Which camera to choose?

Mav · Jan 16, 2008

M1M said:
This was my D40 last night.

Stock 18-55 lens

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2069/2196355258_c073c37b1f_b.jpg

Wow great photo!! :thumbup: :thumbup:

M1M · Jan 16, 2008

Mav said:
Wow great photo!! :thumbup: :thumbup:

Thanks!

meganc · Jan 16, 2008

Alright, so it's definitely between the Rebel XT and the D40.
Now on amazon,
The rebel is like $8 cheaper, at $460
The d40 is $468, both free shipping.
I do like the look of the Nikon better, I will probably go to Wolf Camera sometime soon. I have a feeling I'll like the Nikon but we'll see.

And M1M, that is a nice photo

M1M · Jan 16, 2008

meganc said:
Alright, so it's definitely between the Rebel XT and the D40.
Now on amazon,
The rebel is like $8 cheaper, at $460
The d40 is $468, both free shipping.
I do like the look of the Nikon better, I will probably go to Wolf Camera sometime soon. I have a feeling I'll like the Nikon but we'll see.

And M1M, that is a nice photo

Thanks!!

Not to sound dumb, but I made my choice merely on the LCD display. lol

The Nikon's 2.5 looks like a Plasma compared to a 27" tube TV (The canon)

meganc · Jan 16, 2008

Hmm..not really dumb because my point and shoot has a nice 2.7 inch lcd display, and I love it...so I was looking for a nice screen

With the d40 at 2.5 and the XT at 1.8 it just makes me lean more towards the D40

Happy Hour · Jan 16, 2008

what No Sony recommendations? the A-100 is being replaced by the A-200 right now So the A-100 is going real cheap!!! it also has more megapixels than the D40 and has the anti shake built right into the camera! Canon and Nikon You have to spend extra money to get it in there lenses! no to mention they use Minolta lenses so they are dirt Cheap on Ebay!! You can get just about any lens for 50-100$ how can you go wrong?

Stratman · Jan 16, 2008

OR you could go with the Pentax K100D with built in Anti shake, and compatibility with ANY Pentax lens since the 70s. Not sure of the price, but I am sure it is in the same range, or maybe a bit less than the Nikon and Canon, and is a more "solid" feeling camera. And it also has the highest rated "kit" lens of the bunch too.

http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-Digita...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1200529571&sr=8-1

photo_guy · Jan 16, 2008

Go with an XTi or XT. Its the best entry level camera on the market. Also you not limited to which lenses will work with the camera , like the D40. Thats just my 2 cents.

Happy Hour · Jan 16, 2008

photo_guy said:
Go with an XTi or XT. Its the best entry level camera on the market. Also you not limited to which lenses will work with the camera , like the D40. Thats just my 2 cents.

who says is the best? that is your own personal opinion. My sister has the Xti and I personally think It is nothing special.(But that is just my opinion!) The next guy will say he thinks his camera is the best on the market. You need to research all the cameras in your price range then go to the store and hold them all see which feels the best for you. nobody here can tell you what you need. I suggested the sony because you said you were on a tight budget. and even though all the dlsrs are around the same price and the same options(for entry level ) you can get Minolta lenses for next to nothing used on ebay. I started wanting a nikon D200 but ended up with a sony. because I thought it felt better in my hands. (Everyone I know who owns the Sony said the exact same thing) they were going for a nikon or Canon and like the way the Sony felt better. The next guy might tell you the Sony is a piece of SH*t. But you need to find what fits you the best!

monkeykoder · Jan 16, 2008

Happy Hour said:
who says is the best? that is your own personal opinion. My sister has the Xti and I personally think It is nothing special.(But that is just my opinion!) The next guy will say he thinks his camera is the best on the market. You need to research all the cameras in your price range then go to the store and hold them all see which feels the best for you. nobody here can tell you what you need. I suggested the sony because you said you were on a tight budget. and even though all the dlsrs are around the same price and the same options(for entry level ) you can get Minolta lenses for next to nothing used on ebay. I started wanting a nikon D200 but ended up with a sony. because I thought it felt better in my hands. (Everyone I know who owns the Sony said the exact same thing) they were going for a nikon or Canon and like the way the Sony felt better. The next guy might tell you the Sony is a piece of SH*t. But you need to find what fits you the best!

Personally I think the Sonys feel a little light and weird in my hand if it wasn't for the familial investment in Nikon lenses I would have gone with Pentax but you'll get thousands of replies to a thread like this and you'll be more confused by the end than when you went in.

mrodgers · Jan 16, 2008

Happy Hour said:
who says is the best?

Marketing says it's the best!

It's marketed more, reviewed more, sold more, thus is touted as the "best selling".

People fall for marketing. I've posted here before about researching my $200 Fuji while my co-worker purchased the Rebel XTi on e-bay without ever even seeing one or picking one up in his hands. He thinks he bought "the best". He was even talked into a different lens than the particular kit he was going to buy which moved the price from $1000 to $1500. Yet, I'm taking photos in manual mode learning how to take photographs with my $200 camera and his is "all automatic, the camera does everything!" (his words, not mine..)

meganc · Jan 16, 2008

Hmm yeah I guess I should just go see which one feels right in my hands, I think I still might stick with Nikon and Canon since I know more about them, but we'll have to see.

partyaddict · Jan 16, 2008

my canon 40d is awesome!

fatsheep · Jan 16, 2008

I first wrote off the Nikon 40D as a DSLR with too little resolution but it looks like I was wrong... My current camera has 7 MP and it has 6 so I figured I'd be downgrading in a way. I guess I fell for that megapixel myth just like so many others.

After looking at it again, it looks like a great camera. It'd work with my SD card (the rebel won't), it's light, it's got a 2.5" LCD, nice stock lens, and the pictures I've seen posted look phenomenal. Looks like I could pick it up for under $500 with a stock lens on amazon. If I hadn't JUST bought my first camera I might go for that.

I think it will be better to wait until I've got some more photography experience and reading under my belt. Best to make an informed decision...

@meganc: Good luck on picking the best camera for ya. I'll be interested in which one you do end up picking (and why).

Mav · Jan 16, 2008

photo_guy said:
Go with an XTi or XT. Its the best entry level camera on the market. Also you not limited to which lenses will work with the camera , like the D40. Thats just my 2 cents.

The D40 will work with just about any lens Nikon has made since 1959 just fine. All you lose is auto-focus if it's not an AF-S or AF-I lens, but that doesn't stop you from taking photos. It'll still only meter with 1986 and newer AF lens with the CPU on-board, but that's true of the D50/D70/D80/D100 also. Only the D200 and up will meter with the old MF lenses that didn't have CPUs. You can still guess at manual exposure or use an external meter and take great photos. In some cases like with fisheyes, or wide angles, or macros, manually focusing is no big deal at all. And you can still use large aperture primes just fine and enjoy all of their sharpness and quality and other benefits. You'll just have trouble manually focusing if you want to shoot at apertures larger than f/2.8. But even that can be fixed with a Katz Eye focusing screen (or a modified K3 screen) for $100 or less.

Shot of my daughter from my D40 at iso1400 and the 50mm f/1.8 @ f/2.8, manual focus: http://images32.fotki.com/v1058/photos/1/1055548/5682200/DSC_2004_D40d-vi.jpg

One from tonight straight off the camera with the 18-55 and SB-400 flash: http://images31.fotki.com/v1085/photos/1/1055548/5229152/DSC_2510-vi.jpg