Need help choosing a digital SLR

[virginiamama]

Hi, I'm hoping this will be my first post of many on the photography board. I'm in the market for a digital SLR in the $800 range. I looked at the Canon Rebel XTi 10.1MP at Costco last night and it is $799, but I really don't know what to look for. Some folks that I met on my last cruise have this camera and loved it and said the only thing they added was an additional lens so they could zoom more. (Pardon me if I'm using the wrong terminology.) I'm now using my second Nikon and am happy with the picture quality but I would like to have some more control over the focus and much clearer pictures. It's fine for an everyday camera but I'm ready to take a step up. TIA!

 

[YEKCIM]

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/

http://www.steves-digicams.com/cameras_digpro.html

http://www.pricegrabber.com/

http://www.resellerratings.com/

This ought to get you started!

I would think the XTi, the Nikon D40 or D50, and the Pentax K100D would be good candidates. Keep in mind, too, that if you underspend your $800 budget on camera body or body + kit lens, you may have enough funds remaining for an additional lens. For example, the D50 body only (which I just acquired) is going for $440 online now. I bought the body and a few lenses, among which was the 18-135mm Nikkor, which was another $300. The D50 with kit lens is going for about $560 at present, and the K100D is slightly less. Either one would leave you some wiggle room for an additional lens, which is what dSLR photography is all about, anyway.

~YEKCIM

 

[DVC Jen]

I got an XTi last month and really like it so far. It has been pretty easy for me to learn. I just wish the weather would cooperate around here so I can get outside and practice with it some more.

 

[DisneyGirl4188]

I just bought a Pentax K100D. I had $1000 to spend and I opted to get a less expensive body so that I would have more money for lenses. I bought my camera with lens kit from beachcamera.com. After I receive my rebate I will have spent $500 (they are doing another rebate now). The body has IS, which is great!

 

[virginiamama]

Mmm..kay... I think I'm going to need to get my hands on some kind of SLR photography for dummies book! The lists of functions, accessories, etc. is greek to me! Thanks for the links and the ideas for other cameras for me to take a look at. I've already started checking them out but I think I'm going to have to do some studying up so I will know exactly what I'm getting.

 

[mabas9395]

I'm now using my second Nikon and am happy with the picture quality but I would like to have some more control over the focus and much clearer pictures. It's fine for an everyday camera but I'm ready to take a step up. TIA!

There are a lot of people who find that their photos get worse after switching to a dSLR because they don't take the time to understand aperture, shutter speed, ISO, metering, etc. If you treat a dSLR like a P&S, you will photos no better than, and probably worse, than a good P&S.

Anyone who gets a dSLR should plan on reading the manual, reading a photographic theory book (like 'Understanding Exposure'), read the manual again, go out and practice taking pictures, read the manual AGAIN, practice some more, read the theory book again, go out and practice again, spend some time asking questions on photo message boards (like this one) and then keep on practicing. If someone isn't willing to do that then their photos won't be any better than a fancy P&S so why spend the extra money?

That being said, the Canon S3 IS will probably give you the focus control and clearer pictures all without needing to buy an extra zoom lens and for a lot less money.

However, if you are brave enough to enter the dSLR world, I think the Canon Rebels are great.

Just beware of "lens envy", it is a very expensive disease to get.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Be wary of "religious" zealots that try to convince you that their brand is the best. I'm not sure what it is about cameras, but people seem to get a huge attachment to whichever brand they own.

Oh, and don't buy anything but a Canon. The rest is all junk.

 

[mabas9395]

Buy a Canon and drive a Dodge!

 

[YEKCIM]

Buy a Canon and drive a Dodge!

Nikon and Honda

~YEKCIM

 

[Anewman]

Right Now BUYDIG.COM has the REBEL XT(model b4 xti) @$490 with no tax and free shipping.
To me that is a better "value" than the XTI.

Buy a Canon and drive a Dodge!

Me too.

HEMI FOREVER

 

[virginiamama]

Gotcha... book store first, then camera store. Ya'll are a hoot!

Don't know what I'm buying yet but I drive a Dodge!

 

[mabas9395]

Then you are half way there!

 

[Groucho]

I used to drive Mopars but am now a Subaru guy. Virtually nobody else makes a car like mine, which I LOVE! (The car, not that virtually nobody else makes anything like it.)

(An '05 STi, for the curious, which I traded in an '02 WRX for!)

I would still like to pick up an old Plymouth some day... big block, 4-speed... maybe a '65 Belvedere or a '70 or '71 Road Runner... but my summer car is a Lotus and it'll be tough to go from the two existing great-handling cars to a big, heavy land yacht! But maybe some day.

ANYWAY... back on topic...

If you're buying your first DSLR and you're not sure what all the terms mean - definitely go for one of the entry-level ones. Nikon D50, Canon XT, or my favorites, the Pentax K110D and K100D (K100D has image stabilization in the body, the K110D doesn't.) You might even be a candidate for the Nikon D40, which is kind of a DSLR pretending to be a high-end PnS.

You won't be gaining much by going to the "second tier" DSLRs, most likely. It's generally a case of diminishing returns, you don't need one unless there's some feature that you just have to have that the entry-level ones don't have.

 

[Jeanne B]

Buy a Canon and drive a Dodge!

Nikon and Honda

I'll jump in...Pentax and Toyota!!

 

[Steve's Girl]

Nikon and GMC baby - mass always wins! (so don't pull out in front of me with a Yugo and a Canon!)

 

[Groucho]

Nikon and GMC baby - mass always wins! (so don't pull out in front of me with a Yugo and a Canon!)

There's always someone with more mass...

Why, I hear that some people here even take pictures with a CANNON! Usually you see those shooting cannonballs, not photos! I'm not sure that even Op/Tech makes a strap that'll help you carry one around your neck!

 

[Armadillo4]

If you're buying your first DSLR and you're not sure what all the terms mean - definitely go for one of the entry-level ones. Nikon D50, Canon XT, or my favorites, the Pentax K110D and K100D (K100D has image stabilization in the body, the K110D doesn't.) You might even be a candidate for the Nikon D40, which is kind of a DSLR pretending to be a high-end PnS.

The DISboards never cease to amaze me! I'm in the market for an entry-level dSLR myself and have spent more hours than imagined doing research online. DPreview.com, steves-digicams.com, digitalreview.ca and even cnet.com. It didn't occur to me that the folks here on the DIS would be able to provide advice too...especially since we all have at least one mutual interest: the Disney parks.

I've narrowed my choice down to the Nikon D50 and the Rebel XT. They fit my budget and have all the features I could possibly use as a newbie to dSLR photography. I hadn't considered the Pentax cameras at first, but researched the K100D earlier today based on Groucho's recommendation. The shake reduction feature was enticing--especially, since the VR and IS lenses for the Nikon and Canon are probably more than I'm willing to spend. And the image quality with the K100D rates pretty highly with the review sites. However, I find myself doing a fair amount of continuous shooting with my current Canon PnS and the K100D has a limited buffer. Although no where near as fast as a dSLR, my trusty little PnS is good for 12-13 frames in a burst (large, jpeg, fine) before the buffer is full. The K100D is good for 4-5 frames in a burst and would feel like a step backwards for this specific feature.

So, I'm off to the camera store this weekend to see how the contenders feel in my hands. Like others have posted here, the differences between these cameras tend to be fractions, not huge gaps. So the "feel" will probably be the determining factor for me. It's been a little difficult to find a store that actually has the D50 in stock, ever since the D40 came out, but I finally found a couple stores and have to drive just a bit further than usual to check it out. It will be fun.

 

[jann1033]

hmm i'm wondering where a well aged Saturn and canon fit on the scheme of things...200,000+ miles and still running great so now it's just the principle of seeing how long it will live ..the car not the camera...i think i never progressed past my "mother earth hippie yrs" ( ie mother earth news..i probably am the only one old enough and eccentric enough to remember that magazine )

 

[DVC Jen]

hmm i'm wondering where a well aged Saturn and canon fit on the scheme of things...200,000+ miles and still running great so now it's just the principle of seeing how long it will live ..the car not the camera...i think i never progressed past my "mother earth hippie yrs" ( ie mother earth news..i probably am the only one old enough and eccentric enough to remember that magazine )

I happen to know for a FACT (at least a fact according to me ) that any Canon and Saturn combo(well aged or 2 years old with low mileage) beats out just about anything out there.

 

[handicap18]

Nikon/Toyota guy here. Though I've always wanted a Ford pickup or a Toyota pickup. Have had a Mazda pickup, 2 Isuzu Pickup's and a Chevy Pickup, but family growth and a long commute dictated the move to a Corolla. For now!

Best practice when buying a new camera, especially a dSLR, go to a camera store and try them out. Its a new ballgame once you pick them up and put the camera to you eye. Your hands and arms will tell you which one to get.