# Been long enough we need another Digital SLR thread



## toddpedlar (Mar 20, 2010)

We're looking at a new digital camera after our old point-n-shoot canon finally bit the dust. 

I'm looking seriously at the Canon T1i 15.1 MP, or possibly the XSi 12.2MP ... another option seems to be the Nikon D5000 with a 12.3 MP resolution. 

Anyone have any links to kits that they've bought, or know about? I'm hoping to pick up the camera plus flash plus a pair of VR (or IS if Canon I guess) lenses, one standard, one in the 55-200mm range. 

Any thoughts? Other options I should consider? 

Some more technical details: 

Does anyone put a pentaprism rather than a pentamirror in the sub-$1000 class of cameras? Does it matter?
Do these cameras have in-body autofocus motors, or are they on-lens.. I've seen this described but can't recall - and again - does it matter?

Thanks,

Todd


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## OPC'n (Mar 20, 2010)

I would it depends on how much you want to pay but here is a kit which isn't bad for the price. link Also it depends on how serious of photographer you want to be. Just keep in mind that it is the lenses which make the picture good or bad (besides the photographer ) so you want to put your money into your lenses more than the camera although a good camera is nice. Depends on if you have your camera on automatic to where it does everything or AV, TV, or manual. But you have the option of the camera controlling everything or you controlling some things. Your lenses you can turn onto automatic which you will have it on most of the time unless the camera refuses to focus for you then you have the option to turn it on manual.


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## toddpedlar (Mar 20, 2010)

Certainly the optics are everything (as a physicist, I can appreciate that!) but the camera sensor needs to be good, and the internal optics sound too... 

that package looks great, but it's a bit steep for us, I think. I definitely would classify myself as a hobby photographer, but want to be more intentional about it. That site has a nice Nikon D5000 package - maybe that fits the bill, but I have this inkling that the Canons are generally better for the same class of camera. (Canon vs. Nikkor lenses, on the other hand, I don't know if I know of any significant edges) Other opinions are certainly welcome


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## OPC'n (Mar 20, 2010)

I think both are very good....I have a Canon always have but my nephew swears by Nikon. I really don't think it makes much difference.


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## greenbaggins (Mar 20, 2010)

I've been extremely happy with my Nikon D40. Unless you want to get really high end, spend more money on the lenses than on the camera body. The megapixels don't matter that much unless you're blowing up to 18 feet or so. The D90 is the next really quality step up from the D40 (the ones in between aren't worth the extra money). I got an 18-55 VR, and then a 55-200VR, and I really like it. Also, I got a directional flash, which is pretty essential for avoiding red-eye (just bounce it off the ceiling). But the guy I really trust to tell me about cameras, lenses, etc., is Ken Rockwell.


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## toddpedlar (Mar 20, 2010)

greenbaggins said:


> I've been extremely happy with my Nikon D40. Unless you want to get really high end, spend more money on the lenses than on the camera body. The megapixels don't matter that much unless you're blowing up to 18 feet or so. The D90 is the next really quality step up from the D40 (the ones in between aren't worth the extra money). I got an 18-55 VR, and then a 55-200VR, and I really like it. Also, I got a directional flash, which is pretty essential for avoiding red-eye (just bounce it off the ceiling). But the guy I really trust to tell me about cameras, lenses, etc., is Ken Rockwell.


 
Your camera is exactly what I want actually... which means the D5000 since the D40 isn't available. Your lenses are the two I'd choose, and the directional flash. 

And Ken Rockwell pegs it as his first choice, looks like


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## toddpedlar (Mar 22, 2010)

ok.... thanks to Lane (and Ken Rockwell) and Sarah... here's the new camera package that's coming Wednesday 

Nikon D5000 with Nikkor 18-55mm VR and 55-200mm VR lenses

and yes, Rich, I bought a bounce flash


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## KMK (Mar 22, 2010)

I would wait until 'Black Friday' to buy anything camera related.


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## jwithnell (Mar 22, 2010)

Actually, the D5000 has more of the features of a D90 than the D40 does. My husband bought me the D5000 for Valentines Day; I shot Nikons semi-professionally for about 20 years (photography was usually part of my job), then the digital age left me in the dust until now. 

In fully auto mode, it does a great job of interpreting the need for fill flash and in low light uses a "laser" beam to focus. In aperture priority (one of my favorite ways to shoot) you can use a dial to manually change the aperture rather than digging through menus. It has an auto-bracketing feature that I think I'll use once I figure it out. I'm also needing time to adjust to the 11-point focusing system. But like anything, it just takes some time.

As for lenses, it ships a with the shorter lens mentioned by others. I'm so ingrained with the concept of shooting full frame (make everything in the image count) that I forget that the extremely high resolution allows you to fill your frame by cropping later. (So the higher resolution isn't just for full-frame big blow-ups.) My older Nikon lenses work, but must be focused by hand. Same with UV filters. I'd like to obtain a lens in the 70-200 range which would be great for portraits and nature photography. Yes you can get a lens that does more, but I find that generally means a lot of compromise in portability, brightness, and optical quality.


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## SRoper (Mar 22, 2010)

Actually, the D3000 is the replacement for the D40. I know Ken Rockwell doesn't like it, but if you look at his reasoning you may find that you have different priorities. His main complaint is that the D3000 has worse SNR than the D40. This may be the case, but the camera does come with a VR lens instead of the non-VR version that comes with the D40. Also it has a faster frame rate and adaptive dynamic range. And while the importance of megapixels is overstated, they aren't totally unimportant. If I had waited a bit, I think I would have gone with the D3000 over the D40 I bought.

The bounce flash is probably the number one thing that improved the average picture I take. My brother got me one for Christmas and you can see the huge difference between pictures I took before I opened that present and pictures afterwards.


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## jwithnell (Mar 22, 2010)

Various Speedlights with their bouncing, twisting, and diffusing capabilities work with the digital Nikons; not mine though  Or Scott, is that what you meant by your Christmas present?


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## toddpedlar (Mar 22, 2010)

Well I'm definitely stoked with what we bought. Of course I'd love to have gone up a class into the D90 or the Canon EOS 5D, but that was a bit too steep... and I am not anywhere near the photographer that such a camera would demand. With what I've got, I can get back into a bit more of the artistic side of me that loves old photographs of rural countryside and kids playing in it  (and animals, and full moons on the horizon, etc... I could go on, but I won't).

Gets here Wednesday


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## SRoper (Mar 22, 2010)

jwithnell said:


> Various Speedlights with their bouncing, twisting, and diffusing capabilities work with the digital Nikons; not mine though  Or Scott, is that what you meant by your Christmas present?



I'm not sure I understand. My brother gave me an SB-400 Speedlight for my D40. It works great!


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## jwithnell (Mar 24, 2010)

> I'm not sure I understand. My brother gave me an SB-400 Speedlight for my D40. It works great!


My SB-16 isn't among the ones listed to work with the D5000.


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