first dSLR

[patthebaker17]

hey guys im new to this forum and need a little help. im choosing between the nikon d40 and d60 or the canon eos xs. my price range is about 500 to 550 so not many options. i want a easy to use camera since its my first one. and one that takes amazing pictures and has a lot of customization.

thnx i advance

 

[djacobox372]

I've seen used d40 packages on ebay for $250!

For $550 you should be able to find a used d80 with a lens.

 

[patthebaker17]

well i kinda want a new camera so there will be no problems and stuff

 

[Harmony]

I'll be the first to say it: if you're not willing to put the time into photography, the camera won't result in "amazing pictures" because you're the one who's actually taking it. You do need a basic knowledge of photography.

 

[patthebaker17]

who says im not willing i just said that if i dont like photography ill just use it a a everyday camera i wanna try photography out. pretty sure ill like it i love art museums particularly photography. but im trying to decide which camera.

im hearing that the d60 is not worth the extra money from the d40 so idk. but the xs is still and option to

 

[Samanax]

Do some research into which Nikon lenses will work with the D40 and D60...not all of them will.

On the Canon side, all EF and EF-S lenses will work with the EOS Rebel XS.

 

[patthebaker17]

i looked at both canon and nikon lenses. canon seems to have more lenses. but nikon has a more diverse lenses.(fisheye). knowing that the d40 will only accept af lenses it does have less room to work with. both seem fine. considering i dont know what the focal length and the mm size does and stuff. i know i will buy a new lense in about a year or less. i will be stuck with my kit lense for a while.

jw is VR or IS really important. im looking to get some telephoto or zooms. and it looks like it will help..

and what is the difference between telphoto and zoom anyway?

 

[Samanax]

i looked at both canon and nikon lenses. canon seems to have more lenses. but nikon has a more diverse lenses.(fisheye).

Canon makes a fisheye lens too...the EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye. A friend of mine shoots with one...it takes amazing pictures when on his full frame 5D. Sigma also makes a several fisheye lenses (4.5mm, 10mm and 15mm) for Canon EOS DSLRs.

jw is VR or IS really important. im looking to get some telephoto or zooms. and it looks like it will help.

VR or IS is very helpful when shooting in lower light/slow shutter speed situations without a tripod. It also is extremely useful when shooting with long zooms or telephoto lenses without a tripod...longer focal lengths tend to exaggerate any kind of body movement (breathing, heartbeats, etc...). A friend of mine is a helicopter pilot who takes aerial shots while flying one handed and his pictures come out very sharp using Canon IS lenses on his 40D.

and what is the difference between telphoto and zoom anyway?

Simple explanations: Zoom lenses can vary their focal length. Telephoto lenses are single focal length.

For a more advanced explanation of both types of lenses, click on the links below.

Telephoto Lenses

Zoom Lenses

 

[paulandre]

canon rocks!

no really i think you'll love the canon family line of lenses

 

[xxx_jpk_xxx]

knowing that the d40 will only accept af lenses it does have less room to work with.

The D40 accepts ALL sorts of lenses, just as long as the mount of the lens is the same as the Nikon F-Mount. The ONLY thing that AF signifies is whether it's Auto Focus or not. So if it's a non-AF lens, it won't auto focus. Trust me, that will be the LAST of your worries. There are TONS of very valuable (and cheap!) non-AF lenses that you can find out there that will fit the D40. If manually focusing a lens is too hard for you, you could always invest in one of these:
Nikon D40 D60 Focusing Screen - Katz Eye Optics

The main difference between the D40 and the D60 is the amount of megapixels. Now keeping in mind that both of these cameras have the exact same sensor, if you think logically, trying to cram more information into less space will cause some loss of information. That's basically what happens with the D60. The pictures are MUCH noisier with the D60 than the D40, so just stick with the D40 and save yourself the money. Plus, the D40's 6.1 megapixels will be MORE than enough for you. Pretty much any print size that you'll (most likely) be using will print just fine with that resolution. The only reason you'd need bigger is if you make a living off of photography and you sell massive prints.

And if for some reason you DO need to make a huge print, Photoshop has some amazing plugins that will blow up the image for you.

I hope that helps a little.

 

[patthebaker17]

ok thnx for all ur guys help ive decided to get the canon xs cuz more lenses with af. not that i really need af. but its nice if i see a good picture that will be gone soon. also with the kit lense is better then the d40 also with the dust removal idk if that helps a lot but its better then nothing. but main reason was the price. d40 409 and the xs was 450!!

i wanna buy from new egg is this a good place to buy if not amazon