What's a good digital SLR camera?

Question

I'm looking into buying one on ebay but i don't know what is good. I most likely will buy the body and then the lenses. Which lenses should i get and which type of camera.

Any help would be great, thanks!

Answer 1

I'd recommend Canon or Nikon for the fantastic selection of lenses, and the nearly unlimited upgrade path.
With Canon, look at the 350D for entry level, or the 20D for semi-pro. Both models are being discontinued now, so you can get great prices retail too. I'd ignore earlier models such as the 300D (sluggish), the 10D (massively outdated), etc.
With Nikon, look at the D50 (budget) and the the D70/ D70s (A tad better than the 350D and also being discontinued.) You could also consider the D100 (semi-pro but fairly outdated - basically a D70 on steroids.)
As for your lenses, I'd start with one zoom lens in the 18-70mm range. That will do nicely for street photography etc. It's what I use 90% of the time. Canon and Nikon both give you a choice of quality levels. You can get lenses in this zoom range from $150 to $1500 (retail). Sigma, Tokina, and Tamron also all have lenses in this zoom range for both camera brands. Just keep in mind that the image quality comes from you lens, so try to get something decent. For Canon, the Canon 17-85mm is brilliant ($510 retail, but it's the best lens you'll find for under $1000 retail). For Nikon, the Nikon 18-70 is pretty good (around $320 retail). Ignore all manual focus lenses.
In time, you'll probably want to add a lens with a 70-200mm zoom range to extend your reach, and perhaps a 50mm f/1.8 lens for low-light situations. Wait with those extra lenses though. Also wait with a seperate flash system, a tripod, and all the other stuff. You might never need any of it.

Answer 2

Very good prices now on the Nikon D70S with the kit lens! You'll find that Nikon has the advantage over the others that it is solidly built, has a good reputation, lenses are made to last and with the best glass formulas, and reliability that surpasses other camera brands, and the lens mount has not changed since 1959 which means that you have more lens options! Other camera brands change their lens mount and you're limited to what they have on the market or on the used market...

There's also the entry level digital level D50, if you want to buy a more economical camea with great features and the same lens mount and great potential for lenses.

Canon cameras are good, too, but while they have all the jazzy tricks and fancy little (more often useless) features, Nikon has the better quality build that makes up for it in more years of good service and features that you REALLY need for great photo taking.

Buy only brand name lenses; those generics are not worth the money you pay... they're made with cheaper glass formulas, and cheaper barrel build. You get what you pay for! The image details will look good on the LCD or may on the monitor of your PC but not in enlargements beyond 4" x 6"... that's where you'll see distortions and aberrations, particularly about the edges of the photo.

Answer 3

A digital SLR will be better at first. In fact, you don't even need an SLR at first, until you're more experienced. The photographer takes the pictures, not the camera. With a digital camera you can practice as much as you like without worrying about wasting money on the materials used in bad shots.

Answer 4

I recommend the Canon Rebel, which I have and love. The lenses you buy will depend on what kind of photographs you want to take.

Answer 5

Nikon is fantastic. I shoot weddings with the D70s and the kit lens - I got this setup in January and paid $1000 but the prices are MUCH better now. If you can afford it, the D200 is even better!

Answer 6

I have a demo Olympus e300 and love it, using it for photographing artwork mostly, using an Olympus 14-45mm 3.5, Both cost $400 on ebay,

Answer 7

I love my Olympus evolt e500 that I got on ebay.. did the same thing you are doing. Examples of photos I have taken with mine can be seen at http://www.silvaspoon.net under the photography and then any album..