Looking to buy a DSLR

[adic88]

I've got a Canon G9, but am looking to upgrade to a full DSLR.

Any suggestions, entry level stuff. Nothing too fancy or expensive.

[sosamscott]

7d

[Chaki]

5D if you want full frame

[Gumball]

I've got a Canon G9, but am looking to upgrade to a full DSLR.

Any suggestions, entry level stuff. Nothing too fancy or expensive.

What do you mean by Expensive ?

[Daidemo]

Another vote for Nikon - go with the best!

Currently Nikon's D7000 is the best in its class but if you are planning any serious (amateur) photography I suggest you to go with full frame Nikon D700.

[fugwumpy]

Check out kenrockwell dot com

[Rogers72]

You cant go wrong with Nikon or Canon. Pick one that feels good to you and is in your budget. Once you pick Canon or Nikon, you are kinda stuck to it as you acquire more lenses. I liked the feel and funciton better with Canon and thier lens selection seemed better to me at the time so I went with them. I have a 50D and a 5D Mk II and they are both amazing cameras. That said, I've tons of friends who create some amazing stuff with their Nikons as well. With my first SLR, I went into a store that had dozens of different models of every major brand and spent hours playing with each. I have heard very little positive about Sony's entries into the market.

[adic88]

You cant go wrong with Nikon or Canon. Pick one that feels good to you and is in your budget. Once you pick Canon or Nikon, you are kinda stuck to it as you acquire more lenses. I liked the feel and funciton better with Canon and thier lens selection seemed better to me at the time so I went with them. I have a 50D and a 5D Mk II and they are both amazing cameras. That said, I've tons of friends who create some amazing stuff with their Nikons as well. With my first SLR, I went into a store that had dozens of different models of every major brand and spent hours playing with each. I have heard very little positive about Sony's entries into the market.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, full frame SLRs are probably a bit beyond my budget; i get the impression that they are much more expensive.

Have been eye-ing the Canon 500D, what do you think?

Is it that much better than the 450D? Price wise, between the 450D and the 500D is quite large, so i'm wondering whether the 500D is worth it.

[tdlfoto]

Spend less on the body, and as much as you can afford on the lens. Do not go with the kit lens. Nothing will sink your experience faster. At a minimum, get a decent constant aperture normal zoom like a Tamron or Sigma ~18-55 f/2.8 or similar. If you have the cash the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS cannot be beat.

[ZAZ]

Check out kenrockwell dot com

Definitely this.

He has a ton of information avaiable on his site and is the reason why I chose the D40 when I bought it.

[FireDigger]

Here is a good site for comparing cameras, be it a DSLR or point and shoot:

http://snapsort.com/

[Gumball]

And don't buy a zoom... A good 50mm 1.8 and you will learn photo !

Nikon or Canon it doesn't matter. Try both and check with which one you feel more comfortable, because the result will dépend more of the guy behind the camera than the camera itself..

[Gumball]

Spend less on the body, and as much as you can afford on the lens. Do not go with the kit lens. Nothing will sink your experience faster. At a minimum, get a decent constant aperture normal zoom like a Tamron or Sigma ~18-55 f/2.8 or similar. If you have the cash the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS cannot be beat.

[Rogers72]

I will disagree slightly with some of the others and tell you that a kit lens, in most cases, is great for beginners who don't want to dump 1,000 USD on a lens alone. I will also disagree about not spending much on the camera body. You don't have to go full frame (ex. 5D MK II) but I would recommend taking a step up from the "consumer" models such as the 500D (T1I). I would start with one of the "prosumer" models such as the 60D, 7D, or a used 50D if you can find one around. The build quality on these is well worth the price increase over the 500D, etc. You can easily feel the difference just by holding them.

If i were just starting out, I would go with this and never look back:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/7320...SLR_Camera.html

[rfenst]

Just buy whatever Cannon or Nikon will be most comfortable to use once you get the feel of it and learn its functions. Nikon lenses have always had a great reputation. I have seen some Nikon ackages with tw-three lenses and a carry bag very reasonably priced being advertised. You definitely do not need the highest megapixel rating advertised these days. My Nikon is 7-10 years old and is rated at 6.1 megapixels. The photos taken with it are great!

[Gumball]

I will disagree slightly with some of the others and tell you that a kit lens, in most cases, is great for beginners who don't want to dump 1,000 USD on a lens alone. I will also disagree about not spending much on the camera body. You don't have to go full frame (ex. 5D MK II) but I would recommend taking a step up from the "consumer" models such as the 500D (T1I). I would start with one of the "prosumer" models such as the 60D, 7D, or a used 50D if you can find one around. The build quality on these is well worth the price increase over the 500D, etc. You can easily feel the difference just by holding them.

If i were just starting out, I would go with this and never look back:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/7320...SLR_Camera.html

The very good Canon 50mm 1.8 is at $99.95

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1214...50mm_f_1_8.html

[Dbone]

5D if you want full frame

A lot of good advice here, some I'll repeat.

I love my Canon 5D, and have for over 4 years now. It's tough, full frame, compact body, and where else can you find a full frame DSLR for under $1K at the moment? Not the Mark II, just the original.

Drop your $$ on the glass. You will go through a few bodies throughout your lifetime, but the glass will last forever. If you buy the professional grade lens, you'll be able to have your grandkids use them. So bodies come and go, the glass last a lifetime... don't go cheap on them.

Learn to shoot in Manual mode, get a light meter if needed. You can buy a $30k Hasselblad and the auto-exposure can't read the incident light accurately. Learn to shoot in M mode for highest quality photography. The quality of exposures are greatly enhanced, and post process time is reduced. One of the best books on the subject is Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.

Good luck, let me know if you have any other questions.

[Gumball]

A lot of good advice here, some I'll repeat.

I love my Canon 5D, and have for over 4 years now. It's tough, full frame, compact body, and where else can you find a full frame DSLR for under $1K at the moment? Not the Mark II, just the original.

Drop your $$ on the glass. You will go through a few bodies throughout your lifetime, but the glass will last forever. If you buy the professional grade lens, you'll be able to have your grandkids use them. So bodies come and go, the glass last a lifetime... don't go cheap on them.

Learn to shoot in Manual mode, get a light meter if needed. You can buy a $30k Hasselblad and the auto-exposure can't read the incident light accurately. Learn to shoot in M mode for highest quality photography. The quality of exposures are greatly enhanced, and post process time is reduced. One of the best books on the subject is Understand Exposure by Bryan Peterson.

Good luck, let me know if you have any other questions.

[El Presidente]

Cannon 5 D Mark II here.

If you are into fast frame shoots then the 7D is better and cheaper.

You are either a Cannon or Nikon man. Play with both!

[MrGlass]

I opted for a 40D about three years ago with the 17-85mm F4-5.6 kit lense. At the time, I picked that kit up for less than what the 450D was going to cost me.

From what I've played with them, I would recommend starting with one of the "prosumer" models as Rogers72 suggested. I personally just didn't like the feel of the entry level models.

[adic88]

Here is a good site for comparing cameras, be it a DSLR or point and shoot:

http://snapsort.com/

Wow, that's a great website. Perfect for $$$ conscious newb like me. Thanks!

[adic88]

I will disagree slightly with some of the others and tell you that a kit lens, in most cases, is great for beginners who don't want to dump 1,000 USD on a lens alone. I will also disagree about not spending much on the camera body. You don't have to go full frame (ex. 5D MK II) but I would recommend taking a step up from the "consumer" models such as the 500D (T1I). I would start with one of the "prosumer" models such as the 60D, 7D, or a used 50D if you can find one around. The build quality on these is well worth the price increase over the 500D, etc. You can easily feel the difference just by holding them.

If i were just starting out, I would go with this and never look back:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/7320...SLR_Camera.html

Gulp the 60D is more than RM4k in my currency, just for the body. /swoon

I found the 500D for RM2.3k (US$720), the price of a couple good boxes of cigars. Just nice.

Still mulling it over.

[hojadepuro]

I look to be in the minority here, but I bought my wife a Sony Alpha 300 and we love it. Takes great pictures and has a lot of great features. I think the alpha 350 is the current model, but I would look at these. They are a bit cheaper and the IS is in the body and not the lens. This makes buying lenses a little cheaper. I do like Nikon and Cannon; I don't think you can go wrong with them, but if you can find a Sony alpha for much less then I would not hesitate to buy one. Most important thing is to use it, use it, use it. As a few have already said, the person behind it is much more important. Most of all have fun!

Brandon

[ckay]

I would spring for a used D70 Nikon or a Canon XTi and spend the money on a good lens and a strobe.

[sblevit]

Lots of good advice already above. I have a 5D II, but a 50D is more than adequate for a beginning user (and a Rebel is probably good enough). As others have said, start off with one great lens. This is the baby you want:

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/pro...70mm_f_2_8l_usm