# Camera advice?



## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

I'm looking to buy a digital SLR in the next few days.
Just thought I would ask all of you since you might have some experience in the SLR field to help myself (and others) out.

I'm looking at the lower level SLR's. Nikon d60 (replacing the d40) or d80. The d60 will still be acouple weeks until it gets released, but really is no more than a suped up d40 with a few new technologies. (sensor vibrator, and active lighting)
The d80 is about $400 more for a somewhat more 'professional' camera but will be lacking in the new tech of the d60 since its 1.5yrs old now. But the d80 still has the more pro features that you will not find on the lower level cameras.
Also looking at the Canon Xti which is between the Nikon d60 and d80. The xti also has the sensor vibrate, but again is 'old' tech as it is also 1.5yrs old.

Was also looking at the Sonly alpha 300, but the button/dial setup is a joke, so thats off my list!!

So, anyone have any suggestions on what camera I should be getting?

Thanks! 

Ryan


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Ryan, I haven't seen any specs for the d60 but it sounds pretty neat from what you wrote. I think any of the cameras you mentioned would be great. The only advice I have for you is to actually go to a store and hold all these cameras in your hand. I know that when I did that I realized that Canons just don't fit well in my hand and that the d80 was just a little too bulky for me.

Good luck and I'm sure you will have an awesome camera!


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## mugsy & me (Feb 3, 2008)

i'd look at the olympus line, the e510 i think it is, is supposed to be pretty good.
the pentax line is also very good.

these days they are all pretty good but the 'feel' of the camera in your hands is a key point to consider as well.

joe


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## trueblue (Jan 22, 2008)

Ryan,
We just got the canon 30d, and it is awesome! It's a little heavy, but it is really a great camera. Actually, it's my husband's, as he understands all the photography lingo...I just like to point and shoot (and I inherited the xti, which also takes great photos).

Check out http://www.steves-digicams.com/ That site has extensive reviews (most of which I don't understand :doh, but besides that, we also visited a camera shop where they people are pretty knowledgeable, and ended up with the canons.

Good Luck!


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

Hey Ryan,

I have the D40 and love it. The pics it takes are great. The diff in pixels doesn't really make a difference unless you are printing poster sized pics. The 6.1 mp sensor on a DSLR is much larger than on a compact camera and hence takes much better pics. When I went to Henry's Camera, the sales person told me that for the money the D40 was the best bet. I'm now looking at getting a zoom lens for it.

You can check the following website for reviews.
http://www.dpreview.com/


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Based off of Daniel's post, I just wanted to add that if you want a 10.1MP but want to go with the compact size of the D40, I have the D-40X which is 10.1MP instead of the 6.1MP of the D40. Though I agree with Daniel that if you aren't printing big pics and aren't a pro that the difference in size doesn't matter too much.


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Thanks for the replies. So yeah, the sensor on D40/60/80 is the same exact sensor for all.. no upgrades from Sony yet on the sensors.. 
I was hoping that the d60 would use the new 14bit technology but it does not, for whatever reason it still has the 12bit chipset. I'm thinking the Canon xti might be the best bang for the buck as it is closer comparable to the d80, while still in the $750 price range.
As far as Olumpus and Pentax go, I've been told to stay away...but thats just opinion anyhow.. All the Canon's will also be replaces later in the year to. 
I've already been reading the reviews on DPreview.com but still not certain of what to do.. never knew buying a new camera would be so hard.. lol
Does anyone here have the d80??

Ryan


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

My daughter went with the D40 and loves it. The quality of the pics is amazing. She didn't feel the difference in the pixels warranted the price difference between the D40 and D40X. She paid about $550 for it, I think.


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

I shoot with an old Canon 10D and two Canon 20Ds. The old Canon 10D is so quiet, I love that, but the 20D pics are sooo much better. It's so hard to keep up with the technology. I know things just keep getting better and better. It's interesting being a photographer right now...

We've had great luck with our Canon cameras, but I keep hearing really great stuff about Nikon. I shoot with Sony pro video cameras, but I've heard the still cameras aren't getting very good reviews. 

Boy, I'm really not being helpful. Good Luck!


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Yeah, I know what you mean about technology for forward every 2 minutes. ?it's hard to keep.

I've heard the Sony's are quite good actually, as having bought out Minolta. (they had a good brand to start with) And the fact that they supply most of the industry with the sensors they produce.

I'm still looking what to do!lol

BTW-- this is the most research of done on anything since researching the Havanese.. lol


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## dboudreau (Jan 12, 2007)

I have a two year old Digital Canon Rebel xt, I loved it in the begining, so much better than my point and shoot, but now I would like to get a more professional camera. Want to buy a used one?


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

I know I have said this before...but I love love love my Nikon D40~
I too would suggest you go into a camera shop and "play" with the different cameras. I thought I really wanted the Rebel until I held it in my hand and messed around with it. The Nikons seemed so much more user friendly to me!!
Best of luck whatever you get, I am sure you will love it!


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Ryan--I thought the D60 is replacing the D40X not the D40.
I love my D40!!!


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

So many cameras out.. not sure what to do.. lol..
Sony and Canon are also releasing new versions in the next month or 2 aswell.. ughhh.. That will drive the older model prices down though.. sooooo...
What to do.. what to do?


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Ok, so what brand and type of lenses are we all using? Are you Nikon people using Nikon lenses or Sigma? 

Thinking of getting the 18-200 nikon or sigma.. anyone have this one? I'm thinking 1 lens would be better than always swaping 2?

Ryan


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Ryan I too would like to get a new camera, I am enjoying this thread to help me make my decision also.

Debbie LOVE, LOVE the new avatar..


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Ryan, I have the 18-200mm (Nikon) and I LOVE it! It's great not to have to swap lenses out all the time! Now I do want other lenses, don't get me wrong, but it's nice to have just one to count on if you don't want to lug around a whole case full of lenses.


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## dboudreau (Jan 12, 2007)

Thank you Leeann. 

The lense I use most often is the 18 -55 that came with the camera, I also have the 75-300 which is good for distance, but my dream lense would be the canon EF 70 - 200 mm f/2.8L IS USM, I had a choice between the new lense and a havanese puppy. I took the puppy.


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## trueblue (Jan 22, 2008)

Ryan, I know that my husband uses a Sigma lens with the canon, but not sure what numbers are associated with the lens...told you I didn't know the technical stuff  He also got a new Canon lens to use on the 30d. Debbie, is the lens you mentioned the long white one? If that's the super telefoto one, I got my husband that one, and he returned it! He said he already had a telefoto one, so he got something else. Maybe I should get him to post on her since I just seem to be babbling without adding any useful info at all.


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

I have both but I LOVE the Nikon ones!!!


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Hey Lina..
So are you happy with the nikon 18-200? How is the sharpness at each extreme? Is it worth $700? The 18-135 is more than $300 cheaper and is saposed to be VERY sharp all the way around, just does not zoom as far...do you use yours over 150 much? Are you looking to buy any new lenses?

Thanks!
Ryan


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

My favorite is 70-300!


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Ryan, I actually use over 150mm more than almost any other setting (I like my zoom). My next lens will be one that goes up to 300mm (perhaps the 70-300?) since I use the zoom so much! I find it to be perfectly sharp at every setting. I haven't had a problem with it at all. Here are five pics, at 18mm, 32mm, 53mm, 105mm and 200mm, that I took in Brazil of a turtle going back into the sea. They're not the greatest pictures, but just to give you an idea of the capabilities of the lens at different focal lengths.


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## havaTaffy (Dec 13, 2007)

Looks like you're going for a Nikon . I too have a Nikon (D70), my hubby has a Canon 30D, so here's a few comparisons:
-Nikon (body or lens) is heavier and feels sturdier than a Canon.
-Canon is more user friendly than Nikon--I have to read the manual to figure things out on a Nikon whereas you can get to Canon's numerous features by guessing.
-Nikon's lenses cost a bit less than Canon's
-I found that my Nikon tends to attract more dust (those frustrating little black spots in the pics) than the Canon. So you might want to check if the camera you're interested in has something to deal with the dust.

I have a 15-77 lens and an old 70-200 lens (x 1.5 on a digital). I use the 15-77 most of the time for landscape, people and of course, doggie pics. The 70-200 is used for sports or action shots. So the lens really depends on what kind of pictures you tend to shoot more often.

There's some comparisons on the 18-135 vs. 18-200 on the dpreview forum. You might have seen it already, but if not, here's the link to it:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1030&message=26857378
I found the comment by Dennis Jones quite helpful.

Hope this helps with your camera search. Let us know which one you go for.


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Ok.. so yesterday I picked up with Nikon d80 with the Nikon 18-200 lens!
I have not taken it off auto mode yet.. pretty complicated stuff.. this camera is no peanuts!
Look for new and improved pictures of beamer coming soon to a screen near you! 

Ryan


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Congratulations!! That is a great camera!
PS--Love that lens


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## dboudreau (Jan 12, 2007)

Looking forward to lots of pictures!


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

That's great Ryan! I hope to see lots of pictures soon.


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Cool, Ryan!

Okay, I want to see photos of Beamer taken with your new camera....we want to see every single hair on that boy!!


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

I'm looking at getting a zoom lens for my D40 so that when the weather warms up I can get some good shots of Bogie and Brando on the run. Luckily my bday is just a month away ;-)

Enjoy the camera!


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

Beamer said:


> Ok.. so yesterday I picked up with Nikon d80 with the Nikon 18-200 lens!
> I have not taken it off auto mode yet.. pretty complicated stuff.. this camera is no peanuts!
> Look for new and improved pictures of beamer coming soon to a screen near you!
> 
> Ryan


BTW, Henry's Camera has courses you can take that are specific to your camera. I took one for my camera which was the basic. They have an advanced one too. I found it pretty useful.


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Daniel- I am not sure if they have Best Buy up in Canada, but if they do, check their yellow sticker "open items". I recently got a 55-200 zoom for my d40 and got quite a discount because it was a returned/opened item. The person had it for less than a day before they decided on the super zoom....it is in perfect condition, not a scratch on it. :whoo:


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Hey Daniel,
Yeah.. was thinking about the Henry's camera tutorials.. not sure yet.. My brother thinks he is a professional photographer, so we will see if he can teach me the ropes first... lol

Ryan


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Katie,
Yes, we do have Bestbuy here in Canada. They actually had a openbox of the camera I bought for $100 cheaper, but I decided to get the sealed box...

Ryan


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Ryan when are going to see some pictures?? please.


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## JimMontana (Feb 18, 2007)

Looks like a great camera, Ryan. I have a 2-year old Pentax dSLR and we do fair amount of traveling and I take thousands of photos. I like that it's compact. As for number of megapixels discussed, sure I get good shots with my 6 m., but I'd go for more next time as more pixels would mean I could do even more cropping. The 10m seems plenty though. Hey, all of the best pics I take are cropped more or less and adjust angle; so I'd like the 10m to be able to crop and zoom into some great shots and still be sharp (and yes I do some post-processing also, especially now that I shoot in Raw mode. If you're not familiar, definitely look into advantages of shooting Raw, then converting to Jpeg.) 

Now you must post new photos!


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