First DSLR - Suggestions please?

Terry Olaes

Terry Olaes

I Used to be the [H] News Guy
Joined
Nov 27, 2006
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Hi all - I'm looking to purchase my 1st digital SLR camera. It will be strictly for family use (a lot of indoor and sporting event shots) and has to be simple enough for my wife to point-and-click. She's willing to learn a little bit but doesn't want to use a bunch of menu settings before she can take a picture. We need a decent zoom as my kids are involved in both indoor and outdoor sports but I'm not averse to swapping lenses as needed.

I've been digging around the web and have seen very favorable reviews for Nikon's D40 DSLR. I found a site that has the D40 with 2 lenses (18-55mm f3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX and 55-200mm f4.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lenses) for under $640. They also have the Nikon SB-400 Speedlight Unit for $105.

Is the D40 a good choice for me or should I consider the entry level Canon or Pentax instead? Your suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!
 
Both Nikon and Canon are good systems. What's your budget?

I'm not familiar with Nikon's entry level, but for Canon, a Rebel series body with an 18-55 IS and a 55-250 IS would be a start on the low end. You could get a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 or a Canon 70-200 f/4 as upgrades for either lens. The Canon 35mm f/2 is a good low-light lens. Lots of good options, just depends on what you want to pay for...

Also, be careful about online camera retailers and research them on reseller ratings before you buy, there are more than a few scams out there.
 
The D40 is a good camera, I am partial to Canon myself though. I will not say you shouldnt get Nikon I just prefer the other. I found the menu's of Canon more simple to use, even more so on the newer models.

Comperable to the D40 I would say try the Rebel XT / XTI both can be found at resonable pricing, with a similar additional lens though I am not sure if you can get as good of a deal. If you can go into some local stores and hold similar camera's to get a feel for them to figure out which one feels the best and you like more. Either way you will be happy.

Pentax used to make good camera's, I am not familier at all with their more recent offerings so hopefully some others in here have used them. My mom still has a really old Pentax 35mm and several lens's and likes it but digital is so much cheaper and easier to set up hehe.

Online B&H / Newegg are good sites, Amazon has some good deals as well. Otherwise I dont trust many of the smaller less organized sites. Other good ones are there as I am sure other people will attest to.
 
fugu said:
Both Nikon and Canon are good systems. What's your budget?
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Heh, I knew I forgot a key piece of information. I'd like to keep the total price under $800 including extra lenses and accessories, if possible. If you have a compelling argument for me to spend more, I'm open to it. Thanks for the info guys!
 
I have the d80 with the 2 lenses you mentioned and an sb600. I am quite content. My only concern with the setup you are considering is that the 55-200 may not be fast enough for sporting events and you may be dissappointed in that regard. I'm hoping someone with more experience could comment on that though.
 
The D40 is pretty old, and isn't made new anymore as far as I know. It was replaced by the D40x, and now D60. The D60 has the 10MP sensor, but with far better noise reduction for higher ISO than the D40 (the D40x had this also, but it's also discontinued)

The D40 is cheaper, but if you are going with kit glass and plan on shooting sports, you want the ability to crank the ISO and resize the images. D60 affords you that better than the D40 does, easily.

Other posters have mentioned the performance of the 55-200mm at sporting events - I shoot baseball with it and it's passable-good for slow action. It is bad-poor for fast action on my D80 unless I crank the ISO and add on a stop or two with compensation, at which point the noise is just unbearable. The D60 MAY fair better, as it has the much newer sensor and image processor to get rid of noise at high ISO.
 
Terry Olaes said:
Hi all - I'm looking to purchase my 1st digital SLR camera. It will be strictly for family use (a lot of indoor and sporting event shots) and has to be simple enough for my wife to point-and-click. She's willing to learn a little bit but doesn't want to use a bunch of menu settings before she can take a picture.
Click to expand...
It's also worth looking at the Sony A200 (& A300/A350 if you want LiveView like a p&s) as the Sonys are amongst the simplest cameras to use (but still have all the options if you do want to get more into it).
The A200 is a bargain too at current prices.
 
mwarps said:
The D40 is pretty old, and isn't made new anymore as far as I know. It was replaced by the D40x, and now D60. The D60 has the 10MP sensor, but with far better noise reduction for higher ISO than the D40 (the D40x had this also, but it's also discontinued)

The D40 is cheaper, but if you are going with kit glass and plan on shooting sports, you want the ability to crank the ISO and resize the images. D60 affords you that better than the D40 does, easily.

Other posters have mentioned the performance of the 55-200mm at sporting events - I shoot baseball with it and it's passable-good for slow action. It is bad-poor for fast action on my D80 unless I crank the ISO and add on a stop or two with compensation, at which point the noise is just unbearable. The D60 MAY fair better, as it has the much newer sensor and image processor to get rid of noise at high ISO.
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Hm, I didn't notice that the D40 was that old (no wonder why it's so cheap). The D60 with the same lenses is out of my price range.

What about the Canon Rebel XSi? Costco has it for $800 shipped and it comes with the following lenses:
- Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS Lens
- Canon EF 75-300mm Lens

I can add a flash later if I find that I need it. What do you guys and gals think?
 
My mom uses the Rebel XSi with the 18-55mm IS lense and it's a nice light setup. It's easy to use and if you take the time to learn more about it quite a powerful camera.

The 75-300 is also a good lense, but it's not overly fast. It works well for sports shooting and it's an otherwise good lense. Sure you can spend more money and get a better lense if you wanted, but if you are just getting started it's a good place to start out and has plenty of room to grow with you.

I will make two suggestions. You might want to get UV or Skylight filters for the lense to protect them from dust, fingerprints, and damage. These are typically cheap and can be found for about 20 bucks I think for two. The other recommendation is the lense hood for the zoom lense to control stray light and also as a little more protection for the lense.
 
The 75-300 isn't sharp or fast, I'd look into something else for sports.
 
I also suggest at least looking at the SONY DSLR's. They are very good for the money and the in body stabilization works very well. Most importantly find a body (whatever brand) that fits nicely in your hands. Go try them all.
 
I recommend the D40, I just got one from newegg and it's a great camera - despite the fact that I'm still learning how to use it. I took a gamble on the refurb one, it was under $400 shipped and it came in an official-looking box that said "Nikon recertified product" on the side. The refurbs aren't being done by newegg, they're apparently Nikon tested. Came with the camera strap, charger, battery, and kit lens, along with the manual and software. I'd say that's a hot deal.
 
I generally recommend Nikon cameras for those who want to go full automatic which should be easy for your wife. I find Nikon auto-ISO is better, VR better, metering better, and flash better than Canon counterparts. I tried a bunch so that's my experience. As for lenses, I also find Nikon's cheaper lenses a bit sharper. There are a few things though, none of the kit lenses are really fast enough. for indoors or sports but you have to make due with a limited budget. They are also quite plasticky which means you can't handle them rough at all.

I'd probably get a D40X with the kit lenses with VR for now. For later budget upgrades, a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and possibly a Sigma 70-200 f/2.8.
 
I'm only familiar with Nikon and Canon, so...

I'd go towards a Canon system, just so you can buy the 70-200/4 later on, which will be better for indoor events than the 70-300 lenses that are produced by lens makers since it has a constant F/4 aperture. The 55-200 lenses are also very slow (3.5 - 5.6 ?) but you'll have to make do with what you can get.

Or you can skip the F/4 glass and save up to buy a 70-200/2.8 or 80-200/2.8, and such lenses available for either system are very good. I use an 80-200/2.8 Nikon lens myself, which works well indoors.

Nikon's automatic metering is damn good though, I find it better than Canon's. I do wish Nikon would release a modern 70-200/4, I think that is a sorely missed gap.

However, Canon has been quicker to update their line of lenses, as you'll see almost all their lenses use USM (ultrasonic motor). Nikon is still slowly migrating lens designs to use AF-S motors (equivalent to USM), and note that the D40/40x do not have a autofocus screw, so that only AF-S lenses can autofocus with them. This is probably not a terrible concern as you're buying into a new system, but for someone like me, that'd be a problem since one of my main lenses (80-200/2.8) is not AF-S (and the AF-S versions like 70-200/2.8 are $$$$$, but less of a concern if you buy 3rd party lenses like Sigma or Tamron).
 
Canon and Nikon both make very good dslr's. The problem you will face is that indoor sports and outdoor sports in anything but bright light can be very challenging, and the kit lenses may not be up to it (assuming you want something more than snapshots). You will need to maintain high shutter speeds to freeze action, and that is difficult to do in poorly lit gyms or with long, slow telephotos (i.e. all of the inexpensive ones).

I recommend that you get whichever Nikon or Canon fits your hand the best after trying them in a store and just get the kit lens for now. After learning the camera, you will want to invest in faster glass...
 
My friend just picked up an olympus e520 with 14-54mm high grade glass for like $500 total.

The camera he got lightly used (since its still pretty new considering it has not been out for toolong now) and he found a refurbished 14-54 for $300 on ebay - cash back - sell kit lens for $100 shipped (thats what I did) and get a cheap upgrade for a nice piece of glass after cash back :).

The nice thing with olympus is the built in IS, which should save you $150-$500 per lens depennding on the grade of glass you want. I'm loving mine, its a great beginner SLR. I'm really loving the menu system and display on the LCD vs my older canons (have not used XSI so I can't compare the menu system to that) If you want a pro level SLR go with a Canon 5D MKII or Nikon flavors, olympuses best consumer SLR is the E3. Once yoru ready to spend $1500 on a piece of glass you might want a more pro level 21+ MP camera.

Canon XSI is my second choice as it is also nice but costs considerably more than the olympus which has been getting Excelent reviews as they have been making a huge comeback by bringing alot to the table. Olympus has great dust reduction, weather sealed, In Body IS, and first with live view.

edit: 30% cashback is over :( Down to 20%

BTW olympus is a 4:3 camera so you could go with a 50-200 lens which is the equivilant to 100-400mm Film! The shots are excelent with this higher grade glass lens and the built in IS will help you to use the telephoto without a tripod. You can buy the 1.4x or 2x (id go 1.4) teleconverter for this lens too, and it will increase your zoom. Olympus glass is EXCELENT quality, and is right up there with high grade canon/nikon.

Here is the old version of the 50-200mm it can be had used for cheap since the SWD version is out (faster focusing but at a price). I find the lens is decently fast focusing already compared to kit, or lower grade glass.
http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-50-20...4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1223340387&sr=8-4
Very good lens for the money!

Of course there is also the 70-300 equivilant to 140-600mm
http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-70-30...7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1223340521&sr=1-7
Alot of people are happy with this lens too, but the glass is not quite the same grade and it has a higher min F-stop.
 
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vandy, remember my canon xt at nvision? Did remember all the pics I took on the forums? Nikon or Canon both are good. If you are ok with the feel and egonomics of each then it doesn't really matter. As for a lens, Id say go for any 18-200. It won't be the best performer, especially in low light, but it will give you lots of flexibility.

this is sigma btw!
 
Wow - so many options... so many opinions... so many recommendations. Thanks everyone! I've obviously got a lot to consider.

I'm pretty sure my wife wants a live-view option as she doesn't like looking through the viewfinder and will want to use the LCD just like she does on the little Canon SD630 we have now. I totally forgot about Olympus as I almost never see people talk about their DSLR. I used to have an Olympus all-in-one and loved it but my wife dipped it in the pool and killed it. :/

Do they make car adapters for the battery chargers or do you just use an inverter and plug the adapter into it?
 
Terry Olaes said:
Wow - so many options... so many opinions... so many recommendations. Thanks everyone! I've obviously got a lot to consider.

I'm pretty sure my wife wants a live-view option as she doesn't like looking through the viewfinder and will want to use the LCD just like she does on the little Canon SD630 we have now. I totally forgot about Olympus as I almost never see people talk about their DSLR. I used to have an Olympus all-in-one and loved it but my wife dipped it in the pool and killed it. :/

Do they make car adapters for the battery chargers or do you just use an inverter and plug the adapter into it?
Click to expand...

Im pretty sure you can find 12v charger for any of these cameras. Read some review sites listing cameras in your price range before you decide.
www.photographyreview.com
www.dpreview.com
www.imaging-resource.com
www.dcreview.com
Are a few to start.

Get one that has the features that YOU need / want. I have to tell you right now that liveview really slows down SLRS and you will want to look through the viewfinder most of the time after you try it both ways. It takes much longer to focus using liveview and takes longer between shots due to the mirror having to flip back and fourth. It is nice for certain shots though, comparing exposures, zooming in to get better focus etc, checking your white balance, and see if you blew out any details after taking a shot :)
 
Great price on the body, the lens might not be wide enough for a general purpose walkaround though.

If you have a chance, go to a local store and play with the cameras a bit to see how they feel and what UI you prefer.
 
They all take quite good pictures. The biggest difference imho is the lens selection/support and the layout of the controls/egronomics. My wife got a 350D (rebel XT) because it has a really small handgrip that fit her hands much better than most everything else. Its not terribly comfortable for me and I'd much prefer A 30/40/50D series body. I also really liked the Pentax K10D - they were selling for $500 bucks which is quite a deal imho. Lens selection is somewhat limited, but chances you'll want a $1500 lens to go with your entry level SLR is probably kinda slim;)
 
Terry Olaes said:
Heh, I knew I forgot a key piece of information. I'd like to keep the total price under $800 including extra lenses and accessories, if possible. If you have a compelling argument for me to spend more, I'm open to it. Thanks for the info guys!
Click to expand...

I got my D60, two lenses, an 8gb SD c6 card, a nikon bag, and free tripod! for exactly 900.23 with 2 day shipping from amazon.com
 
Ok, I pulled the trigger on a Canon Digital Rebel EOS XSi. Abe's had a combo for $817.42 and had the following items:

75-300mm f/ 4-5.6 III EF Lens
EOS Rebel XSI Digital Camera w/ 18-55mm IS Lens Kit [Black]
58mm Multi Coated UV Filter
Deluxe 3 Piece Lens and Camera Cleaning Kit
SDHC 4GB Digital Card
LP-E5 Extended Life Lithium Ion Battery for Rebel XSi/ XS
MT603 Short Nose Zoom Case

This was the best deal by far from any of the reputable merchants as reported by ResellerRatings.com. It should get here early next week since they're closed tomorrow and Wed for holiday. Can't wait to play with it!
 
Thats a decent combo. I don't thing your wife will outgrow it anytime soon if ever since she tends to keep it on all auto. You however, may outgrow it in about 2-3yrs if you shoot a lot and want to learn.
 
Great combo, I am dying for more lenses for mine lol. I think you'll enjoy it.
 
meh, matter of preference. I think i saw the xsi w/18-55 & 55-250 combo at costco for like $899.
 
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