Which dslr???

[JeffieLove]

So I have determined that with where I want to go with photography a dslr will be the best for me. So. What are your opinions on the different brands?? I am still very much a beginner but am dying to learn more about aperture, ISO, and different lenses.

Long story short, I have no idea where to start other than that I want to go with a dslr. Any suggestions and opinions would be great!!

[bigtwinky]

I highly suggest not to read too much into the specs and number crunching if you are looking at the entry level cameras. All cameras are good cameras, what makes the difference is the knowledge of the photographer and the quality of the lenses that are being used.

Find your budget. Go to a store and hold cameras in your budget range. Play with the menus and look at the ergonomics of the body. Try Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus and whatever else they have on hand to feel the differences. Don't worry about taking a picture with them and viewing the results on the LCD.

Know that when you buy into Canon or Nikon, and Sony to a certain extent, you are buying into a system that will allow you to progress from amature to pro, or anywhere in between.

[Dao]

- If there is a store nearby, I will go there and check out the cameras first.
- Set a budget and see which cameras fall within your budget.
- Please understand that you may need to buy more stuff with your DSLR purchase (i.e. more lenses) down the road.
- Canon and Nikon DSLR own a lot of market share, but cameras from other brands are not bad neither. (Sony, Pentax, Olympus, Samsung ...)

So the most important thing now is set a budget and find out which cameras you can get. And then read reviews about the cameras and check them out in person.

Once you bump into something don't understand, feel free to come back here and ask.

[PhotoXopher]

Nikon D3s with the following:
Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8
Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8
Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon SB-900 x3

Enjoy!

[Santa Gertrudis]

Well, Ill go ahead and try to steer you into the Nikon camp as well by recommending the D5000. It's what I bought as my first DSLR, and I'm still very happy with it. Hard to beat for the price considering it's pretty much a D90 in a smaller body with a few less features. It's a very easy camera to learn on. Very user friendly.

[PhotoXopher]

Depending on your budget, any camera is essentially equal to learn on. You could learn on a D3s as easily as you can learn on a D40, the main difference being on the D3s you have direct access to more controls vs the D40 they hide some of them in menus - same as with the D5000. Another main difference is the lack of 'auto' options, you simply have PSAM on higher end cameras.

The basics of photography however don't change; you still control aperture, shutter speed and ISO regardless.

This makes me question if a camera body without the auto modes would actually be better to learn on, if that's what you truly want to do.

I'm not disagreeing with the D5000 recommendation, it's an excellent camera body - I had one and loved it, just looking at it from a different point of view for discussion sake. Also, there are a lot of in-between camera bodies to choose from.

D90 for example, a mix of both worlds that adds a top LCD, wireless commander mode, dual command dials, built in focus motor, among a few other advantages such as a fully functional battery grip.

The D90 also lacks some features of it's smaller sibling, such as an intervelometer for timed shots, fewer auto modes, auto rotating LCD display and flip out LCD to name a few.

D300s adds stereo sound, microphone input, 7fps, even more functional battery grip that can add another FPS, larger viewfinder, 51 auto focus points vs 11, weather sealed magnesium alloy body, dual card slots, 4 custom settings modes in 2 categories and 9 shot auto bracketing to name a few.

Canon folks will chime in shortly, I think they sleep later than Nikon folks

[Dao]

I agree. It is all depends the budget and it is ok to start with a pro body as long as someone is planning go deeper in photography.

So budget is very important in camera purchase. If you want to do more, set a budget for better lenses, flash, tripod ....

[Santa Gertrudis]

You make a very good point. Never thought of it that way!

[inTempus]

Hello Jeff and welcome to the board.

You can always use the boards search feature to get more information on your question. This question gets asked several times a week, so through searching you can literally find hundreds of recent threads that you can check out to get a wide spectrum of answers.

I suggest searching for "beginner first dslr help". That should get you going.

Keep in mind when you ask a question such as this, it's similar to popping into a car discussion forum and asking what type of car you should buy. You'll have partisans loyal to Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota, etc. all giving you advice based on their bias and preferred brand.

The truth of the matter is that most all modern DSLR's are capable of giving you similar results. Some will have certain strengths and weaknesses others might not share. It's a matter of first learning what these strengths and weaknesses are then deciding which one best suits your needs.

Some things to consider:

- What type of photography are you interested in? Sports? You'll want a fast and accurate focusing camera with a relatively fast continuous shooting speed and high ISO capabilities. Wildlife? You'll want something similar to the sports camera. Portraits? This is probably the least demanding area so just about any body will do. Landscapes? High ISO is a good feature, super fast AF isn't so important. You get the idea.

- How much money do you want to spend? If you have a small budget ($600 or so) your options will be limited to consumer grade cameras but you will have a pretty large selection to choose from. $1000 to $1500? You're getting up there into the prosumer area. $2000 to $3000? You're easily into the prosumer area and if buying used/refurb you're into the pro-level body market.

- Accessories. Check out the accessories for the various brands to see what might interest you, and don't forget to consider cost and availability (easy access). If you buy Nikon or Canon, you can easily rent lenses and other accessories via any number of outlets to test stuff out before you buy. If you buy something like Pentax or Olympus, your options for renting equipment to test out before you buy will be far more limited.

- What do your friends shoot? People often overlook this aspect, but honestly, it's great having the same brand as your buddy(ies) because it allows you to learn together and share accessories. If your buddy shoots Nikon, or if you've joined a local photography group and the majority shoot Canon, consider buying a model from their lines so you can share equipment and get pointers on how to do various things.

- Ergonomics. As I mentioned, most modern cameras are for the most part equally capable of producing high quality images. One of the most important things to consider is the human interface. How does the camera feel in your hands? Are the controls logical to you?

- What does the future hold? Do you plan on staying a hobbyist taking snapshots of the family and vacations? Or do you aspire to turn pro and make a few bucks on the side, or perhaps express yourself as an artist? This is important because if you plan on stepping up to the professional level bodies, you'll want to consider that today when you buy your entry level DSLR. Olympus and Pentax for example don't have pro-level bodies. If you decide next year you want to get a pro-body, you'll have to switch brands which means dumping everything you bought previously and learning a new system.

The easy answer is to start off looking at the offerings by Canon and Nikon. These are the "big two" and most people shoot products from one or both of their lines. But don't discount Pentax, Olympus, Sony, etc. as they all have great bodies with unique features in some cases. Carefully weigh the points above and once you have an answer to a few of those questions, let us know what you're thinking and we can point you towards a brand and model... but then we delve into the world of brand loyalty and things tend to get a bit heated.

[PerfectlyFlawed]

Do lots and LOTS of reviews and research. When you think you have done enough..do more! LOL
Go hold them...you may think you are hell bent on a certain brand ( as i was )..and actually hold it and decide you hate it. I am personally going with the Nikon D5000 as my first dSLR, but it all depends on your budget...you'll need decent lenses.
Here are some sites that helped me. Hopefully theyll help you.

This site will come in very handy:

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/Image-Quality-Database/Compare-cameras/%28appareil1%29/185|0/%28appareil2%29/320|0/%28onglet%29/0/%28brand%29/Canon/%28brand2%29/Nikon

Nikon D5000 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

Digital Cameras Side-by-Side, 4 cameras: Digital Photography Review

[dearlybeloved]

Quote: Originally Posted by PhotoXopher

Nikon D3s with the following:
Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8
Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8
Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon SB-900 x3

Enjoy!

should be sb 800 x3

[inTempus]

Quote: Originally Posted by PhotoXopher

Nikon D3s with the following:
Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8
Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8
Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon SB-900 x3

Enjoy!

How utterly lame. Seriously, if you're going to make a suggestion at least give a thoughtful response and include a list of gear that's somewhat useful not to mention realistic.

D3S? Are you f'ing kidding me?

D3X.

[NateWagner]

Oh I don't know... I would definitely trade my current set-up for that.

Although the others have mentioned only Canon and Nikon, I would also suggest looking into Sony (though I don't personally have it). Sony has the advantage of in camera stabilization, so that all of your lenses are inherently stabilized which can be highly helpful. In addition, they are determined to get into the market so they have relatively low prices (on the bodies) in comparison to the big 2.

The downfall is that they just got into the market, so there aren't a lot of lenses on the used market, but you can use old Konica/Minolta lenses which can be had for a steal on Ebay etc.

[loki05]

Quote: Originally Posted by PhotoXopher

Nikon D3s with the following:
Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8
Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8
Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon SB-900 x3

Enjoy!

[PhotoXopher]

Quote: Originally Posted by inTempus

Quote: Originally Posted by PhotoXopher

Nikon D3s with the following:
Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8
Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8
Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon SB-900 x3

Enjoy!

How utterly lame. Seriously, if you're going to make a suggestion at least give a thoughtful response and include a list of gear that's somewhat useful not to mention realistic.

D3S? Are you f'ing kidding me?

D3X.

Well I didn't want to go overboard.