Is the Nikon D90 overkill for a beginner? Update: I bought one

[Izzo]

After fumbling around tons of information about cameras, I seem to be leaning towards a Nikon D90. For someone that has little experience (but am willing to learn and turn it into a hobby), is this camera too much for a beginner? I'm moving to California and expect to be a tourist there for the next year or so. So the pictures are going to be of nature, aquariums, cities, sporting events....just regular ol' walking around and touristy type stuff. I really like the video feature, but I'm not sure if I should let that be the deciding point.

If this is an okay camera (by most reviews and camera sources seem to think so), does anyone have any tips on where to buy or where to avoid? A quick Google search returns:

SonicCameras.com at only $439, but that seems really low. I assume that comes with absolutely nothing at all (not even battery). But even their package prices are (600-700 for lens, battery, memory card, etc), are significantly lower than most other places (packages from 800-1200 from most other retailers). I know that lenses and whatnot can have a huge impact on price, but I'm still hesitant on the seemingly large discrepancy in package prices at soniccameras.

Any info would be appreciated, tia!

Update: So I ended up ordering one through B&H. Got the D90 with the 18-105mm Lens package. Now it's off to find a good deal on a memory card....Any suggestions?

 

[shortylickens]

That price is a scam. I was just looking at that site about 10 minutes ago when somebody asked about an HD camcorder. It was the first one to pop up on Google Shopping. Their prices are WAY too low to be legit.


If you arent sure then you probably dont need a D90, it may be overkill.

Do like me and try to find a D40 for under 400 bucks. Thats the best way to start with Digital SLR. If you absolutely need something better you will figure it out eventually.
Incidentally I got mine from Newegg. It included a good lens.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16830113154
Newegg has one for $939 and thats cheap. No lens though, I guess when you get up that high they figure you already have plenty of your own.

 

[ElFenix]

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Sonic_Cameras


concerning your other questions, no, it's not overkill.
as far as consumerish cameras go, it's top of the line.
not only can it drive nikon's older autofocus lenses, it also has two control wheels.
other choices in the class include the canon 40D and pentax k20d
neither has the video recording capabilities, however

regarding purchasing:
u could try the websites recommended in this thread.
likely you'll not want one of those bundles, a lot of the stuff in them isn't very good quality.
extras that you need now you should get now (like memory cards)
stuff that you don't need now you can get when you need, and get quality stuff.

 

[syee]

I think ElFenix has the "whether to buy from SonicCamera.com" question covered. The answer is a resounding "NO".
They're your typical NYC grey market bait and switch high pressure sell you hundreds of dollars worth of high priced accessories and if you don't buy it, it's going to be out of stock retailers.

Yeah...I think that pretty accurately describes places like that.

Most people will tell you to invest more in the glass (i.e. lens) than the body. It's a good suggestion to go by. Pick a camp (whether it be Canon, Nikon, Sony/Minolta, Pentax) because once you're in and invested into it, it's going to be tough to get out and switch camps without spending a bunch of money. Bodies can be switched out relatively cheaply (compared to the lens) so I wouldn't place as much emphasis on the body unless there's something specific you want out of the camera. Find yourself a good lens and work from there.

 

[tdawg]

I just ordered a d90 from J&R. Going through http://search.live.com/cashback, they're giving a 7% rebate, which brings the price of a d90 body to $827. Not sure what the kit is going for after rebate, but the cash back from Microsoft is a nice incentive.

 

[Izzo]

Thanks for the warnings about Sonic Cameras. I was looking through the Resource thread and got side tracked by all of the review websites and never made it down to the equipment sellers section.

 

[Izzo]

So I bought one. I was hoping you would all talk me out of buying one. But you guys suck at that.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: Izzo
So I bought one. I was hoping you would all talk me out of buying one. But you guys suck at that.

Glass, glass, and more glass!

On the memory cards, I haven't seen diddle squat difference among cards but I don't shoot much video where speed might matter and I haven't bought off brands. No reason not to get 4 or 8 gig cards.

Do think about getting the Nikon ML-L3 wireless remote. It's really cheap and very handy.

 

[tdawg]

Right now, Sandisk is selling 8gb Ultra II sdhc cards for $29.99 (don't know if you have to be a newsletter subscriber, as I received an email from them for this) direct from their website, which I think is a good deal on a reliable brand and it should be fast enough for video.

Here you go: link

 

[Koing]

The D90 won't shoot fast enough to matter what card you get as long as you get at least an Ultra II imo. The only difference is the upload speed from a 'fast' card reader to your pc. Faster cards will do it faster but cost more £££.

Koing

 

[jpeyton]

Any old Class 6 SDHC will do. Transcend or ADATA are cheap and reliable; a 16GB card won't set you back more than $30.

 

[troytime]

8gb extreme IIIs for 4 bucks a piece
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/902262

 

[dnuggett]

I shoot 4GB cards (multiples) for one reason. The remote chance that the card gets corrupted. Losing 200 pics is bad, losing 4-800 pics is really bad. Have I ever had a card corrupt on me? No. Do I know people who had cards corrupt on them? Yes.

 

[foghorn67]

Originally posted by: dnuggett
I shoot 4GB cards (multiples) for one reason. The remote chance that the card gets corrupted. Losing 200 pics is bad, losing 4-800 pics is really bad. Have I ever had a card corrupt on me? No. Do I know people who had cards corrupt on them? Yes.

Even with a corruption, 99% of the time data can be recovered. Plus, Sandisk provides a free utility to do this.

People should get two cards anyway, but I wouldn't pass up a good deal on a 8GB. I would get an 8GB, have it be my only card, then pick up the next decent card when it's on sale. Pros won't do this, but nothing wrong with a casual hobbyist of taking this approach.

 

[soydios]

I have a pair of 8GB SanDisk ExtremeIII cards. There are times when I want to store ~1000 RAW shots for a full day of shooting.

 

[dnuggett]

Originally posted by: soydios
I have a pair of 8GB SanDisk ExtremeIII cards. There are times when I want to store ~1000 RAW shots for a full day of shooting.

Same here, so I go with 6-7 4GB cards.