Starter body/lens pair

[yetanotherdave]

I am thinking of getting my first SLR, I want to keep costs down as I'm starting out and don't want an expensive paperweight if I don't get into it, but the trade off is I don't want to not get into it by limiting myself. I went to the store and tried a few cameras, a D40, D5000, 450d and 1000d. The common short-falling I found in all of them was the zoom length, the 18-55 stock lens range isn't enough. I tried a nikon d5000 with a 18-200mm lens in the store and I liked it.
So, I'm looking at getting a separate body/lens combo, this is what I've found so far, it comes in at £425 ($800) Canon 1000d body £255
and a Sigma 18-200 lens £170
I am a total n00b at this, please tell me if I'm missing something drastic here!
My other option is an ex display nikon d40, it appears to be in okish condition, the LCD screen has a few scratches, it will need a clean (inside, as it's been sat without the dust cap on - I'll get the store to do that), it only has the bare essentials, lens, battery, body. However it's marked down to £195 and I've talked them down to £155. I don't think there's anyway of keeping the cost further down than that.

 

[leighonigar]

The D40 body sounds cheap. Those sigma super-zoom lenses will give inferior image quality and that one lacks image stabilisation (VR, or OS). You would be better off with two lenses like the 18-55 and 55-200mm VR, assuming you could be convinced to change lenses.

 

[cube]

Before you buy the D40, have them clean it, take some picures, and verify on a monitor that the sensor is not scratched.

 

[Abstract]

Get a D60. Nikon just replaced it with the D3000, which is just a D5000 without the swivelling screen feature. Personally, I'd wait a few weeks for shops to get stock of the D3000, and try to find a D60 on sale from such a shop. They may need to get rid of stock anyway.

 

[leighonigar]

Get a D60. Nikon just replaced it with the D3000, which is just a D5000 without the swivelling screen feature. Personally, I'd wait a few weeks for shops to get stock of the D3000, and try to find a D60 on sale from such a shop. They may need to get rid of stock anyway.

You are joking about the D3000 being essentially a D5000, right?

 

[Abstract]

Oh sorry, that was what the rumour was in Nikon land. I just read it got the D60's sensor, so there's that difference as well. The D3000 does appear to have quite a decent AF system though, or at least better than the D60. Some will say it doesn't matter for the market segment that these cameras aim for, since the only really good AF point is still the centre point, but whatever.

 

[GT41]

I feel like chiming in on the issue. If you are thinking about getting into Photography for real then DO NOT GET A SUPER ZOOM LENS. Basically if you are looking for an 18-200mm lens then you might as well go with a compact or point and shoot.
Photography is an art form and should be learnt and studied in that fashion. I think getting a normal lens somewhere in the 50mm equivalent range, that way you have a fixed focal length and it forces you to learn the essentials for photography:
1. Exposure through wide range of aperture and exposure time
2. Composition (especially with having to walk around a bit to get it)
3. Depth of field (if you get a fast enough lens then you can really see the creative sides of this).

For many many many years I had a 35mm and 50mm lens on my old Kontax. It was years before an 85mm was added to that set and never a zoom. Now that I'm on digital I have a mix of zooms and normal lenses though if I'm doing photography for the true art I rarely take a zoom other than the 12-24mm Tokina.

That's my $.02

 

[AlaskaMoose]

If you have decided to buy the Canon 1000D without the kit lens, I would recommend a better lens than the Sigma you have mentioned. For example, the Canon EF 70-200 f/4L USM (without IS) costs around $600.00 US, and produces great IQ.

This is B&H price, but you may be a lot cheaper at Amazon:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/183198-USA/Canon_2578A002_70_200mm_f_4_0L_USM_Autofocus.html

 

[anubis]

I'll agree with GT41 for the most part on this one.

Superzooms have poor image quality and are slow. While that's OK for an absolute beginner, if you even become remotely serious about photography, you will quickly regret having spent money on such a lens... You'll find you rarely have enough light to shoot at 200mm f/6.3 with no IS unless you plan on limiting yourself to shooting exclusively outside in full sun.

The good news is that quality lenses tend to hold their value upon resale, so if you spent more money on a higher quality lens and later decide photography isn't for you, you can sell it and get about or more 80% of your money back.

I'd recommend the 450D with kit lens and the $80 Canon 50mm f/1.8. If you need to have additional zoom range, add the 55-250mm IS. You'll find yourself using that $80 lens more than the other two combined, though.

 

[yetanotherdave]

Thanks for all your input, I ended up going with the Nikon D40 with a stock 18-55 lens. I ended up getting it for £150 which is a price that I just couldn't ignore. It may have been the display model, but after a good look, it's in good condition, no scratches on the sensor, full manufacturers warranty, and is miles ahead of any camera I've owned before.
So far, very happy with my choice.

 

[ManhattanPrjct]

Thanks for all your input, I ended up going with the Nikon D40 with a stock 18-55 lens. I ended up getting it for £150 which is a price that I just couldn't ignore. It may have been the display model, but after a good look, it's in good condition, no scratches on the sensor, full manufacturers warranty, and is miles ahead of any camera I've owned before.
So far, very happy with my choice.

You made a good choice - just be careful when you go out and buy lenses. The D40 does not have an internal focus motor - you'll need to get lenses that have a motor inside them. Don't worry, many newer lenses have the motor, but some older prime lenses (ones with a constant aperture) will not be compatible.

That said, the D40 takes great pictures and 99% of the time you won't run into any lens issues.

 

[leighonigar]

Thanks for all your input, I ended up going with the Nikon D40 with a stock 18-55 lens. I ended up getting it for £150 which is a price that I just couldn't ignore. It may have been the display model, but after a good look, it's in good condition, no scratches on the sensor, full manufacturers warranty, and is miles ahead of any camera I've owned before.
So far, very happy with my choice.

Fantastic bargain!