So we got our income tax back and I was thinking I think I need to convince dh to let me get a new camera!!! 
So my question is what camera do you recomend? Where is the best place to get it for the best price? What additional things might I need for it to start out? Any other things I should know? Thanks girls!!
Camera Recomendations????
(12 posts) (8 voices)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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I'll be watching this thread... I have gotten a card reader error a few times recently with my camera...might be time for a new one...this one is 7 years old...
Posted 1 year ago # -
I absolutely LOVE my Nikon D80. However it is much more camera than I need and the D40 would be great! The reason I got the D80 was so that I could use my non-digi Nikon lenses with it (and they don't transfer to the d40). It really is a wonderful camera and I really enjoy it!) Another good thing is that Costco sells them! They didn't when I bought mine and I found the best deal at Ritz camera (body only).
Posted 1 year ago # -
I swear by my Canon Rebel---mine is almost 5 years old and it's still my absolutely favorite "thing" in life! But, I have heard great things about that Nikon too!
Posted 1 year ago # -
It all depends on your personal preference. If you can afford to go with a DSLR, then I would say go for it, because there are so many options available to you and as you get more experienced you can buy lenses and filters and it can grow with you.
Here are some things to think about before you even start looking:
- Do you want something with a built in video feature? It seems like a great idea at the time, but keep in mind that if you're recording and you want to take a photo it stops the video, takes the picture and restarts the video again - your video will be choppy, not seamless like you'll want it to be
- Do you plan on enlarging your photos bigger then 11x17? If not, then don't go higher then 8 or 10 MP's. You don't need anything higher then 10, and actually 8 is more then sufficient. The higher megapixals won't do anything to improve the quality of photos that are printed at 8x10 or smaller so you're paying for something that you'll never use.
- the "kit" lenses, meaning the lenses that come with the camera as a package deal, are not always the best and sometimes its cheaper to buy the camera body and then pick up a lense seperately.Okay, having said that.....the top two on the market right now are the Canon and the Nikon. They feel very different. The Canon has a lighter weight to it, the Nikon has a heavier weight. I personally prefer the Canon because I found the Nikon to be a little heavier then I wanted once I put a telephoto zoom lense on it and it made my hands shake after awhile. The flip side of that is that some people think that the Canon cameras feel "cheap".
You will most likely find the best deal online but it pays to look around. I got my Canon last April and it was a screaming deal that I haven't seen since for the Canon - I got the camera body with the standard lense, plus an additional $250 telephoto zoom lense, a carrying bag that sells for $65 on its own, and a lense cleaning kit all for $699.
Ritz Camera has a similar deal right now for the Nikon, so if you're leaning towards that then they have THE best deal you'll find on that right now.
http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/SLR1172.htm?bct=t1134
You'll want to buy some kind of cheap filter to put on the lense, if for no other reason then to keep it from getting scratched. I bought a package of 3 filters on ebay for about $20. I keep the UV Filter on it all the time because it helps cut the sun glare in photos and it protects my Canon lense.
Last, but definitely not least, set aside $20 to buy a good reference book. I purchased "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby for $15 from borders and it was money well spent. It helps you learn all the little things you need to know about ISO settings, Aperature, F stops, and all that technical jargon.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I totally recommend going with the DSLR. I avoided it for 25 years. DH had quite the camera setup when we married, and I avoided learning how to use it. "All I wanted was a good point and shoot". I've had my Canon Rebel for just a few months and LOVE it! I wouldn't go back if they gave me a full refund! LOL It takes amazing photos, and I'm actually enjoying taking them and learning bits about how to use the camera.
I agree that choosing between Nikon and Canon is a matter of personal preference -- go to a camera shop or Costco counter and hold them in your hands. I bought the Canon because it was lighter weight than the Nikon. My coworker bought the Nikon because it felt better in her hands. I'm quite sure either will provide you with excellent photos.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thansk for the info!! I DEFINATELY would want to move up to an DSLR, I was just wondering about the differences in the Cannon Rebel models. I saw 2 on sale this week 1 in the Sears sale paper and 1 in the Best Buy ad and they were 2 different models. So I am going to ask a dumb question, but what are the different lenses for? I know I don't want the video feature as I have a video camera and would rather use that then the camera I have had that feature on my last 2 cameras and only used it twice-not a necessity. I have 8 MP on my current camera and I am happy with the quality I just thought you should always go up?
Oh, I SO think I will need a photography class if I get to upgrade!
Posted 1 year ago # -
the deal on megapixals, is that once you get up beyond 10 the image quality actually starts to decrease because they're cramming more pixals onto the processor which itself isn't increasing in size.
Camera image-processing chips have more data to digest; memory cards and hard drives fill up faster; and photo editing puts greater space, memory and time demands on computers.
Camera image sensors rarely get larger from one generation to the next, so squeezing more megapixels out of a sensor means each pixel on the sensor is smaller, which means they translate to less light per pixel.
That light difference means it's harder to distinguish the signals produced by light from the electronic noise in the sensor. Images suffer from colour speckles, and cameras work poorly in dimmer conditions such as indoors.
So the myth that more pixals equals higher quality isn't true once you get up beyond the 10 MP point, unless you have a professional grade camera with a larger sensor, and those are the camera's at the $2,000 and up price point.
As far as the lenses go, the glass is what makes all the difference. The lenses that come with the camera's are more then acceptable and I've been very happy with mine. There are better lenses available and its the quality of the glass in the lense that makes the difference - that's why you see lenses that look basically identical varying in price by several hundered dollars. For most of us the standard kit lenses are just fine and more then we'll ever really need. You may really fall in love with photography and decide that you need to have an awesome lense, at which point you can invest in a better one.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I recommend the Canon Rebel. But only because it's what I have and I love it. Mine is an 8 megapixel and it's more than enough.
If I could do it over again I wouldn't get the kit lens. I would buy the body only and then get a 50 mm 1.4f lens. The only reasoning behind this is because I needed something for indoor low light situations. Most of my pictures are of my kids and family and I hate using flash, so I needed something with a wide open aperture. Now that I have a 50mm lens it's all I use, and I love it. But like Marci said, investing in a good book is worth it, to help you with all the technical stuff that comes along with a DSLR. I bought Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson and it's an awesome book!Posted 1 year ago # -
hmmmm very nice infos ladies!! a dslr is also in my wait/wishlist
although i just bought a point and shoot ("that thinks it's a dslr" - canon is s5), i still want a dslr... funny thing is, i prefer the "feel" of nikon dslr (d80) in my hands when i tried it... it felt much lighter than the canon dslr (450d). i dnt know maybe that's just what my subconcious thinks hehehe i've always wanted a nikon dslr so, buy the body and lense separately - will remember this!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Donna, the IS-S5 is a great camera - I had originally bought one of those and I traded it in at the camera shop. You'll be happy with that one, its as close to a DSLR as you can get.
Posted 1 year ago # -
yeah, i know and im still trying to figure it out, lol! that's the cam im using for my layouts and cards lately and the one that I blurs at the lower part
it still does and i can't figure out even at auto mode 
:( it's so frustrating, arggh!! (i've read the manual already followed settings and still the same... but close-range shots (macro) are fine... well, i just have to continue figuring it out, then
Posted 1 year ago #
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