gear recommendations

This is by no means a definitive stance on acceptable gear, but instead a collection of comments and opinions on Canon and Nikon gear written by the instructors. This list is a collection of our personal experiences with the gear and an aggregation of online reviews from reputable sources like dpreview. It is good to keep in mind that Kellen prefers Nikon gear and Sean prefers Canon, so the following sections will be written mostly by the corresponding instructor. It is also good to keep this in mind when asking questions about gear, as tend to have more useful feedback regarding gear that we have personally used.

Truthfully, you can make great photos with any camera. Please do not take offense if you own one of the cameras that we do not endorse. The older DSLRs, though having smaller screens and fewer megapixels than current ones, are still valid choices, especially on a budget. All prices referenced are for body only, in used but good condition, on online forums like photography-on-the.net/forum or fredmiranda.com/forum. Prices will be higher on online retailers, but they often will provide a warranty.

We apologize in advance for Pentax, Sony, and Olympus users. We don't apologize to Leica and Hassleblad users.

Other places to get gear recommendations include dpreview, kenrockwell, and The Digital Picture.

Canon Bodies: Rebel Series | Midrange | Prosumer | Professional || Canon Lenses:
Nikon Bodies: Consumer | Midrange | Prosumer | Professional || Nikon Lenses: Zoom | Fixed
Lighting and Studio Equipment: Strobes | Triggers | Modifiers | Stands

bodies

Digital Rebel/300D: Seriously old, but can be found for dirt-cheap (less than $200) these days. The feature set is incredibly minimal, but can be expanded somewhat by installing third-party firmware, which essentially turns it into a 10D. The camera is quite slow, requiring several seconds to turn on, 5 seconds to save a RAW image, and about 5 seconds to display an image…so don’t expect it to be any faster than a point-and-shoot. It has a good-quality 6 MP sensor, but at only 6 MP you don’t have much room for cropping or making large prints. AF is slow and Servo AF is essentially worthless. But you wouldn’t use it to shoot sports anyway, since it only shoots at 2.5 fps and fills the buffer after 4 frames. Sean owned an infrared-converted one of these.

Rebel XT/350D: A huge improvement over the original Rebel and can be found for quite cheap ($200) these days. The 7-point AF system is passable. The sensor is excellent (one of the best Canon has made in terms of noise) and has 8 MP, which is sufficient for most uses. The screen is terrible (same as the original Rebel), but that’s part of the experience. It has much, much faster response times than the original Rebel; it’s essentially as fast as you would expect from any newer DSLR. This was Sean’s first DSLR, and he still regularly uses it. It still works well after 65,000 photos.

Rebel XTi/400D: A significant improvement over the XT. Its 9-point AF system, which is shared with the 20D, is significantly better than that of the previous Rebels. Buffer size is increased to a very respectable 10 raws/24 jpgs, and you can achieve better than this if you use a fast memory card. This is arguably the first Rebel with a decent screen, if that matters to you. The good-quality sensor, which is shared with the 40D, has slightly poorer noise performance than the Rebel XT. This is the first Rebel with an automatic sensor-cleaner, although it is only somewhat effective. Hacked third-party firmware is available which gives the XTi spot metering and ISO 3200. XTi’s command oddly high prices online ($250-350). At this price point, you might be better off with a 20D, which has significantly better build quality and frame rate.

Rebel XSi/450D: A marginal upgrade over the XTi. Has a giant screen and 3.5 frames-per-second continuous shooting. However, the buffer only holds 6 raw frames (fewer than the XTi!) or 54 jpgs. This is the first Rebel with Live View, so you can use it like a point-and-shoot, composing with the screen instead of looking through the viewfinder. Another cool feature and first for a Rebel is Highlight Tone Priority, which gives you 1 stop more dynamic range and reduces blown highlights. However, the XSi’s 12-MP sensor has significantly poorer noise performance than the XTi’s. XSi’s typically sell for about $350-400.

Rebel XS/1000D: Basically a re-released XT. The good: it has Live View, is the lightest Rebel produced, and has a big screen. The bad: continuous shooting is only 1.5 fps in raw mode and the buffer fills after 5 frames. It has the same 7-point AF system as the XT. DPReview reports that the XS has ok noise performance, but the XS that Sean used had really, really bad noise at the higher ISOs. Used XS’s sell for about $250-300.

Rebel T1i/500D: Not really an improvement over the XSi. The T1i has a handful of new features, but they are not very well implemented. This is the first Rebel to offer ISO choices higher than 1600, but unfortunately they’re very poor quality. It shares the 50D’s poorly-reviewed 15 MP sensor. The noise performance is quite poor, so the T1i is definitely not well suited for shooting low-light events. It has a 3.4 fps drive mode (marginally slower than the XSi), and the buffer lasts for a mediocre 9 raw frames or huge 170 jpgs. This is the first Rebel that allows video shooting. Don’t be fooled by Canon’s marketing—although it can shoot full HD video (1920x1080), it is gimped at a worthless 20 fps (video is normally 24 or 30 fps). That being said, the 720p mode is useable since it records at 30fps. As with every other Canon camera, autofocus is not possible during video. Used T1i’s retail for about $450, but at this price point you’re better off with a 40D, which has better image quality, better build quality, and a higher frame rate for continuous shooting.

Rebel T2i/550D: An actual improvement over previous models. Despite the fact that it has an absurdly packed 18 MP sensor, noise performance is much better than might be expected (ISO 6400 is actually somewhat useable). It shares this sensor with the 7D and 60D. Because of the high resolution, filesizes (especially raws) will be giant and images will be soft unless you have good-quality lenses. Video mode is quite good and permits filming at 1920x1080 30 fps or 1280x720 60 fps. Burst mode is a respectable 3.7 fps, although the buffer fills after only 6 raw frames or 37 jpgs. This is the first Rebel (apart from a hacked XTi) that permits spot metering. Unlike the 7D and 60D, the T2i does not permit raw shooting at anything less than max resolution. A T2i sells for about $550 used.

Rebel T3i/600D: Not an improvement over the T2i. The T3i has nearly identical specifications to the T2i except for the addition of a screen that can fold out and swivel. It has some “filters” that you can apply to images within the camera, but you could do this in Photoshop/Gimp with more flexibility. Unless you desperately need a swiveling screen, save $200 and go with the T2i.

Rebel T3/2000D: It’s hard to get information on this one because it’s such an uninteresting camera. It has a 12 MP sensor (I can’t find reviews of it, but if the XS was any model, it’s not going to be impressive). Continuous shooting is limited to 2 fps in raw mode (3 fps for jpg), for a maximum for 5 raw images or 830 (?!) jpgs. Video recording is limited to 1280x720, 25 or 30fps.

10D: Janky, old, and slow, but dirt-cheap. Seriously, save up the extra $50 necessary to get a 20D, and you’ll thank yourself. $175 used.

20D: One of Sean’s all-time favorite cameras. He has owned two of these and has borrowed various others. For the price point, you absolutely can’t beat the 20D. It has a highly regarded 8 MP sensor and excellent ISOs up to 3200. It allows 5 fps continuous shooting (albeit with only a 6-frame raw or 25-frame jpg buffer) and shares the quite-good 9-point AF system with the XTi and later Rebels and the original 5D. With a 133x Lexar card, Sean could get 8 raw frames before the buffer filled. Build quality is excellent—it has a magnesium body and is built like a brick. The viewfinder is larger than any found on Rebels, so it’s easier to compose images or manually focus. The screen is terrible, but that’s part of the 20D experience. 20D’s sell for $225-250.

30D: Basically a re-released 20D, but without the 20D’s downsides. It has the same 8.2 MP sensor and 5 fps continuous shooting, but also adds a low-speed 3 fps mode and 1/3 stop ISO increments. According to Canon, the buffer will hold 11 raw frames or 30 jpgs (a significant improvement over the 20D’s 6-7 raws), but you can get better than this with a fast card. The screen is significantly larger than the 20D’s and has actually decent quality. The only downside is that a 30D typically costs at least $100 more than a 20D, at around $350. Therefore, you have to decide whether the larger screen, better battery life, and larger buffer are worth the extra money over a 20D.

40D: A very nice upgrade over the 30D. The 40D allows 6.5 fps shooting for 17 raws or 75 jpgs, so it makes for an excellent sports camera. Build quality is excellent and it reports to be somewhat weather sealed, so you can (theoretically) shoot in moderate rains without worry. Autofocus is improved; all 9 AF points are cross-type, whereas in previous models (and all the Rebels) only the center point is cross-type. The 40D is the first camera in this series to have spot metering, Live View, and highlight tone priority (which gives you 1 stop more dynamic range in the highlights). 40D’s sell for about $450 used, and is arguably the best Canon camera for that price point.

50D: A step backward from the 40D. It is slightly slower, with a burst speed of 6.3 fps and a buffer that contains 16 raws. It has a poorly-reviewed 15 MP sensor which is reported to produce out-of-control noise. Banding, which just looks unnatural and bad, is common in high-ISO images. It is the first (and only) camera in the series to feature AF microadjust, which allows you to optimize the camera to various lenses for maximum focus accuracy (and therefore image sharpness). For a while, 50D’s sold for less than the older 40D, which says something about how people view it. The current going price of a used 50D is about $650-700.

60D: Another step backwards. Canon removed AF Microadjust, which was an incredibly useful feature included on the 50D. Canon also built the 60D body out of plastic instead of metal (as was the case on all previous cameras in the xxD series) so the build quality is not as good. While all previous cameras in the series use CF cards, which can have higher write speeds, the 60D uses SD cards. The 60D is significantly slower than the 50D at 5.3 fps, although the buffer is rated for an identical 16 raw frames. Basically the only cool features of the 60D are its video modes (same as the 7D and 5Dii: 1920x1080 30 or 24fps, 1280x720 60fps) and swiveling screen (same style as the Rebel T3i).

5D: This is basically a 20D with a full-frame 12 MP sensor. Continuous shooting is a paltry 3 fps, but Canon was never marketing this camera to sports shooters. The max ISO is 3200 (which is a boost; the highest native ISO is only 1600). Although the 5D produces similar noise graphs to the 20D (and Rebel XT), it employs significantly less in-camera noise-reduction, so the detail reproduction is better. If you’re willing to do the noise reduction yourself, you can shoot at ISO 3200, underexpose by a stop, apply a +1 EV boost in your raw conversion software of choice, and effectively have a passable ISO 6400 image. The cover image of a woman holding the flag on the Obama election Daily Cal issue was produced through this method (5D, ISO 3200 + 1 stop boost in post processing). Because the 5D is full-frame, you will get the actual focal lengths of lenses (no more 1.6x crop factor!). This is advantageous when you want to get narrow depth-of-field images. The wider field of view of a 5D (compared to a 1.6x crop-factor camera) will enable you to get closer to the subject, causing the DOF to be narrower. A used 5D sells for about $1000-1100.

5D Mk. II: One of the most popular DSLRs to date, the 5Dii is renowned for both its image and video quality. It has been popular with both amateur videographers and professional production studios (sections of the Harry Potter movies and the entirety of a House season finale were filmed with 5Dii’s), who value it for its low-light performance, lens selection, and narrow depth of field. Despite the fact that it has 22 MP, the 5Dii’s noise performance is the best of any Canon camera (about 1/2 stop better than the 1D IV and a full stop better than the 1Ds III and 7D). ISO 6400 is very useable, and ISO 12,800 is somewhat passable. The Nikon D700 and D3s have better ISO performance, but they have barely half the resolution of the 5Dii. The 5Dii has AF Microadjust and all 9 of its AF sensors are cross-type. The 5Dii claims to be weather sealed, but it is not up to par with 1-Series weather sealing. The 5Dii of Nathan Yan, the former Digital Photo Decal instructor, was unresponsive for a day after he hiked up the Mist Trail in Yosemite with it. Various other photographers report their 5Dii’s drowning after exposure to moderate amounts of moisture, so you should be somewhat wary. Used 5Dii’s sell for $2100-2200.

7D: Canon’s attempt at a 1.6x crop factor sports camera. The 7D shoots 18 MP images at 8 fps and reports a buffer size of 15 raw frames, although Sean typically gets about 24 with his 600x card). It arguably has the best noise performance of any 1.6x Canon camera (tied, more or less, with the T2i and 6D, which share the sensor). It has 19 AF points (all of which are cross type), which is the highest of any non-1-Series camera. It has 5 AF point selection methods, while most other cameras have two—single point and full-area automatic point selection. It includes the incredibly useful AF Microadjust feature and has myriad fun gimmicky features like an electronic level and wireless flash control. The 7D has the same video modes as the 5Dii and 60D, permitting 1080p recording at 24 or 30fps or 720p recording at 60 fps. Like the other Canon cameras, it does not permit autofocus during video. Canon claims the 7D has the best weather sealing of any non-1-Series camera, but the screen on Sean’s 7D died for two days after he used the camera in a Yosemite blizzard, and the thumb wheel was quite gritty after he shot in a sandstorm in Death Valley... Sean’s 7D has an assortment of problems, so he is unwilling to give it a full endorsement. Used 7D’s typically sell for around $1300.

If you’re looking to buy a 1-Series camera, you should do your own research.

D40: The D40 can't ever get enough appreciation for what it brings to the table in such a small package. This camera is lacking many modern "normal features," but in reality what it is lacking are most of the silly consumer features introduced by later models. For the budding photographer, looking to learn the basics without the clutter, without the video features, without the bulky alloy bodies, the D40 is a great solution. This camera has a tiny footprint and is comfortable to carry along all day, which is something most other models can't claim. They go for cheap nowadays and are a great first camera. It doesn't have hardly any ISO capabilities the hit doesn't have a focusing pin either, so it won't have autofocus with some older lenses. But for the price you'll pay, you'll get a solid camera that will work more often than not. Sadly, you'll be stuck with three autofocus points, so keep that in mind. It also lacks continuous autofocus.

D60: I consider this a slightly more capable D40, with the small size and limited feature set, but this also proves to be a great first camera. Improvements include a higher resolution sensor ("more megapixels"), adaptive dynamic range and an ultrasonic sensor cleaner not found in the D40. You'll still be missing the focusing pin and unfortunately, the ISO sensitivity is sacrificed to cram in more pixels. It will still only have a sad 3 focus points. If you see a really good deal on it, I would jump on it - but otherwise I might opt for the D40 and save the extra money.

D3000: I flat-out do not recommend this camera. It will work, and if you already own one then you shouldn't necessarily feel bad, but the limited features and poor ISO performance do not justify the higher price. If you find yourself aiming for this camera, I highly suggest you pursue the D40 or D60 instead. Just to give you an idea: the D3000 has worse performance than the D40, a camera that it was arguably intended to replace.

D3100: This fixed many of the issues that the D3000 was prone to, but I still think that if you're going to get a camera with such a limited feature set, you're likely to outgrow it very quickly. You might want to save your money and scoop up a D40 or D60 instead, unless there are smaller features of the D3100 that you can't live without.

D5000

D5100

D80: As the predecessor to the D90, it shows it's age. The main reason to get a D80 is to get more acceptable ISO sensitivity, that darned focusing pin, two screens (one on the top for quickly determining settings) and a second wheel for changing shutter speed and aperture without having to hold a button to do it -- just compared to the D40 or D60. The problem is that the D80 might be just as expensive as a used D90, and the D90 will get you much more bang for your buck.

D90: I'm partial to the D90 as it's the camera I've owned for more than three years. They greatly improved (at time of release) the ISO (it uses the same sensor as the D300), a larger and higher resolution back screen, video (although it is still littered with issues), and a more ergonomic shape. It uses a CMOS sensor, has a 12MP sensor and boasts a decent 4.5fps (decent for when it was originally made). One of the biggest plusses is the denser autofocus grid with 11 points. This has unfortunately been surpassed with the newer D7000. It's a solid camera and can be had for less money than the brand new D7000. My only problem is that the noise can get a little unbearable after 800, and the rubber grips are prone to peel off with time (although Nikon will replace them if the camera is in warranty). I have read that the D5100 out-specs it, and can be found for cheaper, so it may be an option you want to pursue.

D7000: Newer than the D300, most people actually consider this a competitor to it than the D90, which it replaced. It has a much stronger body (being made of a magnesium alloy instead of plastic) much improved ISO, better video and more improved ergonomics. This is one of Nikon's most praised cameras in their newer lineups, and it seems like it is worth the extra money you'll pay for it.

D300

D300s

D700: The D700 is an incredible camera. It is aging in some ways: no video, good (but not great) ISO performance, good (but not great) frame rate. However, what this camera lacks, it makes up for in amazing quality. The sensor in the D700 is by far my favorite of the Nikon lineup. It is an extremely comfortable, dense body with a great balance of picture quality, decent frame rate, decent ISO sensitivity, and the glory of full-frame lenses to back it up. If you have the money for this camera, then you probably don't need much convincing. My biggest gripe with this camera is its weight - carryin this sucker around all day can lead to a sore neck.

Much like the Canon advice, if you're planning on buying a D3/D3x/D3s, you probably should do the research yourself, and you probably already know what you're going to get.

lenses

80-200mm f/2.8 FX

14-24mm f/2.8 FX

24-70mm f/2.8 FX

70-200mm f/2.8 VR1 FX

18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DX

18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 DX: An alright lens, but the distortion at either extreme is pretty bad, f/5.6 at the longest range is a bummer and the plastic mount is a downright shame. I saved my money and bought the 18-200 f/3.5-5.6 DX instead.

18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 DX: This has all the same problems as the 18-135, with a more limited range. Again, I would try to convince you to go for the 18-200 f/3.5-5.6 DX.

18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR1 DX: I've heard this called "the tourist lens" since it does everything and it does it well enough. It's got a long range and the distortion is minimal, although noticeable. It is well built and the VR capabilities are robust - allowing me to better shoot with minimal light. The biggest problem with this is that the lens "creeps", i.e., when tilted downwards, the lens will "zoom in" from its own weight. This DOES get annoying, but DOES NOT justify paying hundreds of extra for the newer VR2 version.

18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR2 DX: Nikon claims this can get steady shots with even less light than its predecessor. While I can't confirm that, one thing that I do know is that Nikon "fixed" the lens creep issue by introducing a lock on the focal length. The problem is that this lock can only be set at 18mm, so the creep issues will persist if you a) don't retract your lens and lock it or b) are in the middle of taking a picture. For these reasons, I would encourage someone interested in this lens to save the money and get the previous iteration.

20mm f/2.8 FX: A solidly build lens without much distortion. It can be expensive for what it is, but I found a deal and haven't regretted jumping on it. The fact that it is FX makes switching to full-frame all the more tempting.

50mm f/1.4 FX: One of the fastest lenses I have ever used, it is fast in the sense of having a super wide lowest aperture, but also super fast focusing. This is the next lens I want to get - it's a well built, classic design and won't break the bank. However, those who want to go a more economical route can get similar results from the f/1.8 instead.

50mm f/1.8 FX: Super cheap and super good. These can be had for less than two hundy and they work great. With an extra stop (and then some) from an f/2.8 lens, you'll reall be able to shoot in low light.

105mm f/1.8 FX: Bulky, heavy and expensive to boot. but this lens makes up for it by giving you great quality and awesome bohek. The minimum focusing distance is very nice and on an FX body like the D700, it makes for an excellent portraiture lens.

35mm f/1.8 DX: This is cheap, but is prone to very noticeable barrel distortion. I liked it for a while, especially because the price is so tempting, but if you're looking for something you're going to be happy with for years on end, maybe consider the 50mm.

lighting and studio equipment

Nikon SB400

Nikon SB600

Nikon SB900

Lumopro LP160

Cactus v4

Pocket Wizard

Westcott 43" White Umbrella

Calumet 45" White Umbrella (w/ removable black cover)

Calumet 5-in-1 43" Reflector

Lumiquest SoftBox III

Calumet 12' Light Stand

Lumopro 8' Light Stand