Camera advice?

[MisguidedSabrina]

i'm looking into upgrading from a point & shoot to an SLR.
I was thinking about the Nikon D3000 because i've heard it was a good camera to start with. My only concern is the 10MP. Will it still take good pictures with that. I am very pleased with the 14MP on my sony cybershot point & shoot.
Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[HPS3]

I wouldn't worry about the megapixel hype. My brother has a D60 and it takes great photos. The one thing you will notice is more noise(grain) at a lower ISO.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I've seen 4mp shots that would make you weep for their beauty. 10mp will be more than enough.

 

[photo_chick]

Any DSLR out there right now will be a good camera. And megapixels are almost a non issue these days as far as I'm concerned.

 

[gundo870]

Ditto on the mp. 4 mp is usually all one needs unless you are going to blow up a photo poster size.

My tip is to get a descent body, but focus on buying great glass. It's all in the lenses!

Camera body on all brands, especially the past 10 years, get replaced in one to three years because technology is always changing. However, lenses do not get replaced nearly as often.

Since you are looking a Nikon thumbsup2), I suggest you should check out Nikon Cafe for Nikon specific information, photos and users regarding their equipment.

I also suggest trying to shoot with some primes. (ie 35mm or 50mm) Kit lenses usually start at f3.5 or around there, but the primes suggested are f1.8. This will help shooting in low light and with give your photos a shallow depth of field (AKA- Bokeh) when shot wide open.

Above all, have fun shooting!!!

 

[ukcatfan]

I also suggest trying to shoot with some primes. (ie 35mm or 50mm) Kit lenses usually start at f3.5 or around there, but the primes suggested are f1.8. This will help shooting in low light and with give your photos a shallow depth of field (AKA- Bokeh) when shot wide open.

Since you have no idea on what the OP wants to shoot, how could you possibly give this advice? This appears to just be what you like. Please be sure to consider the poster and not projecting yourself on them. There are many times that a prime is great, but you have no idea if this is a person that would benefit from them.

Every DSLR on the market will give great results in the right hands. Be sure to consider all options. Some might be great for one person, but not for someone else. It helps if you can handle them in person.

As for the D3000, it is fine, but there are better options (i.e. bang for the buck).

 

[photo_chick]

I also suggest trying to shoot with some primes. (ie 35mm or 50mm) Kit lenses usually start at f3.5 or around there, but the primes suggested are f1.8. This will help shooting in low light and with give your photos a shallow depth of field (AKA- Bokeh) when shot wide open.

Primes are great. I love mine. However, you can get shallow depth of field with a kit lens if you know how. After all aperture is only one factor that affects depth of field. Distance to subject and focal length also play a role. Yeah, it's easier when you can open up a lens to f/1.8, but some of the kit lenses and entry level telephoto zooms actually have better bokeh than some of entry level primes... keeping in mind that bokeh is referring to the quality of that out of focus area and not the area it self.

 

[GrumpyGoat]

Camera manufacturers and camera salespeople learned early on that more megapixels is what most people want in a new camera. What they don't tell you is that the smaller the camera, the smaller the sensor. It is more difficult to cram more pixels in a smaller space and the smaller pixels cause loss of definition.

Take a look at this diagram. This shows the relative sizes of the sensors in various digital cameras:

Not knowing which Sony you have, I chose one that has a 14 MPx sensor. The sensor size of the Sony is 1/2.3" which is even smaller than the smallest sensor shown in the diagram. On the other hand, the Nikon D3000 has an APS-C sensor (the right hand one in the second row.) Which would you rather have: 14 MPx on a sensor smaller than your fingernail, or 10 MPx on a sensor about the size of a postage stamp?