Guide to buying the right entry level DSLR

SrBiscuit · Jun 18, 2009

perhaps im alone here, but with such ENDLESS resources out there based on EXTENSIVE research and experience, why attempt to put together a summary when it's all readily available?
Dylan, im not doubting your ABILITY to put together a buyers guide...i only question the NEED. it seems so redundant.

Dylan-Fishman · Jun 18, 2009

Sherman Banks said:
bdavis said:

I actually agree with the OP. I know this forum is supposed to help people, but seriously, how many "Help me pick a camera" threads do we need. They need to just be in their own category. I cant believe no ones ever heard of doing research and going to a store to try them out.

Click to expand...

I agree that something like this would be useful, but it has to include so many different things that it becomes a monster in itself, which newbs won't read anyways. We could do a brand specific "what should I buy" thread, but even then, it's still as much work as surfing all the linked sites above. And with so many professional reviews out there, it shouldn't be based on what one person thinks is good, even though they claim it to be unbiased. The way to do it would be to list the camera/model, include the technical data for the camera, and link to pro reviews done on it, maybe even sites to buy from.

And not to be an ass, but the OP doesn't even own a DSLR yet, so where is this information coming from? The t1i being difficult to use for beginners? Like any other camera, it can run full auto which takes the difficulty factor down to nothing. I get your intent, and know you've probably done your research but you need to remove your opinions for this to be of any use or at least back them up with some evidence.

PS: What's with the Ken Rockwell hate? I can understand it when senior photographers can call out his BS, but hating on him for the sake of fitting in with the old guys doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe I'm wrong in assuming he's more knowledgeable than you, but unless you can justify why you think he's a clown, you should probably look into a sig change.

I do have a Nikon D50, where did you get your information from???

And to others. I just wanted to help beginners. Most of you already have your DSLR of choice and many awesome pictures... Sorry for trying to help.

To SrBiscuit: Yeah but I wanted all the basics of the entry levels on one page.

About the T1i being difficult to use, I have used this camera and one of my friends owns this camera. He said as a beginner he was completely lost and confused. I used it myself before getting my D50. Found it harder than the D40 and the XS

69 Posts.... hahaha

DScience · Jun 18, 2009

Ok, your saying the D40 goes for $500, yes the D90 body for $800 pluS? Come one, seriously. Find me a brand new D90 body for less than $900, and the D40 is going for $420 with lens at Newegg.com right now.

Dylan-Fishman · Jun 18, 2009

DScience said:
Ok, your saying the D40 goes for $500, yes the D90 body for $800 pluS? Come one, seriously. Find me a brand new D90 body for less than $900, and the D40 is going for $420 with lens at Newegg.com right now.

A new D40 body not on sale, can go up to $500
A new D90 body cannot go for less than $900. $900 is the cheapest I've seen new.

DScience · Jun 18, 2009

Dylan-Fishman said:
DScience said:

Ok, your saying the D40 goes for $500, yes the D90 body for $800 pluS? Come one, seriously. Find me a brand new D90 body for less than $900, and the D40 is going for $420 with lens at Newegg.com right now.

Click to expand...

A new D40 body not on sale, can go up to $500
A new D90 body cannot go for less than $900. $900 is the cheapest I've seen new.

Newegg.com - Nikon D40 Black 6.1 MP 2.5" 230K LCD Digital SLR Camera w/AF-S DX NIKKOR ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G II Lens
$429.99

You say D90 is $800+, and the lowest you've seen it is $900?

Well why not just say the D40 goes for $329 +, then the thread would at least be consistent, if not accurate. :thumbdown:

Josh66 · Jun 18, 2009

usayit said:
What makes the T1i difficult for a beginner to use? This is a serious question and not being critical of the OP's post. Just out of curiosity as I have never seen nor handled one.

I don't get this either. I haven't used it either, but I can't see how it could possibly be harder to use than any other (very easy to use) camera in the rebel series...

Dylan-Fishman said:
69 Posts.... hahaha

??

Sherman Banks · Jun 18, 2009

Dylan-Fishman said:
I do have a Nikon D50, where did you get your information from???

Your EXIF data from your latest post says you were shooting with a Canon Powershot. And your profile said you were getting a DLSR soon last I checked, although I see it's now updated. Sorry I assumed your only camera was the one you did your latest shot with. And I'm not trying to hate based on your post count, as I fully understand that post count does not correlate with experience, but you haven't backed up any of your opinions with evidence. You doing camera reviews is like me doing sports car reviews. I understand how a car operates, and I can look up the technical data for each, but I wouldn't say I'm qualified to be weighing in on which is better since I haven't actually driven many. Sure, I can make assumptions based on this information or even take other's experiences into account but my evidence would be weak just based on the fact I haven't gotten my hands on them. So all I'm saying is remove the subjective information from your guide unless you can back it up with some evidence.

Dylan-Fishman · Jun 18, 2009

That was somewhat accurate^

I am not an expert on all cameras, i don't have nearly enough experience. But I have used most of them and have analyzed them. I know some of my information is shaky but these are some prices I see from reputable dealers.

Overread · Jun 19, 2009

The problem with such a central post/thread as has been shown is not only that collecting the info is not always as simple as we thing (come on most what camera do I get threads never metion the other brands half the time_) but also because so much of the data is fluid - camera models are updated very quickly so such a master article would need contant review to remain accurate; prices also move far more than camera models - I would give general pricing areas for models, but not an exact price for each (also some people are not in the US

).

We are not trying to have a go at you Dylan, but when someone puts a lot of effort into something like this we dont' want to see that the end result is misleading or lacking in key areas - otherwise it just won't get used.

Further (since you have edite the first post I can't recall if such info was up before or not) but you make no mention of lenses on offer and differences between the systems. This is an important area and for many taking things byond budget zooms its the most important.

usayit · Jun 19, 2009

Dylan-Fishman said:
So that portion was based totally on your friends assessment?

As far as I can tell, the entire Rebel series pretty much has the same layout and I haven't heard very many people commenting on difficulties. Your assessment also leads to believe that the Rebel T1i is more difficult to use than the XS.

My opinion about the guide...

* There are SO many resources covering such topics. This guide will just be "yet" another guide. The time and effort by other resources online (dpreview for example) will always be more than anyone here is willing to invest.

* Who will update the guide?

* How do you keep the guide unbiased?

* I know many are tired of the continues threads concerning which camera to buy. In the end, these threads are more beneficial. They bring up new concerns. They bring up new opinions. They bring up new products. They are taylored specifically to the person inquiring about their next camera purchase. The sheer nature of these threads insures that the information is more current and specific.

Steph · Jun 19, 2009

Dylan,

I understand what you were trying to do and your efforts are commendable but, as other people already said, you set yourself a massively complicated task: there is simply too many entry-level cameras and too many different expectations from too many different to be able to write such a buying guide for first dSLR buyers. Those people need to do their own research and then ask more specific questions. You cannot do the research for them. However, all the information you gathered might still be helpful in more specific threads.