Need advice on SLR Camera

[mar-y-sol]

Hey guys,

I'm upgrading my point and shoot camera to an SRL. Unfortunately I dont know much about them except that they are the best. The main reason the I want to upgrade is because of the amazing pictures that can be taken and I'm really getting into underwater photography. I was just wondering what the photographers would suggest. What should I look for in the cameras. In bestbuy I saw a nikon D80 w/ 18-135 mm nikkor lens for 1200. I know nikon is really good but I'm open to all suggestions. Thanks.

 

[serkel]

try looking at the canon 20D or the 30D hear they where better. Just a thought.

 

[mar-y-sol]

i saw the 30D i like it but its the same price and the nikon is a 10.2 instead of an 8. I dont know any of the other qualities thats why I'm looking for advice on what to look for

 

[ReefWreak]

You'll never need anything over 5 megapixel unless you plan on doing 12 sq. ft. blowup shots or cropping the tiniest details out of images. I've been looking into DSLR cameras (digital SLR) for a while now, and they're all really good, but it comes down to the brand that you want to be with. They all have slight plusses and minuses, but for the most part they're all pretty good, and it's just what brand you want to use. If you already have a standard SLR then go with a cam that can use your existing lenses, if possible.

 

[serkel]

Reefwreak got it right megapixel are only needed when you start blowing up stuff it's more the lenses that will make the difrence

 

[chrisaggie]

It's very nice to have a high megapixel camera so that you can crop/blow up and still have good quality though.

 

[NanoKat]

Lenses tend to be the highest expense with digital slrs...so if you have an older camera that might use the same lenses as the digital slr, then go with that brand. I went with a Pentax slr because I had alot of lenses that myself and my father have collected for the last 20 years that fit it.

As far as ease of use and quality, I have enjoyed using other people's digital Rebels. I thiink Treeman (Matt) has an xti that I used at the last frag swap that was great. If you haven't used an slr much, then it's an easy transition.

I tend to stay away from Nikon purely because of price...it's all very expensive. Not to say it's not good, I'm just turned off by the higher prices. That's why I have tended to stick with Pentax through the years...they make a really good product for a very good price. I got my K100D w/ 18-55 for just over $400.

 

[szhttm]

The most important factor in purchasing a new camera is that it feels comfortable in your hands. If its not comfortable, your not going to use it as often.

As stated above, the higher megapixels are useful if you ever decide to printout a large photograph (11 x 14) or higher.

Just to give you an idea, 8.3 megapixels is equal to ISO 100 film.

Also important in making a decision for the next camera is features. What features are important or "must have"? To give you some examples:
1) Will you ever be setting the shutter and/or appeture settings manually?
2) Will you ever be taking fast action (I.E.: sports) photographs?
3) Will you ever be taking low light photographs without a flash?
4) Will you ever be taking long exposure type photographs?

The popular brands (I.E.: Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Kodak, Sony, Pentax, etc...) all have good camera. Its all about which one is the right one for you.

A great online web site that offers great information to assist you in your efforts is http://www.steves-digicams.com/. Check it out, I think you will like it.

Good Luck And Have Fun!!!;
:thumbsup:

 

[jeffbrig]

The dominant players in the SLR market these days are Canon and Nikon. I would argue that picking which lens system you are buying into is more important than the actual model of camera body. All SLRs offer similar features, and all can take great pictures - IF you learn how to use them properly. But the body you buy locks you into one brand of lenses (or compatible 3rd party lenses), which you'll probably stick with forever if you are into photography. Once you have 3-4 lenses for one brand of camera, you're not likely to switch.

Keep in mind that many of the quality photos you'll see here on RC are shot with dedicated macro lenses, many of which are in the $500 range. Often times, the kit lens that comes with a camera is an inexpensive lens with very average performance. That's not saying it can't take good pictures, just that it won't be able to take extreme closeups or have the razor sharpness of a true dedicated macro lens.

If you plan to buy an SLR kit with a basic lens and nothing else, any model/brand will be perfectly adequate. But, if you plan to buy specific lenses for macro, telephoto, etc. it's a good idea to plan ahead, look at specific lens offerings by each brand, read reviews, etc. Decide if the kit lens is going to meet your needs, or if you'll be buying something else right off the bat. You can also buy a camera body without the starter lens and save a few bucks, if you know you want to go with something else.

 

[mar-y-sol]

thanks for all the advice. I was looking for something with high megapixels, at least higher than 8 because I'm planning on doing a lot of underwater photography with it, which usually involves alot of croping. I also need to be able to set the focus and shutter speed manually, but I believe most cameras offer this, right? Also because of the high price tag on underwater stobes I'm probably going to start taking shallow pictures and pictures under natural light so I need a camera that can take good pictures without much ambient light. So what do you suggest. I also have never used an slr so I dont have any lenses from old cameras that I could use, and I had heard that the nikkor lenses for nikon are top of the line. Is this mostly true or am I getting confused. Thanks for the help.

 

[mar-y-sol]

oh and the salesman told me that the 18-135 although not a dedicated macro lens could still take some pretty good macro shots. True or not

 

[NanoKat]

A good way to improve the macro function of the "kit" lens is to add on a "macro adapter." They are readily available on eBay and at camera stores. This could get you going with better macro functions until you got a dedicated lens.

If I were you I would also consider the cost of the underwater housing...would they be the same price? Or is the price of concern to you?

If you took a look at the cameras at the store and held them...did they have an "M" setting on the dial on the top...if so, that's the manual mode. Any modern digital slr should have this mode, especially the higher end cameras.

 

[jeffbrig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10072032#post10072032 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mar-y-sol
Also because of the high price tag on underwater stobes I'm probably going to start taking shallow pictures and pictures under natural light so I need a camera that can take good pictures without much ambient light. So what do you suggest.

Have you ever priced out ikelite housings for current DSLR models? I'm guessing $1300+ or so for the housing, plus extra for strobes, mounting brackets, etc. My advice - unless you're experienced and absolutely serious about underwater photography, go with a much more economical point & shoot camera and housing - probably $400-$500 these days.

An old point & shoot can do just fine in ambient light underwater. Here's a couple of shots that I took with my old Olympus 4040 in a $300 underwater housing:

 

[mar-y-sol]

The Ikelite housings are the same price for both cameras. Right now I'm trying to decide between the Nikon D80 and the Canon Rebel XTi. There is a 400 price difference between them but the Nikon comes with a 18-135mm lens and the Canon with a cheap 18-55mm lens. I can get a Canon 18-105 mm lens for around 300 so I dont know if the 100 difference its worth going with the xti. Any opinions

 

[FleeVT]

I recently picked up the Nikon D40x. It is the same camera as the D40 with a 10 megapixel sensor. Nikon put this camera out to compete directly with the XTi.

As mentioned above, camera choices are usually dictated by lens preference. My primary reason for going with Nikon is that I have some older lenses from my film cameras. Because my lenses were older, I lost some of their automation (auto-focusing, aperture, and/or speed priority) with the newer camera. So, the bundled lens with the new camera was a definite selling point for me. The bundled lens for the D40x gets reviewed as a "real" lens, not "kit".

The one area, IMO, where the XTi beats out D40x is feature access. The Nikon has fewer buttons on the back. When you are shooting in manual mode and looking to tweak multiple settings, you have to jump into menus more with the Nikon. The XTi's additional buttons allow quicker access to those settings. I haven't found this to be a nuisance yet, but I am also not shooting underwater with a bulky housing.

As Jeff said, go and hold all of the cameras. The XTi and D40x are smaller lighter cameras targetted at amateurs. They look and feel cheaper. The prosumer models like the D80 and Canon's 20D just feel more expensive.

Finally, to be fair to Canon, the XTi is not intended to compete with the D80. Unfortunately, I don't think Canon has a 10MP camera at the D80's pricepoint yet, so I understand where you are coming from. If price is your primary concern and you the only thing holding you back from the XTi is the kit lens, check out the Nikon...