Camera suggestions

[Rinsewand]

Right, I'm desperate for a decent digital camera, an SLR. I have no clear budget (and i'm lazy in converting from £ to $) but I'd like it to be in the budget end of D-SLRs. I keep being drawn back to the Nikkon D40, seems to have good reviews and is one of the cheepest i can find. What are peoples opinions on it?

cheers

RwD

[irev210]

D40 or XT, or XTi


People divide into camp nikon and camp canon

i am in camp canon. Both cameras are good, really comes down to how you like how it fits in your hand, etc.

[trance565]

i like my konica minolta dimage z5

[Magnj]

the Konica is kinda a prosumer product...A nice camera but not a DSLR...
Personally I shoot a Pentax...the red-headed step child of the SLR companies some might say. but in all honesty it is all about the glass. A good body is nice but it won't mean a thing if your shooting 50$ ebay super zooms. Buy a cost effective body with options you like but don't break the bank.

One thing I always suggest is to make sure it uses a standard battery size like AA. Who wants to be hunting ebay in 15 years for a battery for their DSLR?

[b0bd0le]

sony's alpha



around $800~900 USD

[Skillz]

I got the Canon Rebel XT and love it, but as someone said; your gonna want to actually hold the camera, point it around like your taking shots, ect... before you buy a dSLR, SLR or any camera for that matter.

If you like the way it feels, handles then you'll use it a lot.

[xpsentity]

I'd go Canon for the EF mount. So many awesome quality lenses. Or Nikon.

Stick with one of the big two. It's all about the glass, and they have it.

[tim-]

canon or nikon.. depending on what you like.. I'm a nikon guy.. if you want cheap stuff go for a d50.. d40 isn't as good as d50 and it's not many dollars between those in price.

to think about with thos cheaper cameras is that the autofocus engine is too small for bigger optics like 200-250mm .. which can be something to think about if your are going to use this kind of size.. the price of optics with af engine in it cost more then the differens between a cheaper d40/d50 and a little big more expensive d70 which have a bigger engine and is able to focus on those big optics without extramotor.

just something to think about..

canon eos400 is a good alternativ, little bit better then d50 and d40 but still, it's a matter of tase mostly if you choose nikon or canon, same price for same performance..

[Soulburner]

Is the 400 (XTi) worth the money over the 350 (XT)?

This review has a good breakdown of the changes between the two:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/

[tim-]

I would pay the extra amount of money.

it isn't that much but it got some usefull functions and better performance.
example it's possible to take 27pics in a burst compare to 14 in old 350, almost twise as much.

bigger monitor, which is good 'cause the old one had a pretty small one.

If I'm not wrong the eos400 support F2.8 which 350 doesn't? the main difference is althought the speed, eos400 is a much faster camera with better buffert for burst pictures which is very usefull for sport photos. I'm cyclist and photographs for those sessions require fast cameras with big capacity for photoseries.

the pictures is also cleaner in the eos400, less blur in the pictures.

I'm not a canon fan so I don't keep that much attention on those cameras.
have a friend which just did choose between those and he bought the eos400 'cause of the better performance.

[Butcher_]

Both cameras can do F/1.0.

Something to consider also, if you want to use big lenses with a cheap body, canon is going to be better since the focus motors are in the lenses so you don't have to worry about the low end models have weak focus motors.

[mixer13134]

I'd go for the XTi too, since I'm going to get it soon.:P

At the beginning i was between D50 and XTi, but there aren't many D50's left anymore and I really don't want D40 since it supports AF only with AF-S lenses. (no af motor in the body). Also XTi fits in my hand good. There are many cheap lenses for the XTi too, like the canon EF 50mm F1.8 II.

[Grinch]

Is the 400 (XTi) worth the money over the 350 (XT)?

This review has a good breakdown of the changes between the two:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/

I love the size of my XTI...But I find that I use my 30D more for faster shots...

I'd go for the XTi too, since I'm going to get it soon.:P

At the beginning i was between D50 and XTi, but there aren't many D50's left anymore and I really don't want D40 since it supports AF only with AF-S lenses. (no af motor in the body). Also XTi fits in my hand good. There are many cheap lenses for the XTi too, like the canon EF 50mm F1.8 II.

The 50 f/1.8 best lens out there for the $$$ here are 2 shots with that lens:
http://www.pbase.com/grinchy247/canon_50mm_f18

When it came to what brand I was going to buy...it was quite simple..if you ever watch ANY sporting event..you will notice a $hitload of white lenses..those can only be canon L series lenses...which are the BEST!

[b0bd0le]

does the xti have a better grip than the 20d/30d?

[AlphaChicken]

the xti has a smaller grip. dont know about better. it really depends on how big your hands are. I have an xt. its a little small as i have huge hands, but its still very easy for me to use. I prefer the larger grips on the EOS 5D, 20D, and 30D.

What i recommend, and what i have, xt/xti and then spend some money on a good lens. it is ALL LENS. I could have a 400 MP camera and a crappy stock XT 55mm zoom lens and i would get better pics with a nice L series lens (be warned all over $1k other than one which is somehwere near $700) on a 3 MP camera. Over-exaggerated for sure, but my point hopefully got across.

Im not saying go buy a $1k dollar lens right off. There are plenty of good lenses that arent L series cannon's and dont cost so much.

I have 2 L series lenses, the 70-200mm 2.8L (THE BEST L series lens available IMHO) and the 24-105mm 4.0L sitting on my xt. I dont get why people say that a lens looks too big or too professional for the body. It should be the lens that is looked at as the main part of a camera.

[Skillz]

the xti has a smaller grip. dont know about better. it really depends on how big your hands are. I have an xt. its a little small as i have huge hands, but its still very easy for me to use. I prefer the larger grips on the EOS 5D, 20D, and 30D.

What i recommend, and what i have, xt/xti and then spend some money on a good lens. it is ALL LENS. I could have a 400 MP camera and a crappy stock XT 55mm zoom lens and i would get better pics with a nice L series lens (be warned all over $1k other than one which is somehwere near $700) on a 3 MP camera. Over-exaggerated for sure, but my point hopefully got across.

Im not saying go buy a $1k dollar lens right off. There are plenty of good lenses that arent L series cannon's and dont cost so much.

I have 2 L series lenses, the 70-200mm 2.8L (THE BEST L series lens available IMHO) and the 24-105mm 4.0L sitting on my xt. I dont get why people say that a lens looks too big or too professional for the body. It should be the lens that is looked at as the main part of a camera.

I can't wait till I'm outfitted with nothing but L.

[xpsentity]

I can't wait till I'm outfitted with nothing but L.

Eh, it's not all about L. Sure, they're nice, and I own a few, but others can meet and exceed, as well as provide niche applications that L cannot.

For instance, my Sigma 17-70 is FAR sharper than any of my L's. The 100MM Macro is widely regarded as Canon's sharpest lens - once again, not L. Take a look at the UWA's for crop sensors - Sig 10-20 and Canon 10-22. Both absolutely fantastic pieces of glass - neither L.

I could go on, but anyway. Just trying to steer people away from the mindset of L-coholism.

[AlphaChicken]

Eh, it's not all about L. Sure, they're nice, and I own a few, but others can meet and exceed, as well as provide niche applications that L cannot.

For instance, my Sigma 17-70 is FAR sharper than any of my L's. The 100MM Macro is widely regarded as Canon's sharpest lens - once again, not L. Take a look at the UWA's for crop sensors - Sig 10-20 and Canon 10-22. Both absolutely fantastic pieces of glass - neither L.

I could go on, but anyway. Just trying to steer people away from the mindset of L-coholism.

A good point but observe what me said:

Im not saying go buy a $1k dollar lens right off. There are plenty of good lenses that arent L series cannon's and dont cost so much.

I was saying that the LENS makes the camera more than the body does. When paired together the results are even more outstanding, but the cost shoots way up.

I was also saying instead of spending all your money on a super nice body, and a super small crappo lens, put your money into a GOOD, but less expensive , less feature filled body and get some nice lenses.

[xpsentity]

I gotcha, just making a general point myself.

You're absolutely right

[irev210]

does the xti have a better grip than the 20d/30d?

i personally cant stand the XT/XTI grip


20D and 30D that i use are much better!


I have fairly big hands though.


Really, you gotta walk around and play around... see what fits best for you.

[Yoxxy]

D200, D80, E0S 30 in that order.

Personally I bought the D200. I have been satisfied with it for quite some time.

Fiancee has a D80 which is a bit easier to carry around.

[nitteo]

For starters I would recomend the d40 for you. I have my d200 but it gets bothersome and heavy if you walk around with it alot.

I am actually actively looking for a d40 as a backup/casual walk around camera.

[xpsentity]

You can get the BG-E3 battery grip for the XTi - makes a world of difference.

Linky!

[Grinch]

You can get the BG-E3 battery grip for the XTi - makes a world of difference.

Linky!

amen!

here is what mine looks like: