Bought a camera, need suggestions--questions in post #15

[mickeymaker2003]

My husband wants a digital SLR for Christmas. My budget is approx $600ish (but I have some wiggle room). I think he likes Nikon because that is what all of his friends have (so they'd be able to help him learn it and maybe borrow lenses). What would you recommend? How much more would it cost to get something with live view?

Also, we have the chance to get a used 70-300 VR Nikon lens with a Tamron case for $300. I see it is $466 on amazon. Is that a good price for a used lens and will it be worth having? My husband would buy that out of his 'fun money' so it wouldn't need to be included in my budget.

All help would be appreciated. Thank you!

Update: I have update post 15 with which camera we got and have some questions I am hoping you can help me with.....

 

[ukcatfan]

For live view and Nikon, I believe you are looking at ~$1K. Also, be aware that live view on a DSLR is not the same as what you are used to on a p&s. It really is a gimmick feature at this point and mainly useful for tripod work or difficult angles where you cannot see through the viewfinder.

 

[YesDear]

I agree that the Live view is not a viable use all the time feature on Nikon's. I have a D300 that has it and have turned it on once. It uses a different exposure system and on an on. It would be a great tool if you are using a tripod and have a weird angle to need to see through the viewfinder.

 

[mickeymaker2003]

Thanks for the advice on the live view... I think it is an extra we will be skipping for now.

Any input on if the 70-300 VR lens would be a good addition?

Thank you!

 

[My2Girls66]

I have the 70-300vr- love it! I think it would be a great addition.

 

[annnewjerz]

Lots of people on this board have the 70-300mm and love it. That being said, I would always be cautious when buying from a third party, especially a used lens. Even though the lens is less than $300, it could still be a $300 waste if you get a bad copy of the lens, get a lens that is not in the described condition, etc. That being said, you may end up getting a steal at $300 and find out the lens is perfectly acceptable.

If you want to buy from a reputable reseller, many DISers have recommended KEH.com and have given very good feedback about the lenses they have purchased.

Good luck and happy shopping!
Ann

 

[My2Girls66]

Is the lens from someone you know?
As far as cameras check out B&Hphoto, beachcamera.com etc.. for prices. Right now at beach for example- the D40 w/18-55mm lens is $419. D80 w/18-135mm lens is $782. D60 w/18-55mmVR and 55-200mmVR is $729- the D90 is $1195 w/18-105mmVR lens(it has live view)all free shipping and free 4GB card. It is a good idea to hold the different models to see which is more comfortable. D40, D60, D40x are a bit smaller than the D50,D80,D90.
Good luck!

 

[mickeymaker2003]

The lens is listed on our local craigslist. It has the original box and I am going to ask if it has the original reciept and/or the warranty information. We would bring a body (even if we have to borrow one from a friend) to try it before we purchase it. I never thought about it being bad....

 

[My2Girls66]

As long as you can test it out I don't see a problem with buying used. Maybe someone can give you an idea what to look for besides the obvious dents, scratches etc...

 

[mickeymaker2003]

OP here. I made arrangements to go (40 miles) to pick up that lens (75-300 VR) today. The person said they'd be home after 3 and they would give me directions when I told them I was on the way. I left early to go shopping in a nearby town, but the person never answered their phone and it kept going directly to voicemail. So, 4 hours after I should have been able to get it, I gave up and went home. I emailed the seller and hope to hear from them tomorrow.

I did find out that the seller was using the lens with a film camera for his son's sporting events and he decided he didn't like how the pictures were turning out in the lighting where the events were, so he bought a P&S with a large zoom instead.

We decided on a camera. We bought a new Nikon D90 from a Nikon Authorized Dealer on ebay. It comes with the 18-105 VR lens. We got $200 off using live.com's cashback (or at least we will in 60 dayss) and I had a $100 coupon code for one electronics item from ebay and paypal, so it will end up being about $900 total (so about $270 more than the D60 with 18-55 VR lens if I bought it locally). This was more than my original plan, but my husband wanted to be able to do the movies and have the live view. He played with a D60 from Sam's Club that was $579 plus tax and decided he'd rather get no TV for the bedroom and the D90 instead. I figured I'd be better off paying more now, than have him wanting to upgrade in a few months and have to buy a new body and try to sell a used D60. He's all about the toys... One of his friends is getting a D300 for Christmas--I guess I should be happy he didn't ask for that!

I hope we chose well.....

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

We bought a new Nikon D90 from a Nikon Authorized Dealer on ebay. It comes with the 18-105 VR lens. We got $200 off using live.com's cashback (or at least we will in 60 dayss) and I had a $100 coupon code for one electronics item from ebay and paypal, so it will end up being about $900 total (so about $270 more than the D60 with 18-55 VR lens if I bought it locally).

Hi Can you tell me how that Live.com rebate thing works?

 

[saturndb]

Hi Can you tell me how that Live.com rebate thing works?

Here you go..

http://search.live.com/cashback/howToUse

 

[My2Girls66]

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Thanks Saturndb!

 

[mickeymaker2003]

I bought him a D90 kit with an 18-105 VR lens, a 70-300 VR lens, and 3 4MB Sandisk Extreme III SD cards with the 30mb/s write speed. All of it is new from a Nikon Authorized Dealer, so it all has a full warranty. I used the live.com cashback program for all of it, plus a paypal coupon, and there is a $60 rebate on the memory cards. So, as long as I get the rebate and the cashback as scheduled, the total cost will be $1296. My husband contributed the $300 he was going to spend on the used lens (which we didn't buy) from his "fun money" he makes fixing other people's computers. I went $400 over my original plan, but got a better body, a larger kit lens, 3 4GB high speed memory cards, and a new 70-300 VR lens instead of a used one.

We have a case from a video camera that will hold all of it. My mom and dad are going to give him a Nikon battery for Christmas--probably from Amazon.com (but as far as he knows, we aren't getting a spare battery yet because we spent more on the camera).

What else do we need to get started? Which things (book, filter, accessories) would be the most helpful? I am planning to buy a little for each gift-giving occassion.

 

[My2Girls66]

Sounds like a great start!!
Many people recommend books by Bryan Peterson and Scott Kelby. I have Understanding Exposure and Understanding Shutter Speed by Bryan Peterson and Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Books 1 & 2. All are excellent and easy to understand.

 

[annnewjerz]

A new strap. If he plans on wearing the camera around his neck for any extended period, he will find that while it isn't extremely uncomfortable, the standard Nikon strap that is included is also not the most comfortable. For $15 or less you can get an Op/Tech strap made with neoprene. I got one for my D60 and haven't taken it off since I put it on a few months ago.

Here is a link to the one I got.

http://www.amazon.com/37012-Strap-C...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1227122921&sr=8-1

You may also want to look into an external hard drive. Now that he will be taking pictures with much larger file sizes, he will need more space to store them. Blank DVDs may also make a nice stocking stuffer or small gift.

I just purchased my first external hard drive after lots of research and opinions from fellow DISers, a Seagate 500GB FreeAgent. Many people would recommend having two hard drives, but if that's not in the budget one is better than none! I got mine for $80 or so with free shipping and I just saw that Office Depot will have this same one on sale on Black Friday for $70, if there is a store around you.

Another good cheap thing to buy would be some sort of lens cleaner, whether it's microfiber clothes or a "lens pen." I bought the Nikon Lens Cleaning Pen from Amazon.com for something like $5-$10 and really like it so far. We have lots of animals so it's good for getting the stray hair/dust off of the lens, or off of the lens cap if it's been in my pocket. I also like the end with the cleaning solution and little scrubber thing for giving the LCD screeen a good cleaning here and there. My nose presses against it everytime I take pictures, so after a few days of it getting smudgy and wiping it with my hand or shirt, I take out the pen it makes it look good as new! Here's the link for that.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006JN3G/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=