Thinking about a new camera

[bullybass]

Hi all,

I love lurking here and checking out the amazing artwork. I am thinking about moving into the dslr market and was wondering if anyone had any advice to give on which one to purchase. My budget is $600-$700 and I would prefer new. I have been thinking about the Canon XSi, the Sony A300 or possibly the Nikon D60. I have two small children that need to be photographed and would love to do some wildlife, sunsets... possibly get into some HDR as I love the look of it.

Thanks so much for any input.

Bullybass

[evster]

I think any of those cameras you would love. The only thing I would like to point out is that out of the 3 the D60 doesn't have automatic exposure bracketing, which is something that is very handy if you are doing HDR work. You want the bracketing feature because otherwise you would have to adjust the exposure for all your shots, making it really easy to move the camera.

 

I know Deano here has a A300, so he can give his input on it if he reads this, you may want to shoot him a pm.

 

Out of the three I would probably lean towards the Xsi simply for the reason it has auto bracketing, and there are a ton of lenses and accessories readily available. Although i'm sure Sony is getting there as well...

[danc]

I don't know anything about the cameras that you listed, so I can't offer an opinion. But I will say this. I recently purchased probably the most basic DSLR that you can buy (Olympus E-410 two lens kit $379.00) and I'm thoroughly impressed. What a difference from a point and shoot. The focus speed and lack of shutter lag will blow you away. Good luck with your choice.

[osmondrs]

Good idea to go DSLR. I recently got a Canon XSi for my daughter, who's really into photography. It's a good buy under any circumstances, for any kind of photography. I would advise going for a package deal with an xsi body & 18-55 ISM lens (deals nowadays range between $650 - $800). This combination will give you excellent leverage while taking photos of kids & normal landscape photography. For going into woldlife work, etc., a 75-300 lens will set you back another 150 bucks or so. You could check out package deals that offer both lenses at Future Shop or Vistek (checkout their website at www.vistek.ca). It's a guarantee that you will not be disappointed with this purchase. Good luck!

[bbog]

Take the Canon you won't be disappointed.

[bullybass]

Thanks for the input so far. I have been leaning towards the Canon but it is the most expensive of the 3. I am leaning really far though... hahaha. Just gotta convince the wife that the Canon is the better one to get... That is the real tough part!!

[brandon]

Canon Canon Canon

[BillM]

The Nikon DSLR camera's are awesome.. D40/60/90 etc etc.. If you were talking about a P&S I'd say Canon without a doubt, but you should take a real serious at the Nikon's before you make a decision....

[eye-tracker]

Take a look at the lenses and what you want to shoot in the future. Camera bodies come and go, but your investment in lenses will keep you tied to manufacturer for a very long time. Also try to purchase full frame lenses as the trend in digital SLR is full frame sensors and I figure in the next 2 to 3 years Canon and Nikon will have all their cameras equipped with full frame sensors.

 

I have been shooting full frame digital SLR for years as I came over from the 35mm crowd and had a huge investment in Canon L Series lenses.

 

I also recommend a beginners camera class in Digital SLR so you have an idea of what all the functions are on a SLR camera. If you use only auto functions you are better off saving your money and staying with a point and shoot digital as SLR cameras will take out of focus or very shallow depth of field images if you do not understand the mechanics of photography.

 

Happy shooting!

 

-sheldon

[osmondrs]

Excellent input from Sheldon. In light of that, I have another suggestion for you. If you decide to make your life easier and not get into a long & complicated learning & training phase (not to mention that you will probably end up extending your budget by at least $500), you could consider the option I went with, after a lot of serious thought & search. For myself, I went with a Fuji Finepix S2000HD. It's one of the smallest cameras on the market, has an extended zoom of 15x (translates to about 400mm), 10.0MP resolution, an out-of-this-world macro, IS, and many other perks. What really attracted me to this one is that it gives you the option of full manual control, a feature that no other point & shoot camera gives you - not in this price range, at least. The price has been fluctuating between $250 - 300. I just saw that Vistek has jacked it up to $329.99 but Future Shop or Best Buy may be offering lower prices. I've been using it for almost 5 months now & love it... You might find it worth the trouble to look into it. Have fun researching your next camera!

 

Os

[bbog]

As has been stated here, the key factor is what you expect to invest in glass. If you are looking at buying a "kit" and sticking with the basic package offering then it is most important to compare the optics of the kit lens(es). A lot of the most common packages are offering pretty basic quality lenses. An exception to this is the Olympus E-520. The quality of the kit lenses far exceeds those of the other manufacturers (Canon and Nikon kit lenses included).

 

I would not advise the Olympus E-520 if you expect to grow beyond the 2 kit lenses since their line-up is a little thin and expensive. But if you expect that these two lenses would meet you needs - this is an excellent camera package.

 

If you want to grow and expect to buy more glass - go with the Canon!!

[bullybass]

Wow! Thank you so much for the information here. I have taken some courses 10-12 years ago in photography at school utilizing SLR cameras so I am sure most of it will come back to me regarding DOF, white balance etc... so I am thinking that I will likely go with a kit for now and then when I have more money expand and get some nicer glass. I will look into the Fuji and see how that feels as well... thanks for the suggestion Os. I gotta be honest though... I am still really thinking that the Canon is the one for me. I am thinking that I will have to wait for a decent sale... hopefully not too long... and pick one up and learn all over again.

Once again Thanks everyone for all the info and advice. I hope to be posting some nice pics on here before too long!!

bullybass

[Whitespinnerbait]

Canon Rebel xsi ...awesome , awesome camera. The clarity of the pics are amazing.... :clapping:

[fishing n autograph]

I have the Canon Rebel XS...I highly recommend it. This is my 4th canon product and you won't be disappointed.

 

Dave

[eye-tracker]

Bully Bass,

Look at used digital SLR cameras if money is an issue. Many good bodies can be had for peanuts. As an example I still often shoot with my circa 2001 EOS-1D 4.48 Megapixel camera that blows the doors off many small sensor cameras today. Don't get caught up in the pixels wars it is all photography industry marketing hype to sell cameras. A 8x10 photo only needs 4 Mp. The photographer makes the image not the camera.

 

-sheldon

[osmondrs]

Good idea to wait for a sale. I got the one I mentioned earlier for $629 (body & 18-55 USM IS) in November. My daughter & I had been tracking canon prices all summer long & I thought this was the time to go for it - and I now see it was. On the topic of lenses, she ended up getting a 60mm macro that she really wanted a month later - the price tag: $649! The next lens on the list is a 70-300 f4 USM IS with a current price tag of $700+. Needless to say, that will have to wait for some time. No wonder I wasn't even thinking canon when I went out to replace my good ol' EOS-1 film camera with a digital (I've been a lifelong canon user, starting with a QL-17 over a quarter cenury ago). I now treat my Fuji Finepix as my 'poor man's dslr'... lol

 

Just thought the info on prices will be of some help to you.

[fishing n autograph]

The best place and time to buy a DSLR is Boxing Week at Henry's Camera Shop. You can find great deals there. I think they had and Canon Rebel XT (or whatever their old model was) it was $1499 three years ago. Earlier in they year i watched it fall from around $550 to $400. Henry's had it on sale during boxing week for $369.99 great deal

[bullybass]

I did it... I pulled the trigger and bought the one that I wanted. I got the Canon XSi... now I just gotta wait until it charges and pester the kids with a million pictures...

 

Thanks again for all of the advice. It has been a long process of checking prices and reading reviews and getting advice and I am glad that it is all done. Now I just have to learn how to use it.

 

Bullybass

[kickingfrog]

Have fun. Take the time to "play" with the features and try to learn from your photos. Some of the best tips I received for photographing kids: get down to their level, don't pose them, watch for a "moment" and be ready.

[osmondrs]

Congrats Bullybass... you're certainly in for a lot of fun & exploration into the digital world with the xsi. I'm sure you'll have no regrets. Have fun!

 

Os

[bullybass]

Here is the very first picture from my new camera... thanks everyone!!

 

[Carp]

If I have multiple personalities, can I declare myself as a dependent on my income taxes?

 

 

I tried that.

They said only if I was institutionalize in the past 18 months.

 

PRICELESS !!!

 

:-)

 

Enjoy the new gear.