SLR advice, anniversary present for DH! **UPDATE - BOUGHT A CAMERA!!**

[SeaSpray]

Hi everyone!

I want to buy my DH an SLR digital camera for our anniversary next month. I don't have a lot to spend, but still want to get him a decent camera that he can buy lenses for.

I found this web site:
http://search.buydig.com/search.aspx?kwd=Digital+SLRs

Are any of those cameras good? I know that DH wants an SLR with 10MP. That's all I know. lol I'd like to spend as little as possible, only because I don't have $1000 to spend on it.

I see the Olympus E410 that comes with 2 lenses, for $809. Is that a good deal? The E410 by itself costs about $650, but I figured for the extra $150, it comes with 2 lenses. We already have 2 Olympus digital cameras that we love, but they seem to take forever in between shots. We have no other cameras, and no other lenses, so we'd be starting from scratch with this. The picture cards we have already are XD and SD.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[AndrewWG]

Darn! I read the thread title and I was hoping you were my wife in disguise but our anniversary is tomorrow, not next month.

You aren't my wife are you?

Andy

ps. Go with the bottom one on the first page. Then don't buy him another anniversary present until your 50th!

 

[DueyDooDah]

I'd go with this one:

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=CNEOS30D1785

BTW: This one is 8MP, not the 10 you DH asked for, but unless he's a pro, he'll not see a difference. If he's a pro, then take Andrew's suggestion.

 

[YEKCIM]

Beyond budget, what are your criteria? Specifically, what kinds of subjects and shooting situations do you anticipate your husband using this camera for? Might make a difference as far as what lenses are available for different camera brands.

~YEKCIM

 

[Anewman]

Beyond budget, what are your criteria? Specifically, what kinds of subjects and shooting situations do you anticipate your husband using this camera for? Might make a difference as far as what lenses are available for different camera brands.

~YEKCIM

Listen to this advice, it is not all about megapixels.

 

[KrazyPete]

There are so many options when it comes to buying a DSLR that I would think it would very difficult to buy one as a gift for someone else. It's a great gift but it's hard to get exactly right because there is so much that comes down to personal requirements and preferences.

But, given that you want to keep it relatively inexpensive and it's a first DSLR I would recommend that you look at the Nikon D40 two lens kit that Wolf Camera has right now. It's $800 bucks and your going to get $50 back as a gift coupon that you can use toward a flash, tripod, bag, another lens, whatever.

It's a good starter DSLR with a couple of decent kit lenses and there's a lot of room to grow in the Nikon family if you decide to move up to pro gear later. Some folks will point out that it does not have a focusing motor in the body so it will not be compatible with some lenses. But you're getting two in the box that cover a focal range from 18-200mm. In the short term I think you'll have a lot of fun learning with that. In the future you'll have to make sure you buy lenses with internal motors.

It's 6.1 megapixels but that's probably going to get you 11"x14" prints if you want them that big. You can get the same kit from Wolf with a D40x (10.2 mp) for $200 more if the megapixels are that important to you but that's blowing your budget.

You've really got to do your own research though. DPReview.com is a good place to get detailed, unbiased reviews and compare the features of different cameras side-by-side. In your price range I think you're looking at Nikon D40 or D50, Canon XT or XTI, Sony Alpha or something in the Pentax line. All would be great cameras but sometimes for different reasons.

 

[ukcatfan]

I would honestly stay away from the Olympus DSLRs bc they are almost like a different breed. Some people like the little differences that they have, but the vast majority go for the more traditional performance and output you get from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Samsung, etc.

For your price range, you should be looking towards the 6-8MP range IMO. As stated before, unless he is going to be doing large prints often or is a pro, then this range is enough. Mine is 6MP and it is more than enough for my needs of mostly screen viewing, but some prints going up to 8x10.

The D40 mentioned earlier is a good camera, but the weakness mentioned earlier will be noticed if good low light performance for low price are desired. That is because the ~$100 50mm lens will not auto focus. It is considered the lens to get to do low light work for low dollars.

One think to consider is his hand size. If he has large hands, he will probably not be as happy with the D40 or the Canon Rebels because they are on the small side for DSLRs. I have average size hands and the Rebel still did not feel right to me. I have never seen a D40, but I am pretty sure that they are smaller than the Rebels. The Canon 20D and 30D are larger, but both likely more than you want to spend. If you can find one, the Nikon D50 is a good choice, but you might only refurbs at this point. I ended up with the Pentax K100D and have been very happy with it. It runs around $480 right now with the kit lens, but also has a $50 rebate. If you add their DA 50-200mm, then the price goes to a little over $700, but the rebates goes up to $150.

One last thing, I have to agree that this is a pretty tough thing to buy for someone. You might want to ensure that you can return it if he does not like it.

Kevin

 

[Anewman]

I would honestly stay away from the Olympus DSLRs bc they are almost like a different breed. Some people like the little differences that they have, but the vast majority go for the more traditional performance and output you get from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Samsung, etc.

I agree with this too.

Look at this Camera for $750

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony...56770/catOid/-16942/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

And this lens for $100
http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=TM28200XRMA



Grand total of $850 for a 10mp Camera with built in image stabilization and 2 lenses. You can also buy the body only for $616 from circuit city and the $99 lens from buydig for a total of $715, the Sony 18-70 is a rather nice kit lens though.

 

[Master Mason]

I agree with this too.

Look at this Camera for $750

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony...56770/catOid/-16942/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

And this lens for $100
http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=TM28200XRMA



Grand total of $850 for a 10mp Camera with built in image stabilization and 2 lenses. You can also buy the body only for $616 from circuit city and the $99 lens from buydig for a total of $715, the Sony 18-70 is a rather nice kit lens though.

B&H sells the Sony for 629.... Circuit City is very very seldom the lowprice leader.....

 

[Anewman]

B&H sells the Sony for 629.... Circuit City is very very seldom the lowprice leader.....

Good Catch, CC is $10 cheaper on the body only but BHphoto is $50 less on the kit.

So the Camera w/kit lens @ $700 from Bhphoto and the $99 lens from buydig brings a 2 lens setup to $800.

 

[SeaSpray]

Thanks so much for the advice, everyone!

He's definitely not a pro, and I do most of the picture-taking in the family, but he's a big tech geek, AND we both want a camera where we can take pictures almost instantly, one after the other.

Another requirement would be that it take decent night shots. We often stay at the Polynesian in a lagoon view room and I've never been able to get good shots of the fireworks over the castle, even though we've had a birds-eye view of the event every night! None of my nighttime pictures come out very good at all.

Anyway, like I said, his biggest requirement is that it take fast consecutive shots, AND he likes the idea of an SLR so that he can get different lenses for it.

I'll check out the recommendations you've all made, thanks

 

[ukcatfan]

Thanks so much for the advice, everyone!

He's definitely not a pro, and I do most of the picture-taking in the family, but he's a big tech geek, AND we both want a camera where we can take pictures almost instantly, one after the other.

Another requirement would be that it take decent night shots. We often stay at the Polynesian in a lagoon view room and I've never been able to get good shots of the fireworks over the castle, even though we've had a birds-eye view of the event every night! None of my nighttime pictures come out very good at all.

Anyway, like I said, his biggest requirement is that it take fast consecutive shots, AND he likes the idea of an SLR so that he can get different lenses for it.

I'll check out the recommendations you've all made, thanks

If fireworks are your only low light problems, then you might be better off with a bridge camera like a Canon S3 or S5 and a tripod. If there are other low light needs, then a DSLR is going to be needed. The tripod is a must for any fireworks shot though. How many consecutive shots you need could be an issue with your selection. I love my K100D, but it can only do about five shots in a row without slowing, but it does them at 2.5 frames per second. If that does not sound like enough, then you can rule this model out. Their next step up K10D does more, but might be getting too expensive. The Canons and Nikons generally have better burst rates. You might need to go with the XTi over the XT for Canon. For low light, look towards the 50mm prime no matter what brand. It is ~$100 for C&N and ~$175 for P.

Kevin

 

[YEKCIM]

If dSLR is the way you go, I would suggest you familiarize yourself, to some extent at least, with the lenses available for the different camera brands. Nikon was my choice, b/c that's what Mrs. YEKCIM told me I wanted but in retrospect, I'm very happy with my decision, as much for the lenses Nikon offers as for the camera body itself. The 18-135mm is a very good walkaround lens and the 70-300VR is a very nice long zoom with image stabilization. Canon, of course, offers stabilized lenses and Pentax and Sony have stabilization built into the camera itself so that *all* lenses are stabilized.

Anyway, I hope this helps and does not muddy the water too much. For reviews on various cameras, try dpreview, Steve's Digicams, or dcresource. I found the sample images from various review sites to be very helpful, too, btw.

And, finally, as Anewman said, don't get hung up on megapixels. 6-8MP is generally fine. I opted for a lower-end camera body, but better lenses and haven't regretted it for a minute.

~YEKCIM

 

[MarkBarbieri]

You might look at the Canon 1D Mark III. It takes 10 fps and has an enormous shot buffer. It's a wee bit out of your price range, but if you sold your car and road a bike to work, it might be doable.

 

[YEKCIM]

You might look at the Canon 1D Mark III. It takes 10 fps and has an enormous shot buffer. It's a wee bit out of your price range, but if you sold your car and road a bike to work, it might be doable.

Only if it's a really inexepensive bike! Oops...sorry for being "combative".

~YEKCIM

 

[handicap18]

You might look at the Canon 1D Mark III. It takes 10 fps and has an enormous shot buffer. It's a wee bit out of your price range, but if you sold your car and road a bike to work, it might be doable.

ya. Just a "wee bit".

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Only if it's a really inexepensive bike! Oops...sorry for being "combative".

~YEKCIM

Oh man. First you start telling us what posts we can read. Now you're making fun of my bike.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

If fireworks are your only low light problems, then you might be better off with a bridge camera like a Canon S3 or S5 and a tripod. If there are other low light needs, then a DSLR is going to be needed. The tripod is a must for any fireworks shot though. How many consecutive shots you need could be an issue with your selection. I love my K100D, but it can only do about five shots in a row without slowing, but it does them at 2.5 frames per second.

As far as speed goes, you *can* get a decent speed out of a bridge camera; because it's only shooting JPG (no RAW without special software) the Canon S3 can do 2.3fps for as long as there is space on the SDCard.

You can get beautiful fireworks pictures out of the bridge cameras, too; most of them have a "fireworks mode" built right in (there was a thread here a couple of weeks ago about fireworks and P&S cameras) to handle the settings for you (if you don't want to do it manually -- which you'll have to on a DSLR).

However, the "general" low-light performance of any small-sensor camera (basically all of the P&S's) pales beside the capabilities of even the cheapest DSLR.

 

[Groucho]

I think the hubby should really be involved in the decision. Because you're buying into a system, and there are so many variables, it's best to make an educated decision.

On the other hand, the differences in image quality between the DSLRs are minimal, they all have a basic set of lenses for reasonable prices, and chances are that most casual photographers will get by just fine with those, ie, one short zoom (kit) and one long zoom, with the camera firmly in Auto mode. It doesn't make them bad people but they won't be getting all that they can out of the camera, but not everyone is interested in getting more out of it.

Like the others, though, I'll repeat that megapixels are mostly just marketing and not an indication of the quality of photos that you'll get.

 

[Cricket2]

Could you please call my wife? I got married sometime in the summer so I'm assuming my anniversary is coming up here pretty soon.