Just having a little trouble

CW Jones

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yes this is another "help me decide" thread haha

Originally I really wanted a Canon XS, well that didnt happen right away and I am able to wait a little while till I can get up the money. I am torn between these cameras and have been trying to figure out all of there pros and cons

Canon Rebel XS -not expensive, great starter camera?
Canon Rebel XSi - 12MP vs 10MP, more AF points
Canon 40D - 6.5 fps, well built, never heard bad about it....
Canon T1i (new?) not really sure
Nikon D60- not expensive, but no AF on some lenses....
Nikon D90- havent heard any bad about this one either, Expensive tho
Nikon D200 - good price, same AF issues as the D60 tho?
Nikon D5000 (new?) no idea just reading about it

I am wanting to be able to do portraits, outdoors photography, but most of all... sports. I am leaning more towards the 40D now that I read more and more about it. the T1i has video... which I really dont care about at all haha any thoughts? like I said I am just trying to somewhat figure this all out in my head to see what I will need for money.
also in doing sports I would either want the canon 70-200 2.8L (or Nikon equiv.) or the Canon 100-400 4-5.6L just because of its long range. I have see the reviews of both of them and the 100-400 seems to handle 200+ MUCH better, plus for sports you want to get close with the lense...


like I said any thoughts would really help :thumbup:

-Collin
 
I've tried different approaches when giving people advice for a new camera, mainly because I just purchased my first DSLR about a month ago.

I will only comment on one aspect, from my experience. People usually say any DSLR will work for beginners. Well, if you really like photography and you are SURE you will pursue it, then I would save your money for a solid one, that is a step above the entry-level DSLR's.

Basically, if you are thinking of the D60, save for the D90.

If you are thinking of the Xs, save for the XSi or the 40D

If you are not sure how serious you'll get, then get the D60 or Xs.
 
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Think of the D90 as a more affordable D300.

While the D300 has some features the D90 doesn't, It performs close to the D300 in quality.

No I am not saying they are THE same, just that the D90 would be an excellent stand in for a D300 if price is an issue.
 
I'll comment on the Nikon choices:
1. D60- had one, found that 3 AF points and no AF motor to be limiting. You do get a 10mp sensor, but honestly if this is even in consideration, just do a D40 and spend your extra cash on a lens.
2. D90- have one, love it. As noted, it's basically a D300 jr. AF motor built in for older AF lenses, 11 AF points, a 3" LCD which has amazing clarity, great high ISO performance, and the ability to use Nikon's CLS system for off camera flash work.
3. D5000- considered this before the D90 but you lose out on the AF motor and get a 2.5" LCD screen that swivels instead of the 3". And if you're smart and put in the work, you can find some lightly used/refurbished D90's for the same price.

I considered Canon's XSi before I bought the D60 and it has a great set of features but the price was higher than I wanted spend initially. The T1i looks like a pretty powerful camera too but being that it's brand new, it's hard to tell what most people think of it. No matter what you get, it will be a step up from what you're shooting with but you have to take into consideration all the extra stuff you're gonna want following the camera purchase (lenses, flashes, tripod, etc.) so be wise with your hard earned cash.
 
But keep in mind, whatever you DON'T get cause you're still saving for the "next step up" is a camera that you could be using right now.

And the experience of going out and shooting and getting comfortable with your camera and learning is probably worth the difference to you at this point.

There is NO substitute for having the camera in your hand in all kinds of conditions and learning the ins-&-outs of exposure (ISO, aperture, shutter speed, lenses, lighting, etc., etc.).

Tough call for you for sure. But I recommend moving NOW to get A camera so you can begin the journey.
 
Well my advance point and shoot and film SLR have been teaching me. I just dont want to pull the trigger on the XS and regret not getting like the D90 or 40D
 
Well my advance point and shoot and film SLR have been teaching me. I just dont want to pull the trigger on the XS and regret not getting like the D90 or 40D


I bought a Sony H9 in Oct 2007. I shot that for about a year, Using nothing but manual settings. About the only time it went to auto is when the kids used it.

A year later I stepped up and took the plunge to get a D90.

I looked at the Nikon D40, D300, Canon Xti/Xsi and the Sony A300/A350.

I settled on the D90. I started to look more at the lenses I wanted to use, more than the body. Intuitively, the Nikon just fit better, and I like how it was laid out for me. It was a lot like the Sony H9 I thought. Menu's were a little different, but it was a fast learning curve.

I never really did look at the Canon 40D/50D. After looking at the Xsi and having more friends with Nikon than Canon, the D90 became a choice. I have 3 friends who we swap lenses with so it gives us a bit of an option.

I would look at the most affordable body that give you your options you want, and then figure out what type of pictures you want to take.

If I had to do it all over again, I would still buy the D90. But I would have gotten different lenses than the 16-85 VR and 70-300 VR that I got.

I would seriously look at the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8 along with a Tele-converter. Those are the next lenses into my kit. I am finding the f/3.5-f/5.6 glass, while good, just doesn't fit all my needs. I shoot early early morning or very late in the day. I am finding a lt of times indoors. Often with flash restrictions.

Spend the bulk of your money on fast glass I guess is the short comment.
 
Although I can't comment on all of the cameras you've listed, I will point out an important factor. You specifically state that you want to focus on sports photography. For sports, you'll want two things:

1. A good, solid telephoto lens -- preferably fast (a constant f/2.8 would be awesome, but expensive).
2. A camera capable of taking many photos in a burst -- also called the frame rate of the camera (not video). This is how many photos the camera can take per second, when you hold down the shutter. My D40x can take 3 fps, which is pretty low. You probably want at least 5 fps, so that you can get a variety of shots whenever the action is really happening.

So, I strongly recommend that you look into the frame rates. I'd say that nothing lower than the D90 has the frame rate you'll need, but others will probably know more about this than me.
 
yes this is another "help me decide" thread haha

.....Nikon D60- not expensive, but no AF on some lenses....
Nikon D90- havent heard any bad about this one either, Expensive tho
Nikon D200 - good price, same AF issues as the D60 tho?
Nikon D5000 (new?) no idea just reading about it.......

:thumbup:

-Collin
I don't do Canon....but I think (and many agree) Nikon makes better kit lenses.
I have the D60, D90 and D200.

D60: How many lenses do you plan to buy? Nikon makes about 150 different ones right now. They make bunches that will AF on the D60 since Nikon sells a ton of them being entry level and all. This is my daily carry camera.

D90: At $900 body only it's not expensive. The D3X at $8000 is starting to get up there. A Hasselblad H3DII 50MP is $37,000 so it's all relative. The D90 has great image quality and good high ISO performance for the price. This is what I use when I want the highest quality image.

D200: 1st released in 2005 so it's yesterdays tech but it was a $1800 body in 2005. Metal body, weather sealing like a pro camera. Image quality just under the D60 but it has features the D60 doesn't have so get it instead of the D60 unless you just like the compact size of the D60. I use my D200 mainly for HDR because it can bracket up to 9 exposures.

D5000: Same sensor as the D90 and D300 so IQ and high ISO will be decent. Plastic body, no weather sealing just like the D90. To new to say. Look for the D40 to be discontinued.
 
Ok... Another one just got added to the mix.... Canon EOS 30D assuming I could find a decent one used.....
 

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