wannabe amateur photographer--need help choosing camera, online stores

[sabbath999]

My 18-70 is an "AF-S". I thought they all were.

As to the worth of the lens, I would give it up but it would be Expensive!!

Hrmmm... I guess I don't know what I am talking about then. My bust.

 

[Richard]

Well I have the 6mp D40 and the pixel size is fine for me right now. If I were to get into wedding the 6mp would limit the size of my prints. Personally if I were you I would get the 6mp and learn photogrpahy. In a couple years you will really know what you want in a camera body. The money you save on the 6mp can be applied to a lens or accessories, and there are plenty of those. Example extra batteries, filters, lens hood, lens cleaner, camera bag, oh and if your going to do landscape work a tripod would be a good investment.

 

[RyanLilly]

I wouldn't get hung up on pixels, I have no problem getting great 8"x10"s from 4mp, that canon sounds like a pretty good deal. I too like to use manual focus for particular shots, but for general shooting AF is great. I recently used a canon and found their multiple focus points to a very flexible to the same composition i want with manual, but with the added speed of AF.

Do a search, some one has posted a link to the side-by-side comparison of the D40 and the XTi, from dpreview.com
Both of these seem like good cameras, but each have their own strengths.

 

[oceaneyes]

Yeah, I've realized that for what I'll be using it for, I don't really need a great number of pixels...although that Canon Rebel XTi still looks like a pretty good deal.

I actually stopped by an electronics store yesterday and got to hold the Olympus EVOLT E-410 and the Canon Digital Rebel XTi...I didn't really pay much attention to them because at that store the Canon was 599.99 (no $100 rebate like on b&h) and, of ocurse, the Olympus really is out of my price range right now. ....oh wait, I just realized that the b&h canon rebate is conditional...in order to get it, I have to buy a $400 printer at the same time. So nevermind! But anyway, the store didn't have any Nikon cameras so I couldn't actually get my hands on one.

I was actually looking for a Ritz Camera store, but couldn't find one (the website I found the address on must have been outdated). I think I'll end up going with the Nikon D40 more because of the price than anything else...I've never had a camera with that many MP anyway, so how would I know the difference? And in terms of how it fits in my hand, no matter what I get I'll be adjusting to how it feels to hold so it seems silly to worry about something like that at this point...

Some accessories I'm thinking about getting:
-Nikon USA
Wireless Remote Control ML-L3 for D40, D50, D70, D70S, D80, N65, N75, ...
-Nikon Full Size Tripod
Full Size Tripod with 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head (Quick Release)
-Nikon USA
HB-33 Lens Hood (Bayonet) for 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G-AFS Len
-Nikon
CF-DC1 Semi-Soft Case - for Nikon D40 with up to 18-135mm Zoom Nikkor
-Nikon
EN-EL9 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery for Nikon D40 SLR Digital

These are all things I'll probably order from the B&H website when it comes back online for purchases...as far as memory goes, I'm not sure where I'm going to buy that yet. But, since I'm looking at a 6 MP camera I'm thinking 2Gb should be good to start out with, unless I find an awesome deal. I still haven't researched lenses, I'll probably do that today after work when I have time to peruse all the posts from all your generous ladies and gents . As far as places to go to order SD cards, does anyone have any suggestions before I start looking? Maybe amazon.com will have something...in fact, I should check the prices for Nikon D40's there since I have an unused gift certificate.

Some questions I've got: Richard mentioned filters...I saw something called a UV filter...and the purpose for seems pretty obvious, but are there any other kinds of filters I should consider? And what is a good weather protection accessory...I've noticed something called a Kata E-702 Elements Cover which seems like it would be a good idea to get considering that I'll be taking pictures outdoors in potentially rainy climates once I move back east. Has anyone used this? Is it any good? And what about a detachable flash? I read on someone's website about how to use them to get good indoor pictures by "bouncing" the light and it actually seems useful...but is it really a big improvement over the onboard flash?

 

[Richard]

I think you've got some great accessories in mind. A 2 gig card will be good, it will hold around 500 fine jpeg files or around 250 raw files. So it should be good. Keep your eye out you shouldn't pay more than 40 for a 2gig sandisk ultra II card. I think I got my first for 30 and my second for 25, I bought both of them at Comp USA, and they do have web site. That is a special instant rebate price. You can try EBAY but becareful for scams like I said you should be paying 30 to 40 dollars for one. Well unless you pay sticker price which is around 60 - 70 dollars. The 2gig Ultra II seems to go on sale at many places. So if Comp USA doesn't have it for a good price looke at Best Buy, Circuit City, Amazon ...etc.

As for as filters I would wait, get your camera take a few pictures then see what else you would want. If you really want to burn some money a
circular polarizer is a good investment but your looking at spending 30-70 dollars on that. As far as weather gear you may want to search the internte on some DIY (do it yourself) things. I've heard people use trash bags, ziploc bags and even shower caps.

Overall I think you are all set and you have done well with your research. Good Job!

 

[Don Simon]

A spare battery is a good idea, as is a tripod, remote release and some kind of bag... but I don't think you need to buy a lens hood for the 18-55mm. Being a kit lens, it should come with a hood (I'd be very surprised if it didn't).

 

[Richard]

it should come with a hood (I'd be very surprised if it didn't).

It doesn't come with one.

 

[93rdcurrent]

I recommend you get a UV filter just to protect the lens. It doesn't do anything particularly useful besides just keep the lens a little safer. I purchased the D40x and 55-200 mm AF-S lens. I am loving it. Although I can't compare it to the Canon since I've never used one.

 

[Don Simon]

It doesn't come with one.

Well... that's just lame :| one more reason I'm glad I'm not a Nikonian