On Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 6:13 PM, Tod Hansmann <[email protected]> wrote:
> Anyone have any up-to-the-moment opinions on any digital SLR cameras? > Looking to get something that I can do some nice photos and possibly HD > video here and there. I've owned the D40, the D90, and currently, the D7000. All of which are Nikon - but you can't go wrong with either Canon or Nikon. Questions to ask yourself when deciding between the two brands are: What do my friends use? (so you can borrow lenses and the like) What type of pictures do I want to take? (I'd argue that the D7000's low light performance is better than anything else in its price range - conversely, Canon's a perennial favorite in the portrait crowd - Canon strobes tend to be cheaper and more varied) Honestly, body isn't nearly as important as the lenses you buy. I'd probably recommend the D90, but that's because I'm a huge fan of Nikon. You can't really go wrong with the T1i, either (although I'd probably argue that the D90 is the 'better' camera ;-)). I'm no professional, just an amateur who has fun, but here are a couple photos I've taken with my Nikons. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dataw0lf/5693603364/in/photostream - photo of my stepdaughter at ISO 2500, highlighting the D7000's superb performance in such conditions. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dataw0lf/5467278620/in/photostream - Another D7000 shot, shot in Provo Canyon. This is using a Tokina 12-24mm wide angle lens. I'd argue that Nikon's wide angles are far superior to Canon's (Canon does have them beat in the telephoto area though). http://www.flickr.com/photos/dataw0lf/4980927334/in/photostream - D90 shot, with a 70-200mm f2.8. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dataw0lf/4746702012/in/photostream - D90 with the Tokina wide angle lens, backcountrying in the Tetons. 2011/6/10 Jason Hall <[email protected]> > > Go for the Rebel, or I forget the line on Nikon that compares, and > then spend some money on some better lenses than come in the kit. > The D3100, probably. Never used it, but I'm sure it's a fine camera. The problem with cheaper Nikons (I had this problem with my D40), and this problem extends to the D3100, is that they have no in-body focus motor. This means that you can't use older lenses, because older lenses don't have a motor builtin to them. You can tell the lenses that're compatible with these cheaper Nikon bodies by the "AF-S" designation they have. Most new lenses do have this designation, so you aren't too limited, but if you're like me and have a Dad who has 50+ year old lenses that you want to give a shot, it can be a surprise. On Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 9:47 PM, Jonathan Duncan < [email protected]> wrote: > > It really all comes down to how much you want to spend and what you want > the camera to do. Here is some suggested reading. Some people do not like > Ken Rockwell and consider him biased, but I enjoy the information and > perspective he provides. > > http://www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm > http://www.digitalreview.ca/ Ken Rockwell has some interesting tidbits, but I vastly prefer Thom Hogan for Nikon related stuff, and DP Review which has probably the most thorough camera and lens reviews on the internet. http://bythom.com/ http://www.dpreview.com/ At any rate, coming from the Nikon world, I'd suggest you buy a used D90 (don't bother with the kit lens), and purchase a 50mm f1.8 (~100 bucks, known in the Canon and Nikon worlds as "nifty fiftys"), and another lens dependent upon your interests (landscape / architecture - Sigma 10-20mm or Tokian 12-24mm, wildlife / sports - 18-200mm f2.8). - JF /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
