canon eos rebel t1i

This is a great DSLR. Picture quality is amazing. Design is good. Price although a little steep is in line with what you get. Menu system altough a little difficult is not that bad. I'm the type of person who does not usually ready manuals but with this I did. It was for the most part easy to understand (and with that stated if you are a novice and do not understand any more than point the camera and push the button stop once you have read the basic settings, you will be to overwhelmed by the advanced settings even though they explain it very well they do not explain what it means and the situations you would want/not want to use these features. Take an online photography course or purchase a book about SLR photography first and you will get much more enjoyment and use, otherwise you would probably just end up returning it. It's a little like algebra it looks like something foreign and once it's explained in a broken down manner it's very simple).

I also purchased a class 6 sd card cause the selling point of this camera was the HD video. However I have yet to try it out. The fact that it only does 1080p at 20 frames is a little disappointing but I will get over it. The included software which allows you to shoot and view via usb cable is a nice feature although I don't see many instances where I would use it (the fact that it allows you to choose where to store in this mode is nice).

Now coming from a Nikon SLR (yes the out dated N80), which I always liked the brand better was a little difficult. However not much is all that different once you understand how everything is layed out. I think with this camera Canon just may have one me over to their side. Plus it doesn't hurt the price is a little better.

Now given there are some flaws, some of which could easily be fixed with a firmware update. The biggest is battery life, and these little batteries are expensive ranging from $40-$75 depending on where you shop. I have found so called OEM batteries for as low as $14 but I am a little wary of using them in such a expensive and sensitive investment. I think anybody even a novice who gets this camera should have at least 2 if not 3 extra. Also though the battery grip is expensive it doubles the battery life and also can take 6 AA batteries in a pinch (excellent idea for a place like Disney where you could easily wear through the batteries). The only other major flaw that I have found that makes this camera not so great for the novice a.k.a. the spouse is that live mode only works in creative and custom modes. I can see her saying now, don't bring that big thing cause I don't know how to use it and I hate looking through the view finder. Although very minor, and yes the live view does cut battery time in half it makes the camera less diserable to someone who knows little about photography. Im not in anyway knocking this camera I just think it's fair to tell someone who may not be aware of it's limitations.

I would say it's much like a car. Don't expect to walk in and pay the base sticker price. You need/have to have some of the extras otherwise your just not going to enjoy it (and im not saying to go out and buy everything they make for it but there are a number of things I think you should/need to have). I would think regardless of the price of the body and if it comes as a regular kit you should still plan on spending $300-$800 extra. Your gonna want a telephoto lense in the range of 70-200mm or greater, at least one extra battery, a camera bag, and you SHOULD 100% get a UV lense (not only will your outside pictures turn out better it protects your lense for $15, i'd rather spend that than have to replace a scratched lense), external flash is nice but I wouldn't bother if you are a novice, I would recommend getting at least 1 sdhc card rated at class 6 (4 or 8 gigs) and finally a lense pen for cleaning the OUTSIDE lense only (do not and I repeat DO NOT try to clean any internal parts, you will kill the camera). Also just a side note I personally would not waste any money on a Service plan but thats just me.Get more detail about Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens.