Your oppinions on body vs. lenses

[claty111]

From what i hear it is better to get a regular body and awesome lens then a really good body. I am very new to photography and want to get a good DSLR to "dip my toes" so to speak. I have used canon before and want to stay with them. What is a good body (300 to 500$) that would fit my beginer needs? Also please post any opinions or personal ideas. Thanks :thumbup:

 

[timbearden]

I would have to say that lens is more important, however I also believe the body is important to improving ease and quality of images.

The Nikon D60 is $695 found here:
http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Digital-SLR/25438/D60.html

However it's above your range. You could look for a D40 or D40x if you can find it. It's a bit cheaper. However, if you really wanted to dip your feet in further and were to ever go into FX (full frame sensor) then it wouldn't matter what lenses you bought now, because DX lenses for the D40 and D60 will crop your images in a Full Frame camera. There for, I wouldn't worry too much about buying an expensive lens till you get the hang of using an SLR.

If you are just trying it out, then any of the lower end DSLR for Nikon, and even Canon will work fine.

 

[Battou]

I believe whole heartedly Lenses over body, I use a thirty year old body with good glass and get some great shots.


I get bad shots too but that is my fault not the cameras :lmao:

 

[claty111]

Thanks! any more opinions?

 

[Samriel]

Don't know much about Canon, but with Nikon you can get a used D70 (an older camera, a level higher than the D40/40x/60 (beginner class), so-called prosumer class) for about USD300-USD350. You can then get a good lens (depending on type) from USD100-USD350. I'm quite sure than with Canon there are similar options.
Although I'm quite the beginner too, I also believe in Lens over Body, especially for beginners (we don't need all those fancy options... yet).

 

[Dao]

In general, I agree lens over body. However, in certain situation, a better body is more important such in an event that you need to shoot at 6 fps. (Sport related photos)



Please take a look some of the photos from the links below. I believe the photos belongs to an member in this forum. From the link, can you tell, without looking at the description, which photos was taken by 350D, which one is by 20D and which one is by 1Ds? Well, I couldn't tell.

http://www.juzaphoto.com/eng/galleries/fauna-ducks_geese_grebes.htm#003288

 

[tirediron]

Lens over body no question, and I also whole-heartedly agree with Samriel about buying used. Since you're new to photography, I would suggest buying your used gear from a reputable store which offers a warranty, rather than private sale, but it's a great way to save $$ - I buy used, esp. lenses whenever I can.

 

[claty111]

Awesome. Thanks again. What are some reputable sources or websites you talk about?

 

[RyanLilly]

Look at Adorama and B&H, as far as canon, you can still get a new xt for $400, sometimes refurbished with a kit lens for even less, same goes for Nikon D40, A used canon 20D is a good way to go as well.

 

[Samriel]

...same goes for Nikon D40...

If Nikon, I would recommend a used D70 over a D40 - you get the AF motor (all AF lenses will Auto Focus), wireless flash commander, and I just like the button layout more on the D70. The LCD screen is the only thing I like more on the D40 then on the D70.

 

[Village Idiot]

For a really large Canon forum with a huge classifieds section that's always moving, check http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum . I've gotten some good used stuff from there and they have over 100k registered members.

http://www.fredmiranda.com has a good used section too that is a mix of everything: film, digital, Canon, Nikon, etc...

I see people recommending KEH camera as well, but I can't ever find anything on there.

 

[JMD]

I would also consider the Nikon d50. You can find them used in your price range and it gives you the AF motor and bracketing.