SLR Camera Advice For First time buyer

A

avarela86

Member
:
Honda S2000
Hey all! I am bringing up this thread because recently I got robbed at home and along with much of my things I lost my digital camera. It was a simple Canon Point-and-shoot. This time around though I want to try something nicer...and have a point-and-shoot. I used to toy around for fun with SLRs (non-digital) in middle school and always wished to have one now. With digital being so much more flexible I think it's time to make the investment.

I'm looking for something SLR; inexpensive ($300-$700) with decent zoom nothing insane when it comes to the lens. Reliability and either a Canon or Nikon... So far i've been eyeing this one. Ultimately if my mom who's offering it as a Christmas gift can't afford it I was gonna ask for this nice point-and-shoot. Canon Power Shot

Well any and all advice is welcome and also wanted to mention that I am DEF willing to buy used if the price is right! Look forward to your help.
 
check adorama.com they have great deals on stuff, and are able to resale refurb canons. the canon xti is a really nice entry level slr. most of the lens kits are going to with a 18-55mm lens witch honestly isnt that bad of a lens. its great for general photos. nikon is a good brand but does have issues with reliablity. i shoot with a canon 30D for 3 years and never once had a problem with it. if you have a facebook you can check out my i have an album of alot of the photos i took with it. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=68112395&ref=profile
 
I have the new Canon xsi. I got one I can grow into a little bit. The new d40 or d80 from Nikon are nice and you can get great kits right now from either canon or Nikon with a decent lens. the nice thing about Canon is the auto stabilization lens that come in the kit. Helps stop a lot of first timer issues with holding the camera.
 
Last edited:
while the sony is nice, but stick with either canon or nikon because of the parts avalibilty.
I would say find a used XT(~$250)from adorama or bhphotoandvideo.
I currently use a canon 5d mkI and a 40D.

AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD IF YOU VALUE YOUR MONEY STAY AWAY FROM BROADWAYPHOTO.COM!! THEY ARE A 'BAIT AND SWITCH' SCAM COMPANY!

google for reviews and reseller ratings, they are no different than sonic cameras. Stick with a seller like adorama or bh
 
Last edited:
AWDTerror said:
while the sony is nice, but stick with either canon or nikon because of the parts avalibilty.
I would say find a used XT(~$250)from adorama or bhphotoandvideo.
I currently use a canon 5d mkI and a 40D.

AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD IF YOU VALUE YOUR MONEY STAY AWAY FROM BROADWAYPHOTO.COM!! THEY ARE A 'BAIT AND SWITCH' SCAM COMPANY!

google for reviews and reseller ratings, they are no different than sonic cameras. Stick with a seller like adorama or bh
Click to expand...

Canon XTi is a good camera. For my money I would prefer the D40x since I think it has superior button and display layout. Unless you are enlarging your pictures up to poster size you WILL NOT notice a difference in the number of pixels.

As previously mentioned, B&H and Adorama are the industry standards for online shopping.

Finally, I would lean towards getting a refurbished D40x body ($369 from Adorama) and a solid walk-around lens like the Nikon 18-200mm zoom ($639 from B&H). If you get a quality lens like that you'll never need to take it off the camera and it will still work great for years to come; long after you have moved on to a bigger and better D-SLR body.

EDIT: If that's too much money then just get the 18-55mm zoom ($109 from B&H) which is a good performer you can use while saving for better glass.
 
Last edited:
The Rebel xti is a nice camera to start off with. Me and my brother just upgraded to the D90 and it is absolutely amazing. But in your case I don't think you are looking to spend over 1k, so i would recommend the D80, which you can get for $749 shipped. You are spending a little more for the d80 compared to the xti, but you get higher iso range, more a/f points, and a little bigger sensor. Overall both would be nice cameras.
 
thanks for the helping me out awdterror. i am also currently looking to purchasing a dslr in the next few days. after looking around some more i think a nikon d40. could you guys give me some input on this camara if youve owned one. and i found one on adorama but i cant tell if its refurbished or not. it doesnt say if its NIB or refurb'd. any info would be welcome:)
http://www.adorama.com/INKD40K34.html
 
Dam... sorry to hear about the robbery.

When I saw the thread title, I was going to come in here and be like: Advice? Buy it and send it up here to me for "testing" lol.

But I felt bad seeing that you were robbed. I've been on the fence for well over a year now about an SLR. I think I'm going to go with a Nikon d40, d40x, or d80 for my first body. If you get the nikon, make sure you pick up the 50mm prime 1.8 lens. It's super sharp, and super cheap.

Also, don't forget you can get %25 off any BIN purchase on ebay right now through the microsoft "live cashback" bull crap. part of the way I got my new tires down to $340 shipped from $500. Now I'm looking at other big ticket items on ebay since they may do away with the cash back anytime. If the right BIN deal comes along, I could have a d40 body for < $200! Add the lens I just was talking about (~$80-$90) and bam! A great beginners setup to cut loose and start learning on.
 
I had the D40, and really the only thing that was a little tricky but didnt bother me much was the fact that the d40 does not have a auto focus motor. Meaning if you buy a lenses that do not have a built in auto focus, you will manually have to focus your shots. So as long as you buy AF-S lenses you are good. Personally it didn't bother me, but some people rely on the af.
 
A used 30D or D80 > new entry level body. If you really get into photography, you'll appreciate the ergonomics on the prosumer bodies.
 
lasermp5 said:
Also, don't forget you can get %25 off any BIN purchase on ebay right now through the microsoft "live cashback"
Click to expand...

What is this about? I looked on Ebay and found no info? Just the 10% off coupon. No worries about the burglary, I mostly miss my XBox since I played it a lot when I had free time. Gotta start over on all the saved games now too...Oh Forza. But thanks for feeling my pain, glad noone was home when it happened though and glad to see that my swords, nunchucks and dagger were still there. That could have been much worse if you think about. Minor w/weapons bad mix.

Thanks to all for the great advice and i'm really looking forward to this purchase now. I found this one and I think im set on it since it includes the additional lens (with AF-S) and right around the price range I was looking for. Thoughts?! First thing to buy would be a case and large SD card. ONLY let down is there is no video option but that would be for my the latter P&S I will pick up after holidays...and after I pick up a new XBOX lol.
 
There is plenty of info on it on the net. For full details go here:

http://search.live.com/cashback

Basically, you sign up with this program. Then go to "live.com" and search "cheap wii" or something similar. You'll get a page of search results, and at the top will be a paid link for ebay. Click that link and it redirects you to ebay where you are now looking at the search criteria for "cheap wii"... however, now that you're in that ebay window, search for anything you please. Almost anything that's BIN w/paypal is eligible. This is how I bought my tires, and I added the 10% on too. I'm in no way promoting microsoft... just before someone might say so.

So right now I'm looking at this auction

319.95 - 25% + free shipping = 255.96. To get me started, I'll be getting the 50mm f/1.8 for less than 100 shipped. I've used this lens before and I like it a lot. No zoom since it is a prime lens, but this forces you to really think about your composure... plus good exercise lol. I'd rather start with the d40 body and invest in good glass over the next few years, then move into a better camera after I've outgrown this one.

Oh, and for the P&S, I'm sure there will be deals out the azzholios this season... should be able to get a really nice find for <$100 easy.



avarela86 said:
What is this about? I looked on Ebay and found no info? Just the 10% off coupon. No worries about the burglary, I mostly miss my XBox since I played it a lot when I had free time. Gotta start over on all the saved games now too...Oh Forza. But thanks for feeling my pain, glad noone was home when it happened though and glad to see that my swords, nunchucks and dagger were still there. That could have been much worse if you think about. Minor w/weapons bad mix.

Thanks to all for the great advice and i'm really looking forward to this purchase now. I found this one and I think im set on it since it includes the additional lens (with AF-S) and right around the price range I was looking for. Thoughts?! First thing to buy would be a case and large SD card. ONLY let down is there is no video option but that would be for my the latter P&S I will pick up after holidays...and after I pick up a new XBOX lol.
Click to expand...

edit: no one steal my auction, lol! Might or might not pick it up. Waiting for payday on Fri...
 
Last edited:
Please log in or register to reply here.

New Posts and Comments

V
2017~2025 17 vs 18 vs 19
Replies
0
Views
24
Veyonredsan
V
Y
    • Wow
Sunroof exploded!
2
Replies
22
Views
12K
Sig cx-5
Sig cx-5
G
Sluggish frequent pedal/throttle response. Need suggestions
2
Replies
33
Views
1K
GFrosty
G
ykio
Looking to find a manual p5 for my fiancée (it’s a long short story)
Replies
1
Views
99
Lazy2.5
L
bazooka joe
    • Like
    • Love it!
NA MX-5 Mark’s 1991 Miata build thread
Replies
15
Views
1K
bazooka joe
bazooka joe
7eregrine
  • Article Article
For Sale CX-3 Engine and Cabin Air Filters: $28
Replies
2
Views
170
Antoine
Antoine
View more…

New Threads and Articles

Back