Final Thread (I think): Which camera?

Which Camera?

  • Nikon D60

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Nikon D90

    Votes: 2 14.3%

  • Nikon D5000

    Votes: 2 14.3%

  • Pentax Equivalent

    Votes: 3 21.4%

  • Olmypus Equivalent

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Cannon Equivalent

    Votes: 7 50.0%

  • Other (Please Specifiy)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    14
Respital

Respital

Active Member
Okay well after a bet with my dad to lose x number of lbs by sept 1st i look like i'm going to win and i get to choice a camera, the problem is i don't know which one i want and should get.

Somethings i need to consider are;
  • Bang for my buck
  • Is it going to be outdated quickly?
  • How good the lenses are
  • Overall performance

Any help would be appreciated!
 
Ramodkk

Ramodkk

VIP Member
  • Bang for my buck Pentax
  • Is it going to be outdated quickly? Photography gear doesn't really get outdated quickly. Any DSLR will let you take good photos. Of course unless you really want all the newest gadgets and features...
  • How good the lenses are As far as lenses go, each brand has their "Entry" lenses such as the zoom 18-55mm (or 18-70mm for Sony) and the 55-200mm telephoto (or 50-200mm for Pentax) lenses. All brands also have their quality lenses, and a wide variety to choose from. In this area, you should really think about if auto-focus or image stabilization is important to you. Lenses' prices will vary A LOT depending on these factors. Obviously the simpler the lens, the cheaper.
  • Overall performance Don't know anything here since I don't own a DSLR yet

Do you currently own a camera? If so, how much experience do you have with it? Have you played around with the Manual settings?
I voted Pentax for the heck of it. I haven't had much DSLR experience but I'd like to try a Pentax.
 
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tremmor

tremmor

Well-Known Member
i bought a couple yrs ago a Canon S3IS. it also made all attachments affordable. it was also about from a hobby standpoint. I really liked the Canon Rebel but the price was very expensive for that and all attachments.
mine was macro lens, wide angle and zoom.
 
Respital

Respital

Active Member
Ramomar said:
  • Bang for my buck Pentax
  • Is it going to be outdated quickly? Photography gear doesn't really get outdated quickly. Any DSLR will let you take good photos. Of course unless you really want all the newest gadgets and features...
  • How good the lenses are As far as lenses go, each brand has their "Entry" lenses such as the zoom 18-55mm (or 18-70mm for Sony) and the 55-200mm telephoto (or 50-200mm for Pentax) lenses. All brands also have their quality lenses, and a wide variety to choose from. In this area, you should really think about if auto-focus or image stabilization is important to you. Lenses' prices will vary A LOT depending on these factors. Obviously the simpler the lens, the cheaper.
  • Overall performance Don't know anything here since I don't own a DSLR yet

Do you currently own a camera? If so, how much experience do you have with it? Have you played around with the Manual settings?
I voted Pentax for the heck of it. I haven't had much DSLR experience but I'd like to try a Pentax.
Click to expand...

Okay i was just looking for confirmation on the outdate-ing, my dad was a little worried about it, I'm not really looking for the best but i'm willing to take a step up if it's worth it say from the D60 to the D90.

Lenses - I heard or rather read that someone here said that the entry level Nikkor (Nikon) lenses are better then the Canon, from what i can see most of the packages from Nikon with lenses have VR which i believe is image stabilization. Me and my dad also were thinking of getting matching cameras say both Nikon D5000s and sharing the lenses so we wont need one of each (Macro, Zoom, Regular). Can someone point me to a good macro lens for the Nikon ? Also are all of the lenses for Nikon compatible with all of their DSLRs? .

Right now i have a Nikon Coolpix L3 I've changed the settings a bit but there aren't really that many (Macro mode, White Balance, Exp. +/-, Continuous shooting, BSS (?!?!?), and Color options) and i don't have a manual so i have no idea what most of them do. :p (I can sort of figure it out with experimentation but it doesn't make a big difference to the picture.
 
Ramodkk

Ramodkk

VIP Member
Yes VR is essentially image stabilization.

If you're starting out, the Nikon D40 or the Pentax K2000 have excellent in-camera manuals and helping tips. This would leave you a lot of $$$ for lenses which are really what contribute more to the quality of pictures.

So your dad will be getting a camera also? That's a good idea, that way as you said, you won't have to buy lenses twice.

As for the macro lens, this is what I would buy also one if not the cheapest Nikkor macro lens:
http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-60mm-Mi...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1250118762&sr=8-2
 
Respital

Respital

Active Member
Ramomar said:
Yes VR is essentially image stabilization.

If you're starting out, the Nikon D40 or the Pentax K2000 have excellent in-camera manuals and helping tips. This would leave you a lot of $$$ for lenses which are really what contribute more to the quality of pictures.

So your dad will be getting a camera also? That's a good idea, that way as you said, you won't have to buy lenses twice.

As for the macro lens, this is what I would buy also one if not the cheapest Nikkor macro lens:
http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-60mm-Mi...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1250118762&sr=8-2
Click to expand...

Well i'm just starting in the DSLR range of cameras but my dad has owned an SLR for over 20, maybe 30 years so it's nothing new to him except the digital. So i think he'll teach me a lot about them unless DSLR is a ton different then SLR...and i think the D40 mite be a little low and mite get outdated faster then the 60 or 90?

And, how do you feel about the D5000? In some cases i see it's the same price/slightly cheaper/expensive then the D90 but not by much.


Still looking for some more votes keep them coming! :)
 
Ramodkk

Ramodkk

VIP Member
^ Yeah all the way. It's just that the D60 doesn't have the in-camera help system. But since your dad will be teaching you everything, I don't think you would need it, although you mentioned your dad doesn't know anything about digital. It's up to you.

As for the D5000 vs D90, either would be an awesome choice. Just have something in mind, cameras don't "outdate" like computers, at least not at the same rate. a D40 will let you take almost the same picture a D90 would. But again, the more expensive the camera, the more features (most of the time) it has to make it easier on you and some features that you may not even need. Also, the D40 is very different than the D90 in terms of body shape/weight. The D90 is a lot taller and heavier. You should go to a store and try them out, see which one feels better on your hands, how comfortable it is plays a big role.
 
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bomberboysk

bomberboysk

Active Member
Not sure what the prices are like in canada, but have you taken a look at the Canon T1i? Its basically an improved model of the Xsi(Which is also an excellent camera for the price).
 
Respital

Respital

Active Member
Ramomar said:
^ Yeah all the way. It's just that the D60 doesn't have the in-camera help system. But since your dad will be teaching you everything, I don't think you would need it, although you mentioned your dad doesn't know anything about digital. It's up to you.

As for the D5000 vs D90, either would be an awesome choice. Just have something in mind, cameras don't "outdate" like computers, at least not at the same rate. a D40 will let you take almost the same picture a D90 would. But again, the more expensive the camera, the more features (most of the time) it has to make it easier on you and some features that you may not even need. Also, the D40 is very different than the D90 in terms of body shape/weight. The D90 is a lot taller and heavier. You should go to a store and try them out, see which one feels better on your hands, how comfortable it is plays a big role.
Click to expand...

Yeah but shouldn't the manual be able to teach me most of the features? And also is the 50$ more worth it for the D3000? Haha, it's 50$ more then the D60 but i don't know how good it is...i know I'd like the camera to have live-view because i never really took pictures with the viewfinder since they never came out the same way...

I went to BB and held the D90 indeed it is quite heavy but it has a lot more features then the D60...problem is i can't convince my dad to go above the D60 for now at least, i could barely convince him to go with the D60...he wants the D40 and mite get me the D60 but i'd have to chip in some of my own money if i want the D90 or D5000...

bomberboysk said:
Not sure what the prices are like in canada, but have you taken a look at the Canon T1i? Its basically an improved model of the Xsi(Which is also an excellent camera for the price).
Click to expand...

I just took a look at it but like i mentioned above i can't convince my dad it spend much more..
 
Ramodkk

Ramodkk

VIP Member
If you're not going to use the view-finder, you shouldn't be looking for a DSLR. You mentioned that you never used the viewfinder because picture never came out the way you wanted them but, where you using a DSLR/SLR? Viewfinders on P&S cameras are not meant to give you an accurate view of the actual picture. Some are not even centered at what you'll be taking, they're there just for reference or in case you can't use the LCD screen.

As for the D3000, it definitely looks better than the D60... Has 11-point AF as opposed to 3 on the D60, also has a larger screen. But still, I think I'd get the D60 for the price, you can get it for half the price of the D3000
 
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Respital

Respital

Active Member
Ramomar said:
If you're not going to use the view-finder, you shouldn't be looking for a DSLR. You mentioned that you never used the viewfinder because picture never came out the way you wanted them but, where you using a DSLR/SLR? Viewfinders on P&S cameras are not meant to give you an accurate view of the actual picture. Some are not even centered at what you'll be taking, they're there just for reference or in case you can't use the LCD screen.

As for the D3000, it definitely looks better than the D60... Has 11-point AF as opposed to 3 on the D60, also has a larger screen. But still, I think I'd get the D60 for the price, you can get it for half the price of the D3000
Click to expand...

Ah right, i forgot about that...haven't used an SLR for maybe 7 years so it's been a while. Well if that's the case then i think it's okay but I'd still like liveview in-case I'm taking a picture at an angle and i can't look through the viewfinder, does the D60 or D3000 come with one?

And i don't know where you are but accorind to Henry's the D3000 is only about 60$ more then the D60.
 
Ramodkk

Ramodkk

VIP Member
Neither the D60 nor the D3000 have Live-View. About the prices, here in the US the D3000 is about $600 new, while the D60 can be bought for around $350 if you look in the right place.
 
Respital

Respital

Active Member
Ramomar said:
Neither the D60 nor the D3000 have Live-View. About the prices, here in the US the D3000 is about $600 new, while the D60 can be bought for around $350 if you look in the right place.
Click to expand...

Ah sweet so it looks like I'm getting a deal if i get the D3000 since it's only $500 at Henry's no joke it's 500 even haha. The D60 is about 450$ here, which one do you think i should get?
 
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Ramodkk

Ramodkk

VIP Member
I thought the D3000 was only $60 more... Anyways, I would get the D60 and spend extra on another lens maybe.
 
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