I'm a photography student in High School, and Id like to get my first DSLR, but I'm a beginner and it needs to be reasonably priced. I want it to be at least 6.0 megapixels (preferably more)
and it needs to have manual focusing system as well as auto focus. Something that isnt a hunk of crap please. I have a Sony alpha 100 and it's really good. I would totally recommend it (plenty of online reviews also) and it has what you said you need. Enjoy. Every dSLR that I'm aware of would meet all the requirements you've listed here. I haven't heard of any of them being a "hunk of crap" - but I suppose that's rather subjective.
Personally, if I were looking for the cheapest possible entry level dSLR to get me started I'd probably shoot for the Olympus E-510 with 2/lens kit. It looks to be a great starter camera (in the $600 range) as long as you don't need high ISO shooting (above iso400). If I thought I would be investing more for the long haul I'd probably step up to either a Canon or Nikon entry model just for the more flexible system options.
You can check reviews on the various models available at http://www.dpreview.com and I almost always also check sample images from the cameras I'm interested in at http://www.pbase.com/cameras - then just drill down to the model you're interested in. Pbase allows you see what other people can do with specific cameras and lenses. Just remember that not everyone knows how to use what they have - so the images often represent a span of poor to excellent depending on the skills of the shooter.
Good luck! Check out the Sony A100 and the Pentax K100D Super. You can read reviews of both at dpreview.com od shutterbug.com. Canon's Digital Rebel XTi is now becoming a bargain, because they just announced its successor. I suggest the XTi because it has full manual controls, it uses just about all the Canon lenses, it's a 10 MP camera. It used to be about a $900 camera, you can now get it for just over $500.
Here's the link to the camera (body only, you can also buy it as a kit with a lens and other stuff, for somewhat more) at B & H Photo and Video (highly recommended, superb prices, good service, they know their stuff): http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/45...
Note, I use a Canon S3 IS (the IS means Image Stabilized). There's a newer version the S5 IS, which includes a hot shoe for an external flash, which mine doesn't have. It's a sort of compromise camera: it is not a true SLR in that you can't swap out lenses, but it comes with a good 12X optical zoom lens, and it's about halfway in size and weight between a point and shoot and a dSLR. For me it was a great compromise because it has the manual controls so I could learn to use things like aperture control and shutter control, but they are somewhat limited in their range. And it's only a 6 MP camera (I think the S5 is an 8 MP camera.) Still, I have gotten some incredible shots with this thing. I also like it because since it's somewhat smaller (and definitely lighter) than the Rebel, I can actually use it one-handed if I need to. So it's an option if you decide not to go directly to a full dSLR (the lenses for those cameras is really where you will end up spending a lot of money. As my husband says, you can spend as much as you want on good glass!)
Hope that info helps. Look at any of the major brands entry level DSLRs. They are all fantastic and can be bought with a kit lens.
I'd recommend:
Nikon D40/D40x/D60(new but should beout in March2008)
Canon XT/XTi/XSi(new but should be released in March 2008)
Pentax K100D/K100D Super
Sony is also releasing a bunch of upgrades to their Alpha line, which might be worth a look. They are the A200 and the A700.
If purchasing online, I'd stick with a reputable company like
www.bhphotovideo.com
www.beachcamera.com
www.adorama.com try the canon rebel xti, it comes with a manual/auto focus 18-55mm, i just both it. They will stop making it in 1 month, cause they will replace it with an other one of 1000$. The canon rebel xti is now 700$, i just both mine. its a really good 10mp digital slr camera The Nikon D40 is a great little camera, very easy to use and quite reasonably priced. It's now under $500 with a lens. It has a few "consumer friendly" totally automatic modes that make it very easy to use, but still offers total photographic control when you are ready to take charge. It will get you in the Nikon family which is a great place to be. If you buy accessories and lenses, you will be able to use everything on any Nikon that you might upgrade to later on. The user manual is among the easiest to use, also, including three pages of "frequently asked questions" that could put Yahoo! Answers out of business.
Check out Nikon's "Picturetown" promotion, where they handed out 200 D40's in Georgetown, SC. http://www.stunningnikon.com/picturetown...
Here are a few reviews, in case you have not read them yet. Be sure to note that they are several pages long and some of the reviews also have some sample images that you can look at.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40...
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_revi...
http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3756/cam...
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/d40...
I hate to see people slam the camera because it can't autofocus with older Nikon lenses. It is true that there is a "slight problem" with older Nikon lenses not autofocusing on the D40, but if you do not own a bag full of older lenses, it is not going to be a problem. It is barely a problem anyhow. If you check www.nikonusa.com for "AF-S" lenses, which are ALL 100% compatible with the D40, you will find 28 lenses, including 13 "VR" (vibration Reduction) lenses and one true macro lens with "VR". There are another 25-plus lenses in the current catalog that provide all functions except autofocus as well as many (possibly dozens) "out of print" lenses that will work just as well. In addition, although these lens will not autofocus, most of them will still give focus confirmation. From the D40 manual: "If the lens has a maximum aperture of f/5.6 of faster, the viewfinder focus indicator can be used to confirm whether the portion of the subject in the selected focus area is in focus. After positioning the subject in the active focus area, press the shutter release button halfway and rotate the lens focusing ring until the in-focus indicator is displayed." (See http://www.members.aol.com/swf08302/niko... for a list of AF-S lenses or see http://www.nikonians.org/cgi-bin/dcforum... for even more...)
The D40 only has 3 autofocus zones arranged horizontally at the center, 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions. This might be considered a limitation, but realistically, most people will find this perfectly adequate, especially if you are moving up from a point and shoot with only a center zone.
There is no "Status LCD" on top of the camera, but Nikon chose to use the rear LCD for this information. This is actually a nice move, as the display is bigger than the top display and you aren't using the read LCD for anything BEFORE you take the picture anyway. This is not a step backwards and it actually makes sense to me.
You can get the D40 with the 18-55 kit lens at B&H Photo available through Yahoo! Shopping or at 1-800-622-4987) for $475 (December 2007). Add a Lexar Platinum (60X speed) card for $25 or 2 GB for $35. Or - get the D40 with 18-135 lens and 1 GB Lexar card for around $700. This is a decent lens and it is very versatile. You will find it suitable for pretty much anything you want to do, other than really long telephoto shots. It will let you explore the range of focal lengths to decide where to start filling in your lens collection. If you don't want to buy any more lenses, this one will carry you through pretty much everything. B&H also have used D40's with the lens from $419. We use the Canon Rebel XTi at the Art Institute. It's a pretty nice camera and is reasonably priced. It is a 10mp camera and has both manual and automatic features. I've had mine for 2 years now and I am still very happy with it.
Another camera that is a little cheaper than the XTi is the Canon Rebel XT. I believe that is an 8mp camera and has both manual and automatic features as well.
Best of luck! |
