Canon t2i or t3i?

roryc

Firstly, I know very little about photography. I completed a course as part of my degree a few years back but would know little about camera's having never progressed past spending ~€200 on a digital one which has done me for what I need.

I'm looking to pick one up a good quality SLR for my girlfriends birthday next month with a budget of about €500-€700. We were back in Ireland (I live in Gibraltar) last week for a wedding and I was playing around with my brother's Canon t2i and it seems to be exactly what she's looking for. I think his cost about €1k when he got it but perhaps it's cheaper now to buy t2i's? I know there have since been the t3i, t4i and t5i but by the sounds of it this isn't like the iPhone where you have to buy the latest model - there don't seem to have been massive improvements since the t2i and if it's considerably cheaper I don't see the problem going for the older model.

Comparisons
http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-T3i-vs-Canon_EOS_Rebel_T2i
http://www.lightandmatter.org/2011/equipment-reviews/canon-t3i-vs-t2i-is-the-t3i-worth-the-extra-cost/
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/canon-eos-rebel-t3i/4864-6501_7-34493918-2.html

Where is the best place to buy, online or in shops? If online, what are good sites? Any Google searches seem to be flooded with links to Amazon so it's tough to get an idea of how much each I'm likely to pay.

Appreciate any advice, especially on the camera type!

amdgilmore

I have the T3i (or 600d as they're known in this part of the world). The only difference is the flip-out screen (which is admittedly useful).

If I was doing it over, I wouldn't buy either. I'd save up and go full frame. APS-C is an endlessly frustrating user experience.

For what it's worth, I got my T3i from T-Dimension on eBay for €512 last April, including the 18-55mm lens. Got hit with €100 customs duty but it was still cheaper than it would have cost in most places.

Edit: they have it for €418 now. Add in customs duty and VAT and you'll be looking at about 520ish.

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=220999140620

roryc

Great thanks. I've found a T3i for £390 on ebay which is manageable. This comes with a 18-55mm lens.

T31 with 18-55mm lens

And for an extra £80 I can get it with a zoom lens on top. Is this a good deal?

T3i with 18-55mm & 75-300mm lens

Both come from a reputable seller with a three year warranty.

What I'm really looking to get alongside the camera is a fisheye lens. Any recommendations of a good one?

amdgilmore

Yeah, the first one is a good price.

The 75-300 Mk III is not a good lens. If you really need a zoom, the 55-250 IS is a better bet, and is just about inside your budget at ~€150.

Fisheye is a bit more complicated. The camera is APS-C, or crop sensor, meaning it has a smaller sensor than the top of the range cameras. If you put any full-frame lens on a crop sensor you're only seeing the centre of the image coming through the lens. With a full-frame fisheye lens, that means you don't get the full fisheye effect with the rounded corners.

Off the top of my head, I can only think of two fisheyes designed for APS-C:
Sigma 10mm
Samyang 8mm

I don't really know anything about them, but based on reputation I'd guess that the sigma is probably the better lens. Probably more expensive too.

roryc

Yeah the Samyang 8mm is the one I was looking at. Fairly hefty at £265.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Samyang-8mm-f-3-5-Asph-IF-MC-Fisheye-CSII-DH-Lens-CANON-Detachable-Hood-NEW-UK-/111119942250?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item19df43c26a

At least I can see how I can get both now, looking at £650 + import duty. Will have a look around and see if I can get it any cheaper.

Thanks for the help, much appreciated.

roryc

Still unsure about the fisheye lens, seems to be a lot of money to spend on something which I don't know a huge amount about. It's almost as much as the camera!

amdgilmore

Yeah, my feeling would be that it's a lot of money for a novelty that will wear off pretty quickly... unless she has some practical need for a fisheye (which doesn't seem very likely).

Get her one of these instead:

http://shop.lomography.com/ie/cameras/fisheye-family/fisheye-no-2/fisheye-no-2

Admittedly this is still overpriced, but it's a creative present that she'll get a bit of a kick out of if she's into photography. Get a few rolls of 35mm film to go with it. I'd recommend slide film, purely because it's fun and colourful, especially when cross-processed.

http://www.thephotoshop.ie/index.php?route=product/category&path=64_80_81

And if she's still into the whole fisheye thing after a month or two, you can always buy her the lens for Christmas. But she won't be.

roryc

Yeah will have a think about it, cheers again mate.

If I do go ahead with it, what would people think is the best make and fit for a t3i (600D)?

Rokinon - £187
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rokinon-8mm-F-3-5-Fisheye-Lens-for-Canon-T4i-650-T3i-T3-600D-T2i-500D-450D-XS-/130883158783?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item1e793e82ff

Samyang - £239
http://www.ukdigital.co.uk/samyang-8mm-fisheye-lens-f3-5-as-if-mc-csii-canon.html

Sigma seems too expensive at £400+ and a proper Canon one is even more expensive.

zero19

I remember reading somewhere Rokinon, Samyang and some other brands are essentially the same lens made in the same factory.

Not 100% on that though.

roryc

Interesting... They do look similar. Would be good if anyone on the forum has had either off these in the past?