Which dSLR to buy?

[kerriv]

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? $1000

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
dSLR

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? Open to suggestions

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

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

Do you care for manual controls?

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for? Mainly action shots of young child and eventually sporting activities. Also wanting to explore photography of various subjects (i.e. landscapes, portraits, etc.)

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? No

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? Yes

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? Yes, Nikon D50 and Canon Rebel XTi

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD) No

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I have read too many reviews and visited to many camera stores, which has caused a lot of confusion on what to buy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

[RebelRat]

I'd suggest the 30D if you are considering a Canon.

[unix04]

between the xti and the d50, i'd say go with whichever one that feels better to you. both are good cameras and perform very well. canon is known to have better noise performance, but i dont think you'll come across noise issues if you're just beginning. there are plenty of bigger fish to fry before you can nitpick on that.

[PHeller]

XTi is a weird feeling camrea. Its extremely compact and light, and not everyone has the hands for something that small. However, it takes excellent pictures for the money.

the D50 is a 6.1 megapixel camrea, so dont expect very large prints to turn out well.

[BonjiB]

I'd recomend either a canon digital rebel XT or XTi whichever you're willing to shell the cash out for (to be honest they're very similar in the final product they produce.) I would however skip the kit lens all together and buy something nicer to start with so you won't think the camera is mediocre based on the quality of the kit lens. With that said and a 1000 dollar budget to play with i would grab a rebel XT ($622.91 for the black one and $609.95 for the silver) and a tamron 17-50 f/2.8 ($449) from b&h. At their currently listed prices for both items you come out to $1,058.95 plus like 15 bucks for shipping. This is an excellent starter package.

I own a tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and i can say first hand it's top notch glass. It holds it's own against many of the higher end canon brand lenses in terms of image quality. It's razor sharp and really a great value and will run circles around the bundled kit lens any day of the week. The 2.8 will also allow you to successfully take your indoor shots with available light for a more natural and professional look than just exploding a flash up on the scene. Not that flash photography is bad but it's an art that must be mastered like any thing else and will require a decent external flash and lots of practice to do properly. The popup flash just doesn't cut it in my book.

The lens you put on the camera is far more important than the camera you're shooting with. You'll often times hear people refer to their gear like "i took that picture with my canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS with my 20d attached" instead of the other way around because the lens really determines the image quality. I'm not saying a better body wouldn't make a difference but you have to have good glass to start with before the better body can shine. So don't skimp on the lens to afford the latest camera body. Good luck with your purchase.

[KLohman]

The Nikon D50 may feel better in your hands (better build quality, larger grip), while the any of the Canon Rebels has better image quality.