Entry level DSLR (Photography content)

OK guys, looking for a decent camera for a not to tech minded guy who just wants to take decent shots at the track plus for the usual snaps and family occasions.

Wants include, decent memory, friendly batteries, 300mm zoom lens.

Prefer to be able to take a weekend of shots at the track without worrying about storage until I get home.

Steve, the photography wannabee

The new PEN cameras are pretty cool, or just get the best Nikon you can afford an be done with it. (D5000 user)

I just (1/2 hour ago) purchased the Sony Alpha 330 DSLR refurb from sonystyle.com (Sony's online store) for $310 + tax. It has 2 features I liked - internal image stabilization and it takes old Minolta lenses so there's hundreds of cheap good used glass out there. I'm about to drop $90 on a used f3.5-4.5 70-210 Minolta zoom to go with it. I don't know about the availability or quality of 300mm+ zoom lenses - check ebay for old Minolta lenses to see what's there.

pigeon wrote: I just (1/2 hour ago) purchased the Sony Alpha 330 DSLR refurb from sonystyle.com (Sony's online store) for $310 + tax. It has 2 features I liked - internal image stabilization and it takes old Minolta lenses so there's hundreds of cheap good used glass out there. I'm about to drop $90 on a used f3.5-4.5 70-210 Minolta zoom to go with it. I don't know about the availability or quality of 300mm+ zoom lenses - check ebay for old Minolta lenses to see what's there.

The lack of cheap used lenses for my D40 is what is killing my DSLR experience. The newer nikons all require you to purchase lenses with the autofocus motors built into the lens, making the older stuff incompatible if you want an autofocusing camera.

errrgh.. Love the camera, Personally I like it better than the canons I tried, but the lens thing is pissing me off.

I'll always suggest getting a used semi-pro level camera over buying a new amateur setup. For the price of an entry level rig you can get a Nikon D200, which is excellent. It will shoot 5fps and has a magnesium body, not plastic. You're also not stuck with the new autofocus crap. Some of the semi-pro rigs are also weather and dust sealed.

B&Hphoto.com has some excellent used rigs.

For a lens, I really enjoy my Sigma 70-300mm lens. It's only around $150 and is fine for daytime racing shots. It also won't break the bank. I've had a couple Sigma lenses and they'll all been reliable workhorses.

you could just use a manual lens..that what i have to do sicne i bought one from someone and then found out it was amanual lens...its not that big of a deal though.

iu shoot a nikon d60, nice camera and very good for a middle of the road step up from the basics.

I shoot (poorly) with an older Canon 10D, and it's way more camera than I need. I'd suggest finding a used pro-sumer body - mine came from KEH - and pick your lenses separately.

I have a couple good lenses because my girlfriend shoots film with Canon, but I've also found that Canon lenses are generally well regarded for their high price:quality ratio, and a lot of them translate from their film bodies to DSLR, so there are plenty of them out on the market.

I'm no expert by any means, but that's my 0.02.

We have a d40x.. It's a pretty affordable kit now. Shopping around can find decent (not great) AFS telephoto lens for $100. My local Camera shop keeps popping up with one in the Sunday fliers

Grtechguy wrote: We have a d40x.. It's a pretty affordable kit now. Shopping around can find decent (not great) AFS telephoto lens for $100. My local Camera shop keeps popping up with one in the Sunday fliers

understand.. Most of the cheap lenses are closer to $200 and with the nikon setup, I can't go to yard sales and pick lenses up all day long for $20.

Since I have a Minolta Maxxum already, I'm saving my pennies for the Sony Alpha55. Lenses over 300mm aren't that cheap. www.keh.com has a couple of used lenses over 300mm that are about 400.00 each. The 100-300mm zooms can be had for a couple of c-notes though.

Nikon seems to be the manufacturer of choice here, I like the used D200 idea, any negatives about this choice?

Is the camera easy to learn?

Are there any tricks for it?

All Nikons handle roughly the same. Their design is evolutionary so if you can use one it only takes a minute to get used to another.

My friend that is a semi-retired professional photographer (you've seen his pics in The Mag), says that the important thing is to get a camera with a bunch of onboard memory so you can shoot a bunch of rapid shots before the whole thing shuts down and transfers the data to the memory card. I think he uses about a 7MP Nikon.

Dr. Hess wrote: My friend that is a semi-retired professional photographer (you've seen his pics in The Mag), says that the important thing is to get a camera with a bunch of onboard memory so you can shoot a bunch of rapid shots before the whole thing shuts down and transfers the data to the memory card. I think he uses about a 7MP Nikon.

I've also found that getting the Class 6 or whatever super high speed SD cards help tons with this issue.

We love our Canon XSi, bought it when Circuit City was going out of business and got a great deal on it. We've been thrilled with the camera, much more capability than I can use.

d200 is a good all-purpose camera. I'm a fan

The vast majority of photographers use either nikon or canon and the debate is both older and less intelligent then mac vs. pc. What you really need to do is put a couple different camera bodies in your hands and see which model you like, since at a beginner price point the models are equally feature rich and any dslr will keep you occupied learning things for a long time.

I use canon rebels and replace the bodies every couple years. The investment is really in the lenses since most decent glass gets pricey quickly and even a modest collection will easily outweigh the expense of a body. Accessories are all also fairly proprietary so you really are buying into a system when you choose a manufacturer, but lots of memories and batteries are not needed to start out.

A used setup from B&H or KEH.com is a great way to start; but be aware that "kit" lenses packaged for sale with oem bundles are generally crap

Dr. Hess wrote: My friend that is a semi-retired professional photographer ... I think he uses about a 7MP Nikon.

Another quick point... Do not be sold on more megapixels! I have landed more covers with my 8mp body then I have shot with my 15mp. More is better, to a point... but almost any camera on the market has "enough"

I have 8 different Nikon bodies ranging from amateur film to pro digital setups. You can use you old AI manual focus lenses on newer cameras like the D40 however they will not meter (they will meter on semi pro and pro models though). So yes you can still go to yard sales and find old film lenses and slap them on your new Nikon and they will work you just have to meter yourself.

Heck if I really want to make my D40 compact I slap on a old Nikon 50mm 1.8 E lens and have a very small package that is capable of AWESOME shots.

Another vote for getting a D200 (I sold a D60 and bought a used D200 body instead, very happy with it).

That said, the D40/D60 (if they still make those) are more beginner friendly, the D200 has more knobs to twiddle. Of course you can still set that to full auto if you so desire.

My preference leans towards Canon. I do know that several years ago, they had better sensors (less noise, better colors). Other than that, I'm just used to Canons.

These days, I say go to a camera store (not an electronics store that sells cameras) and try out a couple. Rent them if possible. Buy what you like and what works for you. Try not to buy only on price if at all possible. Look for used gear if you don't mind having not-so-cutting-edge gear.

I run a Pentax SuperME. It's about 30 years old. My lenses are slightly better than Coke bottles. I get decent pictures out of it because I learned a lot of basics. That's the big thing with photography: practice. It's not about gear, it's about what you do with the gear.

rebelgtp wrote: You can use you old AI manual focus lenses on newer cameras like the D40 however they will not meter (they will meter on semi pro and pro models though). So yes you can still go to yard sales and find old film lenses and slap them on your new Nikon and they will work you just have to meter yourself.

The problem with that, is that it makes the camera absolutely useless for my wife. And some older Nikon autofocus lenses will autometer; just not autofocus.

The big problem I have is finding a 50mm prime that will autofocus. They're damn near $450 for a nikon one and $300-$350 for a Sigma/Tamron. A Canon or Older Nikon 50mm prime is $125 or $99 on sale.

canon: Better color saturation, slightly less photo noise, cheaper lenses

nikon: Sharper lenses, more range on ISO for better fast-action or low light.

Pick your camp and defend it like a religion.

I personally have been shooting with a canon XSi for about 18 mo and love it. If I had to do it again, though, I'd go up one model to get the HD video capability just for play value.

I'll strongly second the idea that you need to spend for the best SD chip on the market. Cheaper cards are slower so you'll never get the frames per second the camera is capable of. And that's important shooting autosports. Also, read and reread the manual. Honestly, studying the manual that came with my Canon really improved my photography

See my Smugmug site for samples from my camera, mostly with the cheapo zoom lense it came with.

HERE is a recent discussion thread I started on the same topic. Long story short, we went with a Sony Alpha 500...I think its been replaced by the 550. Decent entry level, minolta glass works on it, stabilization is in the body, so new lenses are cheaper, and no video capability, so it keeps the cost down. its a great unit and SWMBO and I are both happy with it.

www.dpreview.com will have good guidance

Another good idea is to decide the type of camera you want, as in features, and then go to slickdeals.net and buy the cheapest brand available..