Need advice! Canon Rebel T2i vs Nikon D90

[lifeasart]

Photography is a hobby for me but I want to start working on my portfolio in the hopes of doing it professionally. Ideally I would specialize in on location portrait photography & indoor newborn shoots. I'm trying to decide between buying a Nikon D90 lens kit or a Canon Rebel T2i lens kit (which will be released early March). The top of my budget is $1200.

The Canon Rebel T2i lens kit is $899 & I could get the Canon 50mm F 1.4 lens for around $350.
The Nikon D90 lens kit is around $1100.

My first priority is picture quality & performance. My second priority is the price. I've enjoyed photography for years but I'm new to the DSLR world. I've researched them for months but I'm a beginner looking to go semi-pro.

Any advice or suggestions would be very helpful & greatly appreciated!

Or would it be better to buy the body only Canon 50D & get the 50mm F 1.4 lens I want??????

[KenJulio]

A new D90 from BH is $780 with free shipping.

Another option is a used 5D which is about $1k

[ramblinray]

Part of getting good photos is being comfortable with the equipment you are using. I'd advise renting both and giving them a test drive. See if the equipment works well for you in the situations you envision using them in the future. It will allow you to see if the image quality is what you want and expect from the particular brand. If the camera feels good in you hand, it will give you more confidence while using it also. Go through the menu system. If that's confusing, you may not use the camera to it's full capability. Just some food for thought. Like they say, try before you buy.

[lifeasart]

Thanks for the info! (The only camera I've tried out is the Nikon D90, which was great.)

Like I said, I'm new to DSLR's. But, like most people, I want to get the most bang for my buck.

Is it important to buy the best camera (in your price range) & spend more? Or is it just as well to buy a camera that cost less & spend more money on your lenses?

I'm having a hard time deciding if I want to spend more on the Nikon D90 or Canon EOS 50D & start w/ the lens in the lens kit. Or if I should spend less on the camera & buy the Canon Rebel T2i or Nikon D5000 & have money left over to buy a great lens...

[arich]

Aaaaalways put your money into your glass. I would almost say go for a used 40D and the 50 1.4 and 85 1.8, 2 great portrait lenses for the price.

[ramblinray]

If you haven't done so already, search for camera body reviews on the web. dpreview.com has many of the bodies you want to investigate reviewed already. They give a fairly objective review of the equipment. There are other sites that give reviews also. If inside photos with existing lighting will be one of your primary modes, then good high ISO performance will be important. As mentioned above, good fast lenses will make up some for ISO performance. Good glass will carry on from body to body. Bodies will be upgraded much faster than glass by the manufacturer. All said, get the best you can in both body and lenses for the price you can afford. Take the time to investigate the entire system since you are making a commitment to a particular brand. Some crazies have to have the best no matter what and will switch brands just to get a little less noise and spend countless thousands to do it. Had they waited, all brands equalize eventually.
You don't have to get new equipment as mentioned above. Some really good used equipment could get you in for less and allow you to pick up an extra piece of glass. If you can wait for the deployment of the T2i, then you can do some searching on forum buy and sell threads. There are several reliable ones. I believe POTN has one, fredmiranda has one, there is the one here and of course there are the business ones like B&H. Since it's starting out as a hobby, take your time and choose wisely.

[ldelacruz]

For portraits and newborns I would skip them both and go for a 5D Mark 1 or 2 and a 24-105. This would be an ideal portrait setup.

[lifeasart]

I'd LOVE to get the 5D Mark II but it's WAY out of my price range. For now, anyway.

[ldelacruz]

What is your price range?

[lifeasart]

The top of my budget for now is about $1200.

[Tom]

I would get a used 5D mark I. For portrait photography, that is your best bang for the buck. Grab a used 50mm 1.4 and you are set.

[ldelacruz]

Originally Posted by lifeasart

The top of my budget for now is about $1200.

It might be hard to understand since your new to ohotography but if you are serious I would get a 5D even though it is older. You can find one for around $1000. For a lens on a budget the 50 1.8 or if you can squeeze a few dollars more the 50 1.4 or 85 1.8.

[panda81]

Originally Posted by ramblinray

Part of getting good photos is being comfortable with the equipment you are using. I'd advise renting both and giving them a test drive. See if the equipment works well for you in the situations you envision using them in the future. It will allow you to see if the image quality is what you want and expect from the particular brand. If the camera feels good in you hand, it will give you more confidence while using it also. Go through the menu system. If that's confusing, you may not use the camera to it's full capability. Just some food for thought. Like they say, try before you buy.

I think this is great advice. The worst thing that can happen is really detesting the ergonomics of the camera brand you invested into, and I've heard it happen both ways. I'm sure some others couldn't care less about the differences either, but if you do, that would really suck. Instead of renting, another alternative is just going to Costco and playing around with the display cameras there. I would also suggest going to your local camera store to do this, but I feel guilty if I go into the store and take up the salesman's time just to browse but never intend on buying anything to begin with (assuming you're going to order online anyway).

For your goals, I would personally suggest investing in the D90 because from what I've heard, Nikon's CLS is easier to pick up for strobing. Especially for on-location portrait shoots, being able to carry small speedlights wirelessly triggered from the D90's onboard flash can make life easier for you in many ways.

[lifeasart]

This advice is so helpful! Thanks to everyone. I'm still not 100% sure what I should purchase but it's given me ideas for other cameras to research. I'm going to do as much research as possible online & in store before making a decision (and I've already been researching for a couple months now).

[Flea77]

Originally Posted by lifeasart

My first priority is picture quality & performance. My second priority is the price. I've enjoyed photography for years but I'm new to the DSLR world. I've researched them for months but I'm a beginner looking to go semi-pro.

There is your first problem right there. Your priorities are out of whack. Your first, second and third priorities should be:

1) Buy a camera you are comfortable using that you actually LIKE to shoot with.
2) Buy a camera you are comfortable using that you actually LIKE to shoot with.
3) Buy a camera you are comfortable using that you actually LIKE to shoot with.

Then you can worry about picture quality, performance and price. Personally, if I had to shoot with a Canon all the time I would rather have a root canal. Other people are completely the opposite. Some people could go either way. Better to find out what kind of person you are BEFORE you spend your budget on one system or the other.

Now that that is out of the way. There is another option between new and used, at least I know there is for Nikon. Refurbished. I picked up a great little D80 last year refurbished and it is a wonderful camera to start with. It has a built in motor for D series lenses (get the same lens, a little older, a lot cheaper), CLS master, and every other option you will need starting out. I don't know, but I bet Canon has a similar refurb program.

Allan