Getting Our Ducks In a Row: Part 1

Months ago, I posted about our quest to find the perfect digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera. After buying trade magazines, watching way too many video tutorials, and searching endless websites, we decided that the Canon Rebel T3i was the one for us.

It's a solid entry level DSLR camera that should help us get our feet wet with taking digital pictures in manual settings, but not so basic that we will outgrow it in a year or two. (Hey, I did take a photography class in high school - granted, before digital cameras were around - but f/stops and apertures are not new terms to me. It's gotta be like riding a bike, right?)

We also loved that the Canon T3i can take video because, let's be honest, I am not gonna haul both a giant camera and video camera around. This way, if and when the twins start doing something adorable that needs to be captured on film for all eternity, I can switch from camera to movie mode in with the click of the dial.

So we were settled. All we had to do was wait two months for my birthday to roll around...

And when it finally did two months ago, I was paralyzed by indecision. Now lenses had entered the picture, and I wasn't sure if we should just buy the camera with the stock lens and upgrade as needed, or get a bundle that included a better lens.

Just to add to my camera crisis, our local Costco began selling DSLRs. They had bundles with the model above the T3i, the Canon 60D, and an older Rebel model, the T2i, for what seemed like great deals. (Check them out here and here.) And it's Costco, so we liked the idea that if we weren't happy, we could always return the camera within 90 days. We almost bought the 60D - Ryan was sold - but it just felt like too much camera for us, and it was more than I wanted to spend on a camera.

So another month went by sans camera, until, over the weekend, we finally pulled the trigger clicked the "buy" button!

We bought the T3i from Amazon with the stock lens. We figured we could get to know the camera before deciding which len(s) we wanted in the future. The camera and a high speed data card are coming this week, and I am thrilled! Maybe now I can finally take some decent photos of our smooth walls and my ever-growing baby bump.

So step one in getting ready for babies has been checked off the list. Now we just have to tackle the rest...

Any DSLR pros out there? What camera do you use? Any thoughts on the T3i? Any tips for this DSLR newbie (gear or setting advice)?