I wouldn't worry too much about not having auto focus. Look at the lenses by Nikkor and most have AF built in. It's if you want to get a very specific lens (such as a 1970s medical grade macro lens) that you would have to worry about AF.

But even then, if you are getting that good with a camera and looking to get a very specific look, you should be using manual focus anyway.

 

I would invest in a d70, d70s or d80. wider lens variety. uses cf instead of sd cards. better control because of size and two dials.

 

Take a good, serious look at Pentax before you decide. I have a Pentak K100D and I absolutely LOVE it. The K10D has even better specs, but for a higher price. The thing I love about Pentax is that the image stabilization is built into the camera BODY. That means that you don't have to buy special (super-high-priced) lenses to get the anti-shake benefits. Because it's built into the body, any old lens can be used and it will be stabilized. I wasn't sure how much I would need or use the that feature, but it's truely amazing. I can't imagine going without it now. The Pentax DSLRs are very user friendly, they have excellent ergonomics, great specs and reasonable prices. Check 'em out before you decide.

 

don't be afraid of other brands...

if you don't think you will be very serious about photography, take a good look at the sony and pentax.

i would strongly suggest you not make your decision because of what memory card it uses.

think about what situations you will be in, when you take pics. are you interested in sports or fast moving subjects?
will you be indoors or low light? are you interested in taking many pictures in a short time? will you be using a tripod or hand-held? can you deal with missing the shot due to camera shake? will you be doing manual focusing or trust the auto focus?


my recomendations. look at the frames per second you are interested in.
understand the memory card will be the bottleneck...compactflash memory (extreme 3 or 4) has a very high read/write speed...compare that to your SD.
auto focus---how many focus points does it have? can you set a priority point?
will you spend the money on a good lens? image stabilizer lenses are not cheap.

also consider sensor type and crop factor...this will determing the lens effective range...too high a crop factor and you won't be able to get decent close-ups

 

Wow. I didn't know it was that complicated (and confusing). I was looking into buying a good camera too, so I'll def be watching this thread before I dive in...

 

This thread is dead lol.

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...6570&start=120

This one was started right after I bought my D40 and it went on for longer than my thread (this one). You might find some more info there.

 

i would say you have two way to approach buying a DSLR...

with a budget
or
money is no object as long as i get something good for it.

the second option leaves you with the canon 1d

the budget route gets crazy...this brand is cheaper...this one has better controls...that one has better sensor and image...kits or seperates...

 

As I think Squall suggested B&H is a great place to buy. If you ever want the photography experience of a lifetime, visit their NYC store. Largest camera store in the world. Don't get hung up on Nikon or Canon, they're both great. fredmiranda.com has a great review section with some valuable customer reviews.

Photography can be a nice investment if you take your time researching, and spend wisely. Don't rule out 3 party lenses (Sigma, Tokina, etc) once again read the reviews.

If you wanna stay with point and shoots, stay with high power zooms (10x plus) and image stabilization.

Hope it helps.

 

Nikon D200.. here buddy!

 

pentax k100D. awesome camera. so glad i went with it over the Nikon D40. Has an auto body unlike the nikon which you have to buy an auto focus lens with a motor built in. take a goooood look at pentax before you decide

 

I wouldn't trade my Pentax K100D for anything! Best money I ever spent.

 

seriously. and it came with the 18-55mm lens. Such a great buy

 

I love my D40

 

I would stay with either Nikon or Canon for the simple fact that they are known to have better lenses. The camera body is the cheap part of the hobby when compared to the cost of lenses once you get serious. Just look at the brands that the pros use.

My 2 cents.

 

I guess that's exactly my point. The pros can afford to spend $1,500 to $2,000 for a single lens. I can't. On those cameras if you want true optical image stabilization you have to spend BIG money on a special lens. With Pentax you don't. The stabilization is built into the camera body, so every lens you put on it has shake reduction. That is a feature I would not want to be without. I can also buy some great third-party lenses at very reasonable prices. I have probably 1/4th the money in my Pentax setup than what a similar Nikon or Canon package would cost me, and it takes BEAUTIFUL photos. I'm not knocking Nikon or Canon. But don't get so hung up on the brand name that you miss out on other great camera options.

 

I'd like to see how the Pentax stabilization compares to Canon's IS or Nikon's VR. Personally, I prefer not to use either of those as it doesn't fit into my style of photography and will never compare to the quality a nice tripod will give you.

I'm more suggesting staying with Canon or Nikon if you plan to get serious. It comes fairly quick when you'll want to spend an extra $400 or $500 on a nice zoom lens, then buy the expensive $1500 indoor lens to really take great pictures. Once that happens, you're pretty much tied into the brand as you probably don't want to replace all those lens.

My 4 cents.

 

No doubt that I.S. will never replace a good tripod. I agree completely. But what it does allow me to do is get great hand-held shots at 300mm (something I could NEVER do without it). It also allows me to get clear shots in many low-light situations which would otherwise be blurry. And I don't have to crank up the ISO to do it. Shake reduction, image stabilization, or whatever name you want to give it may not be the answer to all, but it's a GREAT feature to have. I'm really glad that I went with Pentax. I've been able to enjoy a hobby that can be exceedingly expensive, and I've been able to do it on a relatively modest budget.

 

amen!

 

I got a canon 10d with 28-80mm lens with uv filter and circular polarizer filter, battery, charger, and 512mb lexar pro compact flash card I am looking to sell for $600 obo. It only has around 5-7,000 shots taken on it.

 

Back from the dead, but needed some advice for a new lens and waterproof housing.

I won't be needing the stuff until fall of 09, and price really isn't any concern. I'm going to the Caribbean and wanted to take my D40 underwater with me when I go scuba diving.

I found this housing, which comes with a one-year flood insurance policy.

http://www.fantasea.com/s.nl/it.A/id...c=2&category=5

Anyone have it?

Also, what would be a good lens to use while underwater? It would have to be a Nikon lens with the AF motor, since I have a D40 body.