Go shopping for me!

[mommyofthreeboys]

I am getting a new camera- probably from B&H. So go shopping for me (not really ) and let me know what you pick out.

Here's what I want:

A digital SLR body (I'm not experienced when it comes to settings)
A lense to take great close shots
A lense good for zoom (3 boys that all play shorts)
A memory card (stick...whatever they are)
Any accesories you think

Your limit is $2,000.
I all ready have a Nikon N80 (film) body and a Pentax (film) body but I am open to other brands.

On a side note: I have done five small weddings in the past so quality is important.

Have fun and let me know what I should buy!

TIA

 

[YEKCIM]

(Based on B&H prices)
$1177 Nikon D80 with 18-135mm lens and 2GB Lexar SD card (after $10 rebate)
$ 480 Nikon 70-300VR lens
$ 115 Nikon 50mm f/1.8 "D" (for low light situations)
$ 185 Nikon SB600 flash (for even lower light situations)
$1959 total, plus shipping.

You can pick up extra SD memory cards for next to nothin', if you don't mind fooling with rebates. Handicap18 has a thread on this board for a 2GB SD card for five bucks, after rebate. I paid ten for mine.

~YEKCIM

 

[ukcatfan]

What lenses do you currently have b/c some might be good enough to keep using on the DSLR.

I say Pentax K10D for the body.

Kevin

 

[handicap18]

(Based on B&H prices)
$1177 Nikon D80 with 18-135mm lens and 2GB Lexar SD card (after $10 rebate)
$ 480 Nikon 70-300VR lens
$ 115 Nikon 50mm f/1.8 "D" (for low light situations)
$ 185 Nikon SB600 flash (for even lower light situations)
$1959 total, plus shipping.

You can pick up extra SD memory cards for next to nothin', if you don't mind fooling with rebates. Handicap18 has a thread on this board for a 2GB SD card for five bucks, after rebate. I paid ten for mine.

~YEKCIM

I agree with what YEKCIM has listed. To bad B&H isn't carrying the D50 any longer then you might be able to get a fast telephoto prime lens for indoor sports or the verticle grip that holds 2 batteries.

Only thing I would add would be the Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control for $17. Comes in very handy when doing long exposures with the camera on a tripod.

 

[Groucho]

Probably depends on how many lenses for have for the Nikon and Pentax, and how good they are. If your budget is that high, you're probably looking at the Nikon D80 or Pentax K10D. Both have the same sensor inside and have pretty similar ergonomics. The Pentax has built-in image stabilization, the Nikon doesn't (and costs a little more) - the Pentax also has a bunch of other little unique features like HyperProgram mode, dust/water sealing, and a whole list of others.

If your current lens collection is about equal between the two, I'd definitely lean towards the Pentax, currently $900 at Beach Camera w/lens. The kit 18-55mm and a 50-200mm will give you good reach, and the 50mm 1.4 is almost mandatory. There's also a 16-45mm lens that is superior to the kit lens but is a tad expensive (I think around $400 off the top of my head), but it might be worth it if you're after best quality at the shorter range.

If you're doing wedding stuff, you'd need a "proper" flash unit... and a monopod is probably a good idea, too.

 

[mommyofthreeboys]

Thanks for the responses so far!

I do not have a lense on my Pentax. Well, I do but it's old and slow to focus and not worth using.

The lense on the N80 is the standard kit lense. Nothing special.

So does that change any of the above recommendations?

Excuse my ignorance--what is a monopod? (Hey- don't laugh at me!)

 

[YEKCIM]

Since you have a minimal investment in lenses, I would say that the playing field is essentially level. And, since you have some pretty nice working capital, you would be best, IMO, to buy a system, including whatever lenses and accessories you feel would best suit your photographic needs. That way, all your equipment would be up to date, and the lenses you choose would most likely be designed for use on digital cameras.

A monopod is a "one legged" tripod, and can be useful to help steady your camera, in low light situations. Personally, I have found my monopod to be more useful @ WDW for videography than for still photography.

~YEKCIM

 

[Groucho]

It's probably best to look at some reviews of the K10D and the D80, from places like Steve's Digicams, DPReview, etc. Note that DPReview's review of the K10D has been fairly controversial as he feels that the jpg quality isn't what it should be, when 1) most serious photographers will use raw, not jpg, and 2) it's actually exactly the way it was designed to be, Pentax made a conscious decision to have it produce images in a way that its more advanced customers were asking for rather than go for an overcontrasty, oversharp image that maybe is harder to manipulate.

Both cameras are certainly excellent, though. I do feel that the Pentax gives you more features (notably image stabilization, dust/weather sealing, etc) for less money, so I definitely lean that way.

 

[kmadams]

Thanks for the responses so far!

I do not have a lense on my Pentax. Well, I do but it's old and slow to focus and not worth using.

The lense on the N80 is the standard kit lense. Nothing special.

So does that change any of the above recommendations?

Excuse my ignorance--what is a monopod? (Hey- don't laugh at me!)

I too have the standard kit lens on the N80 (28-105?). It actually is quite a nice lens, has a macro feature, not a true macro but it does a nice job. If this is the lens you have then I would stay with Nikon and built on this. Sounds like fun, wish I could go shopping with your money and keep it all for myself!!

 

[ukcatfan]

It's probably best to look at some reviews of the K10D and the D80, from places like Steve's Digicams, DPReview, etc.

My favorite reviews lately have been coming from http://www.dcresource.com

If I remember correctly, he mentions the same things about the JPG quality, but at least mentions how to change the settings to get it producing JPGs that look more like the average consumer expects.

Kevin

 

[YEKCIM]

To bad B&H isn't carrying the D50 any longer...

FWIW, if you are considering a Nikon dslr, there are a few places online where you could get a new D50 body for about $510; that's a bit more than they were going for when I bought mine, but still considerably less than a D80.

~YEKCIM

 

[jann1033]

i'm steering clear of the nikon pentax stuff but
speaking of monopods, i got a bogen monopod for all of $29 at amazon a few weeks back that is like a rock..i was shocked how nice it is given the price( and considering the ones i looked at for 2+x that at dodd camera that swayed in the breeze) and it holds up to about 11 lbs so figuring 1.5-2 x your biggest kit weight, it should support most things..and i love my giotto ball head( really got that for the tripod but although a little heavy really nice as well complete with macro slide for under $60..that supports i think 13 lbs or so, can't remember the numbers and it 's in the car but mh???621)