Need Advice on Purchasing a New Camera...I'm a Rookie

[jway32]

I need all the advice I can get on purchasing a SLR camera. In the past, All I have used is the small, point and shoot, 3mp cameras. I am about to finish my master's and as a gift, my wife told me to pick any camera, under $1,000. What is a good camera, which camera has the best lens options, etc.? Remember, I know nothing about photography but I can not wait to learn. I am very jealous of each you who make great pics and make it look effortless. Please share any and all info that you can, I know nothing about this stuff.

[TheWengler]

First fill out the form at the top of the "Which camera should i buy?" section then post it here.

[jway32]

Here are my preferences from the questionaire:

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.

I do not want to spend over $700 for the camera. I would like for it to include at least one lens. If I got the body only, I would pay a max. of $500.

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
Contrary to popular belief, size doesn't really matter.

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?

@ least 10

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)

I am not really for sure about the definition of optical zoom other than basic zoom power but I would like at least ultrazoom.


* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
6.5

Do you care for manual controls?

I like using manual focus when I have the time, but when I am taking shots of the family or the dog, I can settle for auto.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
Outdoor photography, photos of sporting events

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
The biggest would be an 8 1/2" by 11"

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
60% will be inside or low light

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Yes

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
No

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
I want a SLR

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
No, I do not know what any of them are

[Rooz]

ok i suppose to start with...

you don;t need a 10mp camera. a 6mp will be able to handle those size prints comfortably. and 10mp is pretty much the highest resolution for mid range and prosumer level nowadays. 12mp is new gen or top end stuff that is far more expensive than you can afford.

as a rule of thumb, sports generally requires a lens with a wide aperture of f2.8. these are often called "fast lens's" and are alot more expensive. if it's indoor sports then this is almost essential. if it's outdoor sports with lots of light then you can get away with something that isn;t quite as good, (or as fast). indoor shots may require a fast iso which degrades IQ or a hotshoe flash so that could be another expense.

"off the top of my head" the nikon d40 with 18-55mm kit lens + 55-200VR should get you a good range of zoom useability and quality for <$1000. chck out the "nikon d40 pic of the day thread" in the nikon forums for examples.

the pentax k100D is also a good option, not sure what telephoto is the best for that. another beauty is the olympus e510 dual lens kit.

[BBPhoto]

I am sure that you are going to get a lot of good technical advice here regarding camera choice. I would like to give you some advice on another aspect of DSLR photography that no one usually tells beginners.

To put it plainly, DSLR is a money pit of a hobby. Most people end up spending several times the initial price of the body/lens kit within a relatively short time of purchase. DSLRs can be fantastic tools but they are usually much less than that right out of the box. Soon after buying you discover that you need a carrying case, sensor cleaning products, memory cards, etc. Then you realize that the pop up flash isn't very powerful and is pretty harsh anyway. Then you want to shoot indoors where you are not allowed flash so you need to buy a faster lens and it goes on and on. I am sure if you asked everyone here about this, it would be hard to find someone who had anticipated the real cost of DSLR before getting their first camera.

I do not mean to discourage you from DSLR photography. You may be one of those rare people who buys an entry level kit and is happy with it for years but be aware that there are important costs involved if you are not one of those people. Good luck.

[fionndruinne]

So get the D40+18-200mm VR Nikkor, and be happy forever.:p

Alright, so maybe not. That won't give you low light capability, not for moving targets anyway.

jway, I'm surprised you put image quality at a 6.5... that's pretty low for a DSLR buyer. If that's how you're thinkin', though, you may want to look at a non-SLR ultrazoom like the Canon S5. That's a great camera, but the smaller sensor doesn't deliver the high quality of a DSLR. Then again, it's much less costly.

But if a DSLR is your desire, then the setup I mentioned above would give you a nice, almost "ultrazoom" range, and with wider angle (better for landscapes and some indoors shots) than an ultrazoom non-SLR. That would bump your budget maybe $200 though, but the 18-200mm VR is one sweet lens (I tried it out the other day; great match for the D40).

[TheWengler]

Yeah, you don't need all of those MPs. You list outdoor and sports as the types of things you'll be shooting but say that 60% will be indoors/lowlight. Does that mean indoor sports? The K100D doesn't have a very big buffer so only 3 RAW or 5 jpegs can be shot in a row in continuous shooting mode. You might want to start with an ultrazoom if image quality isn't that important to you. It doesn't sound like you know what you're getting into but if you insist on a DSLR I think you should start with something entry level. Maybe the K100D with the Tamron 18-250 and a 50mm f/1.4 for low light/portrait shots. Another option would be to get the kit lens and the Sigma 70-300 APO. The Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 is a popular replacement for the kit lens as well. The Nikon setup mentioned by Rooz is also popular. It's worth mentioning that manual focusing on a DSLR isn't all that easy because the viewfinders tend to be a little dark.

[Djzleite]

A100 will do perfectly with the best quality - price relation.

[fionndruinne]

Eh, you're not going to find many who agree with you on that A100 thing. The OP mentioned sports, well, that'll probably necessitate higher ISOs, and the A100 very obviously, well, sucks at that.

[Djzleite]

Eh, you're not going to find many who agree with you on that A100 thing. The OP mentioned sports, well, that'll probably necessitate higher ISOs, and the A100 very obviously, well, sucks at that.

Definatly A100 ISO isn´t the best, maybe the lens can do the diference, for sports ? The A700 but i´d let it drop the price before, A700 is costing almost the same as a D80 here :eek:

[Rooz]

Definatly A100 ISO isn´t the best, maybe the lens can do the diference, for sports ? The A700 but i´d let it drop the price before, A700 is costing almost the same as a D80 here :eek:

the a700 is WAYYYY more than a d80. the sony is around $1400 and the d80 is around $875. thats not "almost the same" by anyone's measure. not to mention way outside the OP's budget.

[jway32]

Wow, I can not believe all the help and advice. This is great!! With all of the previous statements out there, I think I need to clarify one thing. I am a BEGINNER, all I know about digital photography is that the "slr" is the best. Do I know anything about an "slr", absolutley not. I think it stands for single lens reflector but I am not sure. I wish I knew what each of you were talking about with all the technical terms but I do not. Before I ever posted on this board, I did a bit of research and I was leaning toward the Nikon D40x.

To the comment about my picture quality request being only 6.5, how does an slr improve quality; I told you, I know nothing? I want a great camera and as I learn more, I will buy more lens and accessories for the camera. Some of my research did not like the D40x b/c there are not many choices for lens, is this true? Please keep the advice coming and if any one has the time, a few definitions of technical terms or explanations about different parts of a camera or acronyms that are generally used would be great. Again, thanks to everyone!!

[fionndruinne]

Well, you came close with the SLR-thing. It's "single lens reflex", which refers to the fact that what you see through the viewfinder is the same as what's coming through the lens (as opposed to compacts with optical viewfinders, which have a separate small lens for the viewfinder).

The DSLR's main claim to fame (besides the lens options, of course) over compacts and ultrazooms is that its sensor, which captures the image like film in a 35mm camera, is a lot bigger. This means that each pixel contains less information, and can display what information it contains better. Compact cameras with tiny sensors can't overcome the limitation of size, so they tend to cram as many megapixels on their sensors as possible. So, while you may have a 10MP image, if you displayed that image at full size or resolution on your computer screen, it would look remarkably ugly. With a DSLR, though, full-res images (which are huge) still look quite good. This means you can come closer and closer to displaying at maximum resolution through large prints, or cropping, without nearly as much of a quality drop.

Try this theory out by going to the reviews page here on DCRP, and download some full-res versions of sample photos from both a compact or ultrazoom, and a DSLR, and check out the difference.

As for the D40 series, there are more than enough lenses. The only area you'll be confined is in affordable low-light primes (fixed focal range, i.e. no zoom). But for those who haven't used primes much, modern zoom lenses are a lot more appealing. Nikon has several affordable AF-S options which will work with the D40, and Sigma has added HSM (which makes for D40-compatibility) to many of their popular lenses, making them the best for low-light options, unless you've big bucks to spend on the high-quality Nikkor lenses.

[Rooz]

To the comment about my picture quality request being only 6.5, how does an slr improve quality; I told you, I know nothing? I want a great camera and as I learn more, I will buy more lens and accessories for the camera. Some of my research did not like the D40x b/c there are not many choices for lens, is this true? Please keep the advice coming and if any one has the time, a few definitions of technical terms or explanations about different parts of a camera or acronyms that are generally used would be great. Again, thanks to everyone!!

the d40 series does have a limitation of not having an AF motor but there are a shitload of lens's to choose from. far more than you will ever likely need. the only lens that will not AF on the d40 which i think is valuable is the nikkor 50mm f1.8 which you will need to use MF.

i would certainly be picking the d40 over the 40x and spending more on lens'. how does a dslr have better quality...well thats such a long discussion, the most basic explanation is that the sensor size of a dslr is far bigger than a compact which improves the final image quality. the other reasons are just too many to mention.

get into a store and take a closer look at the cams we're talking about. the more i think about it, the more i think the olympus dual lens kit may be a perfect fit for you as a beginner. if you are likely to expand in future into doing this more seriously then i think perhaps the d40 is a better longer term option because all of your accessories, (especially lens'), will transfer over to a new body in the years to come.

[Spookonthe8ball]

Thanks for your interest in dslr. If you choose to go this path, all of the above warnings apply. The truth be said it is a money pit, but if this is your passion or main hobby, it can be very rewarding.
Positive aspects of dslr is endless. For example , whatever body of camera you decide on can be considered the engine and nearly all the lenses out there can be your transmission.
If you like seeing a tiny spider in fine detail displayed on a big monitor or perhaps seeing a bird at 100 yards away in fine detail interest you, then dslr is your choice. The limiting factor is aquiring the lens to do what you like to do. This is a gradual thing that develops and doesn't have to happen overnight. Good luck in your search for what works right for you.
Spook

[jway32]

After all the reviews and awesome advice, I started doing some price research and here is what I have decided on. Please tell me what you think. Wolf Camera in Chattanooga has a D40x with an 18-55mm and a 55-200mm lens (neither are VR) with a carrying bag (that looks like it would only hold the camera and the 18-55mm lens) for $899.00. That price doesn't include the warranty. I also looked on beachcamera.com and they have the same base package, a D40x with a 18-55mm lens with a 2gb card for $619.95. They also have a 55-200mm VR lens for $214.99. The total price comes to $834.94. If I order online, I will not have to pay shipping or taxes plus both comes with a 5-year U.S. Nikon warranty. I have a friend who bought the same camera from another site and they sent a grey-market camera. He had a tremendous amount of difficulty with his purchase. I called beachcamera.com today and they assured me that all of their products were straight from Nikon. After all that, here are my questions:

* Is it ok to order DSLR's off the net?
* Is the $834.94 a good deal for what I would be purchasing?
* What else would I need to purchase (filters, etc.) to complete my camera?

As always, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

[Rooz]

3 things.

#1 why the d40x and not the d40 ?
#2 you would be crazy to NOT get the 55-200VR.
#3 all nikon dslr's come from Nikon

[fionndruinne]

It is perfectly admissible to buy a DSLR online. I got my D40 from Amazon.com, which is a very reliable site, and also happened to be the cheapest price I found. Just make sure you buy from a reputable dealer.

Like Rooz mentioned, make sure you get the VR 55-200mm. Not only is the stabilization hugely useful, but it's better optically and only costs a very little more than the older version (which is also a less robust lens). Those prices sound good; if it's what you want, go for it.

[SpecialK]

* Is it ok to order DSLR's off the net?
* Is the $834.94 a good deal for what I would be purchasing?
* What else would I need to purchase (filters, etc.) to complete my camera?

As always, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!


I bought my K100D body and 10-17 zoom fro Beach, no problem. They are about the lowest price. Adorama and B&H are other major names, as well as Amazon.

I was going to recommend you get a photography magazine or at least read a few reviews to acquire some photo vocabulary. It is pointless for anyone to throw terms and qualifications at you if you have no clue what they mean (no offense :-)

Do not buy an extended warranty. Well, go ahead if you want if you want. I take my chances :-)

Do not buy filters (others will disagree on this subjective point). Good ones are expensive. "Good" is subjective as well. A lens hood will protect a lens about as well as a filter - apart from those caseswhere nothing would.

Do not buy "combo" deals of bags or cards or tripods etc. Normally the extras are, frankly, crappy. You will want to personally go to some store to look at bags. Some have zippers right where the LCD rubs. Some have a single fixed divider, or none - many have multiple dividers that you can adjust to fit. Buy a bag that holds just a bit more than you think you need. This allows for the cleaning supplies, extra batteries, extra cards, pad and pencil, mini tripod, "filters", etc that you will accumulate.

Good luck and have fun.

[jway32]

The reason I am going with a D40X over the D40 is b/c the x is only about $40-50 more than the D40. I am a member of consumer reports and they claim that amazon.com is the best place in the world to buy digital cameras. They also have good reviews on beachcamera.com. Beachcamera.com's prices were a bit less than Amazon.com. The base lens that comes with the camera is not a VR. I could not find a dealer that sells the base lens in a VR model? Are there any out there? As always, thanks for the help.

[Rooz]

The reason I am going with a D40X over the D40 is b/c the x is only about $40-50 more than the D40.

that's not correct. one deal probably has the 55-200VR and the other deal package has the non VR version of the same lens. there's no way that a brand new d40x is only $50 more than a d40.

[TenD]

Right now you can pick up a Canon Rebel XT kit (http://buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=CNDRXT1855B) at BuyDig (division of Beach Camera) for $496 so that will cover your wide range for now. The kit isn't the best lens out there but when stopped down is capable of some very fine results. Then add the Canon 70-300 IS (http://buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=CN70300USMIS) for $528 and you have a kit that basically covers 18-300mm for just over $1K. Of course that doesn't include "film".

In this price range it's hard to put together a "sports" package. A body in this range is likely to have a smaller buffer for bursts, and the lensing in this range is not likely to be very fast. But almost anything you get in an SLR is going to be better than a compact in terms of speed and handling.

To bring things inside your $1K budget you may consider going used on you body or lenses, although that can be a little more risk. Another consideration is a superzoom camera such as the Canon S5 or Panasonic FZ18. These little cameras have quite a range on them along with image stabilization.

[jway32]

@#*^ Wolf Camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rooz,

The only reason I said that the x was only $50 than the D40 is b/c that is what the lovely sales rep at wolf camera told me. Oh well, I like the beach camera deal better than wolf camera. Got any other advice?

[Rooz]

@#*^ Wolf Camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rooz,

The only reason I said that the x was only $50 than the D40 is b/c that is what the lovely sales rep at wolf camera told me. Oh well, I like the beach camera deal better than wolf camera. Got any other advice?

the sales rep is obviously full of shit or there is a trick there somewhere. i may be wrong but if memory serves me correctly, lots of people have had issues with Wolf. so be careful who you buy from.

[fionndruinne]

Yeah, the Canon XT is a really good deal these days, you might as well look at it. Personally, I really hate the XT(i) ergonomics and build, as do quite a few folks. But it doesn't bother everyone. I think Canon doesn't have anything quite as nice and cheap at the same time as the 55-200mm VR, too, if you're set on that, Nikon's the way to go.

Like you were advised, be careful of the package deals; they may not be properly described and most of what they include is bunk anyway.