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What camera?

I'd go Canon above Nikon, but thats just me. I'd buy a flash too, as they greatly improve photos. Yes, you'll need lenses, or at least one. Get maybe a 35-75, and a 300mm lenses. Those are the 2 I take when I'm in a hurry, as they give me a good range for casual shooting. As for the flash, I use the Canon Speedlight 580 EXII.
 
First off, I'd recommend getting something in the mid-range. Since you're going Nikon I'd say D200 or D300. He knows his way around a camera, so using a low end model is going to restrict his ability considerably. The expanded features set would makes life easier for a seasoned photographer.

soccersquirt82 said:
Also, is the camera still great with no lens? Does he need a flash thing?
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Without a lense your fancy DSLR would be as useful as a restroom stall without toilet paper.;) I'd recommend getting a flash. It's not a necessity, but very useful in lots of situations. As for a lense recommendation, I'd either get a fast 35mm or a 50mm and let him decide on the rest of his line up.
 
CrackedButter said:
Crap advice solely because of the bias shown towards Canon or Nikon.

...

It's interesting to read on these forums from Mac users when people ask for camera advice, when most users just simply suggest a Canon or Nikon and never leave the fall open for other brands.

Reminds me of the time people suggested I should buy a windows machines because it was the main player in the market. I thought, us Mac geeks being users of an alternative OS, we as its users would also offer alternative suggestions alongside the mainstream in order to be balanced.

There is nothing wrong with the top 2 brands, just be aware there are alternatives as well and with whatever you go with I hope your dad gets some good use out of it.
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Reasons to buy Canon or Nikon:

1. Widespread availability of parts, accessories, lenses, etc. Anywhere in the world you'll find what you need for Canon and Nikon. Not the same for Sigma, Olympus, Pentax, etc.

2. Community support- Canon and Nikon's user bases are huge. Any problem that can come up has been documented and probably solved.

3. Neither brand is going to go away. Canon and Nikon's commitment to the DSLR is tied directly to their company's success, unlike companies such as Kodak or Fuji who have since decided to stop production of their DSLRs.

4. Quality doesn't suffer despite mass production. A prime example of this are the Canon L-series lenses. It's very hard to find comparable glass whose use is so widespread while at the same time maintaining near-universal agreement among professionals and amateurs of their quality.

Yes, other companies have unique aspects or features that might be desirable, but when it comes down to what's important Canon and Nikon just do everything else a little better. Recommending one of them might be a result of personal bias, but at least it's not going to have negative consequences.
 
Not sure I would throw out Pentax as a option, they have been around for ever and while not as easy to find stuff as Nikon or Canon, you can find stuff for them. If I recall correctly there camera's have image stabilization built in too. Personally the best thing you can do is go handle them and see which one feels better. Oh and for the record I prefer Nikon.
 
miles01110 said:
Reasons to buy Canon or Nikon:

1. Widespread availability of parts, accessories, lenses, etc. Anywhere in the world you'll find what you need for Canon and Nikon. Not the same for Sigma, Olympus, Pentax, etc.

2. Community support- Canon and Nikon's user bases are huge. Any problem that can come up has been documented and probably solved.

3. Neither brand is going to go away. Canon and Nikon's commitment to the DSLR is tied directly to their company's success, unlike companies such as Kodak or Fuji who have since decided to stop production of their DSLRs.

4. Quality doesn't suffer despite mass production. A prime example of this are the Canon L-series lenses. It's very hard to find comparable glass whose use is so widespread while at the same time maintaining near-universal agreement among professionals and amateurs of their quality.

Yes, other companies have unique aspects or features that might be desirable, but when it comes down to what's important Canon and Nikon just do everything else a little better. Recommending one of them might be a result of personal bias, but at least it's not going to have negative consequences.
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1. Yes useful but pointless unless you're a professional, otherwise Amazon+Fedex takes care of 99% of it.

2. Dependent on the issue at hand but for the most part all companies will resolve issues with the cameras they sell.

3. It is another good point but I doubt his dad is going to be looking for an upgrade since it is a birthday present. I have an SLR from a company which stop production of its SLR's, its cheaper to take them to a 3rd party repair shop incase of any issues unless its something really exotic.

4. Besides some questionable 3rd party lenses, tell me of a company which has suffered with lens quality from mass producing it?

I did say that there is nothing wrong with Canon or Nikon, personally I love Canon but my point was it might not be the solution for him and I've noticed a trend here that the answer to everything is either a Canon or a Nikon camera. I'm trying to point out there are alternatives while you're talking up the qualities of L glass and professional service to somebody who sounds like somebody who likes to take pictures for the love of it.
 
CrackedButter said:
1. Yes useful but pointless unless you're a professional, otherwise Amazon+Fedex takes care of 99% of it.

2. Dependent on the issue at hand but for the most part all companies will resolve issues with the cameras they sell.

3. It is another good point but I doubt his dad is going to be looking for an upgrade since it is a birthday present. I have an SLR from a company which stop production of its SLR's, its cheaper to take them to a 3rd party repair shop incase of any issues unless its something really exotic.

4. Besides some questionable 3rd party lenses, tell me of a company which has suffered with lens quality from mass producing it?
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1. Ok, but if you're taking pictures and your battery dies in the middle of a foreign country (battery isn't a great example because most camera stores will carry batteries for most brands), you won't be able to use fedex or amazon.

2. Yes, all vendors will most likely have some sort of service to send in your camera to have it fixed. With Canon or Nikon you're more likely to be able to just walk into a store and resolve the problem though... at least in my experience.

3. Doesn't have much to do with upgrades or anything. I'm not sure if fuji and Kodak continue to support their DSLRs or not though.

4. The Canon 18-55mm kit lens that comes with the XTi/XSi. I guess take this with a grain of salt, since I don't have any figures in front of me as far as how many of these vs how many L lenses are made. I don't know why 3rd party lenses should be excluded from the discussion though.

I did say that there is nothing wrong with Canon or Nikon, personally I love Canon but my point was it might not be the solution for him and I've noticed a trend here that the answer to everything is either a Canon or a Nikon camera. I'm trying to point out there are alternatives while you're talking up the qualities of L glass and professional service to somebody who sounds like somebody who likes to take pictures for the love of it.
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It certainly is a trend, and you're not wrong by any means. I was just offering some explanation as to why Canon/Nikon usually dominate the discussion.
 
miles01110 said:
It certainly is a trend, and you're not wrong by any means. I was just offering some explanation as to why Canon/Nikon usually dominate the discussion.
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Which is helpful for the thread starter, I'm glad our discussion brought those points out.

I wanted to exclude 3rd party lenses because they are platform independent and I wanted to focus on Canon, Nikkor or Zuiko quality glass as they are very respected in the industry more so than say Sigma or Tamron. Or to put it another way I'm more interested in those 3 brands over 3rd parties and its unfair to make a complaint/comparision about say a Canon camera because of a Sigma lens, I didn't want to draw a relationship between a lens that a camera manufacturer doesn't make or support it.
 
Just found out that my dad has some Canon lenses. Will lenses that he used 30 years ago on film work on any digital Canon cameras? I'm thinking the Canon EOS 40D. I don't want the camera itself more expensive than that. Other ideas?
 
CrackedButter said:
There are adapters available so that isn't entirely true.
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Yeah, there are two types. The one from Canon (out of production) which only worked with certain telephoto lenses, cost you 1.3 stops and compromised image quality slightly. If you can find one for sale, it'll set you back about $1,000. The other is from Adorama works only with lenses that have a recessed rear element and also costs you 1.3 stops and kills the image quality. You also lose aperture control. I guess if you're willing to accept mediocrity, then go for it.
 
So would you suggest getting a Canon so he will know something about it? Should he use his old lenses and get him an adapter or would it be better to get new lenses? Should I stick with my original choice of a Nikon D80?
 
soccersquirt82 said:
So would you suggest getting a Canon so he will know something about it? Should he use his old lenses and get him an adapter or would it be better to get new lenses? Should I stick with my original choice of a Nikon D80?
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With regard to the adapter, I wouldn't bother, I was just pointing out that FD lenses can be used on an EF mount, though in a limited fashion.
 
Canon and Nikon have perfected DSLR cameras and are always making advances in the technology, so, they are good brands to go with. I've had a Canon Rebel XT for a few years and really love it. I think this is the perfect camera for the "serious amateur" photographer.
 
Your choice of a D80 is good, but for a little extra cash (very little) you can get a D200 as they are now discontinued. I'm sure your father will appreciate the far more solid build. But don't think that just because it's discontinued that you're buying something obsolete. The D80 should be updated soon (likely D90) but I would still take a rugged, advanced-feature D200 over an upgraded plastic-body camera any day.

Just my two cents.

PS price wise, a friend of mine just bought a D200 on friday (with extended warranty) with an SB800 flash, 18-200mm lens, a lowepro backpack, and a 72mm UV filter totalling $3300 CAD.
 
Tell your dad to get a Pentax K20D and call it a day. It's everything that the Nikon D300 or Canon 40D are, but with a price closer to the Nikon D80 or Canon XSi.

And I've said it before and I will certainly say it again, FA* and DA* lenses are every bit as nice as Canon L glass of the same focal lengths.

Open your mind to alternatives, you're a mac user after all!

SLC
 
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