What's the best camera to get - $500ish Budget

[pashabelman]

iphone 4s.. best camera under $500 with two year contract - ATT or VERIZON

 

[thinkricky]

I'd say used Nikon D90. I just bought one but I know for sure you'll learn more and room to grow. Brand new at Best Buy is roughly $1200.

One issue I had is my D3000 has no auto focus motor in it. Nor does the D3100 or the D5000 or the D5100. What that ends up meaning is when it's time that you want to expand to different lenses you are limited to mostly Nikon lenses only. Which are pretty pricey.

So I bought a D90 is a significant upgrade and supports a wide variety of lenses and brands at your disposal. Also records video. Take it from me. Beginner that's growing. Once you decide to expand you find yourself needing a new camera again.

(Not sure about Canon or Sony) I'm a Nikon fan.

 

[flatflip]

Hey, I'm looking to buy a camera, and my budget is in the $500 range. What would be the best camera I should get into, I was thinking of getting a Nikon D3100 SLR Camera.

I have a D3100 and I love it. I saw it for less than $500 a couple times last year and a couple times the year before that. You should be able to enjoy the 18-55 kit lens for a long time unless you are like most of us amateur's that just have to keep buying stuff. There are also some good deals in the buy & sell forum here.

Have Fun, Mick

 

[manaheim]

Used Nikon D200 is about at that level and better than a D90 in a lot of ways, though a D90 is respectable.

Do NOT buy a D3100. It's pretty much garbage.

I would strongly advise avoiding any camera that does not have an internal focusing motor (D3100 would be an example).

 

[djacobox372]

I'd go for a nikon d200 with a 50mm f1.8 af-d lens. I've seen d200's sell for around $400, and the 50mm f.18 af-d sells used for $100 or less.

As a followup, I would suggest a d90 over the d200, however the body alone would blow your budget. I haven't seen any d90's sell for less then $500. The D200, routinely sells used for $400 or less. With the d200 you'll be compromising some high-iso performance and video capabilities, compared to the d90; however, you will get a much better built camera with a more professional feature set.

 

[greybeard38 10]

One of my students has a Nikon D3100 and really loves it.

 

[PapaMatt]

Go with the Nikon D200, the D90 is a good camera but the D200 is a work horse, I know I have had my D200 for years, Great Camera, you can't go wrong. I love my D200, would never let it go.

 

[manaheim]

No offense, folks, but what any person feels about their camera isn't useful or helpful in any way to a prospective buyer. All I have to do is dreg up someone else who either hates that camera, or someone who likes a different camera, and poof... that information you just provided is nullified.

A choice of a camera needs to be about two things... first and most importantly, it needs to be about meeting the requirements of the buyer (budget, features, capabilities, fit with current gear), and secondly (and far less importantly) it needs to be about the "love it" factor for the buyer. (if they simply cannot stand the ergonomics of camera X, then ok... maybe they shouldn't get that one)

Skip the anecdotal fluff.

 

[cbrown222]

No offense, folks, but what any person feels about their camera isn't useful or helpful in any way to a prospective buyer. All I have to do is dreg up someone else who either hates that camera, or someone who likes a different camera, and poof... that information you just provided is nullified.

A choice of a camera needs to be about two things... first and most importantly, it needs to be about meeting the requirements of the buyer (budget, features, capabilities, fit with current gear), and secondly (and far less importantly) it needs to be about the "love it" factor for the buyer. (if they simply cannot stand the ergonomics of camera X, then ok... maybe they shouldn't get that one)

Skip the anecdotal fluff.

Quoted for emphasis. My girlfriend has the D3100 and loves it. You can find a good amount of inexpensive lenses with internal focusing motors. The D3100 seems like a good choice for your budget. Go to a best buy or camera store and see how different cameras feel

 

[PapaMatt]

Everything we buy has to do with meeting the requirements of our own personal needs. They ask what we think and we tell them how we fell about something we have and used and LIKE. The buyer has to meet his own needs when he has all the information. Go to a camera store and look around, play with diferent cameras, try them out. That being said, the nikon D200 is a WINNER.

 

[manaheim]

No offense, folks, but what any person feels about their camera isn't useful or helpful in any way to a prospective buyer. All I have to do is dreg up someone else who either hates that camera, or someone who likes a different camera, and poof... that information you just provided is nullified.

A choice of a camera needs to be about two things... first and most importantly, it needs to be about meeting the requirements of the buyer (budget, features, capabilities, fit with current gear), and secondly (and far less importantly) it needs to be about the "love it" factor for the buyer. (if they simply cannot stand the ergonomics of camera X, then ok... maybe they shouldn't get that one)

Skip the anecdotal fluff.

Quoted for emphasis. My girlfriend has the D3100 and loves it. You can find a good amount of inexpensive lenses with internal focusing motors. The D3100 seems like a good choice for your budget. Go to a best buy or camera store and see how different cameras feel

So you quoted me to show that you're going to pointedly ignore what I just said? Awesome.

Everything we buy has to do with meeting the requirements of our own personal needs. They ask what we think and we tell them how we fell about something we have and used and LIKE. The buyer has to meet his own needs when he has all the information. Go to a camera store and look around, play with diferent cameras, try them out. That being said, the nikon D200 is a WINNER.

So you're adamantly insisting the best way to offer advice is to tell them what you personally like.

Some random yahoo that the OP knows nothing about other than he has a nervous hamster as a sig and 23 posts since Jan of 2012?

I think I'm gonna post a poll on here to see how many people absolutely hate their cameras. I wonder what the numbers will be... hmm... 2? Maybe 3 people out of several thousand?

Yeah.

Not useful.

 

[Destin]

Nikon D80 body ($350ish) + Nikon 18-70 would be a good place to start. The 18-70 is technically a kit lens, but it is a little better quality than the 18-55, and a little bit faster.

Buying used, you could pick up both items on ebay for a total of right around, maybe a little over, $500. If you really get into it though, prepare to spend more money in the future to upgrade lenses, add flashes, get a better (newer, higher level) camera body, etc.

 

[PapaMatt]

:lmao::lmao::lmao: wow somebody got a little rattled, chill

 

[Destin]

Everything we buy has to do with meeting the requirements of our own personal needs. They ask what we think and we tell them how we fell about something we have and used and LIKE. The buyer has to meet his own needs when he has all the information. Go to a camera store and look around, play with diferent cameras, try them out. That being said, the nikon D200 is a WINNER.

What other cameras have you used to compare it against? The D90 BLOWS the 200 away at high iso shots, and at metering, and it has live view, and some other stuff that the 200 doesn't. Have you ever used a D90? A D7000? D700? D3? Or are you just blowing smoke because you don't have any experience above a D200, so you think it's the best thing since sliced bread?

Not to mention, if the OP buys a D200, that leaves $100 for a lens. The 50mm isn't versatile enough to have as your only lens, and kit lenses are cheap and not the best quality. And at under $100, the 50 1.8, or the 18-55 are about your only options for lenses with AF.

The op may well be better off getting something like a D40 ~$150 online, and pairing it with something like a Tamron 17-50 2.8 ($350ish), since glass is more important than the camera body. The D40 is what I started with and it's a great camera to learn on. It's the same IQ as the D200 (same sensor), just in a much smaller body that is easier for a new photographer to figure out, and it would leave room in the budget for a good lens.

 

[manaheim]

What other cameras have you used to compare it against? The D90 BLOWS the 200 away at high iso shots, and at metering, and it has live view, and some other stuff that the 200 doesn't. Have you ever used a D90? A D7000? D700? D3? Or are you just blowing smoke because you don't have any experience above a D200, so you think it's the best thing since sliced bread?

Not to mention, if the OP buys a D200, that leaves $100 for a lens. The 50mm isn't versatile enough to have as your only lens, and kit lenses are cheap and not the best quality. And at under $100, the 50 1.8, or the 18-55 are about your only options for lenses with AF.

The op may well be better off getting something like a D40 ~$150 online, and pairing it with something like a Tamron 17-50 2.8 ($350ish), since glass is more important than the camera body. The D40 is what I started with and it's a great camera to learn on. It's the same IQ as the D200 (same sensor), just in a much smaller body that is easier for a new photographer to figure out, and it would leave room in the budget for a good lens.

I've used every camera you've listed and then some and while the d90 is awesome, I would have a very hard time choosing between them ... And in the end would likely go d200. The simple fact is that the sub bodies all lack certain important things... On-body physical controls, durability, ability to use all common accessories, etc.

The one thing you missed, btw, is that the d200 doesn't do as well with battery life as the newer models. Not a huge deal but a good thing to know.

I still think the hamsters method of argument is ridiculous, but overall I agree on his choice.