Good beginners camera?

[TNT]

Well basically im looking for a good Beginners Camera because id like to get into photography away from using point and shoot camera's. im most likely gonna get pretty serious about my photo's too.

well im looking for something pretty good yet under or around $500

what id be taking pictures of is kinda what youd find in a national geographic magazine.. which also means it varies...but mostly people and places and Nature


hopefully something thats a DSLR... i was wondering if the nikon D40 would do the trick for me? since its cheap and seems to have good reviews but the reviews also state it as a good "family camera" or "moms" camera.


any one got any ideas on what could fit my needs?

 

[PhotoXopher]

Since you mentioned the D40, here's what Nikon has available.

The D40 is what most people who went with Nikon probably started off with, it was a HUGE seller... perhaps the hottest selling DSLR of all time. The replacement is the D60... however both of these are no longer produced. The D3000 is the newest entry level camera in your price range, and typically comes with the 18-55 kit lens - which will get you started.

If you shoot a lot after the sun goes down or indoors with poor lighting, you may want to save a little more for the D5000. It features the CMOS sensor for much better high ISO performance. Other benefits include Live View and video ability.

 

[TNT]

oh! interesting i'll look into that nikon D3000 ...but need to do some research on it first!

 

[PhotoXopher]

I love the Nikon Digitutor:
D3000 | Digitutor | Global Site | Nikon Imaging

 

[PatrickCheung]

i have a d60, it's been meeting my needs in a camera so far... of course there are limitations as it is a beginners camera, but nothing i cant live around (after all, i am a beginner). i've heard good things about the d3000, which is sort of like the replacement for the d60 (which was sort of the replacement for the d40... haha). you might wanna look into that.

the kit lens (the 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 mentioned above) served me quite well, however i found myself needing a faster lens and picked up a sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4.5 about 3-4months later, if they offer the d3000 body only, then i suggest you get that and the sigma 17-70mm, or nikon's 18-70mm f3.5-4.5 as your first lens, if you can afford it. great range, pretty good image quality (at least for a beginner), relatively cheap.

though you should note that i switched the sigma 17-70mm for a tamron 28-75mm f2.8 for it's constant aperture and slightly sharper images. loving that lens.

 

[KmH]

The D40 is what most people who went with Nikon probably started off with, it was a HUGE seller... perhaps the hottest selling DSLR of all time. The replacement is the D60... however both of these are no longer produced.

Could you provide a link to documentation the D40 and D60 are no longer being produced?

 

[PhotoXopher]

D40:
Nikon D40 officially discontinued | Nikon Rumors

D60:
Nikon D60 next to be discontinued? | Nikon Rumors

What's left appears to be store stock...

 

[DScience]

The D40 is what most people who went with Nikon probably started off with, it was a HUGE seller... perhaps the hottest selling DSLR of all time. The replacement is the D60... however both of these are no longer produced.

Could you provide a link to documentation the D40 and D60 are no longer being produced?

Yea, it's still on their lineup via nikon.com

 

[PhotoXopher]

Look on B&H and try to buy a D40 or D60 new and see what it says. There are also NONE available around here... only the D3000 and D5000 for Nikon DSLR's under $800.

 

[KmH]

D40:
Nikon D40 officially discontinued | Nikon Rumors

D60:
Nikon D60 next to be discontinued? | Nikon Rumors

What's left appears to be store stock...

Nikon Rumors? :lmao: Your standards for information veracity are somewhat lower than mine.

Edit: I did check B&H and confirm they show the D40/D60 as discontinued.

 

[PhotoXopher]

You pick odd things to argue about... I stated my experience, I like how you left out the B&H Photo reference I showed you. Nikon Rumors wasn't my source, I just googled it quick and it backed up what I saw at B&H. Neither B&H or my local stores can get either one. They may not be 'officially' discontinued YET, but they sure have slowed production - but that's another thread. I stand corrected, I guess...

Why anyone would get a D40 over a D3000 right now is beyond me though, unless you get a very good deal on the D40 or need 1/500th flash sync.

 

[Atlas77]

Nikon

-D40
-D60
-D3000

Canon

-Rebel XTi
-Rebel Xsi

Thread over.

 

[Darkhunter139]

You can still get them new on plenty of sites (The D40). I got mine for $395 on black friday from newegg. I am pretty sure amazon and adorama still sells them new as well.

Ken Rockwells review of the D3000 is a little harsh not really sure if its all true because he is a big D40 fan and seems kind of bias towards it a lot of times.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3000.htm

 

[comasgirl]

I have the D40 and have had it for a little over 2 years. It is a great beginner camera but I personally feel like I have outgrown it very quickly. The biggest problem I have with it is that there is a very limited number of lenses you can purchase and if you do purchase them you will spend more on the lens then you did on the camera itself LOL!
I think its is a great "mommmy" camera ( I can say that because I am a mommy and thats why I bought it) but if you are looking to advance I would aviod the D40..

 

[PhotoXopher]

I have the D40 and have had it for a little over 2 years. It is a great beginner camera but I personally feel like I have outgrown it very quickly. The biggest problem I have with it is that there is a very limited number of lenses you can purchase and if you do purchase them you will spend more on the lens then you did on the camera itself LOL!
I think its is a great "mommmy" camera ( I can say that because I am a mommy and thats why I bought it) but if you are looking to advance I would aviod the D40..

The lens IS the expensive part... there are lenses that cost more than a D3

Don't upgrade because your lenses cost more than the body... upgrade because your camera is holding you back. Take it from someone who's upgraded 5 times this year.