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Digital SLR Suggestions

wstphal

wstphal

working in the Gulag
I have been looking at cameras. I don't want a PS. Any suggestions for a quasi-affordable camera of this type?
 
Well I picked up my camera just about six months ago and went with a used Canon 40D. Now I am struggling learning how to use it, not that the camera is complicated but the whole photography in general is more than I had imagined it would be. I am trying to find a local class to take. Anyway for me, and my finances, it was best to find a used camera with a few lenses that someone upgraded out of. Good luck and have fun shopping.
 
The entry level Canon dSLR is the Rebel XS and the body with a 18-55mm IS (and you definitely want IS!) lens is around $500 new. You could definitely find it cheaper used or find just the body. I have only ever had Canon and I have nothing but good words to say about the brand. The body is the easiest (and usually cheapest) part of any dSLR to find...it's the lenses that'll put you in the money ditch! xD One of my dream lenses is well over $2,000! Ouch!
 
the Nikon D3000 is a VERY good value!! you can get a starter kit with just 1 lens, or upgrade to a kit with 2 lenses (the 2nd one you get in this kit is AWESOME, and is the lens that i use most of the time)
 
katia said:
the Nikon D3000 is a VERY good value!! you can get a starter kit with just 1 lens, or upgrade to a kit with 2 lenses (the 2nd one you get in this kit is AWESOME, and is the lens that i use most of the time)
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I'll second this. I don't have one yet...no money...but my ex is really big into photography and this is the camera that he recommended to me. Not too expensive, user friendly, and not so basic that you'll 'grow out of it' quickly. You would need a different lens than the one that comes with it to do macro shots and things of that nature, but a decent lens for that purpose only runs about $150, if I recall.
 
We use a Nikon D60...... Don't know where it sits on price and or quality, but it works well for us and this is a pic....
gaboon.jpg


We have just up graded the flash unit to a Nikon SB600 speedlight.... Which we hope will increase the quality of our snake pics..... Don't know if any of that is of use to you.....
PS.... Canon are real good as well....
 
All of my photos are taken with a Canon Rebel XTI. It was the "lowest/newest" end of the Canon DSLR's when I bought it a few years ago and it has served me well. I was able to get the entire set up plus an additional lens on Ebay for much cheaper than retail and it was all brand new and in the box.
 
I have a D40, the model that the D3000 replaced. You'll be very happy with it.

I would recommend an external flash as one of your first upgrades. Especially if you're going to be taking pictures indoors, bounced flash can't be beat. I recently got the SB-400, it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles that the other ones have, but it does everything I need it to. It's one of those upgrades, that now that I have it, I wonder how I did without it for so long.

Other than that, the best thing you can do is take lots and lots and lots of pictures. Futz around with different settings so you know what they do (you can learn a lot on your own w/o taking a class or anything).

Also when you shoot something, whether it be a flower, snake, person, landscape, etc take a ton of pictures. Often I'll take 15-30 pictures to get one that I'm happy with. You can't rely on the LCD on the camera, often pics will look identical on it, but then you download them and notice differences that make one better than the other.
 
My recommendation would be to disregard everybody else's recommendations. Go to a local camera store or a Best Buy and hold the camera and see what feels right. The two leaders in the field of DSLR and 35mm photography have always been Nikon and Canon and to be honest, little really differentiates them in terms of camera body. Now, there is a big difference in glass at this point in time with Canon being supreme, but that gap is fast closing and I wouldn't use it as much when weighing options as I would have in the past. For the most part, see what feels right. Some people like a bigger, heavier body, normally men, and some people like a lighter camera body that fits better in smaller hands, normally women. No choice is the perfect choice, it is the camera that feels COMFORTABLE that means the most. For me, it was the fact that I like the heavier body of the Canon Pro-DSLR models, the Canon L glass, and - most importantly for me at the time I bought my first Canon - the fact that the thumbwheel was in a place that I liked better than it was on Nikon. That little factor was my main reason for going with Canon. So, go and hold them and see what feels best because there is no right or wrong answer, just go with what feels the most comfortable. :)
 
These are good points. I really dislike Canons because they just don't work for my hands. The DSLRs of friends are too bulky (I have small hands), and the small point and shoots don't have enough room for me to hold without pushing buttons accidentally (I have wide thumbs due to my brachydactyly).

I will never buy a Canon exactly because of the reasons Pruddock listed, but for some reason it never occurred to me that other people would want to consider that!
 
desertanimal said:
These are good points. I really dislike Canons because they just don't work for my hands. The DSLRs of friends are too bulky (I have small hands), and the small point and shoots don't have enough room for me to hold without pushing buttons accidentally (I have wide thumbs due to my brachydactyly).

I will never buy a Canon exactly because of the reasons Pruddock listed, but for some reason it never occurred to me that other people would want to consider that!
Click to expand...

My point exactly :) Thanks desert ;)
 
Well, I have to buy memory for the D3000. I forgot to order that, silly me. The body feels great in my hands, the autofocus works, if I put it in old-fashioned hand SLR mode that works, shutter button is where I need it to be. I am looking forward to filling & refilling memory!

I will update everyone once I have the memory, and put various shots up here.
 
I've had a Nikon D40 for about 2 years now and it's perfect. Not super expensive but still produces professional quality photos.
 
Uploading this weekend, Mike!

Edit: You see, all I've been doing so far is TAKING pictures. I haven't actually read the manual so I have no clue how to. I am assuming that I can figure it out, though.
 
wstphal said:
Uploading this weekend, Mike!

Edit: You see, all I've been doing so far is TAKING pictures. I haven't actually read the manual so I have no clue how to. I am assuming that I can figure it out, though.
Click to expand...
looking forward to it...... A whole new world is about to open....:dancer:
 
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