Camera Canon 600D or 700D or Sony A58 ?

rajshah

rajshah

Skilled
Beginner usage. Non pro. Non poser.
Kids,Family, portraits, outdoor trips.

Tried all 3 brands, Sony, Nikon and Canon.
Somehow do not like Nikon.
Was hearing, reading and viewing only about the 600D in Canon for the past few days.
But to my surprise, the Canon store at Croma had a 700D on display, which the sales person claimed to be a new launch.
The 700D is around 10K more than the 600D, it does have a few added features to justify the price.

I have also looked at the Nex 5 / 6. Considering Mirrorless makes sense for a beginner like me ?
I do seem to like Sony A58 a lot, compared to the others.

The highest priority for me is clicking my 3 year old daughter with it.
I currently own the Note 3, sold the N4 and bought the Note for that sole purpose, the camera.
The zero shutter lag has spoilt me a little.
A fast shooter would really help things out.

I won't be putting this on Auto and clicking all the time. But I want the Auto to be as great as a P&S if my friends and family have to use it to click photos. That way, I will get to be in some of the pictures! :p
I will learn and put the manual controls to good use once I go about the getting used to curve.

The A58 autofocus is just superb, among other things like better FPS and more mp's.
The 600D and 700D both take much more time to autofocus while viewing through the LCD and a little less time from the viewfinder. But still the time taken is significantly higher to the A58.
Is that a correct observation or am I missing something here ?

Also, getting a DSLR from US makes sense ? Do these carry International Warranty ?
I have someone to bring it back, so customs and extra charges is not a concern.

What other things do I need to look at ?
Super confused. Need your inputs.
Thanks!
 
1. A dslr's auto will always be better than an p & s auto.

2. I have a canon 550 and it focuses pretty well.. Haven't heard of focusing issues with the next models. Did you learn to focus properly in them?

3. No international warranty

4. Focusing via viewfinder is the fastest way to focus, focusing via the lcd screen uses contrast detection AF, so it will br slow vs viewfinder focus.
 
>Also, getting a DSLR from US makes sense ? Do these carry International Warranty ?
The dollar rate doesn't make it worth it. No Intl. warranties.

No love for Nikon :(

I'd suggest getting body & lens seperately if possible, since you'll be primarily shooting portraits a 35mm/50mm f1.8 lens would serve you nicely.

One more thing I would suggest is going to a store and trying out the various camera and how they grip.
Its a very important factor .. different sized hands grip differently .. see which ones you find comfortable.

Also there is a big gap in the 600D & 700D.

-- Your budget ?
-- Is video also important to you ?

I'd still rate the Nikon D7000 over all these.
 
I have similar needs... mostly portraits (Family photos) and I am considering getting mirrorless (Nex-5R) soon.. just because it will be portable...
Currently I have canon SX10IS which I feel already big so I avoid taking and cant think of carrying DSLR...

Disadvantage I fount with DSLR
1. Fast moving shooting (sports etc) - Which I wont be doing
2. Lack of lens ecosystem (I dont think I will get other than supplied kit lens) (just may be prime lens in future)

So just for portability I will go with Mirrorless.
 
For beginner use, the A58 is good and since it has inbuilt stabilization it will be good for portraiture with prime lenses. The kit with 18-135 and an additional 50mm will be enough for all your needs currently.
Which Nikon camera did you try,by the way?
 
Raghav_K said:
1. A dslr's auto will always be better than an p & s auto. - Hmm. That's set, then!

2. I have a canon 550 and it focuses pretty well.. Haven't heard of focusing issues with the next models. Did you learn to focus properly in them? - I never said they don't focus well, they just aren't fast at focusing. And what did you mean by focus properly ?

3. No international warranty - Ok.

4. Focusing via viewfinder is the fastest way to focus, focusing via the lcd screen uses contrast detection AF, so it will br slow vs viewfinder focus. - Right. Read that and felt the same too
Click to expand...

dexBG said:
>Also, getting a DSLR from US makes sense ? Do these carry International Warranty ?
The dollar rate doesn't make it worth it. No Intl. warranties.

Getting stunning prices on a few models, even after the crazy $ rates. But No Intl waranty is a deal breaker. No point saving a few grand.

No love for Nikon :( - Somehow, the Nikon Store at Phoenix wasn't very welcoming, short on staff, the cameras didn't have memory cards to save images and check. The ones I could check, didn't seem any better that the 600D. I checked the D3100 and D5100.

I'd suggest getting body & lens seperately if possible, since you'll be primarily shooting portraits a 35mm/50mm f1.8 lens would serve you nicely.
- I will either buy body and lens separately or get the Body + 18-135 kit and go for a 50mm/f1.8 later

One more thing I would suggest is going to a store and trying out the various camera and how they grip.
Its a very important factor .. different sized hands grip differently .. see which ones you find comfortable.
- Tried all 3 brand stores and at Croma. I am fine with the 600/700D and the A58.

Also there is a big gap in the 600D & 700D.

-- Your budget ? - ~60K. Not a set deal. Flexible. But do not want to go overboard.
-- Is video also important to you ? - Not thought about using it for videos. Do they make sense for videos ? Aren't they awkward ? I realize that the 700D has STM lens which would help in Videos. Less noise, right ?

I'd still rate the Nikon D7000 over all these. - The body itself was hovering around 50K, that's the reason I skipped looking at it all together. But then, at that price, I would get something bette from Sony and Canon too, right ? Would the D7000 still be better ?
Click to expand...

Ksavai said:
I have similar needs... mostly portraits (Family photos) and I am considering getting mirrorless (Nex-5R) soon.. just because it will be portable...
Currently I have canon SX10IS which I feel already big so I avoid taking and cant think of carrying DSLR...

Disadvantage I fount with DSLR
1. Fast moving shooting (sports etc) - Which I wont be doing
2. Lack of lens ecosystem (I dont think I will get other than supplied kit lens) (just may be prime lens in future)

So just for portability I will go with Mirrorless.
Click to expand...

I am considering the Nex 6 too. Would like more inputs on the same. Problem is, can't get a hands on anywhere. Not even the Sony brand stores. You've had any luck ?

TheNightwing said:
For beginner use, the A58 is good and since it has inbuilt stabilization it will be good for portraiture with prime lenses. The kit with 18-135 and an additional 50mm will be enough for all your needs currently.
Which Nikon camera did you try,by the way?
Click to expand...

Tried the D3100 and D5100. I understand that the A58 will be good to get me started. But then once I buy into Sony, with the lenses and other equipment, will it be fine later on ? Switching ecosystems will be a mighty costly affair.

Thanks for all the information. Need more help/suggestions.
 
@rajshah --
I'd still rate the Nikon D7000 over all these. - The body itself was hovering around 50K, that's the reason I skipped looking at it all together. But then, at that price, I would get something bette from Sony and Canon too, right ? Would the D7000 still be better ?
Click to expand...

The lowest price for a D7000(body only) is around 43-44k about a month back ..
D7000 is better than 600/700D .. but the 50k price seems awfully high on ebay.

Anish George of Videolinks Store is still selling the D7000 body at 43k. You can find him on Facebook and contact him.
At that price it is unbeatable.

fb.com/anish.george.944
 
All sony DSLT along with A58, Canon 70D, EOS C100 are only cameras that can offer fast AF in Live View (which is mostly used in case of awkward angles/ quick composing).
Nex 5/6 AF is also fast but not as fast as these cameras. Canon's are currently very expensive though the tech used is cutting edge. I would say to go for A58 from Sony. it has many features which you would miss on other cameras, some features like Auto DRO/HDR which people take for granted are also present in this.

If speed isn't priority than any mirror less camera is good. as its compact and you'll not be regretting your DSLR purchase during vacations.
 
@ rajshah, when i meant it focusses pretty well, i mean they focus fast, and ur observation was probably wrong.... I would like to know how you came to the conclusion they focus less than sony dslr?

Focusing depends on a lot of variables and did you make sure the settings, lighting, subject and the focusing method were same, before coming to that conclusion..

If you didn't, please read up about dslr basics and the advantages of tweaking iso, shutter speed, focusing points, focus methods and aperture, and try them again. Its gonna be a waste of money if you just intend to use it on auto mode as a 50k point and shoot.. You will be served better by a prosumer camera instead of slr, in that case.


And to the discussion comparing d7000, with 600d and 700d, they are an entirely different segment of cameras aren't they? The d5000 series can be compared with 700d and 600d, and d7000/7100 can be compared with 60d/70d... Correct me if am wrong!
 
And to the discussion comparing d7000, with 600d and 700d, they are an entirely different segment of cameras aren't they? The d5000 series can be compared with 700d and 600d, and d7000/7100 can be compared with 60d/70d... Correct me if am wrong!
Click to expand...

Comparison was based mostly on what each camera offers for its price .. OP has a budget of max 60k.
 
dexBG said:
@rajshah --

The lowest price for a D7000(body only) is around 43-44k about a month back ..
D7000 is better than 600/700D .. but the 50k price seems awfully high on ebay.

Anish George of Videolinks Store is still selling the D7000 body at 43k. You can find him on Facebook and contact him.
At that price it is unbeatable.

fb.com/anish.george.944
Click to expand...

Thanks! Will check it out. The problem is that I don't find the lenses very comfortable on the Nikon. I literally end up shaking the camera while zooming.

Raghav_K said:
@ rajshah, when i meant it focusses pretty well, i mean they focus fast, and ur observation was probably wrong.... I would like to know how you came to the conclusion they focus less than sony dslr?

Focusing depends on a lot of variables and did you make sure the settings, lighting, subject and the focusing method were same, before coming to that conclusion..

If you didn't, please read up about dslr basics and the advantages of tweaking iso, shutter speed, focusing points, focus methods and aperture, and try them again. Its gonna be a waste of money if you just intend to use it on auto mode as a 50k point and shoot.. You will be served better by a prosumer camera instead of slr, in that case.


And to the discussion comparing d7000, with 600d and 700d, they are an entirely different segment of cameras aren't they? The d5000 series can be compared with 700d and 600d, and d7000/7100 can be compared with 60d/70d... Correct me if am wrong!
Click to expand...

You are correct. And what I meant about focus is that they all focus and click very fast when shooting through the viewfinder but there's a considerable lag when shooting through the live screen. But that's not the case with Sony. It's super fast with both ways.
And I ain't going to use it at Auto, but wanted to try all models with initial default settings and set to auto to be fair.

Also, not comparing different segments. What I meant is, if I were to consider the D7000 for about 45K just for the body, I should compare similar prices Canon / Sony models too.

Well, after another extensive hands on yesterday, have come down to the conclusion that shooting through all cams is almost the same via the viewfinder.
Now have to look at good price points for the features offered.
 
Although I'm no expert on this but one simple advice that I can offer is to also look at the sensor sizes of various cams.

I own a D5100 and was surprised to find that the sensor size in D5200 as well as D5300 is slightly smaller than D5100.
I think this is the way companies do cost cutting.
 
Okies.... good luck with ur shopping. i would recommend sticking with canon or nikon because of better service, and choices/availability of lenses in India.
 
@rajshah
Thanks! Will check it out. The problem is that I don't find the lenses very comfortable on the Nikon. I literally end up shaking the camera while zooming.
Click to expand...

I think you would have felt that when trying the cameras at the store. Those display pieces are very poorly maintained and very clunky .. Nikon's lenses are pretty well built ..

Canon 700D & Nikon D7000 are in the same price range ..

You can check out the comparison here .. http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-EOS-700D-vs-Nikon_D7000
The biggest advantages of the D7000 over 700D are \
Double the battery life
Pentaprism Viewfinder - Brighter & Bigger
Weather Sealing - will survive a moderate amount of rain/dew.
6fps vs 5pfs
Dual SD card slots.


The 700D has some advantages but they are not related to photography .. like
Slightly lighter
Touchscreen
Better Video recording


In Sony you have the A65 .. which is still more expensive but the D7000 is outmatches it terms of Still Photography.
http://snapsort.com/compare/Nikon_D7000-vs-Sony-A65

You can get a D7000 with a prime 35mm or 50mm lens. Those have very fast focussing ..
 
Thanks @kestrel5915 @Raghav_K
@dexBG I had the same experience with Nikon at Croma and the Nikon brand store.
I am going through the comparisons right now, and I also like the few pros the D7000 has over the 700D.

So much to add to my confusion. :)
And getting a Prime fixed focus lens like the one you suggested would mean I lose zoom functionality ,right ?
Although that would be fine for events and family meets, I would need something for outdoor trips, no?
 
Although that would be fine for events and family meets, I would need something for outdoor trips, no?
Click to expand...
\

.. Prime lenses are best to start learning photography.
They are also excellent for indoor/events/portraits. They focus quickly and perform very well in low light ..

Outdoor trips do need zoom lens, especially if you plan on shooting birds and animals. You can even do with primes also if you are shooting your friends/family.
For shooting landscapes like hills, valleys you would do it best with a Wide angled lens.

I suggest you get started with a Prime lens to learn and then pickup used zoom lenses .. a 55-200 can be found selling for 8-9k.

I'd suggest
35mm or 50mm
then 55-200mm
 
OK. As I just mentioned on the other thread, I am considering the vfm combo deal of Canon 600D with the dual lens 18-55 and 55-250
I can try and sell the 18-55 and buy the 50 mm prime too as you suggested.
Seems sensible ?
 
Cool.. Thanks.
Now down to Canon 600D + 18-55 and 55-250
Also, reading up on Canon 100D.
Any idea or suggestions on the 100D ?
 
The 100D is just a baby SLR .. its mostly got its tiny size going for it. Nothing special otherwise.
 
Back
Top