is the d80 and the 40d the same camera?

[Steph]

is broadwayphoto.com a good place to shop?

NO. Look at this.

 

[Golfer_Cody]

that answers my question haha, so where is a good place to buy? if I want to buy online.

 

[Golfer_Cody]

and also do you think the d300 would be a good camera in place of the 40d cause of the auto contrast? and I like the bigger display than the d80

 

[Buszaj]

that answers my question haha, so where is a good place to buy? if I want to buy online.

B&H, Adorama. If you do buy there, use the links on the top right of the forum.

 

[ChickenFriedRyce]

With $1500 and little knowledge of what you're dealing with, I honestly do not believe you should be buying a top-of-the-line camera.

If you really want a suggestion for a camera, just start off with a D80 and a nice lens. You don't have to have the biggest and the baddest to have it all. And even if you didn't like it, atleast you didn't blow even more of the money on the D300. I'm not saying it's a bad camera, but if you didn't know how to use it and were stuck with it, you lost $1500 on the spot.

A D80 and a really great walk-around lens could get you your everyday shots that you want and save you some money for a later investment. And about the HDR, it's not considered "photography" per say, it's an effect that you can apply to a lot of photos. And if that's the only reason you wanted to get a DSLR, I suggest you not buy one.

 

[sultan]

The D300 blows the 40D away in almost every single way but it is more expensive. If you're super-rich, go ahead but I don't think you have enough skill to get a pro camera like that. Low light is the main area where the 40D beats the D80 but the D300 beats both.

My suggestion - Get a used D50 ($350) and see if you like Nikon and are really serious about photography. When you feel confident with the D50, get a D300 and sell the D50 if you're short of cash.

FYI - Even I have a low-end ($500 incl. lens) SLR and it does everything I need. http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm
Read Ken Rockwell's site a bit to clear you head and gain some wisdom.

 

[Golfer_Cody]

ok cool, well I love taking pictures so I know I am in this for the long run so why not buy what I want now, thats the way I see it. so the d300 is a good camera for low light and well all around picture taking?

 

[ANDS!]

The D80 is more than enough camera youll need for quite some time. No reason to drop a grip of money on a D300 unless you REALLY need the technical legup it has over the D80. If youre goal is a camera that has an easy learners curve, and will be with you for a minute, just grab that D80 (used of course, check Craigslist), and spend the rest of the money on some expensive lenses that will be with you longer than the camera. There is no "best" camera, because technology is constantly changing and that 1500 dollar camera wont be 1500 in a few years; however lenses retain their "value" more effectively than a piece of technology.

 

[ChickenFriedRyce]

The D80 is more than enough camera youll need for quite some time. No reason to drop a grip of money on a D300 unless you REALLY need the technical legup it has over the D80. If youre goal is a camera that has an easy learners curve, and will be with you for a minute, just grab that D80 (used of course, check Craigslist), and spend the rest of the money on some expensive lenses that will be with you longer than the camera. There is no "best" camera, because technology is constantly changing and that 1500 dollar camera wont be 1500 in a few years; however lenses retain their "value" more effectively than a piece of technology.

Well said.

Couldn't have done it better.

 

[Golfer_Cody]

ok well i dont want something that sucks in low light conditions though, cause i will be taking lots in the dark on the beach and stuff. so what do think now?

 

[Senor Hound]

ok well i dont want something that sucks in low light conditions though, cause i will be taking lots in the dark on the beach and stuff. so what do think now?

The D80 doesn't necessarily "suck" in low light. You'll find a slight to moderate reduction in noise from the D80 to D300, but most people would not find it enough of one to justify the price increase if that was the only factor.

 

[NateWagner]

right, and in addition to that, the higher quality lens is going to be more important in getting shots in low light,

Say for example you had a kit lens at 5.6 min aperture and you had a 1/60 SS at ISO 1600, well, in order to cut down noise you could get the D300 which would help, or you could get a lens that would let you use 2.8 for the aperture and drop the iso to 400 which would produce significantly less noise.

The advantage to the lens though, is that when you would get a new body (say later you wanted to get the d300) you can still use the nicer more expensive lens later.

If you have to choose what you are going to purchase generally the most highly recommended things are first glass/lighting then bodies. Yes you need a body, but it doesn't have to be the most amazing one, the lens will help your photos more than the body (though you are the most important factor in how your photos turn out)

 

[Golfer_Cody]

Yeah and I understand that.... I know what you guys are saying. Ok can you tell me what lenses or other accessories I would need to take a variety of pictures like.... sunsets and sunrises... Sports... general whatever in the daylight and basically anytime of the day I see something cool... hunting can be kinda low light.... me and the girlfriend at the beach in the daylight and night cause I love night shots so there will be a lot of those... anyway if there is some lenses that can do more than one of those listed or a lense thats good for all let me know.. also can all nikon lenses for the d300 fit the d80 or the new d90 if it comes out. Thanks

 

[Mav]

You can use almost anything for sunrises or sunsets all depending on the scene you're trying to capture, whether you want to zoom right in on the sun (300-400mm), or if there's texture and color in the sky from clouds and want something ultrawide (10-12mm), or anything in between. Sounds like the Nikon 18-200VR might be a good match for a single lens solution. It's pricey based on its paper specs, but the new 16-85VR lens has better image quality but less range. For a two lens setup, the new 18-55VR and then a 55-200VR or 70-300VR would be a great combination too. I personally use an 18-135 on my D80 for daytime shots and a 70-300VR for longer ones. I could use both at night too, but I have other lenses better suited for that.

 

[Golfer_Cody]

better image quality less range, what do you mean by less range? and what about the lenses for the other stuff I listed?