Help me choose a camera

[newtodis]

If *you* were making the purchase as an avid wanna be professional currently having a point and shoot Kodak Easy Share 10 mexapixel camera, which of the following would you choose?

* Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 with DT n18-70MM package with additional Sony 75-300MM Telephoto zoom lense from Circut City for $599.98 plus tax

* Nikon D40 with 18-55MM lense for $499.95 and $50 gift card from Target

* Canon Rebel XTI with 18-55MM zoom lense plus package including 75-300 zoom lense and starter kit including bag, recharable battery and UV filter from Best Buy.

I'm *very* (huge understatement!) new to all of this and all of these numbers and letters are very confusing to me right now. I want to pick out something without investing too much money right now to teach myself them maybe invest in more later if I'm still so interested in taking pictures. Would you purchase from the retailers that have the sales this week or should I look online for something else? What are the warranties like for these cameras? Should I purchase an additional warranty when the camera is purchased?

I'd be very appreciative of any opinions anyone has of the cameras, any advice from using any of them or anything you all have to offer me.

Thanks so much for trying to help me out! I understand I'm asking a very silly question so I'm thankful for any help!!

 

[ukcatfan]

If you are really wanting to go pro, then you should do more research on each of the systems. They each have different quirks. Unfortunately only you can truly decide which system is best for you now and allows you to grow with it. You are sure to get all kinds of opinions on why people bought the one that they have, but that does not mean that you will like it.

I suggest taking a timeout to do more research before buying something.


Kevin

 

[newtodis]

I suggest taking a timeout to do more research before buying something.


Kevin

Thanks so much! I'm in the process of trying to do this now and figure out things like what are the most important things that I need to look for, ease of use, things like that.

 

[pbnjrockette]

For the past year I have had the Sony Alpha100 with the 18-70mm lens and the 75-300 mm zoom lens. The dealmaker for me was the extra long zoom as I take lots of bird and animal photos. The Zeiss lenses are so clear and sharp! Love the photos I've taken. I've taken 100's of bird pictures and am thrilled with the results. Have used it on vacation and to take lots of grandkids shots. I do love it's quickness.
The camera is very easy to use but I am still learning. The manual is so-so---I picked up digital field guide (by David Busch) and it has been really helpful.

My only gripe so far is I'm not thrilled with the macro----I like to zoom in really close (flowers, insects) and can get closer shots with my Olympus 10x point & shoot. Am thinking of looking into a separate macro lens although I hate having to change lenses. While on vacation I kept the 300 mm lens on the Sony and used my Olympus 10x for 'regular' pics.

 

[Master Mason]

My suggestion, go out, hold each of them in your hands, take some test shots at the store, one of them will just naturally feel better in your hand and more intuitive as you move through the menus.

You should also add to your list the following

Pentax K200
Olymups (I think it is the 510 but not sure sorry)

Then you will have all the major players in the entry level market.

After you have played with each, check out sites such as dpreview and do some comparisons.

I would also suggest examinining why you think you want to go "pro" if it is just to sell a few pics to your friends or it has been a life long dream go for it, if you think your going to get rich doing it, you should probably rethink it very quickly. With the advent of Digital Cameras, there are a ton of folks out there that think they can be professionals, and they find out quickly it is a lot of work for not that much pay, and in the mean time they have ruined their fun hobby. Just something to think about.

 

[handicap18]

It all depends on what you mean by "Professional". There are MANY different types of professional photographers. Sports, Wedding, Portrait, Journalist to name a few. The bodies your looking at right now are entry level. The "pro" bodies are a lot more expensive. Not that you need to have the most expensive to get paid for taking pictures (unless you want to do sports at the college or pro level, then you need the super fast frames per second the expensive cameras offer).

If you want to do weddings, then your going to also have to look at the flash accessories and options. Also you'll want a super sharp lens. Probably like a 28-70mm f/2.8.

For journalism, many places expect a minimum MP file. Usually from an 8MP camera or higher (don't ask why, there's not much difference, they apparently think its better).

For portraits, your also going to want a super sharp lens and probably one with a very wide aperture like the 50mm or 85mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 for natural light/low light shots.

Most sports shooters go with Canon because of the super fast long lenses (aka those big white lenses you see on the sidelines). You'll probably find Nikon the next biggest option for pro's and now Pentax with the K20D is another fine addition.

In the end, only you can decide.

 

[newtodis]

My suggestion, go out, hold each of them in your hands, take some test shots at the store, one of them will just naturally feel better in your hand and more intuitive as you move through the menus.

You should also add to your list the following

Pentax K200
Olymups (I think it is the 510 but not sure sorry)

Then you will have all the major players in the entry level market.

After you have played with each, check out sites such as dpreview and do some comparisons.

I would also suggest examinining why you think you want to go "pro" if it is just to sell a few pics to your friends or it has been a life long dream go for it, if you think your going to get rich doing it, you should probably rethink it very quickly. With the advent of Digital Cameras, there are a ton of folks out there that think they can be professionals, and they find out quickly it is a lot of work for not that much pay, and in the mean time they have ruined their fun hobby. Just something to think about.

Thanks so much for the additional suggestions! I'll look into those as well!!

Also, regarding "going pro"....it'll probably be when I'm 50 (I'm 26 now!) Some day I would love to only for the fact that I love taking pictures! DH's family (mom, aunt, uncle and grandma) are coming in 10 days to visit and all I can think about are the pictures I want to take of them and where the best spots are for what I'm looking for! (oh and cleaning my house like a crazy woman when I'm not on the dis!) So, no I'm not in it for making big bucks...just for taking some really awesome pictures to pass along to family/friends.

Thank you all so much for the help!! I really appreciate it!

 

[ukcatfan]

You should not need to worry too much about your upgrade path then. As stated before, go out an hold some of them to get a feel. Many in the entry level area are getting on the small side. They seem too small to me, but to you that could be a plus. I am pretty short for a guy and have smaller hands because of it, but the small models still just seem too small.

Kevin

 

[Groucho]

My only gripe so far is I'm not thrilled with the macro----I like to zoom in really close (flowers, insects) and can get closer shots with my Olympus 10x point & shoot. Am thinking of looking into a separate macro lens although I hate having to change lenses. While on vacation I kept the 300 mm lens on the Sony and used my Olympus 10x for 'regular' pics.

The macro is all about the lens, not about the camera. You really have no choice if you want to take macro photos but to buy a proper macro lens. And instead of hating to change lenses, learn to love it - that is a huge part of what makes an SLR such a powerful camera! No one lens can excel in everything.

 

[kmp1191]

I started out with a Canon Rebel 35mm....worked my way up to the Canon 20D and about a month ago I purchased the 40D. I guess I'm partial to Canon....ALTHOUGH the man I work with/for is a Nikon fan. When I'm shooting for him, he always wants me to use his Nikon 200 or 300...depending on the shoot. Just this last week I finally convinced him to let me use my own camera from now on...thank goodness. It's hard going from one brand to another...different features, different buttons in different places....

Go hold them, feel them, test them...sleep on it, then decide.

Good luck!