Digital SLR Cameras?

[Dirty]

I was wondering if any members use Digital SLR Cameras? I am looking to purchase one coming up here and any advice about good cameras or pointers for how to select the best one for me would be great.

[Wildman]

I was wondering if any members use Digital SLR Cameras? I am looking to purchase one coming up here and any advice about good cameras or pointers for how to select the best one for me would be great.

Get the Nikon D300 if you can afford it....otherwise get the D80. Awesome cameras!
I do not believe they make the D40 anymore..
http://www.nikon.ca/en/Slr.aspx

[Mr. Dean]

I'm a D80 user.
I drool for a D300

[308Lover]

Nikon Cool Pix P80 with 18x zoom, 54 digital zoom--plus too many features to name--10.1 megapixels--with extra battery and carry case still under 500 dollars. Wouldn't go cheaper (Advertized as $399)

[rishu_pepper]

Get the Nikon D300 if you can afford it....otherwise get the D80. Awesome cameras!
I do not believe they make the D40 anymore..
http://www.nikon.ca/en/Slr.aspx


I'm a D80 user.
I drool for a D300

These guys know what they are talking about. D300 if you are ballin', otherwise D80 will serve you well, as will D40x. Just remember to save some of your budget for lenses! :grin:

[islandarcher]

Digital camera models change faster than cars. You can pick up a good used one and save a bundle. I picked up a d200 with lens, tripod, extra battery, and gear bag for $1200.00

determine a budget, and shop around. If I had not found the d200 for such a great deal, I would of bought the d80, a great camera, with almost all the same features. Another package deal I looked at was the Sony Alpha a100.

I would stay away from the nikon d40, and d60. Essentially the same camera, the major drawback being that they lack an auto focus.

Check out this website:

http://www.dpreview.com/

Determine your wants and needs, buy a good book on the various functions, and operations, and shop around for the best deal you can find.

[Moosenose]

Get the Nikon D300 if you can afford it....otherwise get the D80. Awesome cameras!
I do not believe they make the D40 anymore..
http://www.nikon.ca/en/Slr.aspx


I just checked the site, MSRP $1799.95 OUCH, and that is body only, no lenses. Can you use lenses from the Nikon 35mm cameras on the digital bodies?
What about other brands? Canon, Pentax, etc? Anyone up to speed on which ones have interchangable lenses? That may influence someone looking for a digital SLR.

[Johnny G1]

I just checked the site, MSRP $1799.95 OUCH, and that is body only, no lenses. Can you use lenses from the Nikon 35mm cameras on the digital bodies?
What about other brands? Canon, Pentax, etc? Anyone up to speed on which ones have interchangable lenses? That may influence someone looking for a digital SLR.Yes you can use the old 35mm lences but they be A1,I have the D70 and I just bought the wife a P5100 Nikon witch is a very nice pocket camera, the 200, 300, and the D series are a little big for packin in the bush if that is your plan. I have a FA and FE so you can use the older type lens as I do all the time on my didgital can,t afford to throw them out, if any body interested in 35mm give me a call, all stuff is mint with original boxes. Just my thoughts.

[mgnm300]

i have a d200 with the 80-400vr lense,, absolutely the best investment i made,, i can take some incredible wildlife shots,, i could post them here but have had nothing but trouble posting

[Bow Walker]

You can get a D40 for less than $500 these days. I paid just over $600 a year ago and I got a hellova deal.

Best money I ever spent IMHO.

[bwerb]

D80...basically go and take a look at the Nikon "family" and find something which works with your budget and photo inclination...great cameras!

[Bow Walker]

I agree, totally, with bwerb. My older Nikon 601 lenses fit my new D40 digital and are producing great photos. Or is it the photographer? Never could figure that one out.

[lineofsight]

the major drawback being that they lack an auto focus.

These cameras do autofocus, perhaps you man that the body does not have a motor drive for lenses that do not have SWM.
---
Been happy with the Nikon products I have / had.

Can check the forum at bccamera.proboards81.com/index.cgi? for used deals - have had good experience buying & selling through that forum, YMMV.

Sensors do wear especially with longer exposures, service center can turn pixels off and remaining pixels interpolate (remapping...) if you see stuck pixels (red pixels in night time photo...).

Rather than buying based on body, I would look at the lens line-ups that Canon & Nikon offer and buy body based on lenses. Easy to buy/sell bodies every couple years as tech changes but tend to keep glass. (I have glass that gone through 3+ bodies, when get into good glass your lens investment will be 3 or 5 times + what you have in the body).

Nikon has a real limitation in 200-400mm (80-400 is an 8 year old lens, no SWM, first generation IS, and slow focusing). Though can go Tamron or Sigma too but then that is independent of the body (can get same lens for Canon).

Canon: 17-40 USM F4 or F2.8 (or 24-70), 70-200 F2.8 IS USM, 100-400 4.5-5.6 (or F4) IS USM or 400 F5.6

Nikon 17-35 F2.8 (or 24-70 F2.8) or 17-70 F3.5/5.6, 70-200 F2.8, >200 ?, 300 F4 ...

Nikon - optics company that buys/makes electronics i.e. body
Canon - electronics company that buys/makes optics i.e. lenses

Canon 2x market share Nikon. Neither choice will really limit what you can do.

I prefer how Nikon feels/works, thats personal preference. Also, because of personal circumstances I buy Nikon for 25% less than Canon, if situation reversed would be using Canon.

Given how quickly bodies evolve, may make sense to buy 2nd or 3rd from the top, with the money you save can buy a new body in two years time that is better than top of the line today.

Summary - look at the lenses you want, then buy body.

[huntwriter]

I was wondering if any members use Digital SLR Cameras? I am looking to purchase one coming up here and any advice about good cameras or pointers for how to select the best one for me would be great.
It really depends what you want from your camera. Digital advancements are so rapid that last years models are already old fashioned.

When going digital became unavoidable I purchased a Canon Canon EOS 5D so I could use all my Canon lenses. For that type of camera you may pay anything up to $2.500 plus the lenses.

For everyday use I purchased an Olympus Camedia two years ago and it takes excellent quality pictures. I take many pictures for my articles with that little camera. That right there tells you how good that little thing is (pictures for editorial purposes have to be of a very high quality). Back then I paid about $500 for it.

As my wife, a professional photographer keeps saying, the camera is less important than learning how to use it and how to take pictures. My wife uses professional Minolta gear and creates some of the most stunning photography with it, but she does the same with an advanced point and shoot digital camera featuring manual programing.

Shop around and read lots of reviews on the Internet and I promise you, you will find exactly what suits your needs. The options available on a budget price are almost limitless. As long you stay with a reputable brand like Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Sony and others you can’t go wrong.

If you would like to talk to a pro before making a comitment I can ask my wife to give some tips. PM me.

[Dano]

I just bought the Canon EOS Rebel Xsi. 12.1
Really like it, came with a 18-55mm lens and a 75-300mm lens.
My son just got married and the pics I took were great. The close up photos I have been taking are much better, stuff like writing on gun barrels, pictures of paperwork etc. are excellent. I zoomed in on a bear with the telephoto last weekend up at Whistler, pictures were clear and I really like the way the zoom can be adjusted to "frame" the photo the way I want.
Highly recomend this camera, bought it at Best Buy for $1100.
Dan

[lineofsight]

I really like the way the zoom can be adjusted to "frame" the photo the way I want.

Hi, just a comment on framing - you may want to have a "larger" frame as may crop your 3000 x 2000 pixel photo to 12x10, 10x8, 7x5, ... all different ratios thus if frame the perfect picture it may be less than perfect when you crop it for printing.

[srupp]

Nikon D200 with Nikkor AF-S 18-200DX G ED lens VR..

This was BEFORE the D300 came out..however it gives stunning photos..

Steven

[Pioneerman]

Looks like a Nikon camp here, guess I better sleep with one eye open because I am a Canon guy. lol

I have been using SLR and DSLR for many years, both Nikon and Pentax in the begining with film and after when I went to digital I started fresh and went to Canon. I have been extremely happy with my Canons. Starting with the rebel 300, then xt, xti, and now Xsi. I have a lot of Canon glass, so I wouldn't ever switch now, nor do I want to. Either brand will work wonders and probably out peform most of our abilities.

What ever camera you decide on the lenses are the important part. You can have a great body, but if you use cheaper glass then you will not use your camera to the fullest. Plus your images will suffer, although you will probably still get a better image that with most point and shoots. Most times the kit lenses are not very good,but they are a good start when you don't have any. You will also need to remember that dust and moisture are an even bigger factor with a DLSR when out in the woods all the time. I have been lucky and been able to keep all my cameras clean and dry even under terrible conditions, but I have friends that have lost their cameras because of dampness.

I would stick with either Canon or Nikon and get a couple decent lenses and you will have a great start.

Good luck...Mike

[happygilmore]

panasonic lumix tz1 or higher, 10x optical that fits in your pocket! I've had slr cameras their nice but you have to carry a pack with you to hawl the huge camera and lenses around. buy a good camera that will fit in you pocket.

[porcupine]

Just got a Nikon D60 last week. I also picked up a 55-200MM lens to go with it. So far, I like it a lot. If you want to see a picture that I took last week, go to the thread White Cheeked Pintail under waterfowl or new posts.
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[Blk Arrow]

Your budget will help determine your purchase. Do your homework as each brand and model's features will vary.

We decided on an Olympus E-510 which is an entry level SLR. One of the deciding factors in choosing the E-510 over the Nikon D40 was the image stabilization. The Nikon has "Vibration Reduction" in the lenses while the Olympus has "Image Stabilization" in the camera body. The Olympus also came with a 3 year warranty as opposed to 2 from Nikon. All Olympus digital slr lenses will fit Olympus slr bodies. The price point was also better at the time. (Christmas)

The camera has taken numerous pictures from the Oregon coast to New York to baseball tournaments and indoor choir concerts. We are quite happy with the resulting photos. There is plenty of room for us to grow into the camera.

This is our opinion and there are several good digital slr cameras on the market. Go out and do your research,handle the products and then make a decision.