Started photography class... now want dSLR?

[broberts]

Since we don't have any stores other than the big retailers that sell camera's locally, I looked online at several sites and then went to Circuit City to hold the camera's and look at them. When it is time to buy, I will buy online (probabaly from Newegg.com).

 

[YesDear]

Please note that I did not say to not buy from Best Buy, I just said do not go there to get quality info about different cameras. I actually got my D200 from Circuit City because at the time they had the kit with the 18-200 at a time when that was next to impossible to get AND they offered 2 months same as cash.

I hightly recommend B&H and or Adorama. I also think there can be some good deals in used equipment but you need to know what you are doing. That is not what I would suggest a real nubie to do.

The D40 is a great camera.

 

[Gdad]

I got my D700 from Best Buy with a 10% off coupon for any item in the store- too bad it expired on the 20th!

 

[KarenAylwood]

OK.. another question for you all. I'm looking (potentially) at the Nikon D40 or the Canon XSi. The D40 has 6.1 mp and the Canon has 12.2 (or something like that). How worth it is it to pay for more than 6.1? I have a Sony that's 7.2 that takes amazing pictures, but I don't know how much of a difference I'll see between 6 and 12 mp.

 

[DueyDooDah]

I'd be suprised if you saw much difference at all, although you'd be able to print larger photos that are cleaner with 12Mpix. If you are considering these two models, I'd take a close look at the specs. Apparently, and this is mentioned on nearly every thread that mentions the D40, that some lenses cannot use autofocus on that model. Also, the D40 has been around quite awhile and the XSi is a new model. But, the big difference will be the feel. Try holding them both.

 

[saturndb]

On a side note did you hear on the Clark Howard show here some of the big box stores had unwritten policy that if the customer refused the extended warranty when the clerk went to get the camera it would be out of stock but someone right behind would agree to it and the item would appear!

Here is the actual quote from his site
Nov 06, 2007
Finally, Clark has some words of advice for you when you're facing those high-pressure extended warranty sales pitches: NO, NO, NO! You'll probably need to give three objections before they leave you alone. One disgruntled salesperson even told Clark that if customers are too emphatic about not wanting the warranty, the salespeople are told by management to lie and say the product is out of stock. That way they'll have the inventory to sell to someone else who will buy the warranty. That stinks!
http://clarkhoward.com/shownotes/category/155/160/293/

I have found Best Buy now likes to focus on selling a warranty or Geek Squad services. So, I now play their game. They can present the warranty and if I feel the sales guy might say they do not have the product in stock if I do not buy a warranty, I would agree to buy the warranty and just after he pulls the product and starts to ring up the sale I would "change my mind" and not buy it.

 

[KarenAylwood]

One suggestion for you. Do not go to Best Buy. Not that it is a bad store. Go to a local Wolf, Ritz, or your local photo store. The reason is that you need to have someone that can show you the cameras and their features. You want someone who can tell you what the buttons are!

If you have no experience with what a DSLR can do, you need to see options. I do not think you can get that at Best Buy. The camera store will also have a much larger selection.

See how it feels in your hand. A D40 and D300 feel totally different. See where you hand fits on the camera. Which one seems the easiest to you to operate. As others have said, all of the major brands will suit your needs. Of course I will say Nikon is best because that is what I have had for 30 yrs. Others will like those other cameras! LOL!

Ok, so I didn't listen and went to Best Buy anyway. I had a 10% off coupon, a reward zone card and $25 GC. So I got about $100 off and could walk away with it. I spent $782 after taxes on the Canon XSi & kit lens, with an extra battery, bag and UV filter. I didn't get the performance plan but could buy it for $129 within the next 14 days if I want it.

That said- all of you are SO RIGHT about BB. The salesperson made me want to SCREAM. She didn't know anything about the camera (told me it didn't have live view) and she didn't offer to help much. Although I had already made up my mind to buy it as long as it was comfortable, I almost wish I had asked for another salesperson.

I looked on a bunch of websites, researched and looked through Consumer Reports and this just seemed like the best basic dSLR that I could get. The only thing that held me back on the Nikon was the 6 mp. CR also said that the Canon had amazing picture quality and it was rated higher than the Nikon (of course, I'm paying for it ).

I'm so disappointed in BB. I just hate that I had a bad experience and I even left the store unhappy with my purchase she was so bad. Now that I'm at home and playing with the camera I feel much better, but there is something to be said for going to a camera store.

Thanks for all your help and advice everyone. I'm really overwhelmed with all the buttons and options but I'm getting through the manual now and I'm sure my class will help out a lot.

 

[MonoManBlue]

Ok, so I didn't listen and went to Best Buy anyway. I had a 10% off coupon, a reward zone card and $25 GC. So I got about $100 off and could walk away with it. I spent $782 after taxes on the Canon XSi & kit lens, with an extra battery, bag and UV filter. I didn't get the performance plan but could buy it for $129 within the next 14 days if I want it.

That said- all of you are SO RIGHT about BB. The salesperson made me want to SCREAM. She didn't know anything about the camera (told me it didn't have live view) and she didn't offer to help much. Although I had already made up my mind to buy it as long as it was comfortable, I almost wish I had asked for another salesperson.

I looked on a bunch of websites, researched and looked through Consumer Reports and this just seemed like the best basic dSLR that I could get. The only thing that held me back on the Nikon was the 6 mp. CR also said that the Canon had amazing picture quality and it was rated higher than the Nikon (of course, I'm paying for it ).

I'm so disappointed in BB. I just hate that I had a bad experience and I even left the store unhappy with my purchase she was so bad. Now that I'm at home and playing with the camera I feel much better, but there is something to be said for going to a camera store.

Thanks for all your help and advice everyone. I'm really overwhelmed with all the buttons and options but I'm getting through the manual now and I'm sure my class will help out a lot.

Congrats on your purchase!!!!! As much as a Nikon fanguy that I am, I too would have picked the Xsi over the D40, its quite an upgrade. Go out and play with it, and have fun.

 

[DueyDooDah]

Ah Ha! Add another member to the Canon club. Welcome, and I am sure you'll be happy with your choice.

 

[ChrisinNJ]

Congratulations on your purchase! It sounds to me like you got a pretty good deal, even if the customer service was non existant! I think you will be happy with the camera. I have the Canon XT & I love it. Now that I upgraded to the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8, I love it even more! Have fun learning.

Christine

 

[YesDear]

Congratulations even if you did buy a Canon! LOL

Back in the film days a pro told me that a camera needed to be fed film alot for you to get better. Today with digital you just need to use it to get better.

Moose Petterson a very very good wildlife photographer suggests to get two stuffed animals, one black and one white. Take each of them outside and place them apart then together in different types of light. Open shade, Direct light, deep shade etc. Take pictures at all types of settings; aperture based, shutter based, etc. Write down what you do then look at the pictures to see which ones you like. You will quickly discover the diferences and begin to learn what to do to get the results you want.

The faster you can get away from Auto you will start to see your technique improve.

Enjoy your class and take your camera with you always.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I have found Best Buy now likes to focus on selling a warranty or Geek Squad services. So, I now play their game. They can present the warranty and if I feel the sales guy might say they do not have the product in stock if I do not buy a warranty, I would agree to buy the warranty and just after he pulls the product and starts to ring up the sale I would "change my mind" and not buy it.

You are a genius!

Congratulations on your camera purchase, Karen!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Congratulations on your new DSLR! I'm sure you'll have as much fun with it as I'm having with mine.

I somehow really lucked out at the Best Buy I bought my Sony at (I had been looking at the Xsi which is a super nice camera IMO). This sales person really knew about all the models, was a Canon shooter herself, ran over pros/cons of different cameras (that I've later read over and over so it seems verified), and when she didn't know the answer to a couple of questions she got online to find the manual and look up the answers. I also tend to ask if items are in stock first so I've never run into the warranty question issue.

I also was having a problem with a laptop and went into a different Best Buy to look at the models they had. When the sales person learned what was going on we went over and spoke to one of the "Geek" squad and suggested a couple of things. Since I was traveling and had the laptop in the car he told me to bring it in and took care of the setting free of charge. Now I did have a problem getting my own laptop back out of that Best Buy since I hadn't gotten the proper sticker on it when I walked in (it's over 2 yo for goodness sake) - but they finally let me out.

I wouldn't go into a Best Buy expecting much - usually I've done lots of homework before I do so I don't have to rely on the sales people b/c they can be pretty lacking in knowledge. But now and then you can find people that know their stuff. I'm sorry that you ended up with a really bad one that put a damper on your new purchase. Just remember the discount you got and take lots of pictures and that feeling will quickly fade away.

 

[sherry7]

I wouldn't discount the other 3 brands, one of the major differences between Canon/Nikon vs Olympus/Pentax/Sony is that the latter 3 place image stabilization in the body. This is good when you want to move beyond your kit lens(es) but not break the bank.

This is an excellent point. With Canon and Nikon, the image stabilization is in the lens....and image stabilized lenses cost a small fortune.

With Olympus/Pentax/Sony the image stabilization is built into the body of the camera itself. That means that the lenses are less expensive.

I just ordered my very first DSLR camera today, so I've worked through a lot of the questions that you're having. I recently had an opportunity to "play" with a Nikon D40, and fell in love with the image quality and responsiveness. That firmed up my decision that I definitely wanted a DSLR. But, I felt that camera itself had some major drawbacks (mainly, expensive lenses, and no dust reduction feature). After a lot of research and thought, I decided to order the Sony A300. It has image stabilization in the body, and a dust reduction feature as well. Plus, it has LiveView as well, which I'm used to from using point & shoots. But the best thing is that it can use many of the older Minolta lenses, since it uses the same Alpha mount system. Those lenses can be bought for a lot cheaper, on ebay, keh.com, etc.

I paid $599 for my A300, and kit lens at Amazon. Prices are comparable everywhere since Sony "fixes" their prices, but I didn't have to pay tax, and Amazon has a good return policy as well. The A200 model is $100 cheaper, but it doesn't have LiveView, which I wanted.

I plan on buying a 2nd lens (probably a Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens...$172 on Amazon), but I'm not 100% sure which one I want yet.