Wife gave me a $600 budget...which camera?

C

cimdxb2

Premium Member
Soooooo I have the green light to buy a new camera to take pix of my salt water fish. But.............she also wants me to be able to take nice family pix. Especially night shots (which our current camera doesn't do well at).

The other thing I want is to get a camera to actually take the picture when I press the button. I know that sounds wierd, but my current camera has a slight delay which drives me crazy when trying to take pix of my kids.

So with all that above info (and constraint), what would you get?

Thanks in advance folks!!!

Dave
 
I'd be looking at Nikon and Canon. You may also be able to save a significant amount, if you consider pre-owned (used). Canon has the Rebel XTi, though you may be able to find the Rebel XT for a little cheaper, since it's discontinued. Nikon's equivalent, if I have it straight, is the D50, though I'm not sure.

<disclaimer: I wouldn't BY ANY MEANS, actually condone the following :) >
So you buy the camera, but conveniently forget the memory cards and camera bag. By the time you "realize" you'll be needing these, you're already into the investment, so you might as well finish it off, go over budget, and get the things you're going to need.

Seriously, you're not going to regret the DSLR, it's the only way to fly. It might seem expensive at first, but when you start getting those irreplaceable magic kid photos that the pocket camera would have missed, you'll never hear any grief about the cost again.
 
I totally agree with what jwedehase said.
And I just got the D50 for less than $460. I LOVE the camera. It is very easy to use.
 
What camera are you using now? What's your future budget for a camera? :) A DSLR is definitely the way to fly for aquarium photography, but it can be a bit on the expensive side. I spent $500 on a Rebel XT last summer and $400 on a lens... and that was just the beginning.
 
After reading this and other threads I have decided to invest more $. I am looking at this setup (I know, about double what I thought), but I justified it by telling my wife we need to capture the kids moments. I don't want it to be a blur w/a sub-standard camera. Ok, I know I am bending the thruth some (ok, maybe a lot!)....but hell....I am a flawed man ;)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...CategoryId=pcmcat99300050011&id=1153998862633

What I can't tell from this is if I can do Macro shots w/the default lens?

Can anyone tell?

Dave
 
With that budget, unless you are willing to spend a lot more on lens, I would go with a cheaper camera. The D40 or D50 if you like Canon. They will get you images just as good, only a bit smaller. But still more than enough for a 8x10. Then spend the rest of the money on a better lens. The kit lens will do ok just for normal family photography, but will not be as sharp as it can be and it doesnt do true macro. You'll really want 1 lens for macro photography and 1 lens for general photography.
 
My humble advice. . .

Regardless of your choice of gear I would recommend shopping around. Camera's and their associated equipment can vary in price substantially from vendor to vendor in my experience.


I've become a pretty big advocate of eBay in the past months; it's usually more than worth a look, especially when it comes to lenses. Often second hand lenses sacrifice no quality yet when there is a budget in mind are great.


Or, you can hastle and haggle prices down to something more acceptable from BestBuy. If you do it right they will usually pull it down a bit. Their mark-ups are pretty incredible.

Anyways, good luck. You'll have another hobby on your hands that i'm sure you really don't have time for, welcome to the club!
 
Re: Wife gave me a $600 budget...which camera?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9516861#post9516861 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cimdxb2
Soooooo I have the green light to buy a new camera to take pix of my salt water fish. But.............she also wants me to be able to take nice family pix. Especially night shots (which our current camera doesn't do well at).

The other thing I want is to get a camera to actually take the picture when I press the button. I know that sounds wierd, but my current camera has a slight delay which drives me crazy when trying to take pix of my kids.

So with all that above info (and constraint), what would you get?

Thanks in advance folks!!!

Dave
Click to expand...
go with a Nikon D50 with Kit lens or D80 and Kit lens also get a tripod for those close tank pictures, and family pictures", either one and you can't go wrong, www.buydig.com is a great reseler with great prices. Go to www.dpreview.com and read Phils reviews of all the cameras in todays market.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9522604#post9522604 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jedininja
The D40 or D50 if you like Canon.
Click to expand...
Just a correction, the D40 and D50 are Nikon bodies. Canon has the Rebel XT and Rebel XTi, then it steps up to the EOS 20D and 30D.
 
This has been said on here and many other places.. i'm paraphrasing beerguy here when I say.... the order of importance is like so..

photographer's ability, lens, camera body


keep this in mind, i.e. do you buy the less expensive body with a few less features and get a better lens? Likely this will give you better results than the opposite.
 
canon rebel xt

canon rebel xt

i just picked up the rebel xt and it is a amazing camera! im used to shooting 35mm slr and i love this camera. and you can for sure find one for 600 with lens!

matt
 
Ya if your on a budget pick up a used D50 and invest in a very nice lens. It's much more important then the body.
 
I would go with the canon XT or the XTi but i like canon if you go with Nikon you probably arent losing anything but i agree with what i think the other members are telling you in that the cheaper camera with a better lens is the way to go rather than the more expensive camera with a cheap lens just my opinion let us know what you get have fun and good luck'

Steve
 
I highly suggest looking at packages at Cameta camera I have bought 2 cameras from them and 1 other for a family member...their package deals are great and the company is also great to deal with...

ein
 
I just bought the Canon xti (got it online camera 18-55mm lens, 1G memory card, camera bag, extra battery, and few lens cleaning things $820 delivered- US not graymarket camera)...I alsmost went w/the D40 but Nikon made the camera cheaper by leaving out the lens motor...so the only lenses that work on auto focus have a motor in them...and they are limited. Liked being able to use old/new lenses w/my canon...and I love the camera....just my .02....and be very camerful fyi if you look online to buy...lot of scam artists...do a search at epinions on company or BBB to see if they are a good company...Good Luck!
 
OK, I ended up w/the D40. I didn't have any old lenses, so the motor problem wasn't as big of an issue for me. It just felt good compared to the other models out there. I switched back and forth between the 40 and 80 for some time and just ended up w/the 40. Of course the kit lens is not so sexy, but one thing at a time.

I will make some shots sooner than later....have to wait to get any different lenses. At least for a little while ;)

I want to thank everyone here for their opinions. I had a Nikon about 20 years ago and loved it. I guess old loves never really do die....

Dave
 
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