Camera Recommendations
Monday, December 10th, 2007 - 11:18pm
I'm looking for a decent camera that can be had for say 8 or 9 bills. I'm thinking Nikon D80/Canon EOS Rebel XTi and am leaning heavily towards the Nikon. Basically I want something that can grow with my daughter. Lots of indoor baby pics now, soccer games and summer vacations later. Seems stupid to upgrade to another Coolpix every few years when I'm not happy with the low-light performance and slow shutter speed now.
Any thoughts on lenses? I am planning on starting off with one lens, so I would prefer a solid, all-around pick that sacrifices standout performance in any one category for versatility. An 18-55mm lens with image stabilization sounds about right to me, but then, I've never bought a camera that couldn't be operated by a retarted monkey before, so what do I know about buying a seperate lens. Is the image stabilization worth the extra scratch, or just start off with a vanilla lens for now? Any thougts on third party lenses?
Any other advice also appreciated.
Ken Levine wrote:
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I lost my Canon XT this past summer and eventually had a chance to replace it. Having had some time to play with my mom's XTi, I decided to stick with the XT and spend the extra money on glass, since I felt rather silly porting around an SLR with only a single lens.
(I picked Canon over Nikon because of the weight issue. I like my cameras to be as light as possible, since I tend to sling 'em around by the lens rather than the grip on the camera itself. It just fits the way I roll.)
I ended up getting an XT with no kit lens, a Sigma 17-70mm and a metal-mount prime 50mm ("nifty fifty").
Reasons for not going to the XTi:
- I don't care for the extra-large screen
- I don't need the extra resolution
- other things I've forgotten at this point at night
I've been quite happy with my setup so far, but my next lens will likely be something longer than 70mm to extend my range in that direction.
/me actually reads the original post. (Hey, it's after midnight and I'm still fighting with work. Sue me.)
Here's the walkaround lens I use.
You'll definitely want to get a few different lenses eventually. Something that can get down to f2.8 lets you shoot handheld with natural indoor light and still get ok shots even without IS. Even if you're going to have IS, something like the nifty fifty is just so much fun to play with, and you'll want something longer for the sports shots eventually.
I've played with IS lenses on the long side and really want one for the 200mm area. in the 18-55 range, I skimped and got a non-IS and haven't regretted it yet. Though if I could do it again, I'd probably give another look at the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS. (Yum!)
Advice from people who know more than me:
http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8089
http://reviews.ebay.com/Canon-EF-Upgrade-Lens-Guide-For-EOS-Digital-SLRs_W0QQugidZ10000000000955896
I'd go for either the Nikon or Canon with branded lenses just for the resale value alone. You can pick up the base model with the wide-angle branded zoom for $500-$600. Later you can add a longer zoom with image stabilization when your kid starts getting into sports or you want to shoot her up there on the school stage from the seat in the auditorium during plays and graduations.
If you need low-light performance and want to keep the camera light and small as possible, the cheap route is often with an additional 1.7-1.8 50mm lens.
Nice things about Canon: the lens line is more comprehensive and featureful, esp. things like image stabilizers and fancy focus motors on prime (single focal length) lenses. They also have a relatively affordable full frame 35mm body if you want to go that way.
Nice things about Nikon: I find the control interface and the viewfinders superior for ME. The flash system, esp. the wireless flash control (which the D80 has) is super handy. If the room has a low ceiling, just hold the big flash in your left hand set to bounce off the ceiling, set up the controller on the built-in flash and and fire away.
Nikon will have an affordable full frame camera, probably, in a few years. If you want to go that way.
If you don't need the fancy flash control, the D40 is teeny weeny and light and does about 80-90% of what anyone would want to do with a camera. It has some limitations with older AF lenses that most people will not care about.
My advice: go to Best Buy and pick the cameras up. Pick the one you like.
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You can't emphasize the feel enough. I work for Canon so I'm biased, but really: any DSLR from Canon or Nikon is good value for the money, in my experience. They're also priced very closely, so just go with what you find feels the best. The overall weight and grip are very important, as is the user interface and the locations of the buttons. Just go play with several to make sure you're spending that grand or so well.
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I have a Nikon D40 and love it.
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Thanks all for the advice. Greatly appreciated.
Ken Levine wrote:
My sister has a Canon Rebel. It is fantastic! I want to get one myself, but that will have to wait until after I get another job.
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Me and my wife are starting our own photography/graphic design buisness and so far only have a old Rebel 300D, you can get one used for around $300. Have used it for one wedding and it worked out fine though I would have prefered being able to shoot more that 4 RAW images in a row. This is also an issue when taking pictures with my kids, who are going on 2, as I like to take lots of shots and tend to fill the buffer just when they get really cute.
We did invest in some expensive glass, the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Canon. Its a heafty price but worth every cent. Focus on the glass over the body because yo can keep using the glass as you upgrade you bodies. Note the crop factor on any camera you get. Having a 300D gives us a 1.6 crop factor effectively making the 70-200mm a 112-320mm. Fixed focal length lenses are good for beginners as it teaches you how to position yourself for a shot, zooming with your legs. A fast lens is also important for taking pictures of kids, as they are constantly moving. I hate flash and end up getting a lot of blurry shots even with my lens set to 2.8. As far as image stabilization, that is more important for longer focal lengths. You want to be as fast as the focal length, i.e. at 200mm you want your shutter speed to be 1/200 of a second. IS buys you 2-3 stops below that, so you can shoot 200mm at 1/25th to 1/50th of a second.
When going with Nikon or Canon you are basically buying into a system. Go out and get your hands on them. If you have a friend with one see if you can borrow it. Otherwise both companies make great cameras, and it comes down to personal preference.
Read the manual as well. Knowing your camera is half the battle.
Sorry if I got a bit technical, but I love this stuff.
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Anyone working with a wide angle lens these days? Back when I was using a film camera, my favorite lens was a 21-35 zoom. Set it at 21mm and shutter it down to F22 and get really close to a subject so they're pretty big, but you still have a really wide field of view and everything is in focus. Really an effect you'd have trouble doing now with the crop factor, since a 1.5x crop factor would have rendered the lens a less fun 30-52mm. I guess you'd need a 14mm lens these days. I guess I'll wait for them to go full frame again (without having to spend four grand).
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I got my B&H Photo holiday catalog in the mail, and was in ecstacy looking at the pretty pictures, and completely catatonic when I saw some prices. My camera is a Fuji Finepix S5000 with over 250,000 confirmed pictures. I feel it will soon betray me.
Choosing a new one will be a problem. Those salespeople know too much.
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As a very happy owner of a Nikon D50. . .
If I had to replace it today, I would buy a D40. Just as when I passed on the D70, I don't see the value to me in upgrading to the D80.
For a lens, I'm chomping at the bit for the AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED. I've met lots of folks who almost never take it off. Still $700 new though.
I generally always recommend playing with the kit lens first. That will teach you very quickly what you shoot, and therefore which lenses will work for you best. We added a long zoom to our kit lens first, as my wife wanted more reach. If you need a "portrait" lens, then some of the 50mm f/1.8 are awesome for the $100-150 price.
Which reminds me of arguably the biggest difference between the D40 and the D80. Internal focus motor. The D40 doesn't have one. That translates to expensive glass, as all your lenses have to be IF. Well, or you focus yo' damn self.
Gotta get back to work, but check out www.dpreview.com. The amount of info there will make your brain hurt. There's also lots of camera porn. . . if you're into that sort of thing.
Hypatian wrote: