Help me buy a camera!

Envy

So, I'll be graduating from my 2 year college and will be moving to Seattle shortly after. Now this is an epic journey for me, as Seattle is 3,000 miles away. I'd like a camera to take shots with on the way up there, as well as do shooting when I move in Seattle. I've already made the decision on it being a DSLR and I want something that can handle any situation. If you recommend any cameras, please list the reasons why I should, as well as the price and possible deals online. I am getting money for graduation and am going to match the rest (if needed). The price threshold is $1000, or something near that. Instead of mentioning some cameras that I find excellent, I want some opinions of others as well. Thank you all.

Also, if you have a high-end camera and have a personal online gallery, I'd like to check it out.

Time for me to put my 1970's film slr's to rest.

bsjezz

What make is your film SLR? It may not be perfect, but if you buy the same brand you may still be able to use any old lenses you have on the new digital body. Starting a new lens collection is likely to be pretty pricey and if you can save anything by carrying on with old lenses it's probably worthwhile.

Other than that, I have a Nikon D50 and I reckon it's rad. Not too big but i has a nice weight to it, LCD display on the top of the body and it takes good old SD cards. The kit lens is great at 18-55mm - takes a really wide angle shot. It's probably quite a way under budget for you too, so you can spend some of the remainder on a telephoto lens or something with a wider aperture. Or you could go for a more advanced camera - frankly the D50 does everything I need, but I'm no professional.

I think you're pretty safe with either Nikon or Canon. The real question is the lenses if you ask me - look around to see if there are any specials on - if you can get a D-SLR body and a few extra lenses on the cheap then you're laughing.

bash

If you insist on a DSLR I'm a big fan of Canon Rebels. They're EOS cameras which means they work with the range of Canon's EOS equipment (lenses, external flash, timers, remotes, etc.) and pretty damn nice quality. I have the 300D (Digital Rebel) which is a 6.3MP model. The newer one is the 350D (Rebel XT) which has a lighter weight body, an 8MP sensor, and can take more shots in a burst. If you don't know a lot about photography I highly recommend getting a For Dummies book now and read up before you buy anything. Such a book will cover the basics for you and kind of let you know what everything means. If you know a bit about photography than you should already know the lingo of the trade.

I really like Canon's cameras because they can use a variety of lenses and they're relatively easy to tune. The Rebels aren't quite as configurable as their professional DSLRs but they're far cheaper and use many of the same components. Most places selling DSLRs offer different packages for selling them. Most dealers will sell you a body alone letting you buy any lens you want later, others will package some particular lens with a body other than the standard Canon one. It can be kind of confusing so read the entirety of those DP Review pages I linked to. Even Canon's low end DSLRs can use extremely high end lenses and have very easy to use and powerful manual settings. This lets you experiment easily without being unduly frustrating.

I've taken my Rebel traveling with me all over the country. For the most part I've done well with the 18-55mm lens I got with it. Get a UV filter (to protect the lens and sensor) and a polarizing filter. These combinations will cover you got a number of situations. A zoom lens can be useful for some types of shots but they require a bit more skill to use effectively.

Here's a tip once you get settled: find your local camera equipment rental shop. If you've got your own camera body you can rent all kinds of lenses rather than buying them outright. You can rent very expensive lenses for relatively little scrap for a weekend. My friend uses this trick all the time when he goes to car shows. He'll rent a lens for a weekend that costs several times what he paid for his camera (300D like mine) and get far better shots the the non-pros standing right next to him due to skill and his badass zoom lens.

Envy

My film SLR's are the Konica Autoreflex T3 - which uses 50mm, and a Canon AE-1, which uses 67mm I believe. As for renting lenses, that's an excellent idea. I'll have to try that. Keep the suggestions going.

SporkAndrew

I'll just add to bash's excellent post by saying that Canon have had the 400D / Rebel XTi out for a few months now. 10MP with a giant screen on the back. Only downside I can see is that it does away with the seperate screen for showing your current camera setup, which I wholeheartedly love about my 350D / Rebel XT..

I guess they figured that they show you the exact same information in the viewfinder overlay anyway, but it's still nice to be able to see it when you're holding the camera not to your eye.

Envy

Nice. Anyone try the D40 or D80?

Cameron_Talley

I have a Canon 20D....I would recommend getting either a used 20D or a 30D if you can....Much better build quality than the XT/XTi.

Your old Canon lenses will not be compatible, however, so you'll need to get some new glass...

Have you checked www.dpreview.com and www.steves-digicams.com?

Really, though, since it's an SLR, you're buy a system, not a body...look at the glass out there and see what you like and what suits your needs.

muninn

Envy wrote: »

Nice. Anyone try the D40 or D80?

I tried D40 for a bit. It is very nice but if you want autofocus with it, you are limited to the overpriced Nikorr glass. There is a new D40 coming out soon that has more megapixels, if thats your thing.

another Vote for D50 here.

Envy

Yeah, I've seen some wicked shots with a d50, but then again, it was equipped with a 12-24 lens, which is EXPENSIVE. Could anyone tell me the difference on the d70 and the d70s? Quite the popular camera.

tofu

I bought a used D70s a few weeks ago and love it. Check out dpreview for DSLR reviews.

nexuscrawler

The digital Rebels will take any Canon EF or EF-S lens but not all features will work with older ones. I have an XTi and am very happy with it. I think the stock lens is kinda junk though. You will need to buy a better one for serious pictures. Sadly liek the Nikons the good L series lesnes are reidiculously overpriced.

It's pluses are the giant screen is great, it autocleans it's sensor(something that can be very expesnive to get done professionally), and it takes very solid pictures. It feels a tad light compared to the higher end cameras but I think it feels pretty solid. It's more egonamic than the older Rebels. I'm perfectly comfortable wrapping the strap around my wrist and walking around with the camera in my hand for long periods of time.

also to comment on the setting display. The Xti uses the large single display to show all your camera settings. You hit a button to switch to prieview mode to look at your pictures. So all the controls are still in front of you it's jsut a matter of pressing one button to switch back and forth.

El Viento

The D70s added a bigger LCD screen to the back, comes with a bigger capacity packed in battery and has a slightly better coverage from it's built in flash. The CCD (megapixels) and lens mount is identical to the D70.

Going with either a Nikon D40/D50/D70s/D80 or Canon Digital Rebel/EOS300/350/400D is ideal. It's personal preference to which, they are both awesome systems. Nikon glass can be either budget or 'get a second mortgage' expensive whereas Canon seem to have a nice range of lenses that span all price ranges and needs.

Have a look around as to what the latest dust removal and CCD cleaning solutions are, when I bought mine a couple of years ago only one company (Olympus?) had a vibrating filter to remove dust from accumulating on the CCD as you swap out lenses. It's not a huge problem but it bugs some people.

nexuscrawler

That's what the XTi does whenever you turn on or off the camera. It delays things for a second that's all. if the delay bugs you the cleaning feature can manually be turned off.

Envy

I really like the cleaning feature. Is that feature in the D80? I'll take a look at the suggested models above as well as the reviews.

Rogers101

I can throw in a vote for the Nikon D70. I've enjoyed mine for a bit over... 2 years now? Man, time flies.

You can check out my pics here. It's a great camera. El Viento makes a good point about lenses. Look into what you might like in the line of lenses and what it's going to cost you. More than likely the lenses will outlast the body.

Code

I am using an older 300D myself (Canon) the body you get really is just the beginning, like others have said, it is the system, not the lens. I like the offerings of lenses that canon has, I will eventually get a newer body, more megapixels is always better. But unless you are planning on making Huge prints right away, or doing some very high speed action photos, the cheaper 300D or 350D will be fine. My sig has a link to my photo gallery. I have only put up a couple of the things I have shot over the years, and I have been making prints of some of them for a while now, even at 16x20 the 6.4 megapixels still looks plenty clear.

Edit: you might have to create a deviantart account to see some of the pictures. They are... less than safe for work.

mausmalone

I can't afford a digital SLR, but what I've used, I really like the Canons.

All I know is that the only place I trust to buy them is B&H because their customer service is absolutely fucking perfect in every way.

El Viento

I forgot to actually mention that I chose a D70s (but my post kinda suggested that!). I liked the size and feel of the camera in my hand compared to the EOS 350D; taking everything into account, lenses and all the rest that is what it came down to for me, the Nikon fit my hands better and felt weightier. Not any less robust, just weightier.

You can't go wrong with either of them, go to a bricks & mortar store and heft a few around. Coming from film SLR's your hands will have an idea of what they like!

Envy

Yeah, I've seen some photos from a d70s, and I really like them. The price range between the D70s and the D80 is quite a good deal for me, so it might be worth it. Plus, more megapixels isn't always better. Apparently noisy artifacts increase with pixel density. Wouldn't want that. ;p I like Canon as well, but I the reviews I read makes me feel that Nikon is a slightly better built camera.

Nalouto

basically your two choices are.

nikon d20/dwhatever =p - lots to choose from here. nikons are great.

canon rebel rebel xt - xti - solid and very user friendly.

buying outside these 2 brands guarantees disaster. and when I talk with other picture people the nikon/canon debate always comes down to preference, or what kind of lenses your friends have >_>

personally I went Canon. I just like the feel of it. and my favorite photoblogger uses one (daily dose of imagery anyone?)

Envy

Thanks for laying it out Nalouto. I really like the deal you get with the XTi and I've been looking at packages on buydig.com. The best bundle I could find was this one. http://www2.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=E2NKD70S1870 In fact, I couldn't really find any decent bundles for any other cameras. if any of you find any, please post away.

Envy

I would also like to get into IR photography, and I think the Hoya R72 would do it, but what's the right one to buy? I see prices on google for around $50, but then I hear something about them costing around $200. Then something about gel and glass IR filters. Can anyone push me in the right direction? I'd like to take photos like this one.

nexuscrawler

Random picture taken with my Canon

http://picasaweb.google.com/pdewit/2007_01_07/photo#5017394229608084210

that's pretty comrpessed for upload btw

Shazkar Shadowstorm

I have a D50 that I got a year ago or something... mad awesome.
Here are some random pics I took a few months ago:

I didn't get the kit lens with it... uh, I got the lens that would normally be the kit lens for the D70 and then I got the 50mm f/1.8 lens for awesomness.

bash

IR photography can often times require a bit of camera modification. Pretty much all CMOS-based DSLRs have an IR filter in front of the imaging sensor to keep your images in the visual band. CMOS sensors tend to be especially sensitive to IR wavelengths which isn't condusive to good visual band photography. You typically have to remove these filters and instead place an IR passthrough filter on your lens which will allow IR but not visual bands through. It's not terribly difficult but I would not recommend it with your main camera body. If you can find a body on the cheap somewhere it might be worth experimenting though.

carbon13

I'm looking for a cheap film SLR to dick about with. Already been reccomended the Olympus OM10 by another forumer, and a Pentax me super by a friend of mine. Anyone else got any reccomendations that I can pick up cheaply from eBay? You have until tonight before I decide on one.

Sky Demon

Can't go wrong with a Pentax K1000. It's a good, solid camera with an absolutely huge range of lenses and accessories.

Envy

I see quite a bit of people with some $200 Canon Rebel film SLR's. Good stuff.

Varega

Ok guys, I need some help as well. I'm looking to buy a ~240$USD camera. I'm thinking of buying this. I have a few others in mind though, this,
and this. this.
I'd like to stay in Canon's product line though, but the Canon A560 seems to be the best bang for the buck. Any second opinions would be most welcome.

Varega

Bump. If you guys need any more information, tell me, I really appreciate the help guys.

Sky Demon

TBH, I would go with the A560, if only because it uses AA batteries and it's cheaper than the others.
FWIW, I have the A630 and the 560 beats it in almost every way. Bigger movie file size limit. Same number of shots on only 2 AA batteries. The only thing I can tell the A560 is lacking is manual controls. For that you might also want to consider the A570 IS. Image stabilization and manual controls included.

ArcSyn

Count another vote for the Canon Rebel XTi. It's a great camera! Stock included lens is meh, but the camera itself is a great step forward. You have backward compatibility with EF lenses, a self-cleaning sensor, a big back screen, and 10MP. Not to mention some of the other canon functionality. But the XTi is definitely worth the price. I'm currently saving up for one now. (Bodies w/o the stock lens go for around $650-700)

bash

My cameras and lenses were stolen out of my apartment last week. If you're in the San Jose area you might be able to find my gear selling cheap somewhere. To add insult to injury a wired remote I ordered for my Rebel came in the mail today. *shakes fist*

saltiness

Envy wrote: »

I really like the cleaning feature. Is that feature in the D80? I'll take a look at the suggested models above as well as the reviews.

Just need to chime in for a second. The self-cleaning thing on the XTi doesn't actually do anything so don't let it be a factor in your decision. I own the camera and I have to manually clean the sensor if it gets dirty. I read a review that compared the current DSLRs that have self-cleaning and none of them made any real difference when there was junk on the sensor. I can't find the link to it atm.