Hello all,

I really want a new digital SLR camera for my birthday next month, and I need some inputs on what camera/lens I should get.

Price is definately a factor, so I probably can't afford something like a D200, but something in the 500-1000 range might be doable.

Ideally, I want this camera to be able to touch the database here, but just an improvement over my mom's Canon Powershot would be great.

As far as lenses go, I really don't know what kind of lends to get, or how long it should be, but It'd be nice to have one that can shoot from a fair distance away, and still get good quality.

What suggestions do you have for me?

Thanks!

Cheers,
Cameron

Canon Digital Rebel XTI the new one its $899 with a 18-55mm lens or $799 without a lens. And I use a Canon 75-300mm IS USM(I think). I dont know the cost of the lens sorry


Cheers,
Justin

I shoot with a Nikon D70 that comes with an 18-70mm wideangle lens. In addition to that, I have a Tamron 70-300mm telephoto with macro feature. My D70 with the 18-70mm lens was around $1200 and I got the Tamron lens on ebay for a good price but dont remember what it was.

Note: The Nikon D70S is lighter than the D70 and has a slightly larger LCD installed.

Thanks for the responses guys!

Keep 'em coming!

Cheers,
Cameron

I recently bought my first DSLR.

Olympus Evolt E-500 with the two-lens kit. (14-45mm and 40-150mm, but it has a 2x crop factor so it's like having 28-90mm and 80-300mm lenses).

The whole kit, plus a bag and two memory cards (512MB and 1GB) cost me 850 dollars. The zoom lens is very good, even at the full zoom range. The camera also has a dust shaker, so every time you turn the camera on or change the lens, the sensor shakes very quickly to get rid of dust. Another great feature is that the camera takes two types of media (xD, yes, xD, not SD, and CompactFlash) so you can have two cards in and have a LOT of available space without worrying about changing cards or running out of room. The camera also feels a lot sturdier and the grip is more comfortable than the Canon Rebels and the Nikons.

I am 3 for 3 with photo uploads with this camera (have shot a little with it, it's not like I took 5000 shots and only those 3 were good, I probably get 1 shot out of every 8 or 9 that I am confident is definitely good enough for A.Net). You can see my shots in the database by searching for my first name in the photo search engine (you can get my name through my profile). The first three are the ones with the new camera.

I would seriously recommend this camera as a beginner. There are, however, some downsides (I'm not going to tell you just the good things). There is very limited availability of new lenses because the 4/3 system, and its corresponding lens mount, is relatively rare. The lenses made by Olympus are very good quality-wise, apparently, but are quite pricey (a 90-250 f2.8 costs right around 6,600 dollars). Sigma makes a few lenses for the 4/3 system and will, very soon, introduce their 50-500mm lens for it. I would say that the scarcity of lenses is the only downfall of the Olympus, but with a starter kit that covers 28-300mm equivalent it will be a while until you need a new lens (giving you plenty of time to save up money).

Regardless of what the monster Canon and Nikon afficionados say, I would, if I were you, seriuosly consider the Olympus. I don't regret the decision at all.

If you want to see some more pictures taken with the camera go to www.betterphoto.com/?tis_photo . The first 7 shots are taken with the new camera, and are COMPLETELY unedited.

Hope this helps!

TIS

Quoting ANITIX87 (Reply 4): The lenses made by Olympus are very good quality-wise, apparently, but are quite pricey (a 90-250 f2.8 costs right around 6,600 dollars).

Holy Smokes! That is a lot!!!!!

Sounds like a great camera, though. I'll definately take a long, hard look at this one.

Thanks TIS!

Cheers,
Cameron

I also just went down the DSLR road...with a Canon Rebel XT. In my case the main reason for buying it was that I already had two Canon lenses, so I went for the basic (and cheapest) camera+lens set I could find (down here they don't sell just the body).
Talking with other spotters (also with other cameras), we all feel that at these (entry) level there is really no big technical or quality difference, and that you will probably choose your DSLR because of other reasons (cheap offer, how it feels in your hands, already have some lenses...I think you get the point).
So, my advise would be: Just go out and try some out, see which one feels more comfortable, and which one meets your budget best. But remember, the camera is only half (or even less, according to some much more experienced photog), the other half are lenses! And spend at least as much money on camera as on lenses, try always to go for the best possible lenses in terms of quality.

Hope to have helped you a little, and if you want feel free to contact me per email.

Quoting Acontador (Reply 6): I also just went down the DSLR road...with a Canon Rebel XT. In my case the main reason for buying it was that I already had two Canon lenses, so I went for the basic (and cheapest) camera+lens set I could find (down here they don't sell just the body). Talking with other spotters (also with other cameras), we all feel that at these (entry) level there is really no big technical or quality difference, and that you will probably choose your DSLR because of other reasons (cheap offer, how it feels in your hands, already have some lenses...I think you get the point). So, my advise would be: Just go out and try some out, see which one feels more comfortable, and which one meets your budget best. But remember, the camera is only half (or even less, according to some much more experienced photog), the other half are lenses! And spend at least as much money on camera as on lenses, try always to go for the best possible lenses in terms of quality. Hope to have helped you a little, and if you want feel free to contact me per email.

Thank you very much for the advice! I'll definately take that into consideration, and probably will lean to the cheaper camera and try and find a more expensive lens.

How much is a "good" lens, like 75-300mm? Or is that what I need?

Cheers,
Cameron

Quoting Longhornmaniac (Reply 7): How much is a "good" lens, like 75-300mm? Or is that what I need?

"Good" doesn't mean long focal length, I was rather pointing at the quality of the lens itself, might it be a 28 mm or a 500 mm. I am not an expert (see my other post asking same lens question), and I own really crappy lenses, so I can tell you it's very frustrating when you finally get THE shot you were waiting for ages to find out your crappy lens ruined it    ...
From what I can say, if you go for Canon, I think you should aim at least at a USM lens or even an L series if you can spare the money. Other photog can help you with other brands.
And regarding focal length, you can maybe start with something like a 28-90 mm, and once you know your camera better and you have improved your skills a lot, then you could think about buying a real tele, something like a 75-300 or even the famous 100-400.

Canon EOS 400D, 10,2 Megapixels, self cleaning sensor, accepts EF and EF-S lenses. In shops at least in Finland, entry level price.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon400D/

-Pepef-

Quoting Acontador (Reply 8):

Point taken.

Muchas Gracias Andres!

Let me be the first to add you to my RU list, for the great help!

Quoting Pepef (Reply 9): Canon EOS 400D, 10,2 Megapixels, self cleaning sensor, accepts EF and EF-S lenses. In shops at least in Finland, entry level price. http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon400D/ -Pepef-

Thank you very much, as well. Wow, that is a great deal!

Cheers to both of you,
Cameron

Nikon D50 with Nikkor 18-200mm VR.

As others have said, picture quality is more to do with how good the glass on the front of your camera is. I use an EOS 350D, with a two-lens combination - 28-105 F3.5-4.5 USM Mk II and 70-200 F4 L. This for me is perfect (as far as my budget would stretch anyway), and both lenses have internal focusing and the optics are made entirely of glass, not plastic.

I see the 75-300 USM Mk III has been recommended. I used to have one, and for the price, they are extremely good lenses, although they are very soft above 200mm. It depends on how good a quality you want your shots to be. I found the lens a great overall budget performer, but the sharpness and colour on the L is definately noticeable - the 75-300 in comparison gave muddier skies, though that's not to say they weren't still a good shade of blue!

Personally, I would recommend the 350D/Rebel XT (or maybe the new 400D), along with any of the above lenses I've discussed. Every 350D owner I have ever come across has been more than happy with his/her purchase.

Karl

Quoting Longhornmaniac (Reply 10): Let me be the first to add you to my RU list, for the great help!

Too kind, thanks    !

Just let us know what you eventually decided to do. And then I recommend you to read a lot in this forum about "settings for DSLR camera" before starting to shoot...