Opinons from you Camera Buffs?

[Rogers72]

I believe that there are a few guys on here who know a thing or two about Cameras. I am looking at DSLR's for Christmas but am just kinda jumping into it. I have heard only good things about the Nikons so I am definitely leaning that way but unsure which model. I have been looking at D40, D60, and D80 (the new D90 is def. overboard for me). I will be using it mainly for family photos and travel and am by no means an expert photographer but want to take great pictures like one! Does anyone have opinions on any or all models and is the 18-135mm needed or should I just stick with the 18-55mm lens?

Should I be looking at the Canon and Sony DSLR's as well? If so what models do you think would be a nice fit for me?

[WYPirate]

If you go with either the Nikon D60 or a Canon Rebel DSLR, check out Costco if you've got access. They sell some starter packages that have the body, 18-55mm, and an 18-200mm lens, along with some other jazz. Pick up a couple 2Gb cards, and you're ready to start snappin. I have the Canon Rebel XTi, and have had great results with it. It can be set for full-auto point and shoot, or you can go "pro" and adjust the f-stop, shutter speed, apeture, etc. on your own.

Costo.com Camera Page

Some pics taken with my Canon Rebel XTi:

[hoyopr]

Those are some great shots.

[Don Candido]

Nice shots!

I am no pro. I use Canon, but Nikon is basically an equivalent. Check out both. They have minor differences (I have not researched recently.)

About the lens though - don't get an 18-55 only. The packages Wyoming mentioned above would be a better way to go. If you want a single lens to start, the 18-135 sounds nice. I think 55 mm as your long range lens will leave you wanting for more distance.

[WYPirate]

Absotivley. I took the pictures of the Buffalo and Elk with my long 18-200mm lens. A) those critters are wild, distance is a beautiful thing. A long lens is the best way to capture critters doing what critters do best. Being critters.

[n2advnture]

Not to add to the confusion but...

I picked up the Sony Alpha and dig it. The main reason for me choosing this camera over others (Nikon D40/D60 which I wanted more) is that the others have the "anti-shake" built into the lenses. This causes the lens to be incredibly expense.

With the Sony, the anti-shake is built into the body, so old Minolta lens work just fine (I had a bunch from my old camera but you can find them on Ebay as well).

Sony DSLR-A200K - $499 @ Circuit City w/ 18-70mm lens

I hope this helps

~Mark

[Spartan]

Had the D80 with kit lens, nice camera but it left me wanting more...i'm moving up to the Nikon D300 or Canon 40D

[Cohiba007]

I have a Canon XSI, the main reason that I chose Canon over Nikon is the Lenses. Canon has the "L" series of lenses that are the best. I am also looking at upgrading from the XSI to the Canon full frame 5D.

[IShotAManInReno]

I've always been partial to Canon, but Nikon is an excellent brand too.

My one piece of advice would to be to pay UP on the lens and pay DOWN on the body. It's the glass that makes the image. A good lens will last forever, and if you upgrade your body in the future, the lens should still mount up. Canon has some awesome image stabilization (IS) technology that allowed me to zoom in and take some great snapshots in low light conditions. It was worth the investment. I'm sure Nikon has something similar.

You can pay twice as much to go up a level with the body, but you won't be getting twice as much for your money. The higher price levels usually just add more functionality that you'll never use anyway. Also, don't worry too much about megapixels. For example, you'll pay more for 12mp than for 10mp but you won't really get anything noticeably different. You need 4 times as many mp to get twice the resolution (ie. 16mp is not twice as good as 8mp).

[tsolomon]

Pentax also offers the anti-shake in the bodies of their DSLR and it will use any Pentax lense ever made. A friend of mind took hers to Antarticia last year and took some great shots. Go to Steve's Digicam site for reviews and pictures from all these cameras, it can save you a lot of time when trying to compare models. http://www.steves-digicams.com

[Trevor2118]

I went for the Nikon D40 with the Nikon 18 - 200 lens. You can't go past this website for info on Nikon & Cannon.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm

[Colt45]

I have nothing to add re DSLRs, but have been researching higher end point and shoots myself.

There are many sites you can google to read reviews, but my favorite is:

http://www.photographyblog.com/

Good luck, and post some photos!

[Don Candido]

Here is another site I find useful when comparing fine details of various cameras.

http://www.dpreview.com/

[asmith]

Should I be looking at the Canon and Sony DSLR's as well? If so what models do you think would be a nice fit for me?

Great photos of the Buffalos and landscapes, but I think we are missing a very important issue here. What is the best set up for taking photos of Cigars?

Here is a little something I prepared earlier shot on a Cannon EOS 400D with a 55mm and a 100mm Macro.

[Fuzz AI]

I'm partial to Canon myself, bought a 40D earlier this year after playing around with a friend's 350D. The main reason I chose Canon over Nikon was the selection and quality of lenses.

Don't get me wrong, my other friends swear by their Nikons, and their photos come out just as good as my Canon's.

The lens makes the camera, after that it's really personal preference on the brand. Also, don't get taken in by the megapixel myth. The size of the image sensor is more important.

The Canon Rebel XS is a great entry level camera for your purpose, plus you can get it in a twin lens kit (18-55mm & 75-300mm).

Check out these websites:

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/canon_1000d/

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/

[El Presidente]

I have used the Canon 350D and 450 D matched to 100mm Macro, standard 55 and the 200mm zoom lenses.

I like them because they are bulletproof and easy to use. I am hard on my equipment, shoot 30 shots on an average day, have left them in the rain, drop them a couple times a week.....and they still show up for work.

[WYPirate]

A 100mm Macro is next on my list of lens purchases, as I'm always taking tight shots of some of my kit. I'm getting by with my 55, it surely has it's limitations. Great shots asmith!

[chuck1rar]

Another option that is good for beginners with all the main functionality is the Pentax

http://www.pentax.jp/japan/imaging/digital...-m/feature.html

Has had many good reviews and is a resonable price include two lenses and ur looking at around $600 or so..well here atleast.

I believe that there are a few guys on here who know a thing or two about Cameras. I am looking at DSLR's for Christmas but am just kinda jumping into it. I have heard only good things about the Nikons so I am definitely leaning that way but unsure which model. I have been looking at D40, D60, and D80 (the new D90 is def. overboard for me). I will be using it mainly for family photos and travel and am by no means an expert photographer but want to take great pictures like one! Does anyone have opinions on any or all models and is the 18-135mm needed or should I just stick with the 18-55mm lens?

Should I be looking at the Canon and Sony DSLR's as well? If so what models do you think would be a nice fit for me?

[Ken Gargett]

i have had a nikon D70 for quite a few years - i'm sure that there are newer models with more pixels etc. but it has been fantastic and everyone i know who has one, including some several semi professionals, have also loved it. one problem was with the motherboard or something - a fault that they will fix for free but frustrating if it goes on day one of a month long trip and you have to lug the thing around. i assume thnat has now been sorted.

i would happily recommend a nikon digital slr (i originally went with nikon so i could use my old nikon lenses). i'd also - if funds permit - go for more lenses rather than one trying to cover as much as possible. better quality, more options.

i also have a little olympus digital for when i am going somewhere and don't want to carry the big one plus lenses (and in some fishing situations, don't want the good one with me) but anything serious, i'd take the nikon.

have been thinking of renewing/upgrading to a newer nikon but the market would need to do a miraculous turnaround for that to happen any time soon.

[Jay Hemingway]

i have been really fond of konica-minoltas. the camera i have had for the past 5 years is the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z1. i scooped it when it first came out, the price was $599.99 (est), the price dropped in half 2 or 3 years later. this particular model has been discontinued but they can be found used and/or refurbished for around $150. there are other DiMAGE Z models available. i have my eye on the DiMAGE Z5 for the next camera i get.

this is the camera i have used for all the pictures in my gallery on trevors "CubanCigarWebsite.com".

here's a few shots from the camera.

[craigos]

Buy a Canon or Nikon. Just know that once you buy into a brand and start purchasing lenses you are sort of locked into that brand unless you want to rebuy your lenses.

You cant go wrong with Nikon or Canon - Sony is pretty new but their image quality is superb - but I worry on them a) staying in the camera market, offering updates to their current model line.

Really the only difference between Canon and Nikon is the imaging algorithms they use - so each has a unique look.

I work in the photography group at MS now so have access to about 20-30 high end DSLRs from the $400 to the $10K.

[GP012]

Go to a store and try out the similar Nikon & Canon models. Sony is too new on the DSLR market and doesn't even begin to scratch the surface regarding a comparable lens lineup, so I, personally, would avoid them for now.

Nikon & Canons have their own little quirks so it's entirely going to come down to user preference at the consumer level. It's not until you get into the full frame, pro bodies that the positives and negatives of each brand really begin to shine (or cloud).

Both make amazing glass if you are willing to drop the coin. My first DSLR was a Nikon, but I was also shooting a Canon EOS-1n (film) with L glass at the time. After trying the L glass on a friends Canon DSLR, I switched almost immediately.

[dmuchow]

In the past week i've been thinking about getting a dSLR camera, so i did some research, decided the most likely candidate would be the 40D, until BestBuy had a special:

Canon XSi (same as 450D) with standard 18-55mm lens

Extra 70-250mm lens

Gear bag with extra battery and a UV Lens Filter.

I got it all for a bit under $1000, no interest for 18 months (i already have a no interest deal on a whole home theater system with them so this was just a little addition). I think I figured out that the extra lens came free with the purchase of the camera and gear kit.

So far i'm loving it, only had it home 2 hours.

[Rogers72]

Thanks for all the input guys. I am definitely going to take a better look at Canon. Jay, I have that same Konica Minolta now. I have had it for about 3yrs and it has been great but my wife dropped it about 10' onto concrete.

[Rogers72]

A couple of other questions have come up while searching:

1.) Canon and Nikon both make lenses with Image Stabilizate/Vibration Resistance built in as well as less expensive lenses without this feature it seems. Canon's acronym is IS and Nikons is VR. How important is this? I would assume it is rather important but most of kit lenses from Big Box stores seem to not have this feature.

2.) Let's say I purchase a "kit" that comes with a Camera body, an 18-55mm, and a 55-200mm. How often would I be switching lenses? In other words, would one of them be used for 90% of my shooting (family, kids, etc.) and the other used only rarely (outdoor zoom shots). As you can tell, I am very new to this game.