I'm planning to buy my first digital SLR...?

Question

I've been researching all the different models and reading all sorts of photography magazines. I noticed the Nikon D40, which has said is a good upgrade for a beginner leaving the point-and-shoot camera. There's also the D50 model, which some have suggested to be tons better than the D40. I've also heard so many wonderful things about Canon digital cameras. Could anyone recommend a good SLR or at least fill me in on things that I should look for? I'm totally stumped!

Answer 1

Get a Nikon D50. It has a few "consumer friendly" automatic modes that make it very easy to use, but still offers total photographic control when you are ready to take charge. The "kit" lens is a decent lens optically, but you might want to upgrade to the Nikkor AF-S 18-70 f/3.5-4.5G ED DX lens for a bit more range and a lot more durability. When you are ready to add lenses, the sky is the limit with Nikon. Then, when you upgrade your camera, you will have a nice, useful collection of lenses.

Get a 1 GB memory card, such as the Sandisk "Ultra" for decent write speed.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d50.htm

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_d50.asp

I've seen a kit with the 18-55 lens for $600.

The D40 is the hot new cute DSLR from Nikon, but frankly, it costs the SAME as the D50 and is not as versatile, should you decide to learn more about what you are doing. I'd just buy the D50 and be done with it, as the D40 is going to be hard to find anyway.

Actually, many people are picking up on the idea that the D50 is the bargain of the century and it's getting hard to find.

The D40 kit plus a memory card is $655. See what I mean?

I agree with socalscene saying that the Rebel is like a great point and shoot with interchangeable lenses. The "big boys" in the Canon line are great cameras, but choosing an entry level SLR from Nikon or Canon, I'd go with Nikon. That means the D50.

Answer 2

Nikon D50 is one of the easiest to grow with. You can start with it fully auto and then slowly introduce features and buy new lenses ranging from fish eye to telephoto.

The Nikon has magnificent quality- the only issue is that the standard lens is somewhat.. well... "standard". Start small but bear in mind you will want to upgrade your lens over time.

The D50 borders on proffesional and has even been rated higher than the D70 (comparisons of the two using the SAME LENS- not the D50 standard). In the mean time the D40 is a bit of a 'dumbed down' model and has lost a lot of features. If your not really fully into photography you may not feel the difference, but if theres a chance that you are going to be a real enthusiest you cannot go past the D50

Answer 3

Going to a dslr will not necessary get you better pictures in all circumstances only in low light situations without a flash. Depending on your budget you might want to take a look at the sony dsc R1 it is a ten megapixel digicam fixed lense camera that delivers excellent pictures since it uses a full frame cmos sensor just like most of the DSLR. Quality lenses for your DSLR can cost double and triple the price of the camera. How many extra lenses weighing over a pound each do you really want to carry around. Due to my budget constraints I would go with the Sony ALPHA 100 since it contains anti shake in the camera body and purchasing anti shake lenses from nikon or canon will give you sticker shock. The Sony camera can use a lot of the Minolta AF lenses that you can find on ebay.

Answer 4

Buy any Cannon or Nikon D-SLR, they are all good / all used by professionals worldwide! Go for the one you like the look of, and one or two up the range if money permits. Nikons come with better len's so if you go for a Cannon you may need to spend an extra £100 on a good lens. Try a sigma or tameron lens, very well priced pro len's. Most of all you must be prepaired to buy a good flash as photography is all about light, £180 upwards is a good starting point, Cannon or Metz.
Jx

Answer 5

It all depends on what you are looking to shoot. Nikon has advantages over Canon and vice versa. Canon is good for low noise at high iso where I think Nikon is good with optics. I would recommend the Nikon D50,40 or 80 if you are looking for some advanced features that you could learn. The Rebel is too much like a point and shoot.

Answer 6

If money isn't an issue, go for the D5200. It's a great camera to start with, and will give you many years of use. I also suggest picking up a copy of " The Nikon D5200 for Dummies" book. This book explains how to use the camera in a more light hearted manner than the cut & dry owners manual. I actually bought one of these books before I bought my D5000.

Answer 7

We have a Fuji FinePix and LOVE it. My husband did a lot of research, and it definitely paid off. It takes great pictures- the actual photographs are excellent. Very clear, no pixels. It is big and bulky (like my film SLR), but takes the best photos I've seen from a digital camera.

Answer 8

IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD BUY A KODAK.YOUR PROBABLY THINKING: I DONT WANNA!! BUT TRUST ME.I HAVE A KODAK 6.1 MEGA PIXELS. LIKE I SAYED:I LOOVVEE IT!! YOU SOUND LIKE YOU REALLY LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY. I DO TOO.YOU CAN FIND ONE @ TARGET FOR ABOUT 150-200 BUCKS.