Canon EOS Digital Rebel T4i 18MP SLR Camera w/ 18-135mm STM Lens + 16GB Lexar 400x Memory Card $799 + Free Shipping

Quote from xceebeex : I bought this kit a while back when they also had the 40mm pancake lens with it for $899. Anyway, the camera and 18-135mm comes in one box. The biggest advantage for the 18-135 is for video since its autofocus is pretty much silent. Otherwise, the mic on the camera will pick up the autofocus noise. So if you don't do a lot of video with it, you probably don't really need the 18-135 over your Tamron.

Thanks for the reply. I thinK I will end up just selling the 18-135 them. I forgot to mention that I will be doing most of my video with my brand new Hero 3 Black, edition. YAY! rep given

Quote from preppyak : Well, for one, the Canon lens has a lot better range, both on the wide and tele ends. And in general, the Canon is better regarded for image quality, not to mention lens selection. Or did you mean the GH-3, because, then it'd be a slightly different story. That said, if you are going to be mainly doing videos, do you need a DSLR? Do you realize you'll have to do a lot of manual focus and deal with a lot of limitations? I'd be sure you don't want a nice camcorder instead.

My main focus would be to just do video I suppose. I know the GH3 is very suitable for video, but with the current price, I don't want to fork over that much.

I wasn't sure what you mean by your last sentence, I should just get myself a camcorder instead? (Even over the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G3K?)

Quote from SETI007 : Thanks for the reply. I thinK I will end up just selling the 18-135 them. I forgot to mention that I will be doing most of my video with my brand new Hero 3 Black, edition. YAY! rep given

how much do you think you can sell the lens for?

Quote from TheVShopper : This is a video len ? is the video smooth when zoom in and out using this len

This is optimized for video in that Autofocus noise is greatly reduced and AF is smoother. But zooming is far from smooth and you'll need lots of practice to make it appear jerk-free.

The nex-6 with power zoom lens is the closest I've gotten to an interchangeable lens camera with smooth zoom.

Why must canon tempt me so much? I've been waiting to cash out my staples rewards to buy a nikkon d5200 or maybe even a d7100. If I had another $200 in my paypal account I would have given in and got in on this.

Quote from DenD359 : My main focus would be to just do video I suppose

Its very easy to take great video with a good camcorder. To take similarly great video with an SLR or other interchangeable, you really need to work at it. With a lot of practice however, videos from an SLR can look better than those from a camcorder, especially if you ditch the autofocus and go manual.

There will be more and more this kind of deal for the entry and mid-range DSLRs simply because mirrorless system these days can do as good job as these these type of DSLRs. Some cases are better than DSLRs.

For example, Olympus EM5 and Sony NEX series can produce better picture quality at high ISO than those from pretty much all non full frame size DSLRs. Just go to dpreview here,

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos600d/17

select different camera, and move focus area, you will see. T3i and T4i are far behind than EM5 and NEX-5N. In term of the video, GH3, GH2 or Sony NEX series can do better job than this one.

I see the only value for deal might be the lens. Now these days seems like Canon and Nikon try to give good lens to dump their entry level DSLRs. Otherwise, they just cannot move the inventory.

Quote from illininutt : I'm waiting for another t3i deal with the kit lens and a 55-250 for $610.

ME TOO!!! .. I missed out from the other one

Quote from lchen5 : There will be more and more this kind of deal for the entry and mid-range DSLRs simply because mirrorless system these days can do as good job as these these type of DSLRs. Some cases are better than DSLRs. For example, Olympus EM5 and Sony NEX series can produce better picture quality at high ISO than those from pretty much all non full frame size DSLRs. Just go to dpreview here, http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos600d/17 select different camera, and move focus area, you will see. T3i and T4i are far behind than EM5 and NEX-5N. In term of the video, GH3, GH2 or Sony NEX series can do better job than this one. I see the only value for deal might be the lens. Now these days seems like Canon and Nikon try to give good lens to dump their entry level DSLRs. Otherwise, they just cannot move the inventory.

True but the native lenses are still a bit pricey compared to their canikon equivalents. For example, 20mm f1.7 is $350, 25mm f1.4 is $500, 17mm f1.8 is $650, 75mm f1.8 is $750. All of the native fixed aperture IS zooms are $1000+

Quote from lchen5 : There will be more and more this kind of deal for the entry and mid-range DSLRs simply because mirrorless system these days can do as good job as these these type of DSLRs. Some cases are better than DSLRs. For example, Olympus EM5 and Sony NEX series can produce better picture quality at high ISO than those from pretty much all non full frame size DSLRs. Just go to dpreview here, http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos600d/17 select different camera, and move focus area, you will see. T3i and T4i are far behind than EM5 and NEX-5N. In term of the video, GH3, GH2 or Sony NEX series can do better job than this one. I see the only value for deal might be the lens. Now these days seems like Canon and Nikon try to give good lens to dump their entry level DSLRs. Otherwise, they just cannot move the inventory.

Canon more so.

Using DXOMark as just a benchmark, you can see that Canon's T#i series don't jump around a lot in score and stay around the same point. Nikon's jumped up 12 points from the D5000 to the D5200.

On the other hand, m43/NEX are still climbing the hill since their introduction and it doesn't look like they've peaked yet. Contrast detect is fast, but needs some working on and high ISO is already capable enough for most people's need.

Numbers aside, though, either camera will do fine for most pictures. Canon and Nikon already have a stable of lenses for their existing system. m43 also has the entire range covered short of high quality telephotos (for now). NEX is almost there. And you can adapt most legacy glass.

At this point, your skill will probably matter more than the gear you have.

Quote from flatlight : True but the native lenses are still a bit pricey compared to their canikon equivalents. For example, 20mm f1.7 is $350, 25mm f1.4 is $500, 17mm f1.8 is $650, 75mm f1.8 is $750. All of the native fixed aperture IS zooms are $1000+

The issue here though is that you can't compare aperture to aperture. Olympus lenses are relatively new and even though it only goes down to 1.8, it's tack sharp across the entire range. The nifty fifty on the other hand is, well cheap, but you have to stop it down for best performance and it's like two plus decades old. Then there's the bokeh.

If you're looking for cheap lenses, Olympus is the way to go since in-body stabilization makes their cheaper lenses even cheaper. The 40-150 was $99, the body cap can be had for under $50 , the Panasonic 14mm can be had on eBay for new for $180, and you have Sigma's 19/30mm primes for $99 each.

Quote from kojiro82 : Just an alternative. Amazon has the same kit with 55-250 IS II lens and a $150 bundle discount. 18-135 STM kit a Amazon starts at 859, lens is 232. So over the buydig price, you pay $141 for the 55-250 lens and you can throw in a 16GB sd card and lens cap.

how do you get the bundle special at Amazon?

So I'm just starting out as a CS / Film major in college and I'm trying to find a good camera / camcorder for film production. Would a good camcorder be better for good quality / semi - professional film production? or would a DSLR be better for the task? (or something else like gopro?)

off topic, I'll wait for Nikon d7100 price to come down to $1k and avoid to be their beta tester. I'm thrilled by 2x crop mode.

Quote from AESTHETiKS : So I'm just starting out as a CS / Film major in college and I'm trying to find a good camera / camcorder for film production. Would a good camcorder be better for good quality / semi - professional film production? or would a DSLR be better for the task? (or something else like gopro?)

For a film major with a sub-$1000 budget, a DSLR is the way to go. Even with the steep learning curve, the results will be worth it. There are a lot of artistic possibilities with a DSLR that a camcorder simply cannot match.

Camcorders are better suited for covering events, taking long duration videos without heating up, and novice friendliness.