BENDER08

what do you think is the best slr camera for a beginner in photography i been only playing around with the sony and casio 4-7mp slim disposable cameras


i been looking around just want your [img]images/smilies/2cents.gif[/img] on whats a good slr camera to start of with...

Crazy88

Canon Rebel XT or XTi (if your talking about Digital SLR)

XT
http://the-digital-picture.com/Revie...XT-Review.aspx
XTi
http://the-digital-picture.com/Revie...Ti-Review.aspx


Were also discussing this in: https://acurazine.com/forums/cameras-photography-44/planning-buying-canon-rebel-xt-my-first-slr-356605/

leftride

iTrader: (1)

since i own it i will have to suggest the d40. the missing af motor has been its only negative. otherwise i would look at the xti (seems like an awesome camera)

Mizouse

what do you mean by missing of af motor?

BENDER08

my friends dad let me use his xti yesterday i like allot so many options on it i dont even know how to use half of them... im waiting on my tax return and im buying it :-)

Osamu

i think the nikon AF lenses depend on the motor built into the body. Most nikon bodies would be a little thing on the lens mount that turns, but it is missing on the D40. the AF-S lenses have the motor built in, like most canon lenses, so with the D40 you'd be limited to buying only AF-S lenses.

Mizouse

ahh i see, i wonder why nikon does that? cause i noticed on my friends D70 that it has that nub or whatever for the af system. didnt know that nikon had a system like canons that the motor is built into the lens

leftride

iTrader: (1)

exactly. the d40 does not have an AF motor in the body so it can only use lenses that have AF motor in the lens (includes Nikon AF-S, AF-I and Sigma HSM)

apparently the removed the motor for size and weight. i don't see it being a huge issue once the lenses catch up.

NauTiC*

Canon Rebel XT or XTI.

LuvMyTSX

Has anyone here with an XTi noticed an underexposure issue that people on dpreview.com are talking about?

CCColtsicehockey

d50 > d40 the price is only 100 dollars and some places you can get it for the same price now and the addition of the af motor is worth it. I dont see the point of even selling the d40.

Dan Martin

Stop reading dpreview forums.

dom

Sounds like a pretty big compromise to me.

LuvMyTSX

LOL....why, they don't know what they're talking about?

Dan Martin

There's a ton of misinformation on that forum, and thousands of llamas who like to spread it around.

LuvMyTSX

^^ Interesting, good to know. From my inexperience in photography, they know a hell of a lot more than me, so I figured they must know what they're talking about.

Thank God for AZ

Stapler

I find that in some circumstances where the lighting is harsh that it will under OR over expose when in the automatic modes. After shooting with it in manual for a while you kinda know when it will do what though, and learn what the historigram should look like for the situation. Most of the bad pictures I took with my old 300d I thought were the cameras fault, but later I have since learned most of it was user error.

I let my Cousins girlfriend use it on a sunny day on auto without telling her how to use the camera. It was rare I would see a picture with the wrong exposure when she had me put them on a cd.

Oh and I would say the XT is a fine camera, I got to play with one along side my XTi for a couple days and with the exception of the auto focus my XTi doesn't seem like too much of a step up.

ric

You're not actually limited to powered lenses. With lenses that do not have an integrated motor, you would need to focus manually. Tiresome, yes, but not the end of the world. And - at the moment, there are a substantial number of powered lenses in the Nikon inventory.

ric

As a result of the issuing of the D40, the prices for the older D50 have dropped. Most seem to come packaged with the same "kit lens" that the D40 comes with, which has the autofocus motor built into the lens.

I went ahead and purchased a D40 as my entry level, going for the D40 over the D50 because of the body weight and some other incidental factors, not the least of which is that the smaller 6M images are more malliable on my computer, and I am unlikely to print over 8x10 any time in the near future.

The Dpreview comparison shopping can illustrate the differences between the Canon Rebel, which has been the standard entry level DSLR for some time, the D50 and the D40. Worth reading the detailed summary.

leftride

iTrader: (1)

size, weight, lcd, more continuous shots...i do want a 50mm prime lens and i don't want to manual focus, but i definately am glad i went with the d40 over the d50.

leftride

iTrader: (1)

I have blown up 4 megapixel images to 16x20 and for my eye (pic sitting on a wall in my office) they look just fine. I have no worry and plan to blow my d40 pics to at least 16x20.

and ric, glad you pointed out the d40 will handle lenses without AF motor if you want to manually focus them...i should have said will not work to their full ability. Other than macro shots I am not sure if I would want to be without AF.

Crazy Bimmer

Are there any MUST NEED accessories when buying a DSLR?

ckya

a 50 1.8 (OEM brand) and a flash...

Dan Martin

a bag, some memory, and a tripod would top my list

Crazy88

Why does everyone reccomend the 50mm? Is it a good starter lens in addition to a kit lens?

Dan Martin

It's actually a hard lens to use wide open, but it is sharp and for the price it's something that everyone should have eventually. I think people who are new to SLR's like the small depth of field an f/1.8 or faster lens provides. It's a new look to them. It's a great portrait lens, but you just need to learn to control the DOF so you don't do something like get the nose in focus and have their eyes blurred.

MrChad

www.dpreview.com has some great reviews.

The Nikon D40 is more then enough camera for a first time user, plus the Nikon comes with menu hints and help tips via the on screen menu. The 6MP sensor is one of the smallest on the market right now but so is the price! And Nikon has really done their homework the processing for this chip makes the image quality the best of ANY 6MP camera to date. I've made 20x30" prints from my old Rebel 6MP this camera should easily do that and a bag of chips.

Other great options I would consider are the Nikon D80 or Canon Rebel XTi.

Any 3 of these SLR lenses with kit lenses will be more then enough.

But again my vote for a first time user is the Nikon D40 kit (includes the 18-55mm DX lens) with the money saved vs. the other DSLRs the access. mini flash would be a great option as well.

leftride

iTrader: (1)

i have a sb-400 for my d40 and i love it. i had used a sb-600, but decided for the size the sb-400 was perfect. not quite as powerful or versitile for bouncing, but size was more important.

ric

Gadget bag, preferably without the brand name on it, for me, a second lens, a flash gun, a decent tripod (one that collapses enough to be put into carryon luggage but extending enough for my height), a remote shutter, decent memory and a second battery. Did that for my Nikon D40, and got the lot for about $1200. Pretty decent starter kit as I move from my point and shoot status...... The remote shutter is useful for any long exposure shots, the tripod essential for any decent photograpy. Second lens was a 55-200, should give me decent flexibility as an alternate to the kit lens, which was an 18-55.

ric

D80 is a sweet box, and a few years from now..... but I fall into the category of the first time user, and think I can get a lot of mileage out of the D40 before I "ougtrow" the technics of it.

And yep, the dpreview sidebyside comparisons were essential as I thought about this purchase for the last several years.... was about to spring for the Canon Rebel when the D40 was introduced, so I waited for the professional reviews to surface, then bought.

MrChad

It's one heck of a camera, the mega-pixel war thing is stupid. It's so out of hand that a $3000 Nikon D1x'es are now selling used for $700 at Adorama, these is a pro-level camera, don't even ask about the D1h'es. At 5.7MP it's more then enough to do huge prints. I just acquired my second camera a 3.3MP Canon D30 for $150 w/ grip -- that my friends, is a steal.

I'm so tired of the Canon vs. Nikon crap. I can't tell the difference in prints between the two brands. Both make awesome cameras and lenses, just buy the one that feels good in your hands and ignore the rest. There are more lenses available for these 2 systems then all the rest combined (sarcasm here).

As a good buddy of mine likes to remind me, it's the picture not the camera.

wndrlst

Bump

There are a few others scattered around, too...