Digital SLR recommendations?
polycounter lvl 18
Hey guys,for xmas i am planning on buying a digital SLR and i was wondering what suggestions you guys have. Ive never owned a good proper camera so i was wondering what are must have options,good brands vs shit brands .
My price range is $500-550 dollars,preferably with a lens included. Doesnt have to be the lastest and greatest mind you,older models are fine as long as the camera is good. 10-12 megapixel range.
My price range is $500-550 dollars,preferably with a lens included. Doesnt have to be the lastest and greatest mind you,older models are fine as long as the camera is good. 10-12 megapixel range.
Replies
The only downside is that it doesn't have a built in lens motor. So if you want autofocus, you have to buy lenses that have a motor built in. The default lens has a motor, though, so it's good to start with. I have 2 lenses with motors and 1 big one without a motor. TBH, I actually enjoy shooting with the non motorized lens. Manual focus offers a lot of flexibility on the shot, and has resulted in some of my favorite pics.
Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera .
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Canon-10-1MP-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6/dp/B001CBKJGG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1228400314&sr=1-2[/ame]
Hmm thats a good point about the sturdiness,i suppose when i go xmas shopping this weekend ill see if i can fine mt top 2 picks and pick em up and check them out.
Anyway,
I think its good to start with a smaller camera. Get to know a SLR, because it takes some time to get it under control.
(I have a nikon d200 + a lens thats more then your budget alone, but i cant use it like its supposed to, therefor even a small sony cybershot can get you better photos.)
I dont have much exp with manny different types of cameras, but i can tell you that nikon is great.
The d40x is the replacer of the d40, they removed some flaws from what i read.
Its probably a good cam to start with.
"i wouldnt mind a manual focus really"
You'll get back on this when you go to sport events
oh and indeed, make a list of a couple cams you like, and go over reviews to sort out wich one you should go for. (its a real jungle)
This one looks good as well,its listed as 530 usd at amazon. It doesent seem to ave auto focus but has a new electronic rangefinder to help with non motorized lens.
Hmm they do seem to have alot of neat features but i dont like the fact they use AA batteries but they are weather sealed and thats a plus especially in Danish winter weather.But i dont know i can see advantages in having AA batteris instead of a rechargeable built in battery like being able to find replacement batteries in in store you can imagine.Shake reduction i like. Alot of reviewers say its quite sturdy which is good for such a clumsy oaf like me.
Thanks for the suggestion.
EDIT: Silly noob questions,are lenses for each brand of camera unique or could you use a lens of a different maker on a DSR?
Here's a list of various lens mounts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lens_mounts
Nikon lenses dont fit on canon, vice versa.
Average amount of pics you shoot before your battery drain? Rough estimate?
The big telelens drains the battery fast when using autofocus, with this continuesly going, i can take around 300 pics. Thats being busy for 4 hours straight. ( think i once drained it in an hour, this was in france, alot of butterflies and i just kept going full throttle)
It also depends on what you photograph.
Nature photos mostly take alot of waiting, but when you shoot, you easily take 25 shots a minute. because you can.. and the more the better. You'll always end up with some unsharp ones, or things that you just have to keep clicking because you only have a few seconds to get it.
Going wild means out of juice soon, but taking it to the zoo or just going out and grab some shots wont even drain half of it.
The battery on the d200 lasts alot less then manny other cams from nikon, so no worries about that.
also buying a second battery for when you know youll go out and use it like you should, aint a bad idea, things dont cost that much, and this way you dont have to worry about wasting your battery.
Do the betteries drain if camera is off?
Also saw your website,nice aminal pics
Sweet thread, JO420
-caseyjones
all of those photos can still be pimped up a bit.
its funny that nikon says "stunning photography is just a step away"
i mean, its the shit! but getting good resolds aint as easy as it sounds :S
(or i just suck, i know a photographer around here who has alot of canon pro stuff, hope to try that out sometime soon. see if im fucking up or that it is the equipment)
if you guys go for a d40, consider putting in abit mo money and get a d60, d90.
i wanted a good cam, and if i allready spended like 700, why not put in 300 more and buy a big fella.
"I like the fact its made of stainless steel"
i dont think this matters that much, if you drop it, its fucked. only thing this will give you is more weight to carry, and walking hours with it aint fun.
oh and if you turn it off, it always stays on in some way, but no it hardly drains, can keep it off for a month and hardly anything happens.
one more thing, AA batteries is not an option with a SLR.
I bought an extra battery for it too, but so far I've never needed to swap it when out.
I've always settled for a point and click camera, but a lot of the time it doesn't give me the result I'm after. I've used a digital SLR a few times (lower end ones) and just really like the feel of it and the results I get.
Because I won't be using it every waking second, I don't really know if I should be investing in a D60 or D90. But I also don't want to regret not getting to higher end after a few months because I am using it more and would have liked those extra features.
I think some more research is in order :P
-caseyjones
Great reviews and examples of photos taken with the different models. Nikon, Canon and Olympus have creat SLR cameras. Is very difficult to recommend one model and one brand, all depends on your budget and the affordable models for it.
excelente y gracias great site! It will be useful in picking one over the weekend. I have to wait 3-4 days while my wire transfer goes through to my US bank account so this site will be useful in my desicion process. It looks like its a good time to buy too due to the crap economy,in the last few days ive seen the cameras i was looking at drop in price. Pentax d200 is already below the $500 mark. Maybe by monday or Tuesday it shall be less.
Also,memory cards,all the same or are there differences in quality?
And also the quality between cards from an A brand to b, c
I use a scandisk extreme IV, 2GB card, around 60 bucks at the time i bought it.
leaves me room for 335 big/fine .jpg photos (3,5mb each)
or around 80 RAW, non compressed photos, (around 35mb each i think)
Its even better to go for a 4GB because you will run out fast if you shoot RAW, even 335 is not that much when you do a bit of shooting.
Dont save money on this, just get a good quality card.
What also is nice to get is a protection disk for your lens, its a glasscover you screw on (instead of a filter, its a clear disk).
If anything gets on the lens, or you managed to scrach it, you dont have to worry about it, plus you can take it off and clean it properly. These things are ... 10 / 20 bucks.
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-SDSDRX3-4096-A21-Retail-Package/dp/B000OFWJO6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=pc&qid=1228480738&sr=1-7[/ame]
San disk extreme 3 4gb is what im looking to buy with it .
and i went with the...
Thanks alot for all of the helpful suggestions guys.
Cheers
I have never heard of pentax, so im pretty curious what you think of it.
Rens, Pentax seems to be a very well known brand here in Australia (I'm not sure what its like in other countries), so I'm a little surprised you've never heard of it.
-caseyjones
its probably a pretty common name overhere aswell,
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=29880125
A shame i have to wait until the 20th of December to pick up my camera when i visit my family in America,internet was supposed to be for the impaitient
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/588821-REG/Nikon__D60_SLR_Digital_Camera.html
(I have the D60 and I love it to bits).
Do youself a favor and pick up this lens.
I've got a Pentax *istDS and love it- super tiny, especially with the pentax pancake lenses. The above lens is a great complement to the kit lens, and the DOF and low light shooting is awesome. It's a fixed lens (no zoom) but 50mm is good for most portrait stuff, and it'll force you to move around for your framing.
Thats exactly the lens i purchased,takes really nice/crisp pics.
So far i have had the camera in hand for 2 days and im reading the manual and experimenting with the camera.
The very first pic i took with my new camera of a glass stature at my parents home.