Assuming I have absolutely no idea what a SLR should have spec wise, anything in particular I should look for? Anything that is totally unnecessary? Brand & Model and lens recommendation???
if you got the money hiake, go for the d80. BUT thats only if you got the money but i know you wouldnt go for that.. considering you can take pictures with an "auto" as well as an expert at slr, go for the auto.... as long as you have the ability to aperture, the exposure and stuff like that, you can take a great picture just like an slr, but for cheaper, price, and easier too... i would say to take a course in photography, and when you mastered the control of a camera, any camera, it wont matter if its an slr or a non-slr... personally, i have a nikon 8800 vr and if you know how to use its full potential, it can even be better than an slr...
^ It's not for me, so whether I am good at photography does not matter quite that much ^^b d80... what Brand is that? Nikon d80? And what feature does it has? How expensive?
oh? for a friend? i would assume this is his/her first camera? (purchased) d80 is from nikon, and its the latest of the d series... my uncle bought it, and i really think its a waste of money... theres some that range from the d40/d50/d60/d70/d70s/d80... your choice really... but i say stick to a simple camera, like some olympus (non-slr btw) get the hang of aperture, exposure and such before moving on to slr... ill tell you about my cameras first one was an underwater camera i used on land -lol. it had NO zoom, NO settings and functions, and was non-digital... but it had the wide angle feature.. thats it lol but i made some beautiful picks... basically it was my lesson on framing... second camera was an olympus something i forgot... lesson on apertures and exposures.. it was digital. third was a film canon slr. IT WAS OOOLLDDDD SCHOOL lol my lesson on slrs.. now its the nikon 8800 vr.. so tell your friend to stick with simple cameras and understand how to take pictures before going all out for an expensive slr like the d80... that was my uncles mistake lol nikon d80
@Dann: I know... but it's supposed to be a secret gift =_=b and trust me, the receipiant knows about camera and photography. Hmmm, so you think Nikon is a good brand to start with? I mean, if I am looking into further research on the matter, I need to kind of narrow the brands down... Canon and Pentax strikes me as emphasizing on the ultra-compact palm-sized DC so.
a gift! oh i see... in that case.... um... i really dont know... d80 would be way too expensive... you must love the person to death to be buying it -lol
^ I saw Canon EOS 350D on quite a few of the ranking sites... Would you mind elaborating what is so special about it???
personally, for dslr, i would go with canon over nikon i have a 20D, i like it and it does it's job, easy to use
I won't lie to you, I'm no camera guru... However, having said that, my friend has both the EOS 350D and the Nikon D50 and he likes the D50 better(or atleast I think he does because that's the one he carries with him when we're at car shows), but I can't tell which camera took which photos.... I got to try his 350D a couple times, and the pictures that come out of that camera are just amazing... well atleast compare to what my wannabe SLR Fuji s5200 -whistle
If you look for a bargain, you can go for the Canon EOS 350D, as this contraption is really called. This the predecessor of the new Canon EOS 400D. The difference between those two are: - 8 Megapixel vs 10 Mega Pixel - The newer version has a dust removing mechanism - more pics per burst Resolution Chart Colour Patches
Hiake, your budget and the photographer's goals is what's important when finding a camera. There's no need to get a camera that overkills with features that'll never be used. Some of my personal opinions about a few of the more affordable DSLRs. The Nikon D40 is disappointing. Used a friend's, didn't like it. He's trying to get rid of his actually. The Canon XT is an okay choice. It's not a bad choice, and it does what it's suppose to do well. It's just a bit dated now, doesn't feel very sturdy, and missing some key features (no spot metering is a no no for me) If you're willing to spend closer to the 1g range, I'd say Pentax K10. Great sensor giving RAW shots amazing potential (better than the Nikon D80). Weather Resistant. Using a CCD shift image stabilizing system and can fit almost all Pentax lens ever made. Comes with a wireless remote for taking shots, and fits nicely inside the camera body in a designated spot so you don't have to carry it around in a bag. Downside of the K10 is that the JPGs quality is so so, it's meant more for heavy RAW users. With that said, the step down in the Pentax line up is the K100, a great amateur photographer DSLR. JPGs are sharp and clean, still has the cool image stabilizing feature as its bigger brother, and can also use just about all Pentax lens (with certain limitations). Much lighter on the wallet as well K100 with a kit lens is running for less than 500 US.
First of all an SLR or DSLR: A digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that operates on the same optical and mechanical principles as a modern electronic autofocus 35mm film single-lens reflex camera. The key difference is that the film is replaced with a CCD or CMOS image sensor plus accompanying electronics, thus creating images digitally in-camera, without the need to first chemically develop a latent image on film. To make a good decision on which camera to buy, you need to know the following things: - What do you want to do with it? - How experienced is the user? - How much dough do you want to spend? Besides the SLR body (read, camera without lens), the lens is equally important. The choose of the lens, again depends on: - What do you want to do with it? - How much dough do you want to spend? Some background info: Canon is the market leader in the Camera business. It has a very wide and deep variety of cameras. There strategy is that there is a camera for every type of user in their products. The big advantage of buying a canon is: - Lots of choice - If you decide to upgrade to another Canon SLR, you can still use your lenses on the new camera. Nikon is also a good brand, but they don't have cameras for every segment of the market. Sony, with it's DSLR A100 is a newcommer, so you have only one choice and limited choice on lenses, Still not knowing what you are looking for, I just presume you want a semi-professional entry model. If this is the case, you can go for the following SLR in the same price range: Canon EOS 400D, Nikon D80 and Sony DSLR A100. All are from the most recent 10 MP generation. If you really want to make a good analysis you can visit: www.dpreview.com Happy hunting
If you're considering getting an entry-level DSLR (like the Canon Rebel XTi or the Nikon D40), you should also look at the usability of the camera. In my opinion, unless you're an avid photographer or have really strong shoulders, the heavier a camera is, the less likely you will be to carry it around. And if you love using manual settings, a camera with lots of buttons on the back would be a better choice because you can change all of the various settings without having to dig through the menu (very useful when you're trying to photograph something that won't stay still). Ideally, after you narrow down your choices based on specs, go to a store and test out the cameras. See how each one you're considering feels in the hand, and how menus and other buttons are laid out.
In fact I wouldn't mind an older model (as I now know a higher MP does not mean a better picture), but thanks for the recommendations, will go on field hunting once exam's over. Keep the rec coming~
