I'm looking at buying a DSLR but I don't have much money to spend. Only roughly $500 for everything. I've been looking online and it's overwhelming with the information about brands, interface, lens, body etc. With that little amount of money - don't see myself having more money to spend in the future... what would you get?
Well I might be able to pull out a little more funds... but it might be closer to $700. What is a good amount I should save for a camera? Or namely, which camera?
Why do you want a dSLR? What type of photography are you wanting to do? Reason for the ask is perhaps a dSLR isn't necessary and one of the bridge cameras - which would fit your price range - might be best for now.
I got my Nikon D5000 with stock lens for $679 at Blacks after Christmas holidays. I think the D5000 is the ideal entry level SLR or if you are a Canon nut then the T1i or T2i if it is out yet. $800 seems to be regular price. Look at Camera Store or Saneal's website, local businesses.
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Well in the future I do want to get into taking photographs and so I want to start dipping my feet in the water.
As for the range of photographs I want to take, anything really. Motion/sports shots, scenery, night shots. I have a decent point and shoot I can use if I can't use a dslr but it seems like a pretty cool hobby.
i've been looking around as well, right now, the nikon 5000 seems like a strong choice considering the features as well as the fact it shoots 720p video, vs the rebels. anyways, i think you can find that for 650 at best
i've been looking around as well, right now, the nikon 5000 seems like a strong choice considering the features as well as the fact it shoots 720p video, vs the rebels. anyways, i think you can find that for 650 at best
Look on Kijiji or another site for a used Canon Rebel T1i. The T2i came out shortly after the T1i and quite a few people who buy into the pixel hype put their T1i's up barely used for $700 with the kit lens included. I have this camera and it is great and I think it takes better pics then my buddies Nikon 5000, the colour saturation in Canon's is better in my opinion. It can also shoot high def video at 1080 dpi or 720. Also, if you like shooting in Live View the T1i has a high resolution 920,000 dot LCD monitor which is crystal clear. That is a big feature for me as I shoot quite a bit of macro. You can see a comparison write up here. The T1i is actually more in line with Nikon's D90 then the 5000.
Get a Canon XS with kit lens for less then $500 and then get the 50 F1.8 lens for around $100. This way for a limited investment you can experiment with depth of field and low light phototography.
Shallow depth of field is one thing that you cannot do with any of the non-DLSR cameras others are suggesting. Also buy a fast prime lens like the one suggested above because the kit lens won't give you much depth of field control. I recomend canon only because they have the cheapest fast prime lens. The canon will also give you an excellant upgrade path in the future if you want to really invest in your hobby.
I can't stress how important it is to get a fast lens (low f-stop number) if you really want to get something different out of your DLSR
Personally, I would stick to Nikon or Canon, as they are the two "heavy weights" in the DSLR space.
I am not familiar with Canon, so I will stick to the Nikons - depending on how comfortable you are with DSLRs, you can go D3000 or D5000 - D3000 is the entry level model and the D5000 is a little bit more advanced. Read the reviews on dpreview.com/bythom.com/stevesdigicam.com to get a sense of pros/cons. From what I have read, both are good beginner cameras
If you want to go brand new, take a look at the Camera Store (www.thecamerastore.com) - they have a D3000 + kit lens for just under $500, a D5000 + kit lens for $650 and a D3000 + 2 lenses for just under $700. If you're just starting, any of these combinations will keep you learning for a while (and the kit lenses are decent lenses). If you are more experienced, pickup a D3000/D5000 body and get a 50 f1.8 or 35 f1.8 and that will keep you in your budget range as well.
The other option, as someone mentioned, is to look at "pre-owned" - kijiji or craigslist have a lot of people selling their cameras/lenses
Good luck...if you have any questions, feel free to ask
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I would thank more of you but I need to conserve my Thanks.
Hmm while looking at prices and reviews it does appear that I'll be looking at either the Nikon D3000 or either the Rebel XSi or XS. Is it true the lens is the biggest factor and not the body?
Is it true the lens is the biggest factor and not the body?
For the most part, yes. A lower end body will not have some of the metering and low light capabilities of the higher end bodies, but once you master basic skills, the biggest bang will come from getting a better lens as opposed to getting a more advanced camera body - take a look at this article by Thom Hogan on the subject: http://www.bythom.com/blame.htm
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Before I got to Iceland I was in a similar situation, figured about $500ish but ended up after reading all the reviews on the Canon EOS Rebel T2i that I needed to get it.
Even its HD recordings are awesome, this camera is way beyond fun and takes impressive pictures. If you have inclinations to learn photography this camera is a great way to go, if you figure you'll just use it in auto settings for pictures then maybe go cheaper.
Either way check out some reviews on youtube:
__________________ Allskonar fyrir Aumingja!!
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any thoughts on olympus's and sonys built in image stabalization vs the canon and nikon having it built into the lenses?
Built-in is good because you only pay for IS once, but Cannon claims they get better performance by customizing the IS for each lens (that has it), and that seems to make sense. There's a reason Canon and Nikon are the heavyweights. Yeah, you'll get IS for every lens on a Sony, but you'll have more options period with Canon or Nikon (e.g. tilt-shift).
Buying DSLR - limited budget
