please help me pick a camera i am clueless

[Mrs.viv07]

i love taking photos of anything & everything but i am am far from being a photographer, right now i have a kodak that we had to buy on a whim at MK since our HP decided to die right there and then. i can't complain since its been a great lil camera for taking posed shots
but my DS started T-Ball last year and i want to get a camera that i can click click click and not miss a shot of him at bat, or parades at WDW when we go back in jan
MH gave me choice of either a laptop or camera
i narrowed it down to these 2
canon rebel which still confuses me
nikon d40 which i also learned there is a d40xi?
there is much more i need to learn like what is
ISO ect
please give me your opinions on which would be better for me
oh budget wise these are $699 or under where i saw them
and come with starter lens (is that what's its even called )
so again advice or perhaps if anyone knows of another one to recommend for what i need it for i would really appreciate it
oh also what kind of memory cards do these use? and are they fairly easy to maneuver once i read the manual and study it more?
TIA

 

[Master Mason]

The canon XT or XTi the i is the newer one are the entry level canons, very nice cameras, I have an XT.

The nikon d40 and d40x are nikons entry level cameras. the X has more megapixels is the only difference I am aware of. The problem with this line from nikon is it lacks an in camera focus moter, which means that many of the older nikon lenses will not auto focus on it. As long as you understand this limitation you should be fine.

The kit lens will be fine for learning, but you will need to get another lens as your son progresses though the baseball league, you won't be able to get the shots your looking for with just the kit as the diamonds get bigger.

I don't know if you have looked at the bridge cameras, but you might want to look at the canon s3 or s5 and the fuji fd6000 they are what is called bridge cameras.

As for learning get a copy of Understanding Exposure regardless of what camera you get, it will give you a good understanding of how ISO, apeture, and shutter speed work in concert to give you pictures.

 

[jann1033]

i have the rebel xt and enjoy it...i like that it is smallish for a dslr....have you gone to a store and played with the models yet? that is what i would recommend since you might love or hate one...

iso is basically what in film the iso number like 200 or 400 was. basically you use a high( ie 400-1600) iso for lower light photos.

but when you up the iso you usually also up the grain/noise so it's probably best to go with the lowest( ie 100) you can and still get the shutter speed and aperture you want

lower iso needs more light to get as high a shutter speed as a high iso , ie at 100 iso, your shutter may be able to go to 200 at f8 but at iso 400 at f8 you might be able to get a shutter speed of 500... higher shutter speed is what you need to freeze action like at a ball game.

 

[Master Mason]

oh... lest I forget. if you haven't already you should look at

Pentax K110D Has the advantage of in Body IS probably the cheapest entry level DSLR as well

Sony A100 Also has inbody IS but I know very little else about it

Oympus Evolts has a smaler sensor than the rest of the the dSLRs but those on here that have them love them and I have seen some great shots from them.

 

[Groucho]

oh... lest I forget. if you haven't already you should look at

Pentax K110D Has the advantage of in Body IS probably the cheapest entry level DSLR as well

The K110D is the one without IS, the K100D does have IS. With the rebate on the K100D, I don't think that it'd make sense to buy the K110D at this point.

However, the big achielle's heel of the K100D/K110D is the small buffer, so it wouldn't meet the OP's requirement to click-click-click to the heart's desire. (5 JPGs at 2.9/second.) Of course, the K10D can be had for almost as cheap as the XTi and can shoot JPGs at 3/sec until the cows come home, or your memory card is full, whichever comes first. But it's a bit of a more advanced camera than the OP is probably looking at, with no scene modes or such. Now, the K100D can certainly "click click click" very effectively and with very fast response if you're not shooting at maximum speed, but if the OP wants to be able to point it at her kid at bat and just hold down the button and spit out 3+ seconds of photos, the K100D is probably not the best choice. (Much as it pains me to say it. )

It's worth noting (for the OP) that no camera will magically give you perfect photos every time, it's just a tool. Bright outdoor photos are generally pretty easy, but you'll need to learn a little bit about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO if you have visions of getting quality low-light photos - and if you are referring to night parades at Disney, you'll probably need a "fast" lens in order to get a decent photo without a flash when it's that dark out.

 

[Mrs.viv07]

It's worth noting (for the OP) that no camera will magically give you perfect photos every time, it's just a tool. Bright outdoor photos are generally pretty easy, but you'll need to learn a little bit about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO if you have visions of getting quality low-light photos - and if you are referring to night parades at Disney, you'll probably need a "fast" lens in order to get a decent photo without a flash when it's that dark out.

that is pretty much what i want the camera for, getting my kid at bat or running the bases also day or night parades WDW or NYC, and then my everyday pics as well, at the park, pool, sking ( i can't spell don't flame me! )

so groucho you have come to my rescue before but with my camcorder, which by the way your advice was perfect with fire wire card...
what would you recommed?
i found these and io will probably be buying from here anyway since we have the payment plan with them
1. canon
this is the "kit" but is it worth it or just the camera which is about $50 less
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=999977600050001&type=product&id=pcmprd77500050001

2. nikon d40
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8139169&type=product&id=1158323379076

3. pentax
this one seems to be in the same price range so i figured i get your opinion on it as well
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8122952&type=product&id=1158320176612

ohh and last question if i buy just the camera not the kit, will it come with a memory card? starter lens? and what kind of battery does it use...AA that you can buy anywhere or a battery like a camcorder that you have to recharge?

TIA to all of you, its so hard to decide especially because i don'y know much about all this!

 

[Groucho]

First off, I would buy from www.beachcamera.com - much cheaper prices, no tax (if you're not in NJ), and very fast shipping.

Generally, I overall like the Pentax models the best, but as I said, it does have a smaller buffer which means fewer photos at the maximum speed. However, it does shoot those faster than the C/N ones, but it's probably not enough to make a different in real-world shooting. The XTi maxes at 27 JPGs in a row, the D40 can fill your memory card. I generally haven't found the K100D's smaller buffer to be a big issue (if you're shooting photos manually rather than in continuous shooting mode, you'll probably not notice a slowdown), but it is a consideration, especially if you're planning on shooting a lot of sports photos in a row.

I would like the D40 more than the XTi except that the D40 can't autofocus a good number of lenses, especially low-light ones. (There's another thread going on at the moment, I think the "low-light lens one", that shows how hard it can be to find an affordable, fast lens that autofocuses on the D40.)

There's also the Sony and Olympus.

No DSLR comes with a memory card in the box, unless you buy a bundle from the seller. You can buy them with or without a "kit" lens, it's usually a good idea to get it as it's decent and relatively cheap. The Pentax K110D/K100D uses 4 AA batteries, pretty much all the others (including K10D) use a lithium-ion battery like a camcorder.

 

[Master Mason]

The K110D is the one without IS, the K100D does have IS. With the rebate on the K100D, I don't think that it'd make sense to buy the K110D at this point.

Ok your right, I had the wrong number, but I was trying to support looking at all the options.

 

[Mrs.viv07]

thanks so much for all your help everyone, i have a better understanding now but still can't really decide, the pentax looks great as well, i guess i will have to at this point just choose, the d40's lens problem doesn't seem like it would really bother me since i want "basic" photos whatever that is and i am not looking to become a pro although it would be nice.
if you guys have any other thoughts please let me know!
again thanks

 

[Mrs.viv07]

The kit lens will be fine for learning, but you will need to get another lens as your son progresses though the baseball league, you won't be able to get the shots your looking for with just the kit as the diamonds get bigger.

i think i may go with the d40 still exploring options, i played with the cameras at the store and it seems the canon is a bit heavier than the nikon, but not by much
as far as what you said above, which lens exactly would i need for either one? i am trying to figure out the price for it so i can start saving!
also the kit i looked at comes with the lens 18-55 for about $549, for $750 i can get it w/ the 18-200 is this a good deal?

and if you are referring to night parades at Disney, you'll probably need a "fast" lens in order to get a decent photo without a flash when it's that dark out.

i am sorry to be so naive about this but i want to make an informed desicion and not go by guut or looks alone
what kind of lens is this? if i go into a store what am i asking for, for the d40? i have heard of people renting them? from where?

 

[Master Mason]

i think i may go with the d40 still exploring options, i played with the cameras at the store and it seems the canon is a bit heavier than the nikon, but not by much
as far as what you said above, which lens exactly would i need for either one? i am trying to figure out the price for it so i can start saving!
also the kit i looked at comes with the lens 18-55 for about $549, for $750 i can get it w/ the 18-200 is this a good deal?

The 18-200 would make a very good all purpose walk around lens. From everything I hear, it is a pretty good lens, but I don't shoot nikon, so I will defer to the folks that do to discuss it anyfurther and to let you know if that is a good price or not.

i am sorry to be so naive about this but i want to make an informed desicion and not go by guut or looks alone
what kind of lens is this? if i go into a store what am i asking for, for the d40? i have heard of people renting them? from where?

A fast lens has a wider apeture. With apeture the smaller the number the wider the the apeture. Fast zooms typically have an apeture of f/2.8 though out the range. They aslo tend to be pricey. Again, I have never priced Nikon lenses, but the two that I have from canon were over 1K apiece. There are 3rd party makers such as sigma that make very similar lenses for all brands at about 1/2 to 1/3rd the the cost of the camera makers lenses.

What I use for baseball is a 70-200 f/2.8 lens you can see most of my baseball shots here http://gregghall.smugmug.com/Baseball 07 if you would like to take a look.

 

[YEKCIM]

also the kit i looked at comes with the lens 18-55 for about $549, for $750 i can get it w/ the 18-200 is this a good deal?

Something about this does not sound right. The 18-200VR alone is running $750+, online. If an online dealer is advertising a D40 with the 18-200VR for $750, I would be VERY skeptical. Are you sure the lens is not the 18-135mm?

~YEKCIM

 

[Mrs.viv07]

Something about this does not sound right. The 18-200VR alone is running $750+, online. If an online dealer is advertising a D40 with the 18-200VR for $750, I would be VERY skeptical. Are you sure the lens is not the 18-135mm?

~YEKCIM

i am the one who is probably wrong here is the link
i am probably reading it wrong or misunderstanding it. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=999976900050000&type=product&id=pcmprd76800050000

 

[Mrs.viv07]

ok here is the deal MH said he would buy me the camera for my bday but i had to be under 1k
here are my choices, i know there are other sites that probably priced these cheaper but he wants to do it with these guys since he gets rewards or something i don't know he pays he calls the shots for this one
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%23%23-1~~q70726f63657373696e6774696d653a3e313930302d30312d3031~~cabcat0400000%23%230%23%23dh~~cabcat0401000%23%230%23%233e~~ncabcat0401005%23%230%23%23k&usc=abcat0400000&nrp=15&type=category&lcn=Digital+SLR&sp=%2Bcurrentprice+skuid&id=abcat0401005

i want to keep it under $800 if posible so i can get some memory cards as well.

so if these were your only choices (which for me they pretty much are ) what would you pick out of the list?

 

[Master Mason]

i am the one who is probably wrong here is the link
i am probably reading it wrong or misunderstanding it. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=999976900050000&type=product&id=pcmprd76800050000

This is a 2 lens package, so you cover the range of 18-200 but it is not the 18-200 lens.

 

[Master Mason]

ok here is the deal MH said he would buy me the camera for my bday but i had to be under 1k
here are my choices, i know there are other sites that probably priced these cheaper but he wants to do it with these guys since he gets rewards or something i don't know he pays he calls the shots for this one
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%23%23-1~~q70726f63657373696e6774696d653a3e313930302d30312d3031~~cabcat0400000%23%230%23%23dh~~cabcat0401000%23%230%23%233e~~ncabcat0401005%23%230%23%23k&usc=abcat0400000&nrp=15&type=category&lcn=Digital+SLR&sp=%2Bcurrentprice+skuid&id=abcat0401005

i want to keep it under $800 if posible so i can get some memory cards as well.

so if these were your only choices (which for me they pretty much are ) what would you pick out of the list?

Viv,

These are all fine camera, each has pros and cons vs the others. The biggest thing is to go down the the store and handle them, one of them will probably feel better in your hands. The value of this can not be overstated. If you purchase something and it is not comfortable for you to use, you will likely find yourself leaving it at home, more than taking it with you.

All of them will fit the bill of what your looking for, so play with them, see which one feels better to you, if two feel equally fine then you can decide which has features that are more important to you.

 

[YEKCIM]

IMO, the D40 two lens "kit" is the best bang-for-buck, since you get both lenses, which cover a lot of ground. However, if it were me, I'd want the VR version of the 55-200 Nikkor. You can get the D40 with 18-55 and the 55-200VR from buydig.com for about the same money, shipped, but from what you say, that is not an option b/c of the "reward" points. I suppose another option would be to buy the D40 with 18-55 from BB for $550, and order the 55-200 from buydig for $232, if that were an acceptable compromise. Keep in mind that the buydig prices include shipping and there *may* not be any taxes, so if that's the case, there'd be some additional savings.

~Y