Good First Camera?

mrose_s

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#1
What would you suggest as a good first DSLR?
I know a lot of people have Nikon D40's, are they are good point to start off with?

I really want to go past point&shoot and hopefully in a next couple of weeks I'll be in the position to spend a decent amount of money on a good camera.
I did a semester of photgrahy in highschool but other than that I don't have any experience so I'd be starting from square one pretty much, suggestions?
 
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#2
Whats your budget? I would suggest getting a factory reconditioned camera from Ebay. They come with a warranty, and are much cheaper then new. Just make sure the seller has lots of good feedback. That's where I got my D80.
 

elegy

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#3
or a reconditioned one from adorama, which is where i got my D60. i couldn't be happier with it. and i didn't even have the benefit of that semester in high school- i was total clueless newb- but the D60 is working out nicely for me. except for now i want to spend all kinds of money that i don't have on lenses.
 

SharkBait

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#5
i'm using a sony a100 now, and at the minute i don't feel it's the camera that is holding me back, its the lack of other equipment like lenses and flashguns and whatever. So i still feel it's an awesome camera, although it's now been replaced by the Sony a200, which is even better, and packs so much into a small price! Also sony dslrs have vibration reduction inside the camera, so you dont need to worry about buying more expensive VR lenses.

Last year when i was looking for a dslr I was looking into the Nikon d40 too, but found the Sony offered more for my money and I'm very happy with my choice, but I've seen many pictures from it on here and it looks like a very good camera too.
Another thing, the D4O has since been replaced too, so they would be quite cheap to buy now too, if you didnt mind a 2nd hand camera.
what kind of money would you want to spend on a camera though?
 
S

Squishy22

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#6
I've had the D40. Great starter camera. The one down side is that it was a bit too sluggish for me. I've got fast pets and fast kids, so I gotta have a fast camera.

I currently have a canon EOS digital rebel XT and it is very zippy. Another good starter camera.
 

Fran101

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#7
the D40 is working out great for me :) I love it
it isn't too complicated or expensive and it does the job lol
 

Beanie

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#8
Most people will grudgingly admit that between Nikon and Canon, they are pretty equal and it just comes down to personal preference. I'd go to a store and pick them up, handle them. I DO think there are weight differences and body differences in how they will fit in your hand, so you might find you like one more than the other that way.

I went with the Canon Rebel because I already had a 35MM Rebel. I love it.
 
S

Squishy22

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#9
Most people will grudgingly admit that between Nikon and Canon, they are pretty equal and it just comes down to personal preference. I'd go to a store and pick them up, handle them. I DO think there are weight differences and body differences in how they will fit in your hand, so you might find you like one more than the other that way.

I went with the Canon Rebel because I already had a 35MM Rebel. I love it.
I agree with this.

Even though the rebel is slightly faster than the D40, the D40 felt better in my hand.
 

Lizmo

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#10
What do you mean by 'faster'? If you want faster, a better lens would take care of that. . .I'm sort of confused as to what you mean.

Anyway, I've got a Nikon D40X and it's perfect. I shoot Softball, Baseball, Children, Portriats, Playing/Pets, etc and have had no problems that couldn't be fixed with a different lens. :)
 

mrose_s

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#11
Sorry for the slow reply - I barely have any internet acces atm.

I don't have an exact budget, would prefer not to go over about $800 or $900 but I havn't really looked into prices much yet.

Looks like I'll make a trip to a camera shop to have a look in a couple of weeks. I get my Buster boy back 2 weeks from today after 3 months apart and want to buy a camera around the same time so expect to be inundated with pics. :D
 

Laurelin

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#12
I love my D60 personally. Once again the only thing holding me back are lenses and flashes and the like. Love the camera, it's easy to use and I get good pics.
 

Romy

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#13
What do you mean by 'faster'? If you want faster, a better lens would take care of that. . .I'm sort of confused as to what you mean.

Anyway, I've got a Nikon D40X and it's perfect. I shoot Softball, Baseball, Children, Portriats, Playing/Pets, etc and have had no problems that couldn't be fixed with a different lens. :)
Not sure if it's what she's talking about, but we looked around for a while before we found a camera that didn't have a second or more lag between pressing the shutter button and the actual picture being taken. In the meantime there were a lot of missed pictures of our fast kids and dogs (lots of butt shots and the backs of heads, lol).

It's a Nikon Coolpix p90, not a DSLR though, so not much help on that front.
 

Lizmo

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#15
For a DSLR a fast lens would completely take care of that.

I've got a longer lens that takes alot longer to focus (longer, by like 1-2 seconds lol) than my regular Nikon 18-55. It's all in the lens. :)
 

Lizmo

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#19
Ooo, that's nice. :) I'm looking to see what's out there in terms of low f/stop lenses.
 

Laurelin

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#20
It's so much better to shoot with in so many situations than the others which are the kit 3.5- 5.6. I don't have a flash but i can get semi decent indoor shots easily which is impossible with my other lenses.

I'd like one with a little bit less in the depth of field department next I think. This one's technically a macro lens but it's still versatile. These were all taken with it when it was overcast and getting dark outside: http://www.chazhound.com/forums/t105347/
 

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