Need advice on cam as gift

[theTKDman]

Hey everyone. I just signed up because Im planning on purchasing a camera for my GF as a birthday gift. She is very interested in photography as a hobby currently and down the road MAY pursue it as a career. What is a good beginners camera? Ive ehard good things about the SLR and its upgradeability... is this a good choice? I have a budget of around 900 dollars. Help me out please

Thanks in advance.

 

[Johnboy2978]

Does she have any existing equipment currently to build on, or starting completely from scratch? Does she have a $900 interest in photography or not?

 

[TomHuck-wa]

B&H and Adorama are having sales on refurbished 20d. These come with a warranty of some sort, and one of the best dslrs ever built in my opinion.( I have two of them.)
Nothing wrong with refurbished to start and learn on. She can build her lens collection, and when she is ready, can upgrade to whatever Canons she likes, and have her lenses already purchased. Good luck

 

[Peacemaker636]

You could get her a mechanical SLR in nice condition for a very reasonable price (prob $150) and then probably get a very nice piece of glass for $750 or less. This falls in your price range.

That may not be a very good option though, depending on your situation. More info would help.

 

[theTKDman]

Does she have any existing equipment currently to build on, or starting completely from scratch? Does she have a $900 interest in photography or not?

No existing equipment. I wouldnt sa a 900 dollar interest... lol. I mean I want to get whats right for her now AND down the road. So Im looking for something that kinda bridges that gap..... not sure if thats the way to go though.

 

[table1349]

Gift Certificate. Let the person using the camera pick the one that they want/like. :hug::

Safer that way too. I haven't managed to stay married to the same woman for 28 years with out learning a few lessons.


p.s. If she ever asks if this dress makes me look fat, RUN from the room with your mouth shut.

 

[Jenita]

Hi,

Its better to ask your GF to select the camera she likes.

 

[theTKDman]

Hi,

Its better to ask your GF to select the camera she likes.

Yeah I hear ya on that one. I really dont like the idea of taking my gf to a store though. Plus she would NOT be ok with me spending that much money on her. So Im thinking of getting her the Rebel XT (been doin a little research) but then making sure there is a good return/exchange policy so we could lalways go back if she wanted a diff model. Sound like a good idea?

The reason Im feeling this cam is the way to go is because of the AF ready lenses due to the drive motor being in the cam itself. This leaves the D40 more of a manual focus cam... is this info correct?

 

[smyth]

Yeah I hear ya on that one. I really dont like the idea of taking my gf to a store though. Plus she would NOT be ok with me spending that much money on her. So Im thinking of getting her the Rebel XT (been doin a little research) but then making sure there is a good return/exchange policy so we could lalways go back if she wanted a diff model. Sound like a good idea?

The reason Im feeling this cam is the way to go is because of the AF ready lenses due to the drive motor being in the cam itself. This leaves the D40 more of a manual focus cam... is this info correct?

If you are using AF-S or AF-I lenses, then they are auto focus, all other lenses will be manual focus.

However, you might still be able to snag a D50, at a great price. Here in Canada, one retailer is selling it for around 550$ USD with the Kit lens.

You could also look into a newly announced camera by Nikon: the D40x, which is the exact same as the D40, except with a 10.2MP sensor.

 

[theTKDman]

If you are using AF-S or AF-I lenses, then they are auto focus, all other lenses will be manual focus.

However, you might still be able to snag a D50, at a great price. Here in Canada, one retailer is selling it for around 550$ USD with the Kit lens.

You could also look into a newly announced camera by Nikon: the D40x, which is the exact same as the D40, except with a 10.2MP sensor.

Went with the Canon Rebel XT... thanks for the help guys.