My first DSLR, who are you?

Jace · Mar 4, 2011

So, after threatening my wife with sex, she has agreed to let me spend around 1k on a camera. To that end, I come here to ye gods of the photogs, in search of advice and such.

As I said in the title this will be my first DSLR, coming up from a PSx20is. I'm not sure if I want to buy a new(er) camera with lens for around a thousand, or buy a slightly older, but still awesome, camera and a few lenses, maybe a flash (used of course).

Your thoughts and suggestions will warm my heart and help fill this hole in my soul.

Oh, and I'd rather not get simply a starter camera, like the lower end rebel xs I believe it is.

Bitter Jeweler · Mar 4, 2011

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...photo-gallery/237403-canon-t2i-nikon-d90.html

Will probably give you what you want.

Jace · Mar 4, 2011

Thanks! It's like that guy's inside my head...

Think I'll go check out some specs on the D90. And by specs I mean prices.

Formatted · Mar 5, 2011

Think I'll go check out some specs on the D90.

You could easily find a D90 second or first hand for a good price and then you'll have some left over for a few lenses.

pez · Mar 5, 2011

I believe the Pentax K7 is a solid option as well. The price has dropped significantly with the K5 intro, and there are some very fine legacy lenses that all work on this body, available for a good price. Here is a dpreview comparo of the K7 and the D300s.

JustAnEngineer · Mar 5, 2011

Here's another similar thread.

Jace · Mar 5, 2011

Yeah, finding a lot of similar threads, they just get buried easily, lol.

And I'm still lost. My main concern right now though is lenses, which is a better buy. For instance, in one shopping cart I have:

Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens $129.95
and
Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 Lens (BIM) (for Nikon Cameras) with Case + Cleaning Kit
show kit contents
$164.95

Yet I would still need something for 18-50, correct?

Sigh. If I eat one of you pro-guys' brains, will I gain the power to decide?

dxqcanada · Mar 5, 2011

No ... just a bad taste in your mouth.

We play the same mental game when buying hardware.

Bitter Jeweler · Mar 5, 2011

Keep in mind, shopping for lenses strictly by price isn't necessarily a good thing.

Define better buy?

dxqcanada · Mar 5, 2011

If you want to get a full range of focal lengths (lenses) with a DSLR ... you are going to have to drop the price of the camera body.

Jace · Mar 5, 2011

What I mean by better buy is basically value for the money. Like, if I'm spending 650 on the body, I want to try for the best lens(es) I can with the remaining 400 or so. I'm guessing I would need one 18-55 and one 55-??? right?

To be a bit more specific, I want this camera and lenses to be able to hold its own when taking photos of kids, moving and not, weddings for friends, still life and some wildlife. Hell, I wouldn't mind making money off it one day in order to upgrade to another.

PhotoWrangler · Mar 5, 2011

I've got a D200, and a 70-200 2.8 for sale currently. You could buy both for $1000, and I'll give you an 18-70 kit lens.

Bitter Jeweler · Mar 5, 2011

The cheap lenses tend to be slow and rule out taking (nice) pictures of moving children, animals, and weddings in lower light circumstances. I would spend more on one nicer faster lens, than try to buy a full kit for few dollars. This is what I learned after replacing all the crap glass I bought up front, only to replace it within a year, because I was never happy with the image quality, which was due to the lenses, and not the camera body.

So, I guess it depends on what you call "value".

pez · Mar 5, 2011

Such wise advice, it should be etched in stone.

Bitter Jeweler said:
The cheap lenses tend to be slow and rule out taking (nice) pictures of moving children, animals, and weddings in lower light circumstances. I would spend more on one nicer faster lens, than try to buy a full kit for few dollars. This is what I learned after replacing all the crap glass I bought up front, only to replace it within a year, because I was never happy with the image quality, which was due to the lenses, and not the camera body.

So, I guess it depends on what you call "value".

photocist · Mar 5, 2011

It all depends on what you like to shoot as well.

I have a 35mm f2 i picked up for 130 out the door, which is sharp as a tack. I would honestly recommend against new lenses, and go for the used ones. Generally they are similar quality with 200-300 dollars knocked off the price.

Keep in mind what you like to shoot, not what you think needs to fill up a camera bag. I could spend money on a telephoto lens but it would not get any work, simply because I dont need to get into the face of things.