Help choosing a camera please?

[emilytrauger]

I am a college art student wishing to buy her first DSLR camera for as little as possible. My dad thinks maybe I should try this camera, a Cannon XTi refurbished for $320, but I'm afraid of the refurbished part. Is this a bad camera? Is refurbished a bad idea? Adorama is a good site, right? Any thoughts on this would be very welcome! Thanks a lot!

http://www.adorama.com/ICADRXTIBR.html Cannon Rebel XTi

 

[996GT2]

Refurbished from a quality retailer like Adorama is nothing to worry about.

The XTi is a great starter camera if you're on a budget. People are going to post after me and suggest all kinds of cameras, but if you just want to keep it simple and get a good camera at a good price, then the XTi is definitely a good choice.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Welcome to the forums I'm curious, out of all the camera forums out there, why did you choose this one?

Like 996GT2 said, refurbished from a place like Adorama shouldn't be bad. Also consider used cameras from forums such as FredMiranda's Buy/Sell, POTN's Buy/Sell (free), and Nikonian's Buy/Sell. I would advise staying with the big two - Nikon or Canon, because perhaps proficiency with a certain camera system will be a requirement for you when you're looking for a job. You've got a greater chance of falling into this requirement if you're already used to using one of the big two.

I also want to say that for the budget SLR segment, the Canons give the best bang for the buck?

That XTi + 50mm f/1.8 for $75 new or $50 used would be a great started setup, giving you a full range of depth of fields, a sharp lens, good function in a wide range of lighting conditions, and just enough constraint with the focal length to force you to think critically about your framing.

 

[ghostman]

I have an XTi and think it's a great camera. It's a generation old at this point though, so it won't have some nice features in the XSi. I bought it two years ago at $600 and knew very little about photography at the time. I'd like to think I'm fairly proficient now, so it's definitely a camera you can learn with. I have no plans to upgrade since the XTi does everything I need for now. When it breaks or becomes completely obsolete, I'll probably jump to a higher end Canon or Nikon.

Adorama is an excellent store. I live in NYC, so I go straight to the store rather than buying online. B&H (bhphotovideo.com) is a great store too, also located in NYC. They have refurb/used equipment as well. I would trust buying refurb/used items from these stores.

 

[bobdole369]

Are you set on a dslr? You can have quite a bit of learning and experience using a dslr-like point and shoot - like the z1012IS from Kodak.

I wouldn't be too scared of a refurb from adorama - it's probably actually an open box return.

 

[bobdole369]

Oh yeah - and

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/
http://www.photo.net
http://www.dpreview.com
http://www.apug.org

Just to name a few totally photography oriented forums.

 

[emilytrauger]

thanks for the help

 

[finbarqs]

yeah, my brother sold his Rebel XT because it required some work to your pictures to look decent to pretty good. I recommended him the LX-3 or the D-Lux 4 (since they're the same camera). He was itching to purchase sigma's camera with the Foveon X3 sensor (since his friend it, and he was blown away by it).

But canon, nikon, you can't go wrong. Though i will say that higher end canon tends to lack QA it deserves... (i.e. my 24-70 f/2.8L needed to be micro-focus adjusted a tad...)

 

[twistedlogic]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
That XTi + 50mm f/1.8 for $75 new or $50 used would be a great started setup, giving you a full range of depth of fields, a sharp lens, good function in a wide range of lighting conditions, and just enough constraint with the focal length to force you to think critically about your framing.

I suggest this to everyone of my friends/family. Forget buying the "kit" and just go with a used/refurbished body + a fast prime/zoom.

But do they listen? No, so now there using on-board flash for indoors, ewwwwww, lol.

 

[tdawg]

Don't forget about www.keh.com, a great source for used equipment. I've had much better luck there than B&H or Adorama when it comes to looking or used equipment.

Personally, I'd look for a used Nikon D100. It's a great starter camera that is not neutered in any way. Between an old digital rebel and a d100, I'd go for the d100 every time. My friend picked one up on keh.com for around $250, USA model with battery, charger and caps.

 

[GoSharks]

Originally posted by: tdawgPersonally, I'd look for a used Nikon D100. It's a great starter camera that is not neutered in any way. Between an old digital rebel and a d100, I'd go for the d100 every time. My friend picked one up on keh.com for around $250, USA model with battery, charger and caps.

Nothing wrong with a D100, but that thing is like 7 years old.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: tdawg
Don't forget about www.keh.com, a great source for used equipment. I've had much better luck there than B&H or Adorama when it comes to looking or used equipment.

Personally, I'd look for a used Nikon D100. It's a great starter camera that is not neutered in any way. Between an old digital rebel and a d100, I'd go for the d100 every time. My friend picked one up on keh.com for around $250, USA model with battery, charger and caps.

d70 was a generally improved d100 and available for about the same price, so i'm not sure why you'd go with the d100.

 

[tdawg]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: tdawg
Don't forget about www.keh.com, a great source for used equipment. I've had much better luck there than B&H or Adorama when it comes to looking or used equipment.

Personally, I'd look for a used Nikon D100. It's a great starter camera that is not neutered in any way. Between an old digital rebel and a d100, I'd go for the d100 every time. My friend picked one up on keh.com for around $250, USA model with battery, charger and caps.

d70 was a generally improved d100 and available for about the same price, so i'm not sure why you'd go with the d100.

I personally started with the d100 and had absolutely no problems. With the d70, you had to worry about the BGLOD. The d100 is just a rock solid stable camera body and has all the features to learn the craft. If someone wants to choose the d70 over the d100, I'm not going to stop them.

 

[tdawg]

Originally posted by: GoSharks

Originally posted by: tdawgPersonally, I'd look for a used Nikon D100. It's a great starter camera that is not neutered in any way. Between an old digital rebel and a d100, I'd go for the d100 every time. My friend picked one up on keh.com for around $250, USA model with battery, charger and caps.

Nothing wrong with a D100, but that thing is like 7 years old.

Some may be surprised that a 7 year old Nikon dslr will still work today, and work well.

 

[996GT2]

Originally posted by: tdawg

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: tdawg
Don't forget about www.keh.com, a great source for used equipment. I've had much better luck there than B&H or Adorama when it comes to looking or used equipment.

Personally, I'd look for a used Nikon D100. It's a great starter camera that is not neutered in any way. Between an old digital rebel and a d100, I'd go for the d100 every time. My friend picked one up on keh.com for around $250, USA model with battery, charger and caps.

d70 was a generally improved d100 and available for about the same price, so i'm not sure why you'd go with the d100.

I personally started with the d100 and had absolutely no problems. With the d70, you had to worry about the BGLOD. The d100 is just a rock solid stable camera body and has all the features to learn the craft. If someone wants to choose the d70 over the d100, I'm not going to stop them.

I personally started on a D70, and after trying out my friend's old D100 I'm going to have to disagree on the D100 being a "better" starter camera.

The D100 is much slower in operation, especially if you try to save compressed NEFs. The buffer is smaller, the metering system is older and less effective, the max shutter speed doesn't go as high, flash sync is MUCH slower, and the flash interface is the outdated d-TTL instead of i-TTL as in the D70 and all other current Nikons. Build quality is identical between the D70 and D100...both are plastic.

With the price of a used D70 being the same (often lower) than the price of a used D100, I don't see the point of getting a D100. Only a small # of D70s made during the first months of production are susceptible to the BGLOD problem, and if you consider the age of the D70 those susceptible cameras have probably already died and been replaced (e.g. they are highly unlikely to be on the used market).

Really, though, a refurbished XTi for $320 is a much better camera than the D70 or D100 for not much more money. The XTi's sensor is almost the same as the one in the 40D, meaning it completely kills both of the CCD-based Nikons in terms of noise at higher ISOs.

 

[soydios]

get a D70s over the D100.
but yeah, a camera doesn't start making worse pictures when a new model comes out.

 

[EXman]

Adorama usually has it for $299 I'd wait till it went back down.

the nikons have a learning mode that shows you what the difference is when you switch them. I'd look at a nikon D40 D40x as they are comperable and cheaper! D40x has been as low as $275 save $45 pretty good

OR

go below and click on my link I have a sony DSLR for sale!

 

[soydios]

Originally posted by: EXman
the nikons have a learning mode that shows you what the difference is when you switch them.

learning mode? like the D40/D40x/D60 visual aperture display?

anyhoo, I'd get a D50 over a D40, or a D80 over a D40x/D60, any day.

 

[EXman]

Originally posted by: soydios

Originally posted by: EXman
the nikons have a learning mode that shows you what the difference is when you switch them.

learning mode? like the D40/D40x/D60 visual aperture display?

anyhoo, I'd get a D50 over a D40, or a D80 over a D40x/D60, any day.

are you a n00b?

 

[Munky]

Nothing wrong with a refurbished camera if it's from a reputable retailer like adorama. I actually compared a refurb Nikon D40 to a brand new one, and the refurb consistently produced better images in low light conditions... go figure.

 

[soydios]

Originally posted by: EXman

Originally posted by: soydios

Originally posted by: EXman
the nikons have a learning mode that shows you what the difference is when you switch them.

learning mode? like the D40/D40x/D60 visual aperture display?

anyhoo, I'd get a D50 over a D40, or a D80 over a D40x/D60, any day.

are you a n00b?

explain?

 

[HelenOster]

Originally posted by: emilytrauger
I am a college art student wishing to buy her first DSLR camera for as little as possible. My dad thinks maybe I should try this camera, a Cannon XTi refurbished for $320, but I'm afraid of the refurbished part. Is this a bad camera? Is refurbished a bad idea? Adorama is a good site, right? Any thoughts on this would be very welcome! Thanks a lot!

http://www.adorama.com/ICADRXTIBR.html Cannon Rebel XTi

I do appreciate your concerns, and would like to reassure you that all Refurbished products come with a 90 day return-to-Adorama warranty; 14 days from date of receipt for a full refund, and the balance for Repair or Replacement. They have all been restored to the exact manufacturer specifications by the original manufacturer.

Some of our refurbs may have been damaged or broken, but many will be ex-store demos, or have been used in field tests or sales displays.
Frequently, camera bodies can get pulled from the production line if something appears faulty, and others don't pass the final inspection.
These bodies are set aside and tested by technicians. Most of the time it is a very minor issue that needs correcting. Anyway, once they are pulled from the normal flow of production, they get flagged as a refurbished model.
So you may actually get a model straight from the factory that really has never been used!

Others will be cameras that have been ordered in error and returned to Adorama. We can't then sell them as 'new' so we have to send them back to the manufacturer for checking over.

A refurbished item will have been checked over by the manufacturer by hand, inspected very thoroughly, diagnosed, and calibrated by experienced technicians. So, it could actually turn out to be more dependable than a new item - which will only have been checked by a process of systematic quality control protocol (ie by random sampling as they come off the conveyor belt).

The potential downside is that base warranty on refurbished is only 3 months versus 1 year on new??... however, if you purchase a MACK warranty at the same time, you bring the warranty to 3 years, so you actually have a longer warranty than with a new one.

The regular Mack warranty only covers defects, so that typically starts after the manufacturer's warranty runs out.

The Mack Diamond Warranty runs concurrent with the manufacturer's warranty because it also covers accidental damage.

You have 30 days from the date of purchase of a refurbished camera to add the additional warranty if you choose to do so - #CZW3L49 MACK 3 YEAR "PRO" LENS WARRANTY $ 49.95, and you may order it on-line.

If you have any other specific questions relating to the warranty, please do call them in to 800-223-2500.
I hope this helps.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
www.adoramacamera.com

 

[EXman]

Originally posted by: soydios

Originally posted by: EXman

Originally posted by: soydios

Originally posted by: EXman
the nikons have a learning mode that shows you what the difference is when you switch them.

learning mode? like the D40/D40x/D60 visual aperture display?

anyhoo, I'd get a D50 over a D40, or a D80 over a D40x/D60, any day.

are you a n00b?

explain?

They are a n00b. A D80 is not a beginner camera. you dig?

 

[soydios]

Originally posted by: EXman

Originally posted by: soydios

Originally posted by: EXman

Originally posted by: soydios

Originally posted by: EXman
the nikons have a learning mode that shows you what the difference is when you switch them.

learning mode? like the D40/D40x/D60 visual aperture display?

anyhoo, I'd get a D50 over a D40, or a D80 over a D40x/D60, any day.

are you a n00b?

explain?

They are a n00b. A D80 is not a beginner camera. you dig?

it has a full-auto mode...
but true, the custom-functions menu might get a tad confusing. :evil: