Digital Camera Suggestions...?

Question

Hello!

I need a great camera for photography.. my budget will be about $600 give or a take...
I want one that has great resolution, very clear pictures weather it be indoor or out..

Thank you in advance! :)

Answer 1

I'd agree with Kehkohjones, as the D50 is an excellent camera, but I no longer see them "New" at B&H Photo or Adorama. They only have them in the used equipment departments, but they are within your budget. I do not know about warranties, though.

Although there are reasons I like the D50 better, you can get a D40 kit with lens and memory card for under $600 at B&H Photo. (B&H is available through Yahoo! Shopping.)

Nikon D40, 6.1 Megapixel, SLR, Digital Camera Kit with Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G II ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Autofocus Lens and Lexar 2GB Platinum II (60x) Secure Digital (SD) Card = $582.95 - temporarily out of stock.

You might also consider the Pentax K110D, since you are on a budget. The cheapest DSLR that is worth owning is probably the Pentax K110D, and this is coming from a Nikon fan.

This is a decent camera.

You can click on individual user comments on this page: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=pentax_k110d

You can also read this review of the K100D, which is the same camera as the K110D, except that it also has image stabilization in the camera: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/k100d.html

Check out this set-up. You can get the body, the "kit" lens for $440 after a rebate from B&H Photo in New York. This INCLUDES a good memory card, too. (Rebate ends 3-27-07) You can find B&H by going to Yahoo! Shopping, as they are one of the retailers that Yahoo! links to.

"Pentax K110D, 6.1 Megapixel, SLR, Digital Camera Kit with Pentax Zoom Super Wide Angle SMCP-DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL Autofocus Lens and Sandisk 2GB Ultra II Secure Digital (SD) Card"

Answer 2

$600 will get you a decent digital Rebel kit or Nikon equivalent (might have to be refurbished). 8 megapixels can get you to an 8x10 print easily with cropping.
Resolution is a function of your camera, sharpness is a function of your lens. Don't expect lenses from kits to be sharp edge-to-edge, but they should be decent for most beginning applications. The cheapest way to edge-to-edge sharpness is to get a fixed focal length lens (prime lenses); however, there are some more expensive zoom lenses (L lenses in the Canon world) that can rival the sharpness performance of the prime lenses. For something with a crop factor of 1.6 (digital Rebel), you will probably want to favor f/8 for maximum sharpness as long as you don't need the depth of field. Anything smaller than f/11 will probably introduce diffraction...although your DOF is increased, you might also increase 'softness' or 'ghosting' from the diffraction.

Answer 3

Consider the Nikon D50 with the kit lens but hold off a bit until AFTER next month because there's a rumor that Nikon may be coming out with a newer version (supposedly the Nikon D50S) and you might want to consider that one instead or you may want to get the D50 which will cost a bit less by then.

Answer 4

The Canon Digital Rebel series is a great place to start. I have used mine for years and always get wonderful compliments on my photos ... both taken casually and in the studio.

Answer 5

go to best buy or something like that and they'll give you a Great selection of cameras and under the budget!!