40D or D200?

[D-50]

Not true at all. If you get a d40 (I would suggest a d50 or d70 but Im not going to open that can of worms again) with the two kit lenses which are an 18 to 55 and a 55 to 200 you will have your major shooting range covered and it will cost you less than $1000. IWhen you getmore interested and involved your hobby willquickly start eating your money solely due to your preference for bettere quiptmentbut for someone who wants quality photos and the ability to use manual controls the above mentioned kit is all you need.

 

[JIP]

I think Villiage Idiot covered it well when it comes to an 18-200 on a D200 but to add to it. A D200 is a pro/semi-pro camera so if you get a camera like this you should not take away from it by buying marginal glass. In your case I might consider either a body like a D80 or a D40x and some decent glass or think of geting something like a 50mm 1.8 pus a decent kit lens. Alot of people like the big range of the 18-200 but you have to realize image quality does suffer with a lens like this and if you are not concerned about image quality then why bother with a great camera like the D200. ANother thing if you give the D200 to your wife and set it on P it will be no more complicated to use than any other DSLR.

 

[ChrisP]

Ditto what JIP said - and just to add another 2 cents (and from one who has the 18-200) - it's a nice lens for what it does and that's to provide an "all-in-one" solution for when that's helpful. For example, when I was in Disney recently with family, I wanted a lens that I could use for most situations and didn't want to carry other lenses around with me - the 18-200VR was definitely helpful. However, I prefer to use my prime lenses because of the sharper, faster glass. In a way it helps me to focus on composition and what I need to do to make the picture.

By the way JIP, see that you're a fellow 'burgher. Good to see some other folks on from the area. I'll keep an eye out for a D70 shooting guy with a nice 70-200 f/2.8 lens (major jealousy) ;-)

 

[JerryPH]

This always offends lots of people but that marginally sharp "all around" lens does not belong on the D200.
O.K. Socrates your turn.

Nope, *my* turn. (lol)

This is what a 18-200 "marginally sharp" lens does on a D200:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerryph/sets/72157604136892371/show/

Every picture in that set is made with that combination. Now, let the people make up their own minds.

As far as getting good results from the D200, its no beginner's camera, and does take work, patience and a LOT of practice to get it's best out of it. I like my D200... and yes, even with 5 other lenses in my arsenal, the 18-200 does an acceptably good job too.

 

[Mystwalker]

Good wide ...
Many will say EF-S 10-22
I like 17-40L myself

Good wide ...
70-200L ... there are four varieties to select

You should also look at 24-70L, 24-105L.

Yeah - others will recommend EF-S 17-55.

If you have the budget, go "L" is my recommendation. I'm sure there are good Sigma, Tamron, etc ... BUT I have yet to hear of a bad "L".

 

[anderspj]

I'm about to just say, "no DSLR for me." I'm getting the feeling that unless you spend $1,000,000 on equipment, you won't be happy with the results.

Hey, the worst vice is advice, and that's usually no joke. It's totally not the case that you have to spend a king's ransom to get a kit you will enjoy.

If you aren't ready to buy somebody elses fantasy kit (or your own, for that matter) I think a great strategy would be to start building it up with essential pieces. Avoid items you will definitly 'have' to replace later (as in the images produced are just sub par) and focus on ones that can become a permanent part of your kit. You want the 40d. Great, go for it. Some people will say the Rebel because it's cheaper and leaves you more cash for lenses etc. That's up to you.

Now, the whole "good glass" (glass...don't much like that term for lenses. sounds too cultishly cutesy) idea is a good place to start, but often the truely great lenses will break a beginner's budget. So, smart lenses are your next best bet. The highly regarded 50mm f/1.8 is a good example of a smart buy. It lacks the versatility of a zoom, but gives you a much greater aperture range than any kit zoom. Also, it is a prime lens, and as such will force you, to a certain degree, to push your creativity. You will have to position yourself, you will have to find your perspective, you will have to zoom with your feet, and you will have a lens which yields great images in terms of sharpness and bokeh. It's construction is fragile, and it is definitly breakable, but it's a good producer for under $100.

Along the same lines, I might suggest the 85mm f/1.8 as a compliment to the 50. At $350 or so, it also falls into the smart lens category. It is well regarded in terms of image quality, and is a lens that would offer you more length. Admitedly, this kit leaves you lacking on the wide end, but it also a)falls within your budget, b)starts building you a kit of good quality lenses, and c) doesn't get you an unremarkable kit zoom that you will want to cast away inside of a year.

I dunno, there are plenty of people who will argue the merrits of a kit zoom, or a different camera, or a bigger budget, but this is an example of a kit that falls within your budget and in my opinion provides a lot in terms of enjoyment/learning/creativity/quality potential.

$1400-$1600 for the camera and 2 lenses.

40d (rebate available)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/518207-REG/Canon_1901B004_EOS_40D_SLR_Digital.html

50mm f/1.8
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12142-USA/Canon_2514A002_Normal_EF_50mm_f_1_8.html

85mm f/1.8
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12182-USA/Canon_2519A003_85mm_f_1_8_USM_Autofocus.html

I'd also advise stretching your budget a bit and getting UV filters for both and a lens hood for the 85. The 50...I probably wouldn't bother with a hood, but that's up to you.

UV filter (50)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/72713-REG/Tiffen_52UVP_52mm_UV_Protector_Glass.html

UV filter (85)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/13078-REG/Canon_2605A004_58mm_Haze_UV_1_Glass.html

Lens hood (85)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/162046-REG/Canon_2655A002_ET_65_III_Lens_Hood.html

 

[TamiyaGuy]

I agree with the people that say you don't need to spend a ton of cash to get good results. I know that for many people, price is a very limiting factor (I would, I'm one of them ). In any case for lenses, though, you would be much better off getting 2 short zooms that one super-zoom. It's cheaper and generally nicer. I have the kit 18-55 and a Sigma F4-5.6 55-200 HSM on my D40 and love them both. It can sometimes be tricky to guess which lens you'll need for the trip you're going on, yes, but it only takes 30 seconds to change, max.

I'm probably going to get as much flaming as a trigger-happy pyromaniac now, so I'll get out of here :greenpbl:

 

[dufrenbk]

If I get the 40D and the kit 28-135, would I get some decent quality? The reviews I'm seeing say the 28-135 is a good lens. I love the range. 28 may not be wide enough, but I'm not into having the "perfect" shot and angle and all that yet. I'll get my wide angle lens later. What do you think about that to start for a bout 1200-1300?

 

[Stranger]

id say go for it.

The only thing you might notice is you wont get the fast shutter speeds when shooting in the dark.

You will be very happy with this setup though. Maybe throw in a 430ex flash to make up for the slow shutter speeds and you have a very good setup to learn and grow on.

 

[ghpham]

I'm about to just say, "no DSLR for me." I'm getting the feeling that unless you spend $1,000,000 on equipment, you won't be happy with the results.

This is what happen when you go on a forum of complete strangers for advice and they do not know your end goal. The real question is what is making you deciding on getting a DSLR? Until you can answer that question, the kind of answers you get will cost you anywhere from 500 to "1,000,000" as you put it.

 

[BoblyBill]

I kind of ran into this question from the back door the other day. I have 4 cameras: Canon 40D, Pentax K100D, Canon D30, and a Canon EOS ElanIIe. My first was the film Elan. So I was used to the FEEL of the Canon body. For this reason when I was spending to much in developing film, I stayed with Canon and bought the Canon D30 (also cause I had the lens on my film that could go on my Canon). Keep in mind that at that point I had spent about 400 for both the bodies and two lens (28-85mm kit and tamron 28-300mm). Most of my shots last year came from my D30. About half way through last summer, my brother in law gave me the Pentax K100D and two lens (17-70mm Still my favorite lens and 50-200mm). I shot with it a lot but I have never really liked the FEEL of it. This last couple of months I have wanting to upgrade and got the 40D (I love it by the way). My brother in laws dad was the one that basically gives my brother in law all his camera equip. (he's got a whole line of lens and Pentax K10D). He was basically the one that gave me the Pentax in hopes of "converting" me to Pentax (they are great cameras), but I never have gotten used to how small the body is in my hands. For this reason, I got the 40D instead of the Pentax 20D (arguably a better camera) that my brother-in-law's Dad could have gotten for me for $400 bucks less than what I paid for my 40D (which cost me $1277.00 with two lenses, bag, two tripods, uv filters, card, battery, charger, and various other stuff that I'll never use really). All that to say, every camera you consider buying I would recomend holding and playing with. Every camera that has been listed here are great cameras. Some have features that the others have, but all take great pictures. It really depends on the user on how the end product comes out, and not the camera. One of my favorite shots came from a disposable camera of a sunset that this 12 year old boy (I believe) took while he was on the bus going 60mph.

 

[dufrenbk]

well i just bought the 40D

 

[BoblyBill]

You'll like that camera. What did you get to go along with it?

 

[dufrenbk]

i got an ebay kit that came with the body, tripod, bag, 4gb card and other stuff that isn't worth mentioning for $1019. i'll be buying the 28-135 is and the 18-55. there has been much crapping on these 2 lenses but i've seen 100% images with these 2 lenses and they are suitable to my taste and i found them at good prices so they're very worth the price i'm paying and they cover the biggest concern i had... focal range.

 

[BoblyBill]

If it helps, I have the 18-55mm that everyone seems to hate, and I have gotten some sharp shots with it. Here's some examples...

Click for higher-res




I missed the focus on this one