New Camera

[Barbash]

Good morning gentleman(or afternoon or evening),

In the month plus that I have been coming to &BB I have seen so many beautiful pictures put up in the SOTD and other posts and wanted to see if yall could recommend a good camera?

I have been looking at Nikons and Cannons, but am a little lost in what I want and need.

This year I am getting married and I am in 3 other weddings along with a few trips for both work and pleasure and would love to have photos from all of these events. Plus, it would be fun to show off what I am shaving with and what my shaving den is starting to look like.

I have only owned point and clicks in my life, so getting into the Digital SLR cameras is kind of over whelming. So far I have tried out the Nikon D90 and that has been it.

Thanks for any recommendations and suggestions you can provide.

-Barbash

 

[Seraphim]

Nothing wrong with point and shoot cameras. Many of them are quite capable these days.

The drawback to DSLR is that if the camera is big and bulky, chances are that you will leave it home, instead of taking it with you. My wife has a nice Nikon DSLR, but hardly ever shoots with it. 99% of the pics of our kids are from my compact P&S that I always have with me.

If you are going out to dinner on your honeymoon, are you really going to want to take along a big camera to park on the table, or worry about having slung on the back of your chair?

I have had good luck with Panasonic compact cameras (FS7) with just being able to have it in my coat pocket at all times.

I recently just got a new Panasonic LX3 which is a step up capability from a point and shoot, and it has a neat lens. It is also slightly more bulky than the compact one (the lens is not as retractable)...

So there are always tradeoffs.

A new format you can do a search for is micro four thirds. It has many of the same capabilities as a SLR, but without the internal mirror, and the associated bulk that usually comes with it. I think only Olympus and Panasonic are making these, but they look pretty sweet.

So, one aspect I say to consider is the useability and portability of a camera. You also should be aware of the lens, how wide it is, how much it can, or cannot zoom, and what the F stops are for it (the lower the number, the more light the lens can collect, helping take pics in ambient light without having to use a flash,or have low image quality).

 

[JJMontague]

I'm assuming you already own a point-and-shoot and want a DSLR for more serious shooting (you can always just take your P&S if you want to travel light).

First off, you need to know your budget. This is important before you start shopping because there are some things that you may forget to budget into the equation (flash, tripod, extra lenses, camera bag, filters, etc.) Of course, you don't need all of these things to take great shots but they allow you to get shots you couldn't have otherwise gotten.

As for brand, don't let anyone tell you that one brand is "better" than another. It's simply not true. All of the major brands will take amazing pictures. Some have more or different features, but picture quality is excellent across the board these days. That said, I'd stick with Canon or Nikon for their lens lineups and their ability to shoot at higher ISO's (better for low-light situations). Your lenses are what will make the big difference in your shots, not the camera body, and this is what I would "remember" to budget for.

So... what's your budget?

 

[Barbash]

Thanks for the feed back yall.

I never really considered having to drag the camera around and yall are probably right that it might get left behind sometimes just because I don't want to have to deal with it.

As for budget I was hoping to stay under $1,000, at least for the initial purchase.

 

[Mr. Imperial]

Your lenses are what will make the big difference in your shots, not the camera body, and this is what I would "remember" to budget for.

+4000

Even though you've tried a D90 and probably have the budget for it, since you're just getting into it don't discount a cheaper body like a D60. Lenses are what make the body good, not the other way around.

Have you looked at Pentax? Once you get a Pentax body, you can use just about any lens they've ever made, unlike the Nikons/Canons. Not that there's anything wrong with Nikon or Canon; when I think back over my DSLR purchase, I wish I had considered that.

 

[miamijuggler]

I'm a Pentax user myself (K20D), and I love their offerings.

As far as the argument of DSLR vs. Point-and-Shoot, it's very valid to say that you won't take your SLR everywhere. For one thing, even if YOU can handle it, it will get old fast for those that you're hanging out with if you constantly have to worry about "your baby." Compact Point-and-Shoots these days are small enough to fit into a pocket, ensuring that you'll always have it with you, and the image quality is getting very respectable. You'll also save yourself the temptation of buying additional (and expensive lenses) for your DSLR.

For example, my LAD is demanding $1500 from me, that I simply don't have!

For advanced level point and shoots, look at the Canon G10, the Panasonic LX3, or the Pentax W90. The W90 is also nice because it is waterproof and shockproof, so you REALLY don't have to worry about it when you're on the road. I've been eyeing one for a while now, but there's no room in the budget for that, either.

Keep in mind that you can often get a small, inconspicuous point-and-shoot into areas and situations that you might not be able to with a big SLR. People are more relaxed around a point-and-shoot.

In any case, I hope this helps.


--miamijuggler

 

[kwigibocity]

I, too, am a Pentax man (K20D). I love that I have a 55mm f/1.2 from 20-30 years ago that cost me <$200 and can practically shoot in the dark complete with image stabilization.

They're great but significantly slower than Canon or Nikon when you're comparing their top-AF-motor lenses to one another, which you obviously won't be doing @ your budget.

I'd suggest the Olympus E-P1, which gives you a much larger image sensor than nearly any point and shoot and no mirror in the body, so that it is reasonably thin. I was in the imaging industry on the retail side for over a decade, and I humbly predict that the mirror box and optical viewfinder are soon to meet their near-demise.