First DSLR?

C_Dubs · Sep 18, 2011

Hi, I am new to the world of dslr's, and want to buy one. I took a class on them so i know how they work. I would be using this for photos only. I am open to all suggestions. I would like to keep the price for the camera and one nice lens as close to $1000 as possible, but could go up to $1500 if i had to. I wouldn't prefer it though. Thanks for all help!!!!!

marmots · Sep 18, 2011

well this is a great starter for that price

C_Dubs · Sep 18, 2011

yes,i was looking at that one, and the d70/80/90 series from nikon. do you think i should buy the kit lens, or just buy the body (can find it for $550) and a nicer lense? maybe some vintage glass?

analog.universe · Sep 18, 2011

You should go to a camera store and play with a few models, and decide if you like the ergonomics of Canon or Nikon better. If you like Canon, probably look at a 50d or 60d... and if you like Nikon, look at the d7000?

The lens is a pretty personal decision. Lots of folks will recommend a kit lens as it's a good all rounder... I tend to disagree with this, it's more of a mediocre half rounder. You won't be able to shoot in low light without flash using a kit lens. So, what do you want to shoot? Is low light important? Is a long reach important? Is close up performance important? Do you intend to do landscapes, portraits, action shots, macro shots? Personally I'm partial to prime lenses (lenses that don't zoom), because they afford the highest quality optics (most of the time, certainly at a given price point) and the best low light performance.

At that budget, I would personally start with a Canon body and a 35mm f/2.0 lens. But that's personal opinion, maybe a d7000 with the kit lens is the best option for you. All depends on what you want to accomplish.

analog.universe · Sep 18, 2011

I'd probably not be looking at the Rebel class of Canon's. I'd much sooner pick up a used XXd on eBay, as the build quality is much better, viewfinder optics are better, autofocus is better. The Rebels have a lot of control buried in button combinations because they've made such an effort to keep the bodies small. As a result I feel the ergonomics are really compromised compared to Canon's higher end bodies.

marmots · Sep 18, 2011

i think a kit lens is good to start just so you can find out what you want to shoot
when i first started i had no idea what i wanted to shoot

C_Dubs · Sep 18, 2011

i can find a refurbed d90 body for 630, or a new kit with the nikkor 18-105 mm lens, should i buy the body and get a better lens? could you guys reccommend some could lenses? i wouldnt care if they were new or vintage

analog.universe · Sep 18, 2011

analog.universe said:
what do you want to shoot? Is low light important? Is a long reach important? Is close up performance important? Do you intend to do landscapes, portraits, action shots, macro shots?

^^

C_Dubs · Sep 18, 2011

i am going to do some action shots, some nature shots, low light isn't super important, i would do some close ups, a little bit of everything

analog.universe · Sep 18, 2011

That 18-105 is probably a good place to start then. It's pretty sharp, but suffers from distortion (has trouble keeping straight lines straight). It also doesn't have a very large maximum aperture, so it will need a lot of light to work well. That's a really nice range of focal lengths to get started with though, and since you're open to vintage glass, you can expand your kit that way as you figure out what you need. One thing the 18-105 will not do is macro shots. It has a maximum magnification of 1:5, where a dedicated macro lens will get you 1:2 or 1:1. Macro is something that's usually done with manual focus anyway, so that's a good place to look for something older. The limitations of the 18-105 are typical for a lens with this much of a zoom range... any higher quality alternative would be more expensive and require more than one lens to cover that range.

C_Dubs · Sep 18, 2011

so you think that is the best all arounder for the money? what do you think of the mikon d90 vs the t2i or 40d?

analog.universe · Sep 18, 2011

I think if that's the amount of money you want to spend, and you want a lens that tries to be an all arounder, that's a pretty nice option. You always make tradeoffs somewhere with glass, so if you're comfortable with the shortcomings associated with that style of lens, I'm sure you'll be quite happy with it. Check out Welcome to Photozone! and LensTip.com - lens review, lenses reviews, lens specification - Lenstip.com for nice in depth lens reviews, if you wanna check out some other options.

I'd say forget the T2i, the 40d is a great camera despite it's age. At this level, the differences between Canon and Nikon are mostly in the interface, neither will take better pictures than the other. So I'd suggest going to a camera shop and playing with a bunch of dSLRs from both companies. Even if you can't find the exact one you're considering buying, you can get an idea for how each company approaches ergonomics. Most people I've spoken to find one really natural, and the other really annoying, but there's no telling who will like which.

C_Dubs · Sep 18, 2011

analog.universe said:
I think if that's the amount of money you want to spend, and you want a lens that tries to be an all arounder, that's a pretty nice option. You always make tradeoffs somewhere with glass, so if you're comfortable with the shortcomings associated with that style of lens, I'm sure you'll be quite happy with it. Check out Welcome to Photozone! and LensTip.com - lens review, lenses reviews, lens specification - Lenstip.com for nice in depth lens reviews, if you wanna check out some other options.

I'd say forget the T2i, the 40d is a great camera despite it's age. At this level, the differences between Canon and Nikon are mostly in the interface, neither will take better pictures than the other. So I'd suggest going to a camera shop and playing with a bunch of dSLRs from both companies. Even if you can't find the exact one you're considering buying, you can get an idea for how each company approaches ergonomics. Most people I've spoken to find one really natural, and the other really annoying, but there's no telling who will like which.

is the nikon kit lens better than the canon?