The new SLR in town - the Canon EOS 1200D

Image Source: Canon India

Canon has put itself into a challenge by bringing out this baby DSLR into the market. With its rivals, Nikon bringing out fully loaded entry level SLRs like D3200, D5200, will Canon live upto their customers' expectations? And this one is considered to be an update to the Canon EOS 1100D. But the question is, is the new Canon EOS 1200D a worth buy SLR for beginners? Let's take a look. 

This entry level DSLR comes in 2 different kit combinations - Kit I (with Canon 18-55) and Kit II (with Canon 18-55 and 55-250). Most of the customers remarked this Canon product as highly priced, with the body itself costing you Rs 30k! Moreover, beginners are into investing less on their first camera and that's one draw-back of this entry level DSLR.

The most striking feature I found is that this camera is app-enabled. The app gives you the complete guide on using your first SLR and also has pretty good challenges for you. The app is available to iOS and Android users.

Image Source: Flickr

You can capture sharp images with the 18 megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor. The Canon 1200D comes with a 3-inch screen which is not touch-responsive and is stationary, no swirling. Shooting in low-light has been brilliant with this one as you have an ISO range from 100-6400 (expandable to 12,800). It comes with an in-built flash, which can come in handy for beginners. The focusing has been decent but is a bit slow. 

Unlike, the Nikon entry level SLRs, this one lacks has only 5 creative filters, has got 9 AF points, and there's no mic feature for shooting videos. That puts the 1200D aka Rebel T5 one step below the Nikon SLRs. Though with Canon's wide lens-range, you can make most out of this one. 

I think the 1200D is ideal for shooting nature, landscape, macro, portraits and not fit for sports and action photography. Infact, the ratings for this product has been pretty low. If you have your budget fitted to buy this SLR with expensive lenses, then go for it! And one more thing. Instead of buying this one, with the same budget you can get better processor, faster burst-rate, larger screen, by buying the Canon EOS 100D. You can even look out for the Nikon SLRs. Also, take a look at the below video!

Beginners' Guide: Buying a Camera Kit

One of my blog readers asked me what's the best kit for a beginner. As a beginner, we all have that question in our minds. So, I am going to give you a guide on 'Buying a camera kit' and I will also show you what an ideal kit would consist of. 

There's a lot of things to look at before you invest money on a kit. A beginners' kit must be simple and of course the investment should be small. According to me, a beginners' kit must comprise of a SLR, 2 or more lenses, a tripod and a kit bag. Moreover, a beginner must invest in a cheap SLR and invest more in accessories. Now, let me consider myself in place of a beginner and I have about Rs 50,000 ($ 813) in my pocket. And I'm going to invest this in buying a kit for photography. Then, my kit would comprise of the following items:

1. Camera: Canon EOS 600D (Body only)

Source: Flipkart

Canon EOS 600D is one of the best entry level DSLR and I think it is one of the best budget DSLR for a beginner. The 600D is powered by an 18 megapixel CMOS sensor. Other key features of the camera is ISO 100-6400, expandable upto 12800, 9 AF points, Built in flash, HD video recording. These make the Canon EOS 600D a must buy camera for beginners. I have chose this camera after considering some facts, reviews, and more. You can also check out these cameras:

• Nikon D3200
• Nikon D5200
• Canon 1100D
• Sony Alpha A57

2. Lens 1: Tamron AF 18-200 mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro

Source: Flipkart

As a beginner, you need to have a zoom lens in your kit. I prefer the Tamron 18-200mm because it has a focal length from 18 to 200 mm. It even has a macro switch which will able you to shoot macro with this lens. This lens can be used for shooting portraits, landscapes, birds and animals, macro and more. I have chose this lens over the kit lenses like 18-55 mm or 18-135 mm because of its focal length and also for the fact that it costs about Rs 13,000. 

3. Lens 2: Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II lens

Source: Flipkart

I feel every beginner must have a prime lens in their kit. Prime lens are unlike zoom lenses as they have a fixed focal range i.e., you cannot zoom in and zoom out using this lens. You may be wondering, why this lens then? Let me tell you. Prime lens provide great image quality, wider aperture and better aperture compared to zoom lens. As you are not able to zoom in and out using this lens, you need to get close to your subject. This makes you think before you click. Eventually, this will help you develop your photography skills. The 50 mm is one of the basic prime lens and it costs around Rs 6000. You can shoot portrait, landscape, macro and more with this lens. Other prime lens for 600D:

• Canon EF 40 mm f/2.8 

4.  Tripod: Benro T-600EX

Source: Flipkart

According to me, tripods are a must in a beginners' kit. Tripods not only help you in shooting landscapes, waterfalls, lights, fast moving objects, star trails etc but also helps you to work with different exposures. With tripods you can make exciting images. Tripods makes understanding exposures easier. The Benro T-600EX costs about Rs 1500.

5. Camera bag: DigiFlip Wizard CB001 

Source: Flipkart

A photographer is always in move. So you need to have a suitable camera bag to hold your camera and its accessories. There are different camera bags in the market, but I have chose this considering the items I have. The DigiFlip Wizard camera bag cost around Rs 1ooo

This how I would make use of my budget to buy a beginners' kit. You can even invest in other accessories like UV filters, flash etc. Don't make the wrong move by investing most of your budget on the camera body and least on the accessories like lens. Choose your items wisely. Be patient. Take time, make a research on the items you are interested. Check out the reviews online and do check out the sample images. That's all I have to tell in this post. If you anything more to ask me, do comment below. Thanks for reading. 

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Beginners' Guide: Buying a Camera

If you are a beginner in photography and ready to buy a camera, then you are in the right place! Here, are some of the cameras which are very well suited for beginners. There is sufficient information about the camera you need to know. Only thing is choose the one which suits you the best..

One common mistake people do while buying their first camera is that they buy a professional and costly one. Instead of doing this, the person can invest money for a cheap SLR and a costly lens. Lens matters more than a camera! Take a look at some of the below cameras and their reviews.

1. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V

This camera is not a DSLR, but this compact camera has been outstanding in its performance. If you are new to photography and  usually take photos of distant objects(eg. bird photography), then this is the right choice. It's pictures are decent and Sony offers its best services.

Source: sony.co.in

 Key Features:

• 18.2 Megapixel
• 30X Optical Zoom
• 720p HD Quality Video Recording
• CMOS Sensor
• High speed Auto Focus

Price: Rs. 24,990

2. Canon EOS 1100D

This camera has been pretty outstanding in its performance and picture quality. If you are a Canon lover, then its ideal that you buy this camera and invest for a costly lens. This camera has much to offer and it is a Best Buy! 

Source: canon.co.in

Key Features:

• 12.2 Megapixel 
• CMOS Sensor
• ISO 100-3200, expandable to 6400
• 9-point cross-type AF System

Price: Rs 26,990 ( Body + Kit 18-55mm IS II)

3. Nikon D3200 

This camera too is outstanding in performance with stunning images. If your budget is around Rs. 50,000 then buy this SLR with a 18-105mm VR lens. This combination is ideal for beginners. This is the next version of Nikon D3100, which had amazed many photographers. Nikon has been raising its standards by offering new features like Wi-Fi onto DSLRs.

Source: nikon.co.in

Key Features:

• 24.2 Megapixel
• CMOS Sensor
• ISO 100-6400 
• 4 frames per second 

Price: Rs. 36,450 ( with AF-S 18-55mm VR lens)

If you are still not satisfied with these cameras then look out for these:

• Olympus Pen E-P3
• Olympus Pen E-PM1
• Olympus Pen E-PL3
• Canon PowerShot G10
• Canon 550D
• Nikon D5200
• Sony SLT-A37
• Sony SLT-A55

We will reviewing more cameras soon... Thanks for reading. Let us know if you have comments. Bye!

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Shoot colors like Canon!

I just love Canon SLRs for their colors, they are just splendid when it comes to colors. I am currently using a Nikon SLR but I wanted to shoot colors like Canon SLRs. After spending hours searching on Google I got a simple solution.

That simple solution was to turn your camera to Landscape Mode. This enables the camera to take stunning pictures with bright, vivid and exciting colors. I tried this and got good results. These are some of the images taken by this method.

This is just a simple solution. If I come to know about new and still better method, I'll do let you know! Thanks for reading.