my first DSLR for personal use and possibly semi-pro use

[anonimouse]

so this would be my first DSLR but i'm not new to photography by any means. spent many years with an AE-1 and then when i got into digital i used a G3 and currently a G6. i've been wanting a DSLR for many years but was never interested in the lower end models, i'd rather jump right in with something in the middle range

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
between $1000-$2000 range, maybe a few hundred more if it would make a huge difference

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
its not the size, its how im going to use it. size doesnt matter

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
i'd say at least 12 or so

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)
zoom isnt that important to me starting off. maybe a standard, but having more options is always nice

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

Do you care for manual controls?
yep, its gonna be a DSLR so the more bells and whistles the better


General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
everything from casual shots of friends and family to possibly branching out into semi-professional things like headshots or weddings

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
yes very likely at some point

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
YES! i'm very into night shots and low light pics

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
yes some fast action photos but that will not be its primary use by any means

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
i'd prefer to stick with canon or nikon at this point, but dont let that keep you from suggesting other brands

Are there particular models you already have in mind? for canon either the EOS 50D or EOS 40D, havent done much extensive research on the nikons yet but the d300 looks very nice

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
wide angle would be nice although maybe not possible at this price range? image stabilization and hotshoe are a definite yes but again i think thats a given on most DSLRs. i'd also be interested in live view if any cameras in this range have that


any suggestions would be appreciated! if you have any specific questions then ask away

[Turn]

I would say go for the D300, it would give you a lot of room to grow into and you could easily go "pro" with it :)

[JTL]

IMO, the D300 is the best camera on your list...especially for your stated purposes...but...be sure look at the lens selcetion for Nikon and Canon to see if either/both have the lenses you want and also, most importantly, hold each camera in your hand and test shoot them a little if possible and see which one feels right. Do not underestimate ergonomics and usablity...which is a fairly subjective thing.

[anonimouse]

thanks for the advice. i've been reading up on my options a bit more and decided to go with the nikon but now i have another issue.

i started reading about the D700 and now my mind is playing the "well for just about $500 more i could get THAT" game. to make matters worse, i went to a store today to get my hands on the D300 to mess around and see what i think of it, but all they had on display was the D700. i was quite blown away. i'm going to check another store tomorrow and see if i can test out the D300. i should also mention i've been a canon user my whole life, but the DSLR models i looked at just did not have the same appeal as the nikon. after about 30 mins i felt like i had much of the basics down, yet could tell by looking at the menus that this is a DEEP camera with lots of potential

the main things im looking at now is if i really think i need full frame. also i plan on doing ALOT of low light pictures and from what i have read the D700 does much better at this, but at the same time most of the low light pics i've seen from the D300 still look great. and then there is lens options which open up a whole new set of questions for a DSLR noob like myself.

my final consideration is that i will be away for the holidays and i need to make my decision by the weekend. either i can get the D300 friday and have it for the holidays (and some much needed time off from work) or i can wait until after the holidays when i return and get my next paycheck and put some of it towards the upgrade.



yea maybe im overthinking this a bit much, but dont we all? i'll be spending much of tomorrow researching this and trying to come to a decision. any more words of advice would be welcome!

[Csae]

Heh, i was in your shoes not too long ago.

My suggestion? Start off with a much smaller and cheaper camera and invest in the lens. Use that to learn and then take your time before moving up to the D700 or D300, because both nikon and canon keep controls and menus similar across their cameras, more or less.

As i understand it (Though im a canon user) the Dxx are inferior in price to the Dxxx, similar to what the xxxD are to the xxD for canon.

I started off with a 350D, went through a couple lenses, found the spots i used the most, found out whether or not i needed full frame, found out what features i really needed and which i didn't, then sold my 350D and my initial lenses, and bought myself a main body. Though i wouldn't mind keeping the 350D around as a quick backup or travel cam.

Its one thing to read about a feature and another to actually use it, dont rush into buying a SLR because you can lose hundreds and end up dissapointed or hitting a learning curve too steep for yourself.

[anonimouse]

thanks for the advice Csae, but at this point i dont think im going to go with anything less than the D300. i'm nowhere near afraid to get lost in options and whatnot as i have pushed my G6 to its limit, i actually welcome an overwhelming amount of options.

at this point the only thing im apprehensive about is the choice between full frame or not and the lens choices that go along with that. i'm going to stop by a few stores today and get some more hands on and discuss with the people there.

leaving the credit card at home of course :D