How to Make Your Whites Whiter in Photography

When talking about getting the right colours in your photos the best place to start is to talk about white balance. If you don’t know what white balance is, how to adjust it on your camera, or why you would want to in the first place, then this article will help.

“Morning Strobe – Diana” captured by Khairil Faizi (Cloudy White Balance)

Adjusting the white balance in photos can make a huge difference in the visual experience. The correct white balance in a photo means that what you saw with your naked eye matches what is represented in the photo.

You may ask why the camera doesn’t automatically capture the same colours that you see. After all, you are looking at the same thing your camera is looking at, right? Wrong!

“Spyder Cube” captured by 707d3k (White Balance Adjusted on Right)

The human eye actually processes then adjusts the colours you see to take into account the type of light and conditions under which it is working. While some cameras have an auto feature that makes a guess as to the type of light, these cameras are yet to replicate the level of adjustment to light that the human eye is capable of. This simply means that different light sources produce different “colours” or “temperatures” of light. This is due to the different ways or extents to which they bend or make light (a lesson for another day perhaps!). What you need to know is how to correct some of the most frequently used types of light.

Thinking of the light as temperature may help you understand how to adjust the white balance. Like a room, if the photo is “cooler” (everything seems to have tints of blues, greens, or greys) then you are going to need to “heat up” the photo by adjusting the settings to warmer. The opposite is true if the photo is “warmer” (everything seems to have a tint of reds, pinks, oranges, or yellows).

Here are some of the basic types of light you may encounter. Most cameras have some or all of these settings. It may be worth checking your camera’s manual to find out more.

“Comparing White Balance” captured by Jacqui Barr

Tungsten

These are lights and lamps that use bulbs or incandescent light. If you’ve ever looked extra pink or maybe even orange in a photo, you probably took them with a few lamps on or next to bulb lights. The tungsten setting on your camera is usually identified with a light bulb. Using this will cool down this “warm” lighting.

“Lighting Comparison” captured by Kevin O’Mara (Tungsten vs. Auto White Balance)

Fluorescent

Fluorescent lights are what are usually used in industrial buildings such as schools or offices. The Fluorescent setting on your camera is usually identified with a rectangular light source with rays coming off the top and bottom. Much like the lights sometimes used in changing rooms, fluorescent lights can make your skin appear gray, green or bluish. Using the Fluorescent setting will warm up this “cool” lighting.

Daylight/Sunny

Daylight is not always a setting on every camera but if you have it the conditions can best be described as your normal setting. It is self-explanatory so we won’t waste time telling you anything other than, if you’re an adamant auto-setting user and find yourself standing in nice pleasant midday sun, give it a try. It’s always good to try it and see the difference between the two.

“Pink Flowers” captured by Malte Ahrens (Daylight White Balance)

Cloudy

Cloudy settings are usually cooler. The setting for cloudy days is very similar to the setting for fluorescent lights except cloudy days can require even more “warming up” than fluorescent lights.

“Empty Stare” captured by Khairil Faizi (Cloudy White Balance)

Flash

The Flash setting for white balance is symbolized by a bolt of lightning. It takes the cooler temperature of the burst of flash from your camera or an attached flash and warms it up. The flash setting warms up a cool situation and is somewhere between the daylight cool and the cooler cloudy day situation.

Shade

The shade setting for white balance is symbolized by a house with diagonal lines from the side to the ground next to it. This setting is typically the coolest of the setting and provides the most warming up of all the normal settings.

“Day 3 – Natural Light – ‘Shade’” captured by Elycia (Shade White Balance)

Manual Adjustments

Most cameras have preset white balance controls that will do the trick of making your whites whiter, but if you have a super fancy camera such as a DSLR or high end point and shoot you may have a manual adjustment for making your whites precisely white. Simply take a photo then select which part of the photo is supposed to be true white then the camera will make an adjustment. If you are shooting something like a wedding and want to make sure the whites look their whitest you can spend a little cash on some white (or gray) cards that you can photograph to make sure you’re actually photographing something that is true white. A cheaper option is to photograph a piece of white paper.

Exceptions to the Rules

Sometimes you may not want your whites to be exactly as you saw them. There is no rule that says you cannot use any of the settings for a different condition than it was intended. Using the opposite settings as recommended can intensify the colours making whites redder or bluer depending on which way you take them. Feel free to try it out!

About the Author:
Karyn Sailstad wrote this article on behalf of Koodibook (koodibook.com) which is designed to preserve and share memories in a unique way with photobook creation. The KoodibooK software allows users to access your photos quickly from wherever they are stored and use them to create photobooks that can be previewed in 3-D, published online and printed professionally.

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Nikon D500 versus D750: Which one is right for you?

Nikon D500 versus D750: Which one is right for you?

The Nikon D500 and D750 scored 91% and 90% respectively when we reviewed them. They both received gold awards. They’re about the same size, pretty much the same weight and currently, they both cost about the same amount of money, too. So if you’re a Nikon shooter looking to upgrade your camera, which one is right for you?

Join us, as we take a look at the main differences between the D500 and D750.

Sensor size

The largest difference – no pun intended – between the Nikon D750 and the D500 is in terms of sensor size. There’s a small disparity in resolution (the D750 offers 24MP whereas the D500 lags a little, at 21MP) but more significant is the fact that the D750’s sensor is full-frame. The D500, by contrast, is built around a smaller, DX format (APS-C) sensor, which introduces a 1.5X crop factor, meaning that a 50mm lens on the D500 offers a field of view equivalent to a 75mm lens on the D750.

Leaving aside the effect of the crop factor, typically, we’d expect full-frame sensors to offer better image quality in poor light, at high ISO sensitivity settings, and broader dynamic range, compared to APS-C and smaller sensors. The D500’s sensor is very good, but physics is physics, and at any given ISO sensitivity, the D750′ noise performance is about one stop better than the D500.

In terms of dynamic range, the D750 offers around 0.8EV more dynamic range at base ISO than the D500, which might not seem like a lot, but it’s enough to make a difference in some shooting scenarios (like the scene above, which was exposed in Raw mode for highlights, with shadows and mid-tones brightened in post). On the flip side, the D500 provides an electronic first curtain shutter option, which allows landscape photographers to ensure vibration-free images – something that can be a challenge with the D750. 

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Verdict: Both cameras offer excellent image quality, but if you need the extra dynamic range, the D750 is the best choice.

Crop factor

We’ve already mentioned the crop factor inherent to shooting with the DX-format D500, but there are other consequences of the smaller sensor. For one thing, it’s slightly harder to achieve shallow depth of field with APS-C sensors compared to full frame (you would need a 16mm F1.2 lens to achieve the same DoF as Rishi’s 24mm F1.8 FF shot above).

This is because an F1.4 lens on APS-C is equivalent in DoF terms to an F2.1 lens on full-frame (and so on – F2.8 becomes equivalent to F4.2, F4 becomes equivalent to F6…). This might not matter much in everyday shooting, but if you’re a fan of very shallow depth of field portraiture, the effect is both easier and cheaper to achieve on full-frame, if you consider the typical price (and size) difference between F1.4 primes and F1.8 equivalents. 

This is the reason why lens manufacturer Sigma introduced its 18-35mm and 50-100mm F1.8 zoom lenses – they’re intended to provide a fast maximum aperture for APS-C users equivalent to the unofficial professional standard F2.8 on full-frame. 

There is a plus side to shooting on a DX-format camera though – the 1.5X increase in effective focal length is very handy for telephoto shooting. 

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Verdict: If you need shallow DoF, go for the D750, if you want extra reach, the D500 is a better choice.

Lens choice (part 2)

Still on the topic of lenses, another thing to consider when weighing the D500 against the D750 is the fact that lenses designed specifically for the smaller APS-C format of the D500 won’t work very well on full-frame. Nikon’s DX and FX lens ranges are technically cross-compatible with all FX and DX format Nikon DSLRs, but most DX lenses vignette heavily on full-frame, greatly reducing the usable image area.

Also bear in mind that Nikon has a considerably better developed range of FX lenses than DX, and we strongly suspect that this won’t change any time soon. As such, given that FX lenses can be used without any technical limitations on DX, if you’re inclined towards the D500, you might still be better off investing in FX lenses – especially if you think you might move up to full-frame in future. The downside is that you might start off with some weird equivalent focal lengths (i.e., a 24-70mm will behave like a 36-105mm).

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Verdict: We’re calling this one a draw.

Speed

When it comes to speed, the D500 is a clear winner. In many respects a scaled-down D5, the D500 is significantly faster than the D750 and much better equipped to cope with the demands of action photography. A maximum frame rate of 10fps and seemingly infinite buffer (200 Raws) leaves the D750 in the dust.

It’s not just about frame rate though. The D500 (pictured above) can also accept faster XQD memory cards, capable of data transfer rates up to 8 Gbit/s.

 A USB 3.0 interface and 1/8000sec maximum shutter speed (compared to USB 2.0 and 1/4000 respectively) cement the D500’s action-shooting credentials.

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Verdict: D500 wins, by a mile.

Autofocus

It’s a similar story with autofocus. While the D750’s 51-point AF system is extremely capable, and more than a match for pretty much any competitor in the sub-pro full-frame market segment (including the D810), the D500’s AF system is in a different league.

The D500’s AF system features 153 AF points, of which 99 are cross-type. Of this total of 153, 55 points can be manually selected, and the center point is sensitive down to -4EV. The D500’s smaller sensor actually benefits its AF system, because it means that frame coverage is much broader than the D750 (and any other Nikon full-frame DSLR).

Combine an AF array that covers almost the entire imaging area with a huge degree of AF customization and 3D AF tracking (the D500’s 180,000-pixel RGB metering sensor significantly boosts the performance of an already market-leading system) and you get an autofocus powerhouse.

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Verdit: D500 wins.

Video

On paper, the D500 roundly beats the D750 in terms of video specification, thanks to the addition of 4K video – a feature that Nikon only offers on two DSLRs (the other being the flagship D5). But as good as the D500’s 4K output is, using this mode does come with one big limitation.

In 4K video mode, the D500’s crop factor increases from 1.5X to 2.25X. This is pretty limiting when shooting anything that requires a wide field of view, purely from the standpoint of finding a wide enough lens. Even Nikon’s super-wide 10-24mm DX format zoom becomes an pretty standard 23-55mm equiv. (with a maximum aperture equivalent to F8-10 in depth of field terms). In HD video mode, there’s not much to separate the two cameras. The D500 and D750 offer an extremely similar specification and deliver similar-looking video footage. The addition of a touchscreen on the D500 makes AF point positioning easier, but that’s about it (and bear in mind that AF in video mode is pretty poor on both cameras, so you might find that you don’t make use of this function much anyway), 

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Verdict: If you need 4K, go for the D500 – just make sure you have a wide enough lens.

Flash

Nikon is pitching the D500 as a ‘professional’ DSLR, despite its sub full-frame sensor. As such, like the flagship D5, it lacks a built-in flash. This cuts down on weight, and also means a theoretically increased resistance to dust and water incursion. The downside is – well, there’s no built-in flash.

We actually really like the small built-in flashes on cameras like the D750 and D810, not because they’re particularly useful as flashes, but because they can be used to wirelessly trigger groups of Speedlites off-camera. That’s conventional optical triggering, but unlike the D500, the D750 is not compatible with Nikon’s WR-A10 wireless controller ($ 200), which allows off-camera flashes to be radio triggered (important when line-of-sight won’t cut it).

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Verdict: D750’s built-in flash offers greater versatility (unless you need radio control), at the expense of reduced environmental sealing.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics and handling are pretty subjective. One person’s ideal control system might be maddeningly complex to someone else. Some people really like touchscreens, some people can’t see the point of them. Some members of the DPReview editorial team (who shall remain anonymous) actually like Olympus menu systems.

The point being – ergonomically, which of these two cameras is better depends on your personal preferences. Their basic control layout is extremely similar, but they do feel somewhat different in the hand. Despite its smaller sensor, the D500 is actually the larger, heavier (by more than 100g) of the two cameras. The D750 is surprisingly svelte for a full-frame camera, but the D500 feels like it could be used to bang in a few nails.

The D500 provides many more options for customization than the D750, available via a dedicated custom settings GUI. This makes it more versatile for a professional moving between different shooting scenarios.

It also offers a couple of other pretty major features that the D750 doesn’t: a touchscreen, and backlit controls. We’ve found the D500’s touchscreen invaluable for things like AF point positioning in live view (especially from awkward low angles) and backlit controls are a huge benefit if you do a lot of shooting at night. 

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Verdict: D500 offers more. A touchscreen, more customization and backlit buttons.

Nikon D500 versus D750: Which one is right for you?

So if you’ve got a couple of thousand dollars burning a hole in your pocket, which camera should you buy? 

The Nikon D750 (above) is one of our favorite DSLRs – ever. Its combination of refined handling, a highly capable autofocus system, a surprisingly small and light body and excellent image quality make it fantastic camera for everyday use. The D750 is one of those cameras that we consistently recommend to friends and family, and for most Nikon photographers, there are very few reasons to spend more on the D810.

But then along came the D500. It’s an APS-C format camera, but not only is it more ‘pro’ than any previous DX format DSLR from Nikon, but it outperforms most of the company’s full-frame DSLRs, too. The D500 is designed for heavy professional use, with an emphasis on speed and reliability. As we’d expect from a camera that shares so much with the flagship D5, the D500 is a real workhorse, and in many respects (shooting speed, autofocus, video spec, to name just the obvious things) it outmatches the D750, sometimes very significantly.

The D500 also offers 4K video, of course, but unless you really need it, we wouldn’t recommend deciding between these cameras purely on the basis of this feature. The aggressive 2.25X crop in 4K mode is pretty limiting, apart from anything else. 

Final verdict

At the end of the day, if it were our money, we’d probably recommend the D500 over the D750. For a photographer interested in capturing sports or fast-moving action it’s a no-brainer. The sheer speed and focus of the camera, combined with the telephoto-boosting 1.5X crop factor make it a superb tool for this kind of photography. And of course, if you can live with some awkward effective focal lengths, the D500 is fully compatible with all of Nikon’s current lenses. 

If you’re not a keen sports photographer, you don’t need 4K video, and you don’t mind not having quite the latest and greatest AF system – go for the D750. You won’t be disappointed.

• Read our full Nikon D500 review
• Read our full Nikon D750 review

Want to compare more cameras? Click here

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments.

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Twelve Ways to Improve Your Digital Landscapes

Number One: If you have read any of my previous photography guides then you probably know that I strongly recommend shooting in RAW format. Why is this so important? The answer simply boils down to control.

Shoot in Camera RAW Format

When you set your digital camera to automatically convert your images to JPEGs, you give up a great deal of processing control. Most digital cameras automatically apply sharpening, saturation, and tonal adjustments during the conversion process. The image is also compressed into an 8-bit file removing a great deal of the exposure latitude that you had with the original photograph (up to 16-bits for many cameras).

Essentially the camera automatically applies a standard set of processing routines to the image and then throws out roughly one third or more of the data during the compression process. The JPEG file format is destructible in that it compresses and recompresses the image (and thereby removing file information) each time it is saved. If you do shoot in JPEG format, be sure to save your processed files as PSDs or TIFFs to avoid additional compression and to retain all of your Photoshop layers.

Always be on the Lookout for New Locations

Number Two: It goes without saying that traveling to exotic locations around the world is an exciting part of landscape photography; however you can find just as many wonderful places to photograph in your own area. Success as a landscape photographer has a lot to do with preplanning and scouting out potentially new locations. Scenes that you photographed during the summer have a whole different look and feel during the fall. Whether you are out photographing a specific location or just driving through a new area on unrelated business, always be on the look out for hidden gems. This might be a little known area where eagles are feeding or an abandoned farm concealed by years of overgrown weeds and brambles. Even while I am out and about hanging out with my family and friends, I always have my eyes open for new places to work.

Shoot During Hours of Dawn and Dusk

Number Three: Many of my favorite images were taken during the golden hours of dawn and dusk. A successful landscape photographer is usually willing to get out of bed well before dawn or to stay out late into the evening to capture the beautiful light of the setting sun.

I have a good friend who is an exceptional landscape photographer. He recently paid a good deal of money to travel to exotic areas of South America with a small group of photographers. He told me that when they arrived at each location he was surprised to find many of the photographers in his group unwilling to get up early with him to work during the early hours of dawn. Imagine paying thousands of dollars to travel to exclusive parts of another country to photograph landscapes just to sleep in! Having this kind of discipline must extend beyond fancy trips to other countries. A good landscape photographer knows that dawn and dusk are two of the best periods of time during the day to capture exceptional landscapes. Take advantage of this as much as your schedule allows and try to establish a routine of going out early and/or staying out late. Whether you come back with beautiful images or not, you will always be rewarded with the wonderful solace that comes with watching the sunrise and sunset.

Arrive Early and be Ready

Number Four: Consider getting to your pre-selected location well in advance of the time you actually expect to shoot. Photography is a creative endeavor and should not be rushed. If you find yourself chasing the sunset or rushing to capture the sunrise at the last minute, you are missing the point! High quality landscape photography usually requires that you take a slow, methodical approach. I think that a lot of us fall into the trap of shooting off the hip and hoping that one of our shots will stand out.

Landscape photography should be creative and not mechanical. This is a little bit like going to an important business meeting where you have been selected as group’s main presenter. If you leave for the meeting late and rush into the conference room just as things are getting started, you are much more likely to give a dismal performance. In contrast, if you make an effort to arrive early, get your equipment setup, and take a few moments to collect your thoughts; you are much more likely to give a more impressionable and meaningful presentation. The same approach is true of landscape photography. Arrive early and give yourself plenty of time to transition into a creative mode.

Bracket Your Exposures

Number Five: When I worked with 35mm cameras, I was always conscious of how much film I was using. Between purchasing the high quality film I needed and then processing it later, it was always extremely expensive! Today with high-resolution digital single lens reflex cameras we have less to worry about when it comes to the cost per image (of course today’s DSLRs are generally more expensive that traditional SLRs were). Now there are fewer reasons to avoid bracketing your exposures.

In photography there is nothing more disappointing than to capture what you think was the perfect shot just to later find that it was improperly exposed or even out of focus. When you can, take the time to bracket your images. Bracketing also gives you a bit more creative latitude in processing by allowing you to use Photoshop CS2’s HDR feature to combine shots to increase an image’s total dynamic range. Even better than HDR is manually combining images that have been exposed for different areas of a scene and using layer masks to create a single photograph with additional dynamic range. For example, the image above is a composite of two shots: one exposed for the sky and the other exposed for the foreground. This could have only been accomplished by taking multiple photographs at different exposures; the total dynamic range was just too great in any single exposure.

Use a Tripod

Number Six: The reason for using a tripod might seem obvious on the surface. For me using a tripod goes beyond reducing camera shake and taking photographs at slower shutter speeds. I have found putting my camera on a tripod forces me to slow down and really examine my composition. It is so easy to just fire off a bunch of hand held shots without really thoughtfully looking at the composition. Intuitively most of us know what we are trying to achieve in a particular shot; however taking the extra time to setup your camera on a tripod can help you slow down and pay extra attention to composition. Remember that having a creative mindset is central to capturing high quality landscape images.

Keep in Mind the Rule of Thirds

Number Seven: Sure, rules are meant to be broken. This is especially true of rules that involve such a creative process as photography; however the Rule of Thirds is a pretty good standard to keep in mind. Push yourself to try out different ideas and compositions that may be outside your comfort zone or usual style. I estimate that 20% or fewer of my landscape images rise to a level of quality where I feel comfortable presenting them to others! With digital cameras and massive amounts of storage, you can have fun with your work and try out new ideas. You never know, you may like what you see!

Do Not Forget to Look Around

Number Eight: I have to constantly remind myself to look around my environment and to refrain from getting locked into a single perspective. What do I mean by this? How many times have you been photographing a spectacular scene just to look over and see an even better possibility? If you get too focused on one particular composition, you may miss opportunities for other equally or better photographs that are within walking distance of where you are shooting.

The classic example of when this seems to happen to me the most is when I am shooting directly into the rising sun (which can be wonderful for silhouette and high dynamic range landscapes). Occasionally I get so wrapped up in what I am seeing that I forget to look behind where I am standing (opposite the sunrise). Even after I setup my camera on a tripod and finalize a composition for the scene I am photographing; I still try to remember to move around and look for additional perspectives. I typically make a point to walk approximately 20-feet in all directions staying alert for additional ideas. My main point here is to suggest the importance of remaining open minded about the other possibilities that might exist and to avoid getting overly committed to just one perspective.

Shoot Often

Number Nine: This should be a no-brainer, but remember that you increase your odds of capturing outstanding landscape photographs if you go out in the field often and on a regular basis. If you are like me and have a real job during the day, you may only be able to get out a couple times a week. It is so easy to put off going out (especially early in the morning!) when you get busy with other aspects of life. Again, much of this boils down to discipline and creating good habits for shooting regularly. Even if you are facing poor weather conditions (e.g. gray sky, clouds, rain, etc.), push yourself to go out and shoot anyway. You never know, you might just come back with wonderful black and white images or beautiful photographs of a dramatic lightning storm.

Keep a Photo Diary

Number Ten: Keeping notes about your work in a small notebook or diary can be a useful way of remembering important details about a location or a series of photographs. This can include the direction you were looking while taking a particular shot, weather conditions, temperature, how you accessed a specific area, and any other unique information that you want to recall later on. It does not take very long before I forget unique little details about a series of images. Fortunately with EXIF data we do not have to worry about keeping track of exposure information, resolution, color space, and the time and date an image was taken; however taking note of some of the other details mentioned above can oftentimes be useful later on. These details can be added later to the EXIF file so that the information always stays with the image. Consider placing a small notebook and pen in your camera bag so that you are ready.

Recognize that You May Come Back Empty Handed

Number Eleven: This really does not qualify as tip as much as it is a state of mind. I used to get so frustrated going out to shoot landscapes just to come back with nothing (or only a couple of decent shots). I remember driving five hours to a hiking trail that I was sure would have a great deal of wildlife and landscape opportunities to photograph (from previous experience). When I arrived I spent two hours climbing to the top of a large peak that had a commanding view of the entire valley. After all the work and effort to get to the top, it started sprinkling and then eventually the conditions worsened to lighting and heavy rain (I was in shorts too!).

The deteriorating weather conditions forced me to hike back down and eventually drive home. I was so frustrated because in the end I was only able to capture a couple of decent shots. All of the wildlife had literally disappeared and the extremely poor weather conditions made for mediocre landscape photography at best. As I drove home I was struck by how I was trying so hard to force things to work that I had not truly enjoyed the experience. After considering it for a while (on my five hour ride back home) I came away with the realization that it was ok for me to come back empty handed once in a while.

Most of the time my hard work and discipline are rewarded and I capture wonderful landscape images, but sometimes I end up returning with nothing but another experience. I think as a landscape photographer you have to be ok with that and remember that sometimes you will strike out despite all your best efforts. Planning your outings, having some experience in photography, and taking the proper equipment are important factors, but the weather and conditions are-what-they-are when you arrive. You cannot control everything. Remember this and try to have fun!

Learn How to Use Photoshop or Lightroom

Number Twelve: As a film photographer, I worked very hard to make sure all of my shots were spot on. I was careful to use the appropriate film for the lighting conditions, to adjust my exposure and shutter speeds appropriately, and to take my negatives to well known and respected businesses for processing (if I was not doing it myself). After switching to a digital camera, it took me a while to grasp the significance Photoshop plays in this new era of photography. Going digital means that you (the photographer) are now in complete control of the processing. We have so much more power and latitude in Photoshop with digital images that we do not have while working with film in a traditional way. On average, I estimate that I spend 30-40% of my time composing and taking photographs in the field and 60-70% of my time later processing them in Photoshop. This means that a great deal more of my time is now spent in front of my computer than in the field. Having a basic understanding of how to use Photoshop can be the difference between simply a good image and a jaw-dropping, incredible one.

Please do not hear me suggest that you can stop worrying about exposure, shutter speed, and composition just because you can “Photoshop” away problems later on in processing. All of the basic principles of photography still apply. It is still important to work hard to get your shots “right” out of the camera, but we are now able to do so much more with the digital photographs in processing (especially if you shoot RAW images) than would have ever been possible just a few years ago. Even if you do not consider yourself technologically proficient or the complexity of Photoshop scares you, take the time to learn how to use a few of Photoshop’s basic processing tools and develop a consistent digital workflow. This means gaining familiarity with using adjustment layers for levels, curves, saturation, channel mixer, and others. Layer masks also provide an incredible amount of control in processing selective areas of a photograph.

There are so many free resources available on the Internet to learn from that there are really no excuses for not becoming familiar with Photoshop. If you are a visual learner, look for free video tutorials; if you like to take a slower approach, look for written guides like this one. You might also consider purchasing a book or two on using some of the basic photo processing tools offered in Photoshop from a local bookstore (can you say Half Price Books!).

About the Author
Steve Paxton currently lives with his wife and two children in the Seattle area. Steve has been a photographer for over ten years and has spent most of that time shooting with a variety of Canon 35mm cameras. His experience ranges from wedding and portrait work to crime scene photography; although he particularly enjoys the solitude of shooting landscapes. Check out the PDF version of this article.

Steve always welcomes comments and feedback on his work. You can leave a comment on his website at www.paxtonprints.com.

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Choosing an Entry-Level Canon DSLR Camera

If you are buying your first DSLR camera, the available options that are out there can be pretty overwhelming. In this article, I’d like to walk you through the important similarities and differences between a few of Canon’s entry level DSLR cameras, currently the Canon EOS Rebel SL1, Canon EOS Rebel T5, Canon EOS Rebel T5i and Canon EOS Rebel T6i. While this won’t be an in-depth technical review, it will be a practical, hands on review that should give you enough information to make an informed decision about which of these cameras will work the best for your current needs.

1) How I Reviewed The Cameras

The way that I reviewed these cameras is by actually taking them out and using them. I walked around and photographed scenes that caught my eye. When I needed to test particular aspects of the cameras, I found scenes that worked for what I needed to know. I almost primarily used aperture and shutter priority modes so that I could get a good feel for how capable the camera’s light metering system was (although there were a few occasions when I used manual mode). I only used the kit lens that came with the camera or the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens. All images were shot in the RAW format and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Canon EOS REBEL T5i + EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 55mm, ISO 100, 1/125, f/5.6

2) Technical Specifications

When it comes to comparing DSLRs, most significant differences can usually be spotted when comparing the technical specs. I’m not going to list all of the specs for these cameras here, as they’re almost identical and won’t really have any impact on your experience while using them. I will list the most important specs and any that differ between the models (with the better specs shaded darker blue).

Camera Feature	Canon SL1	Canon T5	Canon T5i	Canon T6i
Sensor Resolution	18 Million	18 Million	18 Million	24.2 Million
Max Image Resolution	5184×3456	5184×3456	5184×3456	6000×4000
Autofocus Points	9	9	9, 9 cross-type, center dual-cross	19, 19 cross-type
Viewfinder Magnification	Approx 0.87x	Approx 0.8x	Approx 0.87x	Approx 0.82x
Display Screen	3 inch Rear LCD, touch	3 inch Rear LCD	3 inch Rear LCD, touch/swivel	3 inch Rear LCD, touch/swivel
ISO Sensitivity	100-12,800	100-6400	100-12,800	100-12,800
Metering Modes	Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Center-Weighted	Evaluative, Partial, Center-Weighted	Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Center-Weighted	Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Center-Weighted
Continuous Shooting Rate	4 fps	3 fps	5 fps	5 fps
WiFi Capable	No	No	No	Yes
Weight (Body)	370 g	434 g	525 g	555 g

3) Real World Use

Let me start out by saying that for my professional photography I use a Nikon D810. I shoot in manual mode and only use prime (non-zoom) lenses. This matters because shooting with these cameras and a zoom lens was so much different than what I’m used to. Since I’m a Nikon guy, using a Canon took a bit of getting used to, so how intuitive and user-friendly these cameras are really made a big difference.

The only significant changes I made to the camera settings before I started using them was to set them to shoot in RAW (by default they are set to capture JPEG images). Everything else remained unchanged from the factory settings.

3.1) First Impressions

The biggest difference between these four cameras is found in the size of the SL1 compared to the others. It is by far the smallest camera. This makes it the lightest camera, but for my hands it felt way too small. I did find that I could easily stick it in my jacket pocket, which is something that I can’t say about any of the other cameras I reviewed, so if having a small, portable DSLR is important to you, you might consider the SL1.

All of the cameras have a similar menu system and information display. The T5i and T6i have a better button configuration and both have a dedicated ISO button on the top of the camera (the T5 has it on the back and the only way to change ISO on the SL1 is through a menu setting). The T5i and T6i also both have buttons that are more tactile, which makes a big difference when you want to change settings without having to look at the camera.

Both the T5i and T6i also have swiveling rear LCD screens. I have personally never owned a camera with this feature before, so I was excited to try it out. All of the cameras except for the T5 also have touch screens. To my surprise, I found myself occasionally using this feature to quickly make selections and change settings.

3.2.1) Hands On Use: Handling

Once I started using the cameras, I found it hard to tell the difference between the T5, T5i and T6i. Of course, the SL1 stuck out like a sore thumb because it is so much smaller than the other bodies and has more of it’s controls buried in menus versus having dedicated buttons on the camera body itself. The T5 is smaller than the T5i, especially in the grip. If you’re doing a lot of shooting and have larger hands, this is going to be a big deal. The T5i and T6i are roughly the same size (although the T6i is a bit larger).

As I mentioned, the menus in all of the cameras are very similar. Of course, the T6i has a lot more options than the SL1 (it’s a more advanced camera), but navigating the menus feels exactly the same. Navigating through images that I’d taken also felt very similar across all of the cameras. They are all responsive while zooming in on and scrolling through images.The T5 has a lower-resolution screen, so images don’t look nearly as clear or vibrant on it compared to the other three cameras.

Canon EOS Rebel T6i + EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 18mm, ISO 100, 1/800, f/5.6

3.2.2) Hands On Use: Shooting

A big difference between these cameras is the kit lens that comes with each camera. All of the lenses have the same focal length range (18-55mm) and have IS (image stabilization), which can help you to capture sharper images in low-light situations. The T5 has Canon’s older 18-55mm IS II kit lens, while the other three cameras have Canon’s newer 18-55mm IS STM kit lens. I found the newer lens to be both quieter and faster at acquiring focus than the older lens. The image quality did not seem to change between the different lens models.

If you want to get a different look in your images while using the same camera, you might consider buying a new lens as well. A lightweight, inexpensive lens like the Canon 50mm f/1.8 can completely change the look of your images. For example, take a look at this image. It would be impossible to create with the kit lens.

Canon EOS REBEL T5 + EF50mm f/1.8 II @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/250, f/1.8

Not only does a lens like this give you the capability to create different looking images, but (much like IS) it also allows you to photograph in low-light situations without raising your ISO. How does it do that? It has a larger aperture than your kit lens, which lets more light into the camera (you can read more about what an aperture is here). So why do I even bother showing you images like this when they’re not something that the basic camera+kit lens can create? To show you that, by simply changing lenses, these cameras are capable of creating images like you’ve never created before!

Canon EOS REBEL SL1 + EF50mm f/1.8 II @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/640, f/2.8

If you tend to shoot bursts of RAW images (maybe of action or a once in a lifetime moment), you’ll appreciate the slightly faster frame rate of the T5i and T6i. Not only do they capture images faster, but they also write them to the memory card more quickly. I tested all four cameras and here’s how they stacked up:

– T5: The slowest all around. It has the slowest frame rate (3 fps), as well as the smallest buffer (6 RAW images before it filled up).
– SL1: Has a faster frame rate (4 fps) and can shoot 8 RAW images before the buffer fills up.
– T6i: Ties for the fastest frame rate (5 fps) and can shoot 7 RAW images before the buffer fills up.
– T5i: Ties for the fastest frame rate (5 fps) and can shoot 8 RAW images before the buffer fills up.

You’ll notice that the T6i’s buffer fills up faster than the T5i’s, which is no surprise since it has a higher resolution sensor than the other three cameras. To get the best performance out of this camera, you’ll want to be sure to use fast memory cards if you plan to shoot bursts of images.

What about focus with moving subjects? If you have children or pets you plan on photographing, this can be an important feature of any camera you plan to purchase. I tested them out at a parade and on my cat walking towards me and, surprisingly, all of the cameras did a decent job at tracking and photographing motion. Of course, your results may vary depending on the lighting conditions and how fast your subject is moving, but based on my experience you should be able to photograph slowly moving subjects with any of these cameras.

Canon EOS REBEL T5i + EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 55mm, ISO 100, 1/400, f/5.6

3.3) Other Features

As I mentioned earlier, the T5i and T6i have rear LCD screens that tilt and swivel. I took the T5i to a parade and found myself using the tilt function of the screen quite a bit while trying to photograph over the heads of people who were standing in front of me. Unfortunately, that also meant I was shooting with live view, which meant the focusing system was slower to acquire focus, especially on moving subjects. I did end up missing many shots, either because the image was out of focus or the camera simply never took a photo because it couldn’t acquire focus.

One feature that the T6i has that the others do not is built in Wi-Fi capability. After downloading the Canon Camera Connect app to my iPhone, I was able to use my phone to view the images on the memory card, download them to my phone and even use my phone to remotely change the camera settings and take photos!

4) Image Quality

As for overall image quality, I couldn’t really tell any difference between cameras while editing properly exposed images. Surprisingly, they all seem to have similar light metering and dynamic range capabilities. I found I was able to recover comparable amounts of shadow and highlight information from similar images taken by each camera. I did notice that when photographing the exact same scene with all four cameras set to Program Mode, the SL1 tended to miss the correct exposure more often than the other three cameras did.

An important factor for cameras is their high ISO performance. While the SL1, T5i and T6i max out their normal ISO rage at ISO 12,800, the T5’s limit is ISO 6400. When shooting at ISO 6400, they all perform similarly. When I took the SL1, T5i and T6i up to ISO 12,800, it definitely increased the noise in the images, but it’s nice to know the reach is there if you ever need it, as the images definitely were not unusable. Personally, I’d try to keep the ISO at 3200 or below on any of these cameras, but in a pinch feel free to use the full ISO range on any of them.

Another important test of a camera’s sensor is how well you’re able to recover an underexposed image shot at high ISO. To test this, I underexposed the same scene by 2 stops with each camera while shooting at ISO 6400. After using Lightroom to adjust the exposure to the correct value, only the T6i produced acceptable results. The other three demonstrated color shifts and extreme noise.

5) Overall Thoughts

At the end of the day, the T5 is the only camera out of these four that I would not recommend. When comparing it to the other models, it’s obvious that it simply has older technology and is less capable than the other three. Those other three cameras (SL1, T5i and T6i) are all capable cameras and fill different needs. They’re easy to use, produce great images and are relatively inexpensive.

To get even more out of a camera like this, using a lens like the 50mm f/1.8 will give you the ability to photograph in even lower-light conditions than the kit lens’ built-in IS, while at the same time giving your images a completely different look due to the shallow depth of field made possible by shooting at an aperture of f/1.8. This combo (kit lens + 50mm lens) has gotten many photographers (myself included) started down the enjoyable path of photography.

That’s not to say that these cameras are perfect. Of course, being entry level cameras, they don’t have the more advanced features that more expensive cameras have. They also don’t have any of the ruggedness that more expensive, professional grade cameras have. That means you’ll have to be careful around bad weather and rugged conditions to protect them from getting wet or banged around.

6) Additional Images

Here’s a few additional images for you to look over before getting to the conclusion. As always, be sure to click on them for the best image quality.

Canon EOS REBEL T5 + EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II @ 18mm, ISO 100, 1/100, f/3.5

Canon EOS REBEL T5i + EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 18mm, ISO 100, 1/250, f/5.6

Canon EOS REBEL T5 + EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II @ 18mm, ISO 100, 1/320, f/5.6

Canon EOS REBEL T5i + EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 24mm, ISO 100, 1/320, f/5.6

Canon EOS REBEL T5 + EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II @ 24mm, ISO 100, 1/250, f/5.6

Canon EOS REBEL T5i + EF50mm f/1.8 II @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/4000, f/2.8

Canon EOS REBEL T5i + EF50mm f/1.8 II @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/3200, f/2.8

Canon EOS REBEL T5 + EF50mm f/1.8 II @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/2000, f/2.8

Canon EOS Rebel T6i + EF50mm f/1.8 II @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/1600, f/2.8

Canon EOS REBEL T5i + EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 27mm, ISO 200, 1/2500, f/4.0

Canon EOS REBEL T5 + EF50mm f/1.8 II @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/60, f/1.8

Canon EOS REBEL T5 + EF50mm f/1.8 II @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/320, f/1.8

Canon EOS Rebel T6i + EF50mm f/1.8 II @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/1600, f/2.8

Canon EOS Rebel T6i + EF50mm f/1.8 II @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/1250, f/2.8

Canon EOS Rebel T6i + EF50mm f/1.8 II @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/250, f/2.8

Canon EOS Rebel T6i + EF50mm f/1.8 II @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/2000, f/2.8

Canon EOS REBEL SL1 + EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 18mm, ISO 400, 1/13, f/5.6

Canon EOS REBEL SL1 + EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 18mm, ISO 100, 1/1000, f/5.6

Canon EOS REBEL SL1 + EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM @ 18mm, ISO 100, 1/500, f/5.6

7) Conclusion

If you’re buying your first DSLR, one of these cameras is going to work great for you. While all of them have similar image quality, they do have their differences as well.

If you want something small, lightweight and inexpensive, you can’t go wrong with the SL1. It is a very capable camera, but still very user friendly. Although the T5 does cost less, it’s not as capable of a camera simply due to it being older.

If you want a larger, more advanced camera than the SL1, but don’t want to spend extra money for features like Wi-Fi and a higher resolution sensor, the T5i might be a great choice for you. Of course, if you want the latest technology and a high resolution sensor, the T6i would be the camera for you.

I can’t recommend purchasing the T5. Although it is currently the least expensive of these four cameras, it is also the least capable. On paper it is more advanced than the SL1, but it will ultimately limit your photography more than even the basic yet newer, more capable SL1 will.

For full camera specifications, current pricing or to purchase a camera, please visit the B&H website:
Canon EOS Rebel SL1
Canon EOS Rebel T5
Canon EOS Rebel T5i
Canon EOS Rebel T6i
Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM lens

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