Looking at cameras

[cng]

I think the XT is more and more attractive to me then. However, for lenses, should I buy just the body and go with mmkay's lense should I go for a starter lense?

What are the pros ad cons? It lets in a lot of light and its fast - thats all I know. lol

[melonvitara]

you should do some research on the lens
see what people say about it
especially when there are tons of choices out there

[Ice-520]

mmmkay's lens won't fit you
if u get the XT, u need lens with canon mount or adapter
but canon has a similar one, EF 50mm F/1.8
but i would suggest the EF 50 F/1.4 if u want "better than most but not the best"
but if u are just starting, the 18-55 is enough to learn the basics

[cng]

Well, I want an amature camera but a lens that can take really good pictures with various distances and lighting.

[StevieSpeed3]

A camera is only as good as the person using it

I would play around with the lens that comes with it (18-55) and then decide on additional lenses based on your needs

[melonvitara]

A camera is only as good as the person using it

agree

[w00tgasm]

Alright....

Camera:

The Canon XT/XTI is a more feature loaded camera.  This may overwhelm at first, but one is going to be able to grow into it, if and only if they are motivated and stick with the hobby.  The Nikon only has 3 focus points, whereas the Canon has 9.  Having 3 focus points is good if you're just going to apply the rule of thirds but IMO only comes in handy for scenery or stationary shots.  Using 9 focus points is a benefit for action shots involving panning or just being a little more creative with whats in the frame. 

The D40/D40x uses SD/SDHC memory, which is considerably cheaper and smaller than Compact Flash.  The newest SDHC cards go up to 16gb although pricey, SD cards are more common to be found and shared with most new P&S cameras. 

Right out of the box, the Nikon D40/D40x will take better pictures.  This is because the kit lens (18-55mm) is a better quality compared to Canon's kit lens (18-55mm).  You would to do less tinkering with the Nikon as it is a glorified P&S.  The Canon would need some fiddling to get something to satisfy your artistic eye. 

It really depends on what you're going to be shooting, and the majority of situations.  I find that the D40/D40X are far more comfortable in one's hands.  Whereas the Canon XT/XTI is comfortable in smaller hands.  Though it wouldn't be much of an issue if you're using a battery grip. 

But as for best value, the E-500 found in the B&S forums is a really good deal.  It also uses the FourThirds system, which is kind of the new standard, and will let you use a variety of lenses without being limited to a certain mount.


I hope this has been helpful.  I was basing this all on what you'd get out of the box.
If you were to get a better lens from the get-go you'd have to do your own research.

Though a quickie for Nikon: 18-70 > 18-135 > 18-200> 18-55
It seems counter productive going for a shorter range first, but it is a better lens.  Really bright on the back end.

Canons: 17-55L > 17-40L > 17-85
Though those lenses are quite pricey.

[cng]

Hm, I dont really want to move from camera to camera so I think the camera I will be learning is the camera that I will be happy with further down the road.

The D40/40X is attractive because of the P&S and the better quality lens. You also said it would be more comfortable in the hands as well. You say that the 3 focus points is sufficient for most situations, which I'm pretty happy with. I dont anticipate in taking action shots. In fact, I like to take pictures of buildings, objects and more specifically, my car. I may take pictures of pets and people at events but I dont think it would be the same as if I were to take poster-quality shots at a sports game or something like that. So I take it that the Nikon will not handle movement well? The SDHC is definitely very appealing to me as well.

The Canon you said I will grow into, which I take it as that I will learn to use its functions and love its complexity later on but have a steeper learning curve. This is very interesting to me. As long as it has useful features, I will learn it. As for lens kit, I think I would want to buy an adapter and get a better lens so I might just buy the body.

As much as I want to toy with features and techniques, I want to become just a moderate hobbiest and not hardcore. I dont want to invest too much money in the future buying other sets of lenses and I dont want to change cameras or upgrade to the latest and greatest - just something that will fulfill my needs now and allow me to take high quality pictures that seem professional.

Then maybe I can take some nice pictures of my car and post it on this forum!

[w00tgasm]

Then Olympus E-500.  It covers everything, and has more to grow into as well.

Or if you want a D40X kit. PM me i know someone .

[Ice-520]

if u don't want to upgrade anytime soon, i suggest u get one that is higher than entry levels, or one of the newer entry level ones
i have only used Canons so i can would suggest a XTi for entry level or a 30D(which is quite cheap now since the 40D came out)

mind you, camera gear keep they value pretty well over time, they depreciate very little

[cng]

Or if you want a D40X kit. PM me i know someone .

You told me to pm you about a job around Coquitlam earlier. Waiting for reply. =P

I would want to start with just the D40 but unless the D40X becomes affordable (around $400-450?).

[w00tgasm]

Job was seasonal. December gig.
$650 actually for D40x /w 18-55 and 2gb

[cng]

I'll wait awhile and pick up old gear later. I got too many other things to buy. =P

[rancid]

most important question to ask yourself is what do you want to shoot with the camera?  Do you do scenery, portraits, low light shots, macro shots?

Go and try the different cameras out.  Comfort is always a big thing for me.  Hold the camera and see how you like it.  Different DSLRs have a different feel.  I personally did not like how the rebel series held.  To me they felt cheap and flimsy.  They do not have much weight to them so if you stick on a long zoom lens, you could end up with some balance issues.  If you have shaky hands, a heavier body will help out with the stability of your shots.  But you also have the built in vibration reduction in the lens selection from canon and nikon.

The D40 and D40x are great cameras.  Again, I did not like how they felt.  Too small for my hands and it just wasn't comfortable to hold.  The D40 is 6MP and the D40x is 10MP.  Visually unless you do LARGE prints, you won't notice the difference.  The D40 performs much better at the higher ISOs even though it has less megapixels.  Compared to the D80, less noise in your pictures at higher ISOs.  Produces nice pics if you just want one to start out with.  D40 shoots at 2.5FPS, D40X shoots at 3.  Both have 3 point focus.

If you look at the D80 or D200, you'll get faster FPS rates, better sensor, 11 focus points, more accurate tracking of moving objects.  There are also a couple more buttons for easy access rather than go through the menus.  Both have fast start up times.  You turn it on and before your eye meets the viewfinder, you can snap off a few pics.

I found the D80 to take fairly accurate pictures.  Compared to the Canon 40D, I found the D80 to take more natural pics.  The 40D added more tone to the pics.  Of course you could manipulate the settings in both cameras to your liking. 

Another brand to consider would be Pentax.  They have the K10D and the K100 Super.  The k10d has weather seals all around the body and it also has the image stabilization built into the camera body.  That's a big plus as all lenses you plug into the body has image stabilization.  The advantage...cheaper lenses.  Disadvantage...fewer lens selection.  Furthermore, both those cameras have a built in dust reduction system that "shakes" dust off the sensor.  The nikons mentioned does not have this.  If you do primarily macro shots or wide angle shots, Pentax has a good selection of the pancake style lenses.  I have shot with both of those cameras.  I liked the k10d for the grip and weight.  Well balanced.  The K10D sucks in low light situations.  K100 super was a bit better.  If you're looking at the D40 and D40x...they suffer in this category as well.  The pentax I found did not really reproduce pictures as I saw them.  I found them to have more post processing time than pics taken with the D80.  Start up time compared to the D80....wasn't as fast but still acceptable. 

All the cameras mentioned has their advantages and disadvantages.  I would suggest you find out what you like to photograph and where you would like to take your skill levels before making a purchase.

[cng]

Thank you for all your help. I guess when I have the money at hand and ready to buy, I should learn more and read the reviews online first. Right now I think its too early to decide or look.

[melonvitara]

this is a good website for camera review
http://www.dpreview.com/

[mmmkay]

The E500 puts you in a good spot for upgrade to E3 later when prices come down

It's only 1700ish for the E3 now

[rancid]

Thank you for all your help. I guess when I have the money at hand and ready to buy, I should learn more and read the reviews online first. Right now I think its too early to decide or look.

have a look at the photos in your current collection and see what shots they are primarily of.  Also look into what you are going to be interested in in the future.  If you're looking entry level, I'd stay away from the rebel series.  Not to knock canon or anything (I think Canon has put out great cameras) but their rebel series cameras just plain feel cheap IMO.  For the price range, you're better off looking at Pentax, Nikon, Olympus, Sony.  The 40D is where I would start looking at for Canons.  I love the way it feels and the weight is awesome.  I would stay away from the Sony though...the A100 isn't exactly that great of a camera...more of a glorified point and shoot.  They have a couple of models....the A100 is being replaced by the A200...more refined and the A700.  Sony bought out minolta when they went under so basically what you're getting is a minolta camera. 

If you want to stay under a grand, the pentax K10d with a couple of lenses with some accessories, the D40 and D40x with a couple of lenses, Nikon D80 with an 18-55 lens is just under a grand.  Ebay has a few stores that sell these and they are very well priced.  Much better than in store and they come with the factory warranty as they do have a physical store on top of their ebay store.

Once you solidified what you want out of a camera, head over to London drugs.  I'd avoid futureshop and best buy like the plague....they know jack about the stuff they're selling.  London Drugs has better trained staff and they know what they're talking about.  They will let you try out the camera before making a solid purchase.  So basically you buy the camera and you have 15 days to test it out.  You can return it with that time period with no obligations.  Just make sure the package and everything is in good condition before returning it to them...and keep your receipt. 

Right now, the manufacturers are coming out with new cameras to replace their old line ups.  Pentax will probably be annoucing the K20D to replace the K10D and the specs looks really good.  I'd imagine their pricing to be roughly around the same price as the K10D...probably a little bit highter but still relatively competitive to their rivals.

A lot of people would say put your money into the lens and not the body.  That's true to a certain degree but you do want a decent body for your needs.

[mmmkay]

Yeah you want a decent body for your nice lens
Since it's not film, the body actually makes a significant difference for image quality.

Good info

[jimmy]

i think the optical stuff(lens) would have a greater effect on picture quality rather than that CCD/CMOS chip thats on the body =/ just my 2cents, personally (not that you have to) id go with a cheaper body and spend that extra cash on nice lens. lens' value dont drop nearly as fast as body prices do, many used L lens still keep at least 80% of what their  value was when it was new (i think?)