartphone and start experimenting. Once you have some ideas, get Lightroom installed, and learn post processing. Save the Youtube bits for that, since Lr is pretty complicated and learning to get a good exposure is not. Lightroom is primarily to make your already good (or as good as the camera allows) exposures look better.
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Mar 21, 2017 16:55
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Independent of any Canon specific button layouts and menu options, develop a firm grasp on the effects of aperture/ISO/shutter speed/focal length on your photo and how changing one affects each of the others. Everything is a trade off between your camera settings depending on the conditions of the shot and what you want to do with your shot.
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Mar 21, 2017 16:58
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The 80D is pretty easy to handle, you just won't use a lot of the advanced functions and obscure menu options to begin with. In fact it's maybe easier to use than the entry level models because it has separate wheels for shutterspeed and aperture as well as an LCD screen on the top that shows your main settings at a glance. This site is great for a live demonstration that will help you understand the basics of the exposure triangle. Once you have a handle on that, you can set the camera to manual mode and play about to see how those settings affect your pictures in the real world. The manual should be your first stop for understanding the basic controls and then when you have specific questions about what a particular button is for or how you get the camera to do a certain thing. There are a billion Youtube videos and random blogs that will walk you through various things as well plus there's a stupid question thread in this forum too.
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Mar 21, 2017 17:04
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Seconded. Learning stuff like composition and the exposure triangle can certainly be done on a Rebel and many people do but actual use of the camera in terms of controls and changing settings from shot to shot (if necessary) really should not. I am very happy I paid a little more for a 60D when I started out.
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Mar 21, 2017 17:25
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This is 2017. How about a free online photography course by Harvard? https://alison.com/courses/Digital-Photography
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Mar 21, 2017 17:35
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Helen Highwater posted:This site is great for a live demonstration that will help you understand the basics of the exposure triangle. Once you have a handle on that, you can set the camera to manual mode and play about to see how those settings affect your pictures in the real world. This site is awesome! I'll have to do more reading and, of course, testing when my camera arrives but it's cool to see the relationship between the aperture, shutter speed and ISO changes um excuse me posted:This is 2017. How about a free online photography course by Harvard? Nice! Thank you. Free Harvard courses are always a good way to go  . I'll have to check this out. Thanks all for the suggestions here so far.
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Mar 21, 2017 18:28
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I got one of the big David Busch extended manuals when I got my first Canon. I found it pretty helpful for giving examples of what different settings would produce or why you would use them, and also figuring out the custom functions and stuff like that. Not that expensive and way more useful than the little users manual that comes with the camera. I don't see a lot of love for these on here but I found them to be a nice link between the photo technique and actually making the camera do it.
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Mar 21, 2017 22:47
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Got a quote from Adorama for $700 for all my Canon crop gear. I am really considering that offer. My friend who works at a camera shop was just telling me about the upcoming Sigma 24-70 2.8 FF Art series lens thats supposed to come out this summer. If its anything like the other art series lenses it will likely be sharper than the Canon equivalent and cheaper.
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Mar 22, 2017 00:44
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I've been an off and on photography hobbyist for a handful of years now. I never did it enough or took it too seriously, always saying eh I don't feel like taking it out because x or y bs reason. My combo is a 60D + plastic 50mm 1.8. Lately I've decided that I enjoy taking pictures of clouds and dogs and bugs and whatever random poo poo so much that I should focus on actually sifting through my hundreds of photos and getting a proper flickr setup after learning to better process my photos (is it reasonable to be okay with Photos on OSX or should I buy Lightroom?) I'm notoriously bad about actually sharing my art but unlike the guitar album I've been brewing forever at least photography can be a lot more direct and leaves me with no excuses to not share. Anyway, sorry for that ramble. I like my 50mm 1.8 but on my crop, it's obviously very tight. I don't always mind this and I've learned to embrace it but sometimes I wonder how much happier I would be with a 24mm 2.8. The 6" focus distance sounds lovely too, pseudo macro is something I would absolutely love to be able to do. I'm also going to Disney Springs at the end of this month and have finally convinced myself to actually bring my dslr like a good boy and get some neat photos. The 50mm would work but I'm assuming a 24mm would give me so much more breathing room. Thoughts?
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Mar 25, 2017 03:45
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Kilometers Davis posted:I've been an off and on photography hobbyist for a handful of years now. I never did it enough or took it too seriously, always saying eh I don't feel like taking it out because x or y bs reason. My combo is a 60D + plastic 50mm 1.8. Lately I've decided that I enjoy taking pictures of clouds and dogs and bugs and whatever random poo poo so much that I should focus on actually sifting through my hundreds of photos and getting a proper flickr setup after learning to better process my photos (is it reasonable to be okay with Photos on OSX or should I buy Lightroom?) I'm notoriously bad about actually sharing my art but unlike the guitar album I've been brewing forever at least photography can be a lot more direct and leaves me with no excuses to not share. A 24 on a crop sensor is really nice, close to having a 35mm lens on a full frame camera. The 2.8 speed might feel a tad slow, though, if you've been shooting at 1.8 for so long. The 35/2 is worth a look, but it's not as cheap.
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Mar 25, 2017 03:58
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You can still find the Sigma 30 1.4 for Canon crop,. It's a great lens. I picked mine up of these forums for $200.
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Mar 25, 2017 07:05
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Kilometers Davis posted:... or should I buy Lightroom?) Do you shoot raw or jpg? Have you used the Canon software DPP that came with the camera?
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Mar 25, 2017 08:39
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IanTheM posted:A 24 on a crop sensor is really nice, close to having a 35mm lens on a full frame camera. The 2.8 speed might feel a tad slow, though, if you've been shooting at 1.8 for so long. The 35/2 is worth a look, but it's not as cheap. I do certainly enjoy the speed of the 1.8. I don't shoot it all the time but it's super useful in the evenings when I'm trying to convince my pup to chill and not ruin every shot and turn into a fluffy blue ghost. I'll definitely compare those two. I'd prefer to have a larger gap from my 50mm with the 24mm but if the 35/2 gives me the right vibe I won't fight it. Verman posted:You can still find the Sigma 30 1.4 for Canon crop,. It's a great lens. I picked mine up of these forums for $200. I'll check that out. Is there anything I should know about Sigma/non Canon brand lens vs Canon? mrlego posted:Do you shoot raw or jpg? Both but I'd prefer to focus completely on raw soon even if I value simplicity over depth. I believe I did when I first got the camera but never stuck with it. I'm not sure why honestly. I don't remember how I felt about it.
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Mar 25, 2017 16:56
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Kilometers Davis posted:
Sigma lenses are good in general but they often front or back focus slightly. You'll figure it out, it usually only matters with wide apertures. The newer global vision lenses can plug into a USB dock so you can calibrate them. The majority of my EF mount lenses were Sigma Art.
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Mar 25, 2017 17:52
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I decided I'm going to just grab the new 50mm STM today before my trip to Disney tomorrow. I like the 50 and have been learning on it and the upgrades seem to address my small issues with it so why not. Makes sense to me to stay with what I'm comfortable with instead of branching out to other primes so soon. I'm also going to grab a Platinum Polarizing Filter for it and that should be fun to learn.
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Mar 30, 2017 20:19
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Kilometers Davis posted:I decided I'm going to just grab the new 50mm STM today before my trip to Disney tomorrow. I like the 50 and have been learning on it and the upgrades seem to address my small issues with it so why not. Makes sense to me to stay with what I'm comfortable with instead of branching out to other primes so soon. I'm also going to grab a Platinum Polarizing Filter for it and that should be fun to learn. Have you used an STM lens? The focus ring manipulation/focus motor speed is weird if you are primarily a manual focus type person. It took me a while to get used to.
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Mar 30, 2017 20:58
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I have not, and I've only played around with manual so learning shouldn't be too bad without any current muscle memory.
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Mar 30, 2017 22:27
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Kilometers Davis posted:I have not, and I've only played around with manual so learning shouldn't be too bad without any current muscle memory. They're all drive-by-wire, so there's a little bit of a disconnect with what you're doing and what's happening. It's not terrible, but across my three STM lenses, the action/response varies a little which makes it more pronounced when I switch between them.
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Mar 30, 2017 22:40
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I'd like some recommendations on a lens. Last summer, I got a 20D and a telephoto lens, partially (OK...mostly) to take photos of birbs and other wildlife. The lens I have is the USM variant that you can see on this EF 80-200mm page. This is the entirety of my gear. So, my guess is that anyone who is into cameras will be unsurprised to hear that I stopped taking photos when it got cold out last fall. When the widest you can go is 80mm on a crop sensor, this limits your subject choices a bit. I think the next logical move is to get something more on the wide-angle side, but I don't really know what to look for. Right now, my budget is still on the low end. I've spent well less than $200 for all my camera junk so far, so I hope to find something under $100 (USD). I'm open to either prime or zoom. It would be nice if I could get something faster than my current high score of f/4.5, but I'm aware that lenses in this price range aren't going to be speed demons. Thanks.
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Mar 30, 2017 23:10
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Heh, looks like canon might be delivering a 5d4 update that fixes the useless 4k video mode. http://www.canonrumors.com/crop-factor-change-for-4k-canon-eos-5d-mark-iv-included-in-coming-update-more/ But lol at needing to send it in to upgrade a heat sink.
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Mar 30, 2017 23:25
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Lutha Mahtin posted:I'd like some recommendations on a lens. Last summer, I got a 20D and a telephoto lens, partially (OK...mostly) to take photos of birbs and other wildlife. The lens I have is the USM variant that you can see on this EF 80-200mm page. The 24mm f/2.8 pancake and 10-18mm zoom are both highly regarded. The former is $150 and the latter $280 new, but you can probably find used editions for less on eBay or photography forums
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Mar 30, 2017 23:39
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There's also the 18-55 kit lens. There are thousands of them floating around for sale on auction sites and cluttering up the shelves in stores. You can get one for much less than $100. It's not a stellar lens by any stretch but it will give you a wide option and it is going to be super cheap.
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Mar 31, 2017 10:27
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akadajet posted:Heh, looks like canon might be delivering a 5d4 update that fixes the useless 4k video mode. I'm real real skeptical of this announcement. When it was just "adding c-log" it was easy to believe, but adding XF-AVC? I don't think so. Canon has not shown that they have any chips with DSP's onboard that can handle that inside a closed camera body, new heatsink or not. Every single one of their cameras that does 4k with anything but MJPEG (which just uses the imaging pipeline, which can easy handle 30 8mpix images per second), has a vented body and active cooling on the DSP's. Every one.
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Mar 31, 2017 14:09
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timrenzi574 posted:I'm real real skeptical of this announcement. When it was just "adding c-log" it was easy to believe, but adding XF-AVC? I don't think so. Canon has not shown that they have any chips with DSP's onboard that can handle that inside a closed camera body, new heatsink or not. Imagine the "I want to believe" poster, but with the 5dm4 shooting usable 4k.
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Apr 1, 2017 15:31
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Looking at buying our first DSLR. Have some SLR experience. Would be shooting birds and animals, macro, long exposures, landscapes, some sports. In the approximately $500 range. How much better is a 7D ($400 body)going to be than a T6 (500 kit with two lenses)? Don't have any compatible lenses.
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Apr 1, 2017 18:03
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joat mon posted:Looking at buying our first DSLR. Have some SLR experience. Would be shooting birds and animals, macro, long exposures, landscapes, some sports. In the approximately $500 range. How much better is a 7D ($400 body)going to be than a T6 (500 kit with two lenses)? Which two lenses? This is very important.
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Apr 1, 2017 19:53
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el dorito posted:Which two lenses? EF-S 18-55mm IS II and EF 75-300mm III
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Apr 1, 2017 22:10
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Just gonna pop in and say don't get the T6. The lenses are fine (low end, but fine), but the camera is pretty limited and I don't think you'd go long before hitting its limitations. Now if that were a T6i that would be a different story. That's also a good price on a 7D, but of course then you need a lens or two. You might check on eBay and see what you can find in Canon EF lenses. If you can find at least an 18-55 for a good price, grab the 7D.
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Apr 1, 2017 22:27
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joat mon posted:EF-S 18-55mm IS II and EF 75-300mm III The 75-300 is a poo poo lens, so don't count it.
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Apr 2, 2017 00:28
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I got a similar kit with the T5, and really wish I hadn't. The 75-300mm has nasty purple fringing, which makes it a lot less usable than it should be.
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Apr 2, 2017 01:06
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Mirage posted:Just gonna pop in and say don't get the T6. The lenses are fine (low end, but fine), but the camera is pretty limited and I don't think you'd go long before hitting its limitations. It looks like the T6 has an incrementally newer processor (digic 4+ vs digic 4) but only one vs the 7D's two. What limitations am I likely to run into? Is it the stuff above (burst, AF, processing) or something else about the camera? Also, what/how do I check for in an eight year old DSLR before deciding to buy it?
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Apr 2, 2017 01:23
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joat mon posted:more AF points (19 vs 9) (what does that mean, anyway?) When you look into the viewfinder you'll see these little squares (or rectangles) that denote the focus points. You use the controls on the camera to select which one you want it to focus on. T6 looks like this:  7D looks like this:  So basically the 7D is more flexible for focusing options.
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Apr 2, 2017 03:50
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The 7D is the top of the line Canon aps-c body from 2011. The T6 is canons bottom of the line camera from who the gently caress cares. Don't get a T6. (It used to be the god damned thread title).
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Apr 2, 2017 07:51
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Its likely that the center focus point on the T6 is the only one worth a drat but Canon probably skimped on that too.
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Apr 2, 2017 19:25
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iSheep posted:Its likely that the center focus point on the T6 is the only one worth a drat but Canon probably skimped on that too. T6 9 points Cross-type AF sensitive to f/5.6 with center AF point T6i 19 points All AF points are cross-type at f/5.6 Center AF point is diagonal cross-type at f/2.8 The T6 is a gimped T2i, which is a more capable camera despite being 7 years old.
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Apr 3, 2017 00:30
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TheLastManStanding posted:T6 Haha, what a piece of poo poo. I wonder what fraction of Canon's sales are from peddling crappy cameras to people who don't know better, vs. the midrange or high end stuff.
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Apr 3, 2017 03:29
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Bubbacub posted:Haha, what a piece of poo poo. I wonder what fraction of Canon's sales are from peddling crappy cameras to people who don't know better, vs. the midrange or high end stuff. Canon don't make much money from their APS-C/FF offerings. Their main revenue streams lie elsewhere, if I remember correctly.
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Apr 3, 2017 03:53
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Their camera department probably makes a killing selling L glass revisions to sports shooters/papers.
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Apr 3, 2017 04:21
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Hey everyone! Was hoping for a lens recommendation: I JUST got my Canon 80D a couple weeks ago. I got it refurbished with the kit 18 - 55MM lens and then went ahead and purchased the 50MM f/1.8 as well due to how cheap it was and the reviews it got. I took the camera out for a good 4 hour walk this last weekend with the 50MM and definitely got some great shots, but soon realized why people say it's a "narrow" lens (especially with a crop body). While I'm still new to photography, I'll be going to Italy for the first time ever in a month and want to have a good lens for the day-to-day walking around. I'm thinking that the 50mm will probably be too narrow for most the shots that I'd want and that I'll likely want more of a wide-angle lens for this walk around. I have a choice: Stick with the 18 - 55MM kit lens or pony up another ~$300 or so for the EF-S 10-18MM lens that is getting high marks on Amazon. I think I would have already sprung the cash for the EF-S 10 -18MM if it wasn't for the fact that it's EF-S and not EF. I am probably a few years away from getting any sort of full frame camera but I hate the fact that it'd essentially by wasting $300 if I did upgrade since I could never use that lense with a full frame. Any other recommendations or thoughts from people who have done travel photography like this with their DSLR? Is there a 3rd party lens that would work better in this situation? Will my kit lens work just fine? Would love any help I could get, thanks!
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Apr 5, 2017 20:23
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Firstly, you aren't automatically going to need to upgrade to full frame just because you start getting more into photography. It's entirely possible to stick with crop bodies and still satiate your gear lust. Unless you have a use case that really needs full frame, then you likely won't have to worry about EF-S lenses getting left behind. Secondly there are some great wide lenses for Canon. I have the Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 which is a great lens if you aren't trying to make it autofocus fast. It's EF-S as well though so if you're dead set on full frame then it's going to fall into the same category as the 10-18, but it has a constant aperture (unlike your 18-55) and zooms to 50mm so you could use it as a default walking around lens (I do). Most of the EF options are wonderful but also plenty spendy. If dropping more than a grand on a lens doesn't bother you at this stage then the 16-35 f/2.8L is a popular lens for landscape pros.
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Apr 5, 2017 20:45
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