Which Dslr Would You Recommend For A Beginner?

9 Comments

1. veito da costa says:

   January 16, 2010 at 00:24

   If you want to see results of what a Pentax can do, message me and I will send you a link to my profile page on Redbubble.

   Pentax K200D. Dust and water seals. Anti shake, Auto Bracketing, (something a D40 cannot do), Metal Lens mount on the body, (others are plastic) Excellent choice of lenses, 10.2mp, excellent 18-55mm kit lens.

   That’s just a bit. A lot of people who tell you Canon or Nikon probably never take their camera off Auto, and cannot really call themselves photographers.
   The final choice is up to you.

   PS. A few weeks ago, someone asked this question, and I advised against a certain camera, which he ended up buying, and is now asking questions about upgrading.
2. fivetoze says:

   January 16, 2010 at 07:16

   ah the badge engineers are at it again. everyone screams Nikon or Cannon…

   sadly uinless you’re lookiing at a 3k camera, then theyre all much the same. the D40 is a plastic toy… (I cant comment on cannons)

   first, your mum bakes ? is it her ability, or the oven? which make lovely cakes? (ask, but be prepared to go hungry)

   I’m an olympus person, from the Om1… today i use an E500.. (the E3 is a 2k wet dream)

   look at what the camera can do, i know my Olympus meter is FAR better than the competition. it does 5 stops, +and -, and 8000/1 to 10 minutes on AUTO, manual one can get almost 30 minutes (50asa @ F22) you can pick a good one up for around 200 quid.

   however, the E1, (5mp) is incredible… waterproof and a magnesium body, takes all 4/3rd lenses. and costs less than 200 quid.
3. MendozaT says:

   January 16, 2010 at 07:59

   Depending on your budget I would recommend a Canon Rebel (digital) for less than $1000. Or the Canon 40D for about $1200 (at costco) or wait for next month’s arrival of the 50D which I think it will retail for $1400 (body only plus lenses) You might be able to use your existing lens with the DSLR but research it first.

   My guess, you are going to figure out what your needs are and how much money you can allocate for the camera.
   Good luck!
4. Jimmy says:

   January 16, 2010 at 02:42

   I have an Olympus E300 and an E-510. Both are great cameras, inexpensive and offer tons of features in their price band that others don’t offer. I would love to extol the benefits of choosing Olympus. The simple fact is that you already have Canon. Unlike most who are looking for a DSLR, you already have lenses and some other goodies that would simply go to waste if you choose another company. You can start with the Digital Rebel. It’s a solid camera and would be a great starting point. It only makes sense you stay with Canon. It has the potential to save you money and help you hit the ground running. Please buy a Canon DSLR. Now I hate myself ; )
5. Foggy Idea says:

   January 16, 2010 at 10:19

   Since you already have a Canon SLR, I’d say stick with Canon, the lens on your current camera, will work on the Canon DSLR cameras. The XSi would be a great camera to begin with.

   Good luck and happy shooting.
6. Argiiii is a Cali girl? says:

   January 16, 2010 at 13:27

   I suggest a Nikon D40, or a Nikon D40x.
   They are basically the same, the D40x is just a newer with mere differences.

   Taking good photographs with Nikon D40’s are easy and simple, and the quality is great. It’s one step above a point and shoot, and one step below a fancy pro dSLR.
   :]]
7. Achtung Barry says:

   January 16, 2010 at 15:34

   Another vote for the olympus e500. I’ve had it 2 years and I love it. The canikon clones will tell you that only therir chosen brands are any good but they just believe what the marketing execs want them to believe and pay what the marketing execs want them to pay. The e510 is less than 1000 euro with 2 excellent lenses. 14mm-45mm and 40mm-150mm.
   good luck.
8. Jt C says:

   January 17, 2010 at 01:04

   If you want a digital SLR I would say the Nikon D40 Its a entry level DSLR. A digital SLR will give you a much larger sensor than any point and shoot camera. Larger sensor = more light to each pixel = clearer, crisper photo with better color saturation. DSLR will also let you grow and take more control as you learn more and you can change lenses when you have a need to.

   I am a nikon person and have had nikons since the 70’s I personally think the nikon D40 give you more for the dollar than any DSLR today. There are some that do more but you pay a good bit more. Do not let the lower megapixels concern you if you do not do very very large prints you will never notice the lower DSLR. My brother recently needs a DSLR for a class and I recommended the D40 to him So I would also say get the D40 not the D40X. The Nikon D40 does not have limited functions compared with other entry DSLR. Yes it has fewer funtioncas than a 1500 dollar camera body would. It is not a a cut down version its equal or above most any entry level DSLR.

   I have a d300 and a d40 and when I am shooting for fun I grabe the d40. Its weightless, a joy to use and gives good results

   If you have a bit more money the D60 give you a number of things you want. It has newer firmware and image processors, designed for the 10 mp sensor. It has an “Active Dust Reduction System with Airflow Control “. Nikon not putting a system on the D40 to deal with dust is one of the biggest drawbacks I see to the D40 ( though I think its still a great camera for the money) If you change lenses dust will get in and the camera needs a system to deal with it. With the D60 you get a VR lens. That will help with low light situations ( they may offer that now with the D40 but originally it was not) . The D60 has Adaptive Dynamic Range. Nikon calls it “Active D-Lighting,” it lets you save some highlights that my otherwise be lost. It has a newer better metering system than the D40. So you can get the D40 not the D40 x and spend the other money on lenses or a flash

   Some people will want to make a big issue out of the fact that there are some nikon lenses that will not autofocus on these cameras. Right now there are “only” about 39 lenses that autofocus on these cameras. They cover the range of focal lengths. I doubt any photographer would be seriously limited with “only” this many lenses to choose from. If you want to manually focus you can more than double this and do so at a low cost. Manual focusing is easy and how we did things for decades before the advent of autofocus.

   Cannon and Nikon chose to put the vibration reduction in the lens rather than the body. Somefolks put it in the camera and make of that. Yes that means you get stabilization only on lenses with that feature built in. In the body in theory it would work on every lens. But in fact image stbilization in the lens has proved to work faster and smoother with a lower impact on focus times than image stabilization in the body/ One problem with in body stabilization comes from the fact that the sensor would have to move different amounts for different focal lengths. A canon white paper says an in body system would have to move the sensor 1/4 inch to account for movement on a 300 mm lens.

   In closing all the major manufactures make good cameras. With Nikon and Canon having the largest market share. Most photographers are loyal to what they use and like. Go to the stores get them in your hand and find what you like. What fits your hand well, which has the features you want in an easy to use format
9. All Seasons Photography says:

   January 16, 2010 at 20:54

   I agree with the Nikon D40. I have one and its a great camera.