DSLR shopping!

[emad]

So, after over a year of not bothering with photography, I have decided that I want a DSLR again. I'm currently looking for a body for under $700. I'm not a fan of Canon's offerings simply because I don't like their lower cost lenses too much.

I'm debating between the Nikon D60, D80, or the Pentax k200d.

The k200d when compared to the d60 is a no brainer. It has a MUCH better feature set, supports far more lenses, and has a built in image stabilizer.

Then there's the Nikon d80. The camera is about the same in terms of feature set compared to the Pentax, but it retails for $80 more.

Then there's the lenses. I'm not sure whether to go for an all-round lens like the 18-135 (nikon)/ 18-250 (pentax) or a dual lens setup. The 18-135 on the Nikon is about $200 cheaper and it's has a slightly faster aperture than the Pentax and has a much quieter autofocus motor. Going dual lens, the Pentax is about $200 cheaper.

I need the camera in my hands within two weeks time since I'm travelling to NYC towards the end of this month.

I'm also willing to consider Olympus cameras, but again - the feature set for the cost simply doesn't match what Nikon and Pentax offer.

 

[F1GTR]

I'd got for the either the D80 or the Pentax, both have a great selection of lenses and great ergonomics.

As for lenses I personally started out with the 18-135mm, since it gave me a good idea of which focal lengths I used the most, I then got a Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 and a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 (next lens will be a ultra wide angle + a fast 85mm ) as I found I tended to stick to the wide to moderate telephoto range. Pentax has a load of awesome, cheap lenses such as the old 50mm SMC's, same with Nikon, although the older, MF AiS lenses won't meter.

And welcome back!

 

[tait]

I would personally go for the d80. I can't say much for the Pentax since I've never used it; but the aftermarket lens supported along with manufacturer lens support should put Nikon above the Pentax.

A lot of the times buying a mega lens to cover a wide focal range will kill the quality as opposed to having two seperate lenses. You would find that in the wide and zoomed in lengths you'll get vignetting and other distortions. Plus; you won't be able to go down to lower fstops. Never in my life would I buy a lens that doesn't have 2.8 or lower ability. Grab two lenses; the inconvenience of switching isnt' that bad in comparison to the quality and the lower fstops you'll be able to achieve.

 

[emad]

Out of curiosity, what gear do you use now?

As for lens variety, pentax has a fairly huge selection. Most Sigma and Tamron lenses are made with Pentax mounts. The camera will also support just about any pentax lens made to date. Then again, I don't think I've seen many lenses that have the same quality as Nikon's

 

[tait]

I try to keep everything I shoot shot on film. Right now though I have to pay for scanning and the like; and I don't trust anyone scanning photos other than me, so I've been using my D200 with my Tamron 28-75 2.8 and occasionally 50 1.8.

 

[Omnis]

Is 700 your total budget, or just the body budget?

Nikon D40 with the 18-55 kit lens and a 55-200 VR was what I was looking at buying. That should be under 600 bucks.

 

[emad]

Just the body budget. The D40 would be perfect, however this is going to be used on occasion for a print shop, so big megapixels and clean images at high iso are extremely important.

 

[F1GTR]

The D40 lacks an internal AF motor so you'll be limited in terms of lens choice if you want autofocus (only lenses with built-in AF motors will autofocus). High ISOs are pretty much even, though Nikon and the rest trailing slightly behind Canon (aside from Nikon's D300 and D3).

 

[Omnis]

Sorry to jack your thread, emad, but I think I might get a 40D with a Sigma APO 50-150mm F2.8 II lens since Canon is running a $200 rebate through July 19th.

What do all of you think-- especially about the lens?

 

[emad]

That's a nice lens, but you'll want something capable of wider angles as well. Considering the retail price of the Sigma, you might want to consider the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 (under $400) and a lower cost telephoto zoom lens for zoom.

 

[tait]

Also, the Tamron 28-75 is comparable to Canon's L glass in quality and sharpness; for half the price.

 

[F1GTR]

Get a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 instead, you can always come closer but you can't always step back.

 

[wfooshee]

I went with a used d50 because I could afford it, and chose it over a d40 that was also available because it had an in-body AF motor so all my old AF lenses will focus on it. (Although not as quickly as the new lenses with built-in motors.) I'd like to have had more than a 6MP camera, but it's still way better than scanning film, prints, or having them done commercially.

The d40 and d60 series will not auto-focus the earlier AF lenses built for film cameras, although the lenses mount and meter correcty. (They become manual focus on those cameras.) All the others will AF the old lenses, if you already have them laying around, as I did.

I really like the fact that Nikon has kept their lens mounts backward compatible. When they introduced AF cameras like my n8008, they would accept the old manual-focus lenses. When they came out with the digital SLRs, they made sure they would accept previous lenses as well, manual and auto-focus. You have to go back quite a ways to get a Nikon lens that won't auto-expose on the new DSLRs, but even then it will still mount!

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I'm a Canon shooter, so I'm not in my comfort zone, but I would go with the Nikon of those choise. Built in IS is only good within a certain lens length range: you get much better stabilisation with in-lens IS.

I second what tait says about zoom range. Take the long length, and divide it by the short length. Try not to buy lenses where the result is greater than 4. I.e. 24-70 = 2.9.

And Omnis the 40d is an excellent camera.

 

[Omnis]

That's a nice lens, but you'll want something capable of wider angles as well. Considering the retail price of the Sigma, you might want to consider the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 (under $400) and a lower cost telephoto zoom lens for zoom.

Also, the Tamron 28-75 is comparable to Canon's L glass in quality and sharpness; for half the price.

Oh, awesome! That's actually just what I was looking for, range-wise, but I couldn't find a constant f/2.8 aperture. Thanks for the tip.

Get a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 instead, you can always come closer but you can't always step back.

I still have my Cybershot for close pics, so I'm not really worried about wide angles. The only way I'd be taking pictures that close is if I were at some kind of party-- one where I wouldn't bring a 40D in the first place.

And Omnis the 40d is an excellent camera.

Yeah, it's great to check out stuff in person. I was kind of amazed by the ease of the XSi and the comfort of the 40D (I have very large hands). I was originally interested only in entry-level just for the lens access. Since Canon introduced the rebate on the 40D (that brought the price down to ~$950), however, I think there's enough camera to justify the pricetag.

Anybody have any suggestions for telephoto or wide zooms that I could use alongside the Tamron 28-75 in the future?

 

[GilesGuthrie]

The wide zoom that everyone talks about for crop Canons is the 10-22. I would have bought one, but I went full frame and got the 16-35L.

Telephoto zooms are harder to do cheaply. But if you can run to it, the 70-200 F/4 L IS is supposed to be superb. I have the F/2.8 version, and it's one of the most joyful lenses in my arsenal.

 

[emad]

I've decided on the Pentax k200d - packaged with the 18-55 and the 50-200mm lens kit

I'll be picking up some Sanyo Eneloop batteries to keep it powered and i'm already checking craigslist for a fast walk-about lens like the 28-70mm f2.8

This should be a fun little trip to New York (:

 

[Omnis]

... And to co-jack emad's good news, I just ordered myself a 40D. Don't have any lenses or a CF card, but at least I got the body with Canon's rebate, additional off, and free shipping.

I'll shop locally or go through B&H for the lens in case I need to make any returns. Amazon has that 28-75 backordered for 3 months-- that's no good.

Anyway, good luck with the Pentax, emad. Can't wait to see your photos.

 

[Omnis]

And for today's update, I settled on the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, Hoya S-HMC UV filter, and a 4gb SanDisk Extreme IV CF card.

40D comes tomorrow; lens and card come Monday. Will post pics.

 

[Omnis]

Here it is: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showpost.php?p=3059878&postcount=2287

Can't wait until Monday so I can get crackin'.