Entry level DSLR (Photography content)

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/so-my-moms-a-pretty-darned-awesome-photographer/31967/page1/

This thread shows some photos taken by my mom. They were all taken with a Sony a100. The camera was bought when the model came out, so its several years old. And my mom has no real training, and only 2 years of experience, so I would say its a good camera.

Joey

I just bought my daughter a Canon T1i for several presents rolled into 1. It came with a good Canon multi-purpose lens (I forget the range, but something like 30mm-70mm). I tend to prefer Canon stuff because it seems the range of accessories available is wider and it's got a larger selection of fully-compatible lenses. So far it's taken some very nice pictures and seems to have decent burst capability.

Nikon fans here. We've had Nikon P&S's for years and they have been indestructible. Bought the 2 lens kit on Black Friday for the D3000 and LOVE it.

http://daveestey.smugmug.com/

Nearly every photo taken on my site was shot with a Nikon DSLR that is at least 9 years old now. I use the D1X and D1H, both are the Volvo 240's of the camera world. Tough, cheap and get the job done without a bunch of needless frills.

The only exceptions to the rule are some scenic shots that I used a $200 Canon point and shoot on and a couple shots with a Nikon D70.

If you go the Nikon route get the Nikon Speedlight auxiliary flash while you're at it. Might not think you need it now but you'll def want it down the road.

i'm with fasted58... a good flashgun will provide more and better light then even the fastest of lenses (although a fast lens is real nice if shooting in low ambient light :)... and a good lens will do much better than a top of the line body with a crap lens ever could

I changed systems recently (coming from a used pro-sumer weather sealed pentax) with so many options it was a hard choice but I ended up going to canon with a 3rd party fast standard zoom, waiting on my Christmas money (yes i said Christmas money) from my mo-in-law to pick up a flashgun and when I sell the old pentax gear i plan to buy a fast telle (most likely a 70-200 2.8 3rd party but am thinking of the canon 70-200 f/4L)

add a nifty 50 and perhaps a 2nd cheapo flash with cheapo raido poppers and I'll have a kit that can do pretty much anything I want... add a quality Mic recording system it'll do near pro level video to boot.

all that being said... the best value out there is used prosumer/semi pro stuff... I find canon has a better used market (at least online, locally it's about even with canon having an edge for higher end gear)... could have snagged a low shutter count d300 for $900... and can pick up d200's all day long for under $500 with a lens.... if you don't care about the old manual focus lens being compatable or the weather sealing you can buy a d90 for about 650 refurb (body only)

new you can get a refurbed canon 50d with the 28-135mm for $900 (with 1 year warranty)... you can get a used 40d for under $500 "only" 10mp but that is more than enough (but you do give up that amazing screen the 50d has).... if you want you can even get a full frame canon for under $1000 ;-)

you can also get some REAL good deals on pentax... the k-7 was selling for about $1400 just a year ago... you can find em used for $700... gets even cheaper on the more entry level or older prosumer cameras

all depends on what you want and how much you want to spend... and do think long term (hard to do)... I bought my pentax because my father in law had a bunch of manual lenses that are compatable and I read great things... but building onto the kit is costly... pentax brand lenses seem to be more expensive vs the same specs of nikon or canon (although pentax does have the built in stabilizer which was great while using that cheapo 100-300 i picked up on CL for a song), flash guns are higher priced... yes there are 3rd party options out there... but if you go used the market is smaller even more-so for 3rd party stuff... I've ended up going to another company...

get down to a camera store and put your hands on as many bodies as you can... and research... I think the most difficult thing is finding what you'll want for the future... I got A LOT of amazing shots with the pentax... but I missed many because of limitations in my gear... :-/

also make sure to budget for the extras... memory, bag, tripod etc... it all adds up... kinda like a project car doh

oh and just for fun go and read a bit over here http://www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm

some people love him, others hate him... read it as intended... tongue in cheek... and enjoy :)

tb wrote: The vast majority of photographers use either nikon or canon and the debate is both older and less intelligent then mac vs. pc. What you really need to do is put a couple different camera bodies in your hands and see which model you like, since at a beginner price point the models are equally feature rich and any dslr will keep you occupied learning things for a long time.

This, your going to see the biggest gains in pic quality from YOUR learning, much like your car, how you handle what you have is what matters most, if you take a beautiful shot like National geographic quality with a nikon, and then idtenically with the cannon, both will look great if a good photographer took them... any good cannon shooter can take great pics with a nikon or visa versa...

I shoot nikon, felt better in my big hands, more intuitive for me, love it, but once oyu get more than the basic kit your commiting (unless your uber rich) so do not get caught buying the cannon if you REALLY like the nikion just to save 50 bucks, cause that will determine alot of future purchases...

ultraclyde wrote: canon: Better color saturation, slightly less photo noise, cheaper lenses nikon: Sharper lenses, more range on ISO for better fast-action or low light. Pick your camp and defend it like a religion.

Nothing agains the poster but I would ignore this kind of comment... some nikon lens are super sharp, some arent, same for cannons, Depending on generation nikons and cannons trade for image quality ISO can effect noice and again its dependant on which sensor you get, some nikons are noisier than others, same with cannon.

When your shooting for GRM or SI or ESPN you can discuss which brand or body is better at X iso or sharper at X fstop and zoom, until then, get what you can afford, spend more on the lens than the body, and shoot what FEELS GOOD to you...

I've used a Nikon D70 for several years and love it. User interface isn't the most intuitive, but once you learn it, you can do tons with it.

Haven't really researched it, but my dad-in-law's D300 takes far superior lowlight photos with the same shutter and aperture. Some kind of image stabilization software?

curtis73 wrote: I've used a Nikon D70 for several years and love it. User interface isn't the most intuitive, but once you learn it, you can do tons with it. Haven't really researched it, but my dad-in-law's D300 takes far superior lowlight photos with the same shutter and aperture. Some kind of image stabilization software?

Its just a better sensor hands down.... thats all, it has better sensor processing, everything... IS may be a small part of it but even the BEST IS only saves you 2-3 stops, the D700 can shoot at ISO above 6400 and look as good as my D40 at 200...

curtis73 wrote: Haven't really researched it, but my dad-in-law's D300 takes far superior lowlight photos with the same shutter and aperture. Some kind of image stabilization software?

Better chip, better noise reduction software.

I use the d70 for work and a Canon 50-D for personal use. In normal conditions the images are close. In tough lighting conditions the 1 year old 50-D is far superior to the 5-6 (?) year old D70.

So is a Nikon D300 a lesser or better model than a D200 and why?

never mind

http://www.digitalreview.ca/content/nikon-d300-digital-slr-camera.shtml

d300 superseded the d200 and the d300s superseded... the d400 should be announced soon...

this is a fun numbers only page for the sensor http://www.dxomark.com/index.php (goto camera sensor > compare sensor)... based on this page the d90 has a better sensor (less noise at higher ISO, and a wider Dynamic range)... the d7000 is a huge step up as far as sensor goes)

the compromise is on the rest of the body... newer cameras have better sensors (typically) but the older higher end models will have easier access getting to settings and such.

but again... Gass is much more important than the body... your glass will last for many many many years... some people are still shooting the same lenses they where using back in the 80's and 90s...