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New D-SLR Camera advice?

Alter

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Anybody got any advice on the latest D-SLRs?

Looking for something around $1000 that will last me for a while. Don't need anything too pro as it will mostly be used for pics of my kid at sporting events and vacation shots. Need something durable and able to handle action pics but with the best picture quality for the price.

looking at the Nikon D90 and a couple Canons...anyone with any tips?
 

rjmaiorano

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I have a +1 for the D90. A great camera that is pretty consumer level, but if you know what you're doing you can very easily shoot pro level pics. A very good bridge between consumer ease, but with most of the pro-level features.

Just buy quality lenses.
 

DNW

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The D90 is what I have now. I highly recommend it.
 

Brian SD

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For your situation a D90 is probably the best choice. I'm using my D80 still from a few years back and love it to death. That range of cameras has an excellent quality/price ratio.
 

Alter

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Thanks...I am definitely thinking that the D90 is the one to get.

Any thoughts on the Olympus PEN? My wife is thinking of getting one of those.
 

Chiaroscuro

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I'll be the dissenter. Canon 50D. Canons for pros, Nikons for regular joes... well come to think of it you are a regular joe. So nvm.
 

Alter

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Originally Posted by Chiaroscuro
I'll be the dissenter. Canon 50D. Canons for pros, Nikons for regular joes... well come to think of it you are a regular joe. So nvm.

What is the advantage point of the D50? I just went to an electronics store to get a feel for some of the cameras and the D50 felt great...a heavy and solid camera.
 

CFB

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I'll be the second to dissent. Although the D90 is a perfectly capable camera (really, any DSLR is capable of producing great photos), I'd advise you to take a look at Pentax, such as the new K-7. I've shot with the D90 and I have no complaints about that camera. But Pentax makes a point to put pro-level features such as magnesium bodies and water- and dust-resistance in cameras that come in at a price point lower than the Nikons and Canons that have similar construction. Pentax makes it so that you can use any lens they ever made on their DSLRs. And truthfully, you'd be best served to spend more on lenses and less on the camera. Also, "newer" is usually considered "better" when it comes to digital cameras. Just my 2 cents. Read up on Nikon"”and plenty of other brands"”at KenRockwell.com. Check out dpreview.com for some seriously in-depth info on just about every digital camera out there. Also, here's the review of the K-7. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk7/

(Full disclaimer: I have a Pentax K200D, although I have a Canon point-and-shoot. I considered both Nikon and Canon for my first DSLR but I felt that at comparable price points, Pentax gave me more for my dollar.)
 

CFB

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Originally Posted by Alter
What is the advantage point of the D50? I just went to an electronics store to get a feel for some of the cameras and the D50 felt great...a heavy and solid camera.

By the way, the above poster was talking about the Canon 50D, not to be confused with the old Nikon D50. The Canon 50D is more of a pro-level camera than the D50 Nikon.
 

Alter

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Originally Posted by CFB
I'll be the second to dissent. Although the D90 is a perfectly capable camera (really, any DSLR is capable of producing great photos), I'd advise you to take a look at Pentax, such as the new K-7. I've shot with the D90 and I have no complaints about that camera. But Pentax makes a point to put pro-level features such as magnesium bodies and water- and dust-resistance in cameras that come in at a price point lower than the Nikons and Canons that have similar construction. Pentax makes it so that you can use any lens they ever made on their DSLRs. And truthfully, you'd be best served to spend more on lenses and less on the camera. Also, "newer" is usually considered "better" when it comes to digital cameras. Just my 2 cents. Read up on Nikon"”and plenty of other brands"”at KenRockwell.com. Check out dpreview.com for some seriously in-depth info on just about every digital camera out there. Also, here's the review of the K-7. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk7/

(Full disclaimer: I have a Pentax K200D, although I have a Canon point-and-shoot. I considered both Nikon and Canon for my first DSLR but I felt that at comparable price points, Pentax gave me more for my dollar.)


Thanks. I will check out the Pentax...the weather-protection is a nice feature that the D90 seems to be lacking.

Originally Posted by CFB
By the way, the above poster was talking about the Canon 50D, not to be confused with the old Nikon D50. The Canon 50D is more of a pro-level camera than the D50 Nikon.

Ahhh...got that. I think it was the 50D that I looked at...it was definitely a Canon.
 

Chiaroscuro

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Originally Posted by Alter
What is the advantage point of the D50? I just went to an electronics store to get a feel for some of the cameras and the D50 felt great...a heavy and solid camera.

Okay, well you've already experienced on of the pros of ANY canon which is their build quality. I've used D90, D200, D300, and the D3, and on the flip side I have used the 450D, 40D (also own), 50D, 5D, 5DMk2 (desperately want one), 1DMk3, and the 1DsMk3. The nikon D3 is the only one of those whose build quality is comparable to canon. IMO almost all nikons feel like lightweight plastic toys. I like my camera to feel like its got steel in it.

Other points for the 50D:

  • 15 mega pixels
  • 6.3 FPS
  • Tough weatherized body
  • intuitive controls
  • easy menu layout
  • pleasant ergonomics
  • excellent LCD screen
  • and of course access to the full line of canon lenses, one of the main reasons to go canon.

Now I am not a complete fanboy, I can admit that nikon has good cameras that will get the job done. When you compare the core camera fundamentals canon and nikon arent too far apart. For me the difference comes in the lens options which canon wins hands down, and the little things like camera ergonomics, and menu layout. Nikon ergonomics are odd, and their menus are way to cluttered and should be trimmed down and refined. There thats my argument
 

Brian SD

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For me the difference comes in the lens options which canon wins hands down, and the little things like camera ergonomics, and menu layout.
These are the important factors for me as well, which is why Nikon wins hands down.
smile.gif
 

aizan

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virtually any camera under $1000 will meet your requirements. at this price point, brand wars are really senseless. i recommend these cameras because they're on the small side:

pentax k-7 - the highest specified compact dslr
nikon d90 - very good viewfinder and responsiveness
canon 500d or 450d - the grip may not be up to par, but the sensor keeps the pixel peepers happy. get the 450d if you don't want video.
olympus e-620 - dinky viewfinder, but the grip is more comfortable than the canon rebels, and it has a swiveling lcd that makes live view easier to use.

you might also look into the panasonic g1/gh1 and gf1.
 

Alter

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About lenses: for the D90, any opinions about spending the extra yen to get the 18-200 zoom version or is the standard 18-105 sufficient for most needs?
 

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