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[Access]

Originally Posted by sandquillgw

I'm not sure if this is the right thread but it seemed better to put this here instead of making a new one. I've always used point and shoots but have decided to upgrade to a dslr. I've decided to get a cannon T2i but as I've never had a camera like this before I was wondering what kinds of accessories are useful and a good investment.

Depends on what you are planning to do with it. Honestly if you have never used it before, use it for 3-6 months at least and then you'll get a feeling for what you are doing most of the time and what might actually help. Ie. if you are doing a lot of outside shooting in the sun, a reflector might help, indoors an add-on bounce flash, if you do a lot of portraits a $100. 50mm f/1.8 lens, and so on.

[Surfsama]

Originally Posted by sandquillgw

I'm not sure if this is the right thread but it seemed better to put this here instead of making a new one. I've always used point and shoots but have decided to upgrade to a dslr. I've decided to get a cannon T2i but as I've never had a camera like this before I was wondering what kinds of accessories are useful and a good investment. I plan to take it to cons and also to do photoshoots for my group. There's just so many different things I've seen I'm not sure what to get first/will be most helpful to me as I'm just starting out. any suggestions?

That is a very fine camera. If you get the kit (camera+18-55mm lens) and a CF card you're set.

If you want to expand I would suggest:
1) A telephoto lens...something like the 55-250mm.
2) An external flash head.
3) A decent tripod (or monopod).

Those are the basics for starters. After spending some shutter-time with your camera you'll start to get an idea of the type of shooting you like to do (low-light, action, etc...) and then go nuts with all sorts of specialty equipment - or not.

[Access]

Originally Posted by Surfsama

That is a very fine camera. If you get the kit (camera+18-55mm lens) and a CF card you're set.

No, Rebels use SD cards now. Since the XS and XSi series, I think.

[Surfsama]

Originally Posted by Access

No, Rebels use SD cards now. Since the XS and XSi series, I think.

My Nikon is showing again...

Thanks for the correction.

[sandquillgw]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to be getting the kit. I was planning on getting the SD card and a bag but wasn't sure if I needed anything else and didn't want to get talked into buying something pricey I didn't need by some pushy salesman.

[Ashurachan]

I'd suggest a 50/1.8 rather than a telephoto. It's a very good lens for photoshoots and con alleys, and it's damn cheap. The only reason I'd bring a telephoto to a con would be for stage pictures, the rest of the time you just don't have enough space.
An external flash is a nice addition, but not a must-have IMHO. Learning how to "read" light is important, so experimenting with available light first would be my recommendation. Recent cameras are good enough at high ISO to shoot indoors.
A tripod is not really necessary to begin with. For specific effects it can be useful, but most of the time you'll just be happy to be able to move around and try to shoot at angles the tripod wouldn't allow.

[tsuoi_kaze]

Originally Posted by Surfsama

1) A telephoto lens...something like the 55-250mm.

So you would recommend a 55-250? I've been looking to buy my first non-kit lens and have been completely in the dark as for what to get because every time someone tells me one lens is good someone else says to stay away at all costs. I was thinking this one because it's reasonably priced (I can't exactly afford to get a $1k lens right now, you know?). But I'm still unsure because of the aperture.

My shooting is pretty even between indoor/outdoor and bright/low light. I don't tend to favor any particular conditions.

[Max_Archer]

You could consider an 85mm 1.8. It's a great focal length for cosplay photography, is fast enough for low light, and is only around $100 more than the 55-250.

[tsuoi_kaze]

Originally Posted by Max_Archer

You could consider an 85mm 1.8. It's a great focal length for cosplay photography, is fast enough for low light, and is only around $100 more than the 55-250.

Thanks! I'll look into it.

[Rander]

Hi,

The 50/1.8 and 85/1.8 are both great choices. One thing to consider is that, they both could be a little long to shoot with if you are in tight places like a hallway where you can't backup (ie less than 6 to 8 feet between you and subject). The 50 mm is really good for 1/2 length and above portraits at the 6 to 8 feet distance).

Like Access said, use the 18-55 mm for a few months and look at the EXIF data to see what lengths you usually shoot or make note if you are always wishing for a longer lens.

I would second a on camera flash like the Canon 270 EX or rent a flash or a lens for a few days and see what works best.

Cheers!

[Max_Archer]

It's true that the 85 requires quite a bit of distance between the photographer and subject. It's not the best lens for indoor hall cosplay type off-the-cuff shots. However, it's excellent for any type of outdoor photography, especially if you can take the cosplayers aside for a mini-shoot, or, of course, when doing a real scheduled private shoot. It's also a great option if you're trying to shoot anything on stage, as it's relatively long (on a crop camera), great for low-light, and much cheaper than the 70-200 2.8s that would be the standard choice for such things.

[LeekHime]

Hi I am looking into getting a new camera. I know the benefits of getting a DSLR, I have used my sister's and it is nice but not for me. I want a digital point and shoot that will be good for conventions, so want something good for low light situations, and would really like something with 14mp or more. I was wondering if anyone could tell me a really good camera to get. Thank you.

[Bravo]

If 14mp is a must then
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1002/10...rshotsx210.asp

Keep in mind mega-pixel is a just marketing term. You should always consider the over all quality of an point and shoot

For a little more you can this which has much better low light capability
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1102/11...sx220sx230.asp

[Ashurachan]

Personal notes :
- Most recent P&S are rather good in low light, but none will be as good as a DSLR for this
- Megapixels don't mean anything. Currently the most expensive P&S cameras done by Canon are 10 MP (Canon S95 and Canon G12). But their sensor is bigger in size than the cheaper 14 MP cameras. More pixels are good for two things : very large prints, and cropping. While cropping is in itself interesting, I don't think you'll print anything larger than letter, and 5 MP are enough for this size...

Now for the questions :
- How much zoom do you need ? Is camera size a big factor for you ?
- Do you want to learn the technical aspects at some point ? Or are you fine just using automatic modes ?
- Do you care about video ?
- Last but not least : what's your budget ?

.

[Jim3535]

I definitely agree that the megapixel spec is ridiculously abused for marketing purposes. Back in the day, going from a 1MP camera to a 4MP camera made a big difference. Quadrupling the MP count made the image's linear dimensions double. But if you want the same effect on a 10MP camera, you would need to go to 40MP. Smaller increases aren't that noticeable unless you look a the file size. Combine that with diminishing marginal return due to optic quality and smaller photo sites, and you're not getting as much as you think.

As far as low light performance goes, I would look for a camera with a fast lens (wide aperture; smaller f/number). There are other factors as well, but you'd have to read more in depth reviews to find info on them.