WTB: basic DSLR what one?

[lotust]

Hey guys. I have never had a DSLR before. We bought a Sony DSC-H50 last summer. Its not a DSLR but it takes some good pics. But for the size of the H50 I might as well have bought a DSLR. I just want something that takes nicer pics than the H50 sony.


what Im looking at it the Sony DRLR A330L http://www.abesofmaine.com/item.do?i...L&l=CJ&KBID=CJ

or the Nikon D3000 http://www.adorama.com/INKD3000KR.html


im partial to the Sony because I have the memory sticks already.


thanks

 

[tdawg]

In the world of DSLRs, the memory cards are by far the cheapest part you need to worry about. Look at the lens lineups and potential future additions to your kit bag, along with external speedlights, tripod, camera bag. The cost of an 8gb SDHC card will be the least of your worries.

 

[shortylickens]

In the world of DSLRs, pick the Nikon.
Seriously dude, dont even bother with a Sony. They are acceptable, but eventually you will be moving to either Nikon or Canon, and you arent going to want to learn a new setup. And memory cards should not be the reason you pick anything. They are the least important factor of any device. Get a 3 pack of two gigabyte SD cards for dirt cheap from Amazon or your local office supply store. If you lose one, no big deal.

 

[jpeyton]

I'd go for this one:

http://www.adorama.com/INKD5000RD.html

Refurbished Nikon camera have been reliable from my experience, and the D5000 is a great little camera.

There is a noticeable difference in image quality between the D3000 and the D5000; I'm not talking about the difference in resolution, but the sensor in the D5000 has much better low-light sensitivity (as good as the D300s).

 

[lotust]

In the world of DSLRs, the memory cards are by far the cheapest part you need to worry about. Look at the lens lineups and potential future additions to your kit bag, along with external speedlights, tripod, camera bag. The cost of an 8gb SDHC card will be the least of your worries.

good point.

In the world of DSLRs, pick the Nikon.
Seriously dude, dont even bother with a Sony. They are acceptable, but eventually you will be moving to either Nikon or Canon, and you arent going to want to learn a new setup. And memory cards should not be the reason you pick anything. They are the least important factor of any device. Get a 3 pack of two gigabyte SD cards for dirt cheap from Amazon or your local office supply store. If you lose one, no big deal.

I have head that about Sony, Thanks for the infomation. I have never heard anything bad about Nikon.

I'd go for this one:

http://www.adorama.com/INKD5000RD.html

Refurbished Nikon camera have been reliable from my experience, and the D5000 is a great little camera.

There is a noticeable difference in image quality between the D3000 and the D5000; I'm not talking about the difference in resolution, but the sensor in the D5000 has much better low-light sensitivity (as good as the D300s).

The D5000 seems to be out of the budget at the moment. I was hoping to sell ours for 250 or so. Thanks for the info about the sensor.




thanks again every1

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

...but eventually you will be moving to either Nikon or Canon...

Why?

 

[Fayd]

Why?

because all decent entry level to semi-pro DSLR's are nikon or canon?

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

because all decent entry level to semi-pro DSLR's are nikon or canon?

There's lotsa love around for Pentax these days...

 

[fbrdphreak]

A friend recommended the D3000 to me as a good entry-level DSLR, but I need Live View for product photography so the D5000 was a better match.

Definitely look for refurbished or used cameras.

I got my D5000 refurb from B&H Photo for $515 + $15 shipping and there is 3% Bing cashback right now.

Costco & BJs have good deals on new D3000's as well.

Regarding brands: the point was made to me that you want to pick Nikon or Canon, because most will want to upgrade their DSLR body and you're pretty much guaranteed that Nikon & Canon will be in the game years from now. Sony, for instance, would be much more questionable. This helps ensure the lenses you have now would work on your next DSLR.

OP - have you put your hands on a DSLR yet? Realize that to duplicate the range of functionality of a good P&S you will need two lenses. I went into it thinking an 18-55mm would be plenty, but IIRC it is about equivalent to a P&S with 3x advertised zoom. That is not much and if you want this to be an all-in-one camera when you're on a trip or something, you'll need a more versatile lens. That adds at least a few hundred bucks to your cost.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

A friend recommended the D3000 to me as a good entry-level DSLR, but I need Live View for product photography so the D5000 was a better match.

Definitely look for refurbished or used cameras.

I got my D5000 refurb from B&H Photo for $515 + $15 shipping and there is 3% Bing cashback right now.

Costco & BJs have good deals on new D3000's as well.

Regarding brands: the point was made to me that you want to pick Nikon or Canon, because most will want to upgrade their DSLR body and you're pretty much guaranteed that Nikon & Canon will be in the game years from now. Sony, for instance, would be much more questionable. This helps ensure the lenses you have now would work on your next DSLR.

OP - have you put your hands on a DSLR yet? Realize that to duplicate the range of functionality of a good P&S you will need two lenses. I went into it thinking an 18-55mm would be plenty, but IIRC it is about equivalent to a P&S with 3x advertised zoom. That is not much and if you want this to be an all-in-one camera when you're on a trip or something, you'll need a more versatile lens. That adds at least a few hundred bucks to your cost.

Sony's not going anywhere. They're a far larger corporation than Canon or Nikon. Sony P&S's are good sellers. And they're stubborn.

I don't know if their DSLRs are any good, though.

You don't need 2 lenses to mimic a P&S's range. You can get an 18-105mm (nearly a 6x zoom) or even a 28-300mm (10.7x zoom).

Many folks these days look to a DSLR as a better P&S. They're not really buying into a system, so having a gazillion lenses available isn't much of a selling point. And, of course, I see a lot of crappy pictures taken with nice lenses.

 

[twistedlogic]

The D5000 seems to be out of the budget at the moment. I was hoping to sell ours for 250 or so. Thanks for the info about the sensor.

So your budget is $250?

Only option for that low would be a used body, even then they usually run around ~$300. And you would still need a lens.

 

[fbrdphreak]

You don't need 2 lenses to mimic a P&S's range. You can get an 18-105mm (nearly a 6x zoom) or even a 28-300mm (10.7x zoom).

Indeed you can, but I would imagine most DSLR newbies go with the kit lens "just to get started" and may not realize you don't get P&S level zoom out of that 18-55. If you had experience in film cameras or had put hands on a DSLR at some point (knowing what lens was on it), then you'd have an idea of what to expect. I sure didn't and just wanted to make sure OP knew as well.

But if his budget is only $250, he's not going anywhere in DSLR land unless it's very old & used.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Indeed you can, but I would imagine most DSLR newbies go with the kit lens "just to get started" and may not realize you don't get P&S level zoom out of that 18-55. If you had experience in film cameras or had put hands on a DSLR at some point (knowing what lens was on it), then you'd have an idea of what to expect. I sure didn't and just wanted to make sure OP knew as well.

Oh, I gotcha now.

OP, a DSLR with similar range as your H50 will be at least 2x as large and heavy, once you attach a lens that gives you some range.

 

[ElFenix]

Sony's not going anywhere. They're a far larger corporation than Canon or Nikon. Sony P&S's are good sellers. And they're stubborn.

sony's revenue is higher but canon's market cap is about $20 billion more. canon also holds way more patents.

nikon is relatively small compared to either of those two.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Sony may not go anywhere, but their camera line could. Or at least the DSLRs. Every big corp is about profit these days.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Sony may not go anywhere, but their camera line could. Or at least the DSLRs. Every big corp is about profit these days.

I don't know what the profit margins are, but in terms of share last time I heard Sony was (a distant) #3, behind the 2 800lb gorillas, and well ahead of 2 "real" camera makers, Pentax and Olympus.

It will be interesting over the next couple of years to see how P. & O. fare. Olympus is making waves with m4/3, and Pentax has the best-in-class entry level DSLR (K-x) and the somewhat unique K7. You (I?) would think that Canikon could destroy P. & O. as camera mfr's just by pricing and direct competition (weather-seal everything to kill the K7), as most people - and sheeple - automatically default to Canon & Nikon when they think about DSLRs.

 

[Munky]

I'd recommend avoiding Sony DSLR's. They're just not as good in terms of image quality and features as what you can get for a similar price from Nikon or Canon.

 

[Funyuns101]

you may want/need to look at used if your budget is constrained. Take a look at the Pentax Kx series as well. But as many others have noted, stay away from Sony.