I'm pretty sure I'm going to ask Santa for an SLR this holiday season. I played with our friend Chris' camera this weekend and had so much fun. I love some of the shots I got.
My question to you -- dear friends -- is what kind of camera do you like? Nikon, Cannon? What kind of lens do you use? Why?
I'm likening this to an NPR listener drive "if you listen regularly and haven't pledged before... if you read this blog and have never commented before, and you have any knowledge of SLRs (seriously, even if you have only mildly researched them yourself) -- now is the time to comment!"
9 comments:
My hubs has done some research since we're also in the market for one. I can't really advise on WHICH one to get...but check slickdeals.net regularly for deals, and Costco has some pretty good deals on SLRs too. I think the hubs was looking at the Cannon XTi Rebel. Good luck! And let me know which one you end up getting!
I have a nikon d40. I still use the lens kit so would love to hear what others use too. I don't think you can go wrong with either though. Hope Santa brings you your SLR!
I use a Nikon D40 body. I have 3 lenses for it:
1 - my universally useful go to lens AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 GII ED
2 - my fixed focal length f/1.8 lens which is great if you want natural no flash/indoor/low light shots and artsy narrow field of focus shots, AF Kikkor 50mm 1:1.8 D [LOVE love love this one, a huge portion of my favorite photos are with this lens]
3 - my telephoto lens, I haven't had much opportunity to utilize this lens that much, but some day when the kids are in sports etc I will probably use it more, so far I have taken pictures of the moon with it which was fun. AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm 1:4-5.6G ED
I recommend saving money on your camera body and getting nice lenses.
The pros of the Nikon D40 is that it is more compact than the higher models and that means it fits very nicely in the hand. It is also a great price. The cons are that if you want to auto focus you must use a lens that has a motor built in (that is what the -S after the AF indicates) having the motor built into the lens makes the lenses cost more.
I used my friend's Cannon EOS to take pictures at her sister's baby shower (I don't know what kind of EOS it was but it wasn't a rebel) on full auto it was SUPER slow at either recharging the on body flash or saving the images. I don't know why it was so slow because I couldn't take the time to check it out. But waiting for it to finish being "busy" before I could take the next shot was extremely exasperating. My D40 is fast as lightening compared to it. It might have just been some setting she was using but since I don't know and I haven't tried other cameras I would just recommend that you be sure to try out the model you want ahead of time to test the shot rate.
You are welcome to play with my camera the next time we see each other if you want to try a D40, and check out the different lenses.
I am sure you will love whatever you get, they are just so much better than a point and shoot for great images!
thank you for your input -- much appreciated!!!
Nikon D60 or 90. Actually there's a new SLR that has a video option as well. It's nice to have that capability on the same camera.
If you have friends such as myself and others with nikon, that means you have access to borrowing nikon lenses. I would get a D90 if looking in the $1000 range. Then D40 for great value under $500. I would then consider D5000 if you want to spend something in the middle. IMO D60 and D3000 do not offer enough to warrant spending more than a D40. Totally agree on spending the money you save on extra lenses like a 50 or 35 mm fixed or longer tele for those dance recitals or inevitable sporting events. Canons have a great reputation and I would strongly consider one if I had a friend or family with Canon lenses. I've been very happy with my camera purchases through Costco.
In the end it's not the camera that makes the difference. The SLR lets you be more creative, but you already take great pics with your point and shoot.
thanks boys (Will/Scott & Chris)!
Okay, my opinion. Not very technical but I spent A LOT of time online researching and reading about the different cameras last year when we bought our DSLR.
Ultimately it was price that drove me to choose between the Nikon D40 and the Canon Rebel XS (the newer version is the XTI I think) as I wanted a camera in the $500 range. I'm not exactly the most organized or careful person and I didn't want to spend a mortgage payment on something I might drop on the ground and break.
Two things led me to finally choose the Canon Rebel. First, our photographer at the hospital who takes pictures for us when we have a fetal demise uses Canon and she said she likes the choice in lenses more than with Nikon. Her pictures are so beautiful and touching that I knew I could trust her. Second, when I got to Best Buy (best prices on my two choices), the guys working the floor all owned the Canon. They swore up and down that customers were happier with it than the Nikon. Both cameras were the same price. So I went with the Canon.
I do love the camera but I have broken two lenses. Sucks. And it does have that "busy" signal sometimes that Tabitha mentioned. Of course, I've never read the book or learned how to use it correctly so maybe that could be fixed with some simple knowledge. I do dislike that. But that is the only thing because I love everything else. Anyone can pick it up and take pics with it without hardly any instruction.
You are welcome to borrow mine anytime. I have two lenses ... well, I have one coming (18-55 replacement) and a 75-300 lens. I'll bring it next time we see you. :)
I also recommend the Canon. Canon lenses are unbeatable for quality and clarity. You can pick up a 50 mm 1.8 for around $75. I would check out hte XTi Rebel or the 50D depending on what you want to spend. A new model (7D) that has awesome video capabilites just came out, too. I think that one is around $1800.
Post a Comment