Which DSLR?

[RevToTheRedline]

I'd also like to throw in some of my two cents.

No matter how you look it, there is going to always be argument between Nikon and Canon as they are the two big market share holders for SLRs. Just like there is argument between OS X and Windows, Ford and GM, Honda and Toyota. The list goes on.

It's like 99.9% personal preference as both manufactures always have something thats good and they always have faults.

For cameras I think it comes down to which manufacture has the most suitable lenses for you. cause each company is different, although both offer a lot of the same lenses, they both offer a lot of specialty lenses too.

I think the OP needs to figure out what his personal preference is, and he's not going to do it by us telling him GO NIKON OH WAIT GO CANON NONO GO NIKON. Get to the store and try them, rent them. Do whatever.

I knew Nikon was right for me, but it may not be the same reasons it's right for you, but I'll tell you one thing, it had VERY little to do with specs when it came down to it, because Canons closest offering is almost identical in specs.

 

[cube]

If you're going to a store to check out the cameras don't forget to try out the K100D Super and the K10D, as tomorrow starts a new Pentax rebate for the corresponding kits, as well as a zoom, grip, some flashes and primes:

http://www.tristatecamera.com/rebates/pentax%20slr.pdf

 

[Tumeg101]

If you decide on the D40, see if they have an option for a D40 with the 18-135 kit lens. Should be around $200 more than the D40 with 18-55.

The extra reach will be worth it for the money. Then NEVER take your lens off anymore.

OR

if you dad is really nice,

get the 18-200 w/ VR lens ($750) w/ the cheapest D40 you can get and you probably won't need a better lens or camera for at least 3 years. Please check to make sure this lens is compatible with the D40 first. I know the D40 struggles with some lenses (I've never owned a D40)

That said,
Save up some money for a way to carry/protect your investment. Lowepro makes decent, affordable, lightweight bags (my partner uses one). Tamrac makes great heavyweight bags, but they're pricier and somewhat heavy (I use these). You'll also need to invest in storage (cards) and other little things.

Best piece of equipment to improve your photography for fast moving subjects or just still photos in low-light:
monopod Bogen 676B Around $35, get one for christmas

just don't forget that pictures from only one height are BORING!

D80 is a great camera and an awesome sensor, but just stick with a lower end Canon or Nikon and develop your skills. When you're ready, the next D40 will blow away the current higher end cameras. Camera bodies don't last very long. Lenses last longer (until you decide to go FF & have DX lenses). But actual technique and skill will last you a lifetime (and is applicable to ANY camera).

Thanks to everyone, if I go for the D40, Should I get it with the 18-135mm kit lens, or with 18-55mm lens + 55-200mm, and 2 nikon school DVD's? lol... they are both the same exact price

 

[compuwar]

Thanks to everyone, if I go for the D40, Should I get it with the 18-135mm kit lens, or with 18-55mm lens + 55-200mm, and 2 nikon school DVD's? lol... they are both the same exact price

See post #10 in this thread.

 

[mike dunx]

Alright, so I spent the last 25 minutes reading this thread, and I really want my time back.

I think the OP is getting some really good advice from people who actually know what they are talking about, but is unwilling to listen. This is more than likely as a result of his relatively young age and/or maturity level. One comment I do want to make is that when I was 14, I didn't have as difficult of a choice when chosing cameras, because the only money I had would barely suffice for me to ride my bike to the local pizza shop and get a slice.

Do you really NEED an SLR? You seem to be just getting into the thick of it all, and I think that using a 30D or even a D40 in full auto will simply impede your learning, that is if you are interested in knowing more about photography.

My advice to you is to go for something like the Nikon FM10 (of, if your teacher insists, a Canon A1), get some black and white film, and learn how to take pictures. Save the rest of the money, and get yourself a nice car in a couple of years.

I just spent the last hour reading this whole thread (sometimes i read it out and made different voices for people, i guess that's why it took so long..) and i completely agree with lovesong's post. Do you really need a 12 hundred dollar SLR as your first? Shooting with a D40 or and XT on full auto is going to teach you almost just as much as that sony camera in auto.

Now even if you REALLY want to get in depth in photography, I think you should ask yourself if you really want to spend such a large amount of money, right off the bat, especially since you're only 14 years old!

Again, like lovesong said, i think you should go out and get yourself an A1, some black and white film, a book on manual photography, and go from there. I personally think that the experience and knowledge gained from doing so would give you a much deeper appreciation of photography as a whole.


I think the 300 (at the most) dollars you would spend on the film camera, the film and development of it, and the book would give you soo much more appreciation and experience of photography, than you will get upon spending over a grand on a dslr setup. I think starting from the ground up is a great way to get into something you're interested it, and starting to shoot black and white film is the perfect way to start. You'll learn about the importance of film speed, aperture, shutter speed, focal length, and a lot of other important aspects of manual photography that very much so apply to the digital aspect of photography as well.

 

[scotthayes]

Again, like lovesong said, i think you should go out and get yourself an A1, some black and white film, a book on manual photography, and go from there. I personally think that the experience and knowledge gained from doing so would give you a much deeper appreciation of photography as a whole.

Don't agree with the film SLR idea. One of the things I've found with my dSLR is that when I take a crappy picture I can see so there and then, that allows me to try different setting and work out why the picture turned out wrong. If I had to wait until the film came back I would have forgotten what setting I had and wouldn't be able to work why.

I say go for it, get a nice dSLR (I really love the Canon 400d - or Rebel XTi) with the kit lens and have some fun...

 

[66217]

Don't agree with the film SLR idea. One of the things I've found with my dSLR is that when I take a crappy picture I can see so there and then, that allows me to try different setting and work out why the picture turned out wrong. If I had to wait until the film came back I would have forgotten what setting I had and wouldn't be able to work why.

I say go for it, get a nice dSLR (I really love the Canon 400d - or Rebel XTi) with the kit lens and have some fun...

I agree. Buy a dSLR.

Just use it in manual mode. Complete manual mode. It doesn't matters if your first 500 photos look ugly, eventually you'll understand how it works.

 

[tersono]

I'd also like to throw in some of my two cents.

No matter how you look it, there is going to always be argument between Nikon and Canon as they are the two big market share holders for SLRs. Just like there is argument between OS X and Windows, Ford and GM, Honda and Toyota. The list goes on.

Amen - great post!

I used Canon 35mm SLRs for years. Loved 'em. Preferred 'em to Nikons. When I came to buy my first DSLR a year or two ago I decided to jump in at the low end to see how I'd get on with digital after so many years of film (35mm & 6x6).

I handled the basic Canon DSLR of the time, then tried the Nikon D50 (now discontinued). Surprised myself by buying the Nikon - not because I thought it was 'better' but just because it 'felt right'. Sheer personal preference.

Either manufacturer will supply you with a great SLR. Just take the time, handle both of the options at whatever price point(s) suit you and find out which feels most comfortable. Either way, you're going to be buying a good piece of kit.

 

[seany916]

Although film might be cheaper on the front end, I believe you are better going digital. When I learned photography on film, it was an eternity before I could see the results of my work. With digital, I can see a preview immediately and manipulate the image any way I want when I get home to my computer. I can shoot as many shots as I want, taking notes if necessary to compare with the end result.

The dSLR prices are really good right now for someone that's starting. Get a low end dSLR and one decent lens for it. Don't swap lenses (dust on sensor).

If you go with Nikon, the 18-135 should be fine. The D40 is a really nice camera. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If you go with Canon, you won't go wrong either. Can't help you with specifics, but your teacher and people who shoot Canon can. You won't go wrong either way.

Save up and get a bag to protect your camera, monopod to stabilize it, and possibly a mounted flash down the line. EVERY event you can shoot at, do. Family events, school events, practice on your own, your girlfriend, you pets, buildings, landscapes... and not pay a cent for developing the pics.

Don't ask me which violin to buy. You'll sound bad no matter which one you buy until you know how to play a violin. Even then, the different violins will sound somewhat similar until you're a pretty decent player.

 

[Tumeg101]

Alright, thank you all very much!
And very sorry for all the... umm... "noobness" lol
Like I said, I am going to a camera store on Saturday, they can help me, (it is a private place, my teacher says if you build up a relationship with them they will give you 20%+ discounts, I think they will give me one for first time camera lol) anyway... if I think Nikon "just feels right" I will just go for the lower kit lens, I have no need for the bigger one now... and later, I will buy another lens (have a nice sigma, telephoto and macro lens picked out lol)

Just another quick question, nothing to do with personal taste or w\e...
What sized SD card should I get? Is 2gb fine, or will it fill up fast... I can't seem to find where I can get this info for the cameras, (just tell me how many pics can fit on a 2gb card, using the revel xt(i) and the D40...)

 

[seany916]

If you start with a 2GB card, shoot Basic JPEG if you need a lot of pics.

Sandisk Ultra II in CF (I don't have an SD camera- no real difference) for 4 GB at Costco for $65 or so. Pretty decent deal. Maybe cheaper for 2GBs. I've never had issues with ANY brand of card, but since I'm being paid by clients to capture their event, I only use 1, 2, or 4GB cards in RAW (NEF actually) supposedly in case one does actually fail (andthe fact that I have a stack of older cards). I always swap out when there are around 35 or more clicks left. Leaves me a bit of leeway in case something pops up. People are VERY unpredictable.

When shooting any type of live, unchoreographed event, don't just shoot the people. Watch them and study them, eavesdrop on conversations to see where the action is going to be in a few minutes. Position yourself BEFORE the action starts. Your shots (provided exposure and focus aren't too bad) will look at least decent.

 

[cube]

The optimal sizes of memory card are:

512MB - biggest fitting in a CD
4GB - biggest fitting in a single layer DVD
8GB - biggest fitting in a dual-layer DVD

Most kiosks only burn CDs. There are stores where you leave the card and they burn you a disk on a computer, so they might be able to make a data DVD, but I would stick to 4GB.

The kiosks show some previews, so I don't know what happens with RAW files.

 

[Tumeg101]

Just went to a camera store, held the D40 and Rebel XT... and they both feel amazing....
I just found out that my dad has an old canon film slr... with a nice telephoto lens in the box still (thats what he says) so I guess i am getting the rebel... just because my dad has some lens' that he can give me, it feels very nice, and the guy said that the rebel is better for sports, and the nikon is better for portraits.. but they are both the same for landscape and macro,

 

[compuwar]

Just went to a camera store, held the D40 and Rebel XT... and they both feel amazing....
I just found out that my dad has an old canon film slr... with a nice telephoto lens in the box still (thats what he says) so I guess i am getting the rebel... just because my dad has some lens' that he can give me, it feels very nice, and the guy said that the rebel is better for sports, and the nikon is better for portraits.. but they are both the same for landscape and macro,

You'll want to see what lens mount the lenses have and make sure it's compatible, but that sounds like a good deal.

 

[Westside guy]

You'll want to see what lens mount the lenses have and make sure it's compatible, but that sounds like a good deal.

Yes, how "old" is that "old canon film slr"? (Old to a 14 year old may not be very old in real terms - no offense intended!) The Canon shooters on here can hopefully give you exact years; but Canon has changed their mounts along the way, and not all older Canon lenses will work on a Canon dSLR.

 

[Tumeg101]

Yes, how "old" is that "old canon film slr"? (Old to a 14 year old may not be very old in real terms - no offense intended!) The Canon shooters on here can hopefully give you exact years; but Canon has changed their mounts along the way, and not all older Canon lenses will work on a Canon dSLR.

I think 10+ years old...
I haven't seen this camera, or the lens' yet, so idk exactly,
how can I tell what 'mount' they have, and if they will work with a recent camera?

 

[seany916]

You'll want to see what lens mount the lenses have and make sure it's compatible, but that sounds like a good deal.

+1.

Nikon is better about backward compatibility with older lenses.

 

[cube]

D40/D40x are not good about backward compatibility. Better look for a used D50 or D70s.

Pentax is also very good for backward compatibility, but I guess it's easier to find used Nikon or Canon glass, specially teles.

 

[Lovesong]

I think 10+ years old...
I haven't seen this camera, or the lens' yet, so idk exactly,
how can I tell what 'mount' they have, and if they will work with a recent camera?

Find out what the camera model of your dad is, let us know.

 

[Tumeg101]

It is the ELAN II E.... they are currently selling the ELAN 7NE... so pretty big dif, he has a nice 28-80mm lens attached to it, and his other lens' are in another bag (he just took out the camera for me to see the model)
We are going to another local camera tore today, possibly picking up my camera, and if the store sells sigma lens, will also be getting myself a telephoto\macro lens,
and he will be taking the camera there to get it cleaned, and to get the battery replaced... also he might get some film, (I think he wants to get back into photography again, lol... but I can still use his lens')

 

[Lovesong]

Yup, that lens will work on a Rebel... or any other Canon. Just pray that the lens is MkI, and not II.

 

[cube]

That's an EOS body (EF mount). It's OK.

 

[Tumeg101]

awesome! Thanks for the quick responses!

 

[cube]

Canon: EF, EF-S
Pentax: K
Nikon: F, with caveats (http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html)

Then take a look around the Camera Store at keh.com before commiting to a system because of only one old cheap lens.

 

[Tumeg101]

Canon: EF, EF-S
Pentax: K
Nikon: F, with caveats (http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html)

Then take a look around the Camera Store at keh.com before commiting to a system because of only one old cheap lens.

The lens is $200, and it's a USM lens...
and that's not the only reason, I posted last night saying why,