Buying a new camera

I'm in the market to buy a new camera, anyone have any good reccomendations on cameras under $500.

Specify what you're looking for.

(Digital) Point-and-Shoot, (D)SLR?

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Originally Posted by DutchHerp

Specify what you're looking for.

(Digital) Point-and-Shoot, (D)SLR?

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to be honest I want the best quality image, and I'm not too sure the differences between the two.
But I am looking it up online right now, and maybe digital slr is the way to go. What do you think?

I might be able to go up to $600 to spend.

Here's the deal.

The bodies of DSLRs are quite expensive, but usually they don't come with lenses. The lens is arguably more important than the body.

Check out the Canon G9. It's a great (the best that I'm aware of) digital point and shoot on the market.

I'll do some research for you DSLRs with good lens(es) for you for under $600.

do you know anything about the nikon d40 and d60, I've read in the past one people being pretty satisfied with those also.

http://www.us1photo.com/catalog/prod...oducts_id=6961

The D40 is one of the most easy to use DSLRs, so it's probably great for a beginner.

This particular kit includes an 18-135mm lens (which is pretty good), but with the D40 3:2 format this translates into 27 - ~190mm.

It seems to me like this kit is all a beginner needs. What will you be using the camera for?

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Originally Posted by tmartin2347

I'm in the market to buy a new camera, anyone have any good reccomendations on cameras under $500.

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Visit dpreview.com and read the reviews.

JohnNJ

Well photography of all my snakes, but then in the summer I do a lot of outdoor activities like hiking and whatnot so it will be used for a wide varity of things.

I really want to be able to take high quality pictures of my snakes though. :D

The D60 is the upgrade from the D40. The big difference is that the D60 has 10.2 MP and the D40 has 6.1 MP. Most people are turned off my 6 MP, but many photographers take fantastic photos with 6 MP cameras.

http://www.us1photo.com/catalog/prod...oducts_id=6960

This D60 includes an 18-55mm lens with a 2GB memory card.

The D40 for the same price has an 18-135mm lens w/o the memory card.

Big question: will you be using your zoom a lot; i.e., will you shoot wide angle or telephoto?

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Originally Posted by DutchHerp

The D60 is the upgrade from the D40. The big difference is that the D60 has 10.2 MP and the D40 has 6.1 MP. Most people are turned off my 6 MP, but many photographers take fantastic photos with 6 MP cameras.

http://www.us1photo.com/catalog/prod...oducts_id=6960

This D60 includes an 18-55mm lens with a 2GB memory card.

The D40 for the same price has an 18-135mm lens w/o the memory card.

Big question: will you be using your zoom a lot; i.e., will you shoot wide angle or telephoto?

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I will be zooming in and out, what's telephoto shooting?

Telephoto is zoom.

The D60 and D40 both look good.

I'll do a quick comparison right now

D40

Pros

- 18-135 lens: more zoom capability, more "versatility"
- Very easy to use

Cons

- 6.1MP
- Memory card not included

D60

Pros

- 10.2MP
- Memory card included
- Also easy to use

Cons

- 18-55 lens: not too much zoom, less "versatility"


Again, I cannot stress enough the importance of the lens. I think that I'd go with the D40 in this case, just because it has a far superior lens. Only downside is the 6.1MP, but much higher isn't necessary for a beginner like yourself

Wow, you are like a professional at this.


now with the 6.1, what does that all mean. I know my gf has a cannon s900 or s9000 and has like 10 mega pixels.

help on this.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DutchHerp

Here's the deal.

The bodies of DSLRs are quite expensive, but usually they don't come with lenses. The lens is arguably more important than the body.

Check out the Canon G9. It's a great (the best that I'm aware of) digital point and shoot on the market.

I'll do some research for you DSLRs with good lens(es) for you for under $600.

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You can get D40's for much cheaper than that with the lens. Anyhow, the D40 is a great camera. I own one, and IMO, it's the best picture for you money. It's definitley a great camera for what you need.

MP stands for megapixels. This refers to the amount of pixels the image is made up of.

The D40 has 6.1MP so the image is made up 6.1 MILLION pixels. The D60's image is made up of 10.2 million pixels.

This might seem like a big difference, but most people only need the many MP when shooting birds and the like, so they can zoom in on the image w/o losing quality. I take it you won't be photographing your boas from 10+ feet away? ;)

canon rebel EOS XS i think is around $500-550 with a lense and is a digital slr. I have the step up canon rebel EOS Xsi which is about 12.2 megapixels and about 750

Rebels are also an option but I personally like Nikon.

But we all know the HUGE debate going on about that...

The d40 does sound like a good choice, but then again when I go up to the white moutains and whatnot to go hiking and biking zooming out for distance in the mountains I might want a cameera like the d60 lol.

That's a good choice because you'll get the memory card.

Now it's up to you to read reviews on these cameras, now you've narrowed your scope.:)

I'm getting the Nikon D90.
Go to dpreview.com and read all of the reviews. They are very thorough!!

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Originally Posted by tmartin2347

The d40 does sound like a good choice, but then again when I go up to the white moutains and whatnot to go hiking and biking zooming out for distance in the mountains I might want a cameera like the d60 lol.

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My recommendation, based on your experience level and intended use, would be to stay away from a digital SLR. You'll get more use and have better results with a high end SLR type camera.

One to look at is the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS for $349. :gj:

JohnNJ

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

My recommendation, based on your experience level and intended use, would be to stay away from a digital SLR. You'll get more use and have better results with a high end SLR type camera.

One to look at is the Canon PowerShot SX10 IS for $349. :gj:

JohnNJ

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I disagree.

The D40 (and D60 for that matter) are made for beginners and are extremely easy to use. DSLRs have complete automatic settings; all you do is zoom in, zoom out and click.

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Originally Posted by starmom

I'm getting the Nikon D90.
Go to dpreview.com and read all of the reviews. They are very thorough!!

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Remember, he doesn't want to pay more than $600. ;)

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Originally Posted by DutchHerp

I disagree.

The D40 (and D60 for that matter) are made for beginners and are extremely easy to use. DSLRs have complete automatic settings; all you do is zoom in, zoom out and click.

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Matthijs:

A DSLR is overkill for this person. The SX10IS has a 20x optical zoom lense and 4x digital zoom to help with those long mountain shots while hiking or biking. Plus it's all self contained - no need to buy extra telephoto or macro lenses.

Having been a professional photographer, I can tell you the best camera is the one you have with you and that you use. DSLR's require a lot of baggage.

JohnNJ

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tmartin2347

to be honest I want the best quality image, and I'm not too sure the differences between the two.
But I am looking it up online right now, and maybe digital slr is the way to go. What do you think?

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I was trying to help him out finding a good, not so pricey DSLR for him.

Maybe you're right though, with that PowerShot, but as far as DSLRs go, I think the D40 or D60 is the best way to go for him.

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

Matthijs:

A DSLR is overkill for this person. The SX10IS has a 20x optical zoom lense and 4x digital zoom to help with those long mountain shots while hiking or biking. Plus it's all self contained - no need to buy extra telephoto or macro lenses.

Having been a professional photographer, I can tell you the best camera is the one you have with you and that you use. DSLR's require a lot of baggage.

JohnNJ

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I will agree with you there. They require a lot of attention with their environment too, such as humidity and heat. Hiking and mountain climbing with an SLR is asking for bad news for the camera.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DutchHerp

I was trying to help him out finding a good, not so pricey DSLR for him.

Maybe you're right though, with that PowerShot, but as far as DSLRs go, I think the D40 or D60 is the best way to go for him.

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I honestly think the Canon Digital rebel XTi, or XSi would be his best bet. They both rival Nikons beginner SLR's, but they have one LARGE advantage when it comes to field photography. They have a built in cleaning system that does help a lot when you consider all the dust, pollen, dirt, and dander you will come across in the field, that will work its way into the camera. If it does, it just damaged the integrity of your pictures.

From what I've heard about the D40 and the Rebels is that the D40 (and most Nikons) are much better built. This is also a great advantage for what he is planning to do with it.

I think tmartin should look at all these cameras himself and decide what's best for him.

I've shot with both. Personally, you'll have your hardcore Nikon users, and hardcore Canon users... My personal opinion is that Canon is superior. The clarity is better, noise reduction is better, body is sturdier and better built, and they're faster. I switched from Nikon to Canon back in 2005, and haven't looked back.

Of course hundreds of threads going on elsewhere about Nikon vs Canon...

From what I've heard, Canon has superior cameras overall, but Nikon has better lenses overall.

Personally, I'd go with a D40 over a Rebel, just because I just dislike rebels overall.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DutchHerp

Of course hundreds of threads going on elsewhere about Nikon vs Canon...

From what I've heard, Canon has superior cameras overall, but Nikon has better lenses overall.

Personally, I'd go with a D40 over a Rebel, just because I just dislike rebels overall.

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Maybe Canons standard lenses, but their L series lenses, and Macro/Prime lenses do take the cake for best lens.

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Originally Posted by DutchHerp

Remember, he doesn't want to pay more than $600. ;)

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Yeah, I know... :oops:

It's just that the D90 has all of the awesome features of the 300 and all of the great features of the popular Canon XTi and XSi cameras and still comes with the amazing Nikkor lens'.

I think that the OP's best bet is to read about the choices available and then visit a camera store and hold the cameras that make the top three picks, and then choose :)

I think I can do better cheaper....

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...XS_a_k_a_.html

Camera, lens, shipping included from a highly praised shop 485 bucks. Brand new.

Its a DSLR, aimed toward people who are new and getting into photography.

DSLRs have bigger sensors then the point and shoots (im not a big fan of mega pixel counts, this one has 10mp vs my 8.2 on my 20&30D cameras). So that means less noise. Also you can upgrade lenses later on. If the onboard flash is not going to cut it (they normaly work in a pinch) you can get an external flash. This means you can get a different lens later on, such as a 85mm f/1.8 which don't cost a whole heck of a lot of money, around 400 bucks I think, that is razor sharp, fast which means you can use it in lower light and so on.

Im not sure about the newer point and shoot cameras but some have lag where you click the shutter button and wait for the shot to be recordered. DSLRS? There are no lag, meaning if the shutter is lagging to get the image, it may already be too late.

DSLRs give you the best bang for the buck, if you are spending 500 bucks on a point and shoot you may out grow, why not spend that on something you can grow into. The DSLR camera will do complete automated shooting, where all you have to do is place the camera in the green box and the camera decides the best ISO, shutter, and f/stop to use and later on, when you learn more about the camera and photography, you can look at other modes like TV (time value) AV (aperture priority) and manual. There are all kinds of stuff you can do with a DSLR

hope this helps :)

YOu have $600 bucks to spend.

Go to ebay, and find a good Canon 20D.

I recently picked up this camera w/ a 17-85 IS lens and battery grip for $525.

The 20D will produce better images than any of the camera's that have been mentioned so far.

It's 8+ megapixels, has a great CMOS sensor that can handle fairly high ISOs, and it can shoot 5 frames per second.

These other cameras people are mentioning are toys. This camera is a machine.

BHPhotovideo is an awesome place and I've done business with them for many many years!!! They are really great!! Their store is such a hoot to see~ if you're ever in New York.... :)

In addition to B&H, you should check Adorama.com, also in New York. They have very good customer service.

JohnNJ