Best DSLR for a novice?

[DammitJanet]

Hi there. I apologize for doing a thread like this, but I'm in a rush to finish my Christmas shopping and my girlfriend is aching for a DSLR. My price range is around $500 and I want to get her the best I can for that price point. I've looked into the Nikon D40, but I'm told the picture quality could be sharper.

Any suggestions?

[tmnt]

How much is the d60? There's also the new model to the canon rebel xti, i think it's called the 450 in oz

[Hunter007]

There's a couple models. There's the Rebel XS and the Rebel XSi. The Rebel XS is 10.0MP and has a nice array of features. With the kit lens, it should be around your price range.

Here's a review:

http://www.digitalreview.ca/content/Canon-Digital-Rebel-XS-1000D-Camera.shtml

and a couple packages:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/589113-REG/Canon__EOS_Rebel_XS_a_k_a_.html (this looks like the winner in terms of price, you get TWO lenses. The zoom isn't the greatest, but I used to own one and it really is great for learning on)

or

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/571144-REG/Canon_2762B003_EOS_Rebel_XS_a_k_a_.html

I love the Canon DSLR lineup, but it really comes down to preference. In the early stages for a beginner DSLR, it really doesn't matter which of the two major brands you choose. They'll both have great features and with regards to your first post, the D40 is a little dated in my opinion.

Good luck,

Kegan

[DivotDan]

If you are interested in the D40, it is plenty sharp. These are photos I took with it and the older kit lens.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2078/2205024330_8518fb3daf_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/divotfilms/2205024330/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2022/2178392194_6c1a062d27_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/divotfilms/2178392194/)

This photo was taken with a 30+ year old non-AI Series E 75-150 Nikkor lens. Manual everything on the D40, the only Nikon digital camera that can mount the non-AI lens.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2324/2177305852_c441d6842c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/divotfilms/2177305852/)

[Matt Grunau]

I agree as usual with Dan. My mother in law wanted a camera for christmas, and I convinced her to go D40. I have nothing against Canon, but since I don't know them at all, I went with what I did.


At this point, a camera is the least important portion of what you need. Composition, lighting, photographic theory, and camera function(s) are much more important. Digital Cams aren't going anywhere.



Dan, the last one you posted is a great pic indeed. I went to Flickr to try and get a higher rez version, but cant. Shame, I wanted to play.

[WaveRiderXIX]

I'd say try to get your hands on a used D2X.

If you need a more prosumer/consumer based camera, the D60 and D90 are good.

If you need to go Canon, the Rebel is the most popular equivilent

[ilauzirika]

the d70s is selling pretty low, try to get your hand in one of that. If not, you might find a d40 (which was also my first camera) really cheap.

[DivotDan]

Pretty much everything everyone has listed is a good idea. At a few hundred dollars you aren't really committing to a lens system by buying on of these cameras, so I say go with your gut and get what you like the feel of the most. That is what will bring you the most enjoyment and fun. They can all perform well in the hands of a well rounded photog.

[DammitJanet]

Well, again, it's for my girlfriend. She's not as into photography as me, but she's probably not going to be investing in any other lenses for at least a year. She just wants something that will give her a nice shallow depth of field and a semi-pro look. Other than that, it's just for fun for her. She's not a total noob to cameras in general. Her skills as a shooter are to the point where I think she needs an upgrade.

[Hunter007]

Well, you have the options laid out for you. Tell us what you end up deciding on!

-Kegan

[DammitJanet]

Will do!

[Zim]

The price of the Nikon D90 is dropping. I think that will be my next camera. It is around $800 something now.

I'm sure the D40 is good too.

[alwayslearning]

If you're just starting and don't have any lenses, etc. yet, also consider the Sony Alpha series cameras. http://www.sony.net/Products/dslr/

They range from the quite capable and inexpensive A200 up to the full frame, 24.6MegaPixel A900. I have the A700 and love it. There are a lot of sites on the net that let you do side by side camera comparisons.

One is: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp

Larry

[DammitJanet]

Alright! She decided on a used D70, and she's having a lot of fun with it so far (with a friend's 30mm f1.4 lens). We found a CF card on amazon, but now we're stumped about which camera bag to get, as well as a neck strap. I know she wants a zoom lens of her own so I'd appreciate some recommendations on those as well. Try to keep in mind she'll only have the body and one lens at most in the bag for now.

:dankk2:

[alveraz]

edited: oops, i see you already picked one :)

[DivotDan]

The 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 is a sharp, light, and fast AF lens. A little slow, but she could pick up a 50mm f/1.8 for cheap to go with it if she needs something faster. If she wants more on the long end the 55-200mm VR is cheap and great for outdoor shooting. I'd add an SB600 to the mix and you'd be in business.

Oh yeah, and for bags you can't go wrong with Lowepro. I use a slingshot 300 for a backpack and a Nova 4 as a shoulder bag.

[DammitJanet]

Thanks for the tips. I think the Nova 3 should hold more than enough for her for now. We also got a strap taken care of. I'll look into those lenses as well.

[Drew Ott]

I figure since this is a "novice" thread... I can ask this question here.

I'm going to be taking photos of a friend's wedding (for free) and I'm definitely going to need flashes because it'll be outside at night. I'm reading on Ken Rockwell's blog that you can remotely trigger external flashes with the new line of Nikon cameras. I thought you needed something like a PocketWizard for this...?

Anyway, what I need is basically the ability to set up flashes (I'm thinking 2) around the place and be able to control their exposure from the camera. Can flashes actually have auto-exposure? Don't make sense to me. I'd prefer to not have the external flashes triggered by the on-camera flash.


edit - I think the ideal setup would be to have one flash in my hand (not mounted to the camera) and another flash on a stand that is triggered wirelessly.

[DivotDan]

HI JACK! hehe

If you use a camera that supports Nikons CLS AWL ("Creative Lighting System" & "Advanced Wireless Lighting" for those interested) function then you can use the popup flash to control other Nikon flashes (only the SB600, SB800, & SB900). It does it through a series of preflashes and is very fast & seamless. You can shoot this way with iTTL or you can manually control the flash settings from the camera. If the camera does not support the AWL system from the popup flash, then you will need an SB800 or SB900 on your hotshoe to control the system.

You can also use something like PW's to trigger the off camera flash. You will not be able to control the exposure though from camera. You will have to adjusts each flash separately from the flash itself. I've shot this way before with 2 flashes and been pretty pleased with the results. These pics were right out of the camera with no editing. If I had to do it again I would likely try the iTTL route via the AWL settings.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/2915669515_d70432cefe_o.jpg (http://flickr.com/photos/divotfilms/2915669515/)


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3224/2915668791_5edf5e50f5_o.jpg (http://flickr.com/photos/divotfilms/2915668791/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/2916514316_239bed5c96_o.jpg (http://flickr.com/photos/divotfilms/2916514316/in/photostream/)