DSLR - Noobie needs help!

boardordie · Posted: Oct 13, 2008 11:20 am Post subject: DSLR - Noobie needs help!

My wife and I are expecting our 1st child around X-mas and I want to upgrade from our craptastic point and shoot to a DSLR. I've started reading and researching on the interweb and am overwhelmed by all the information. I'd like to get the camera over the next week or two so I can start messing with it and not have to try to figure it out on only 2 hours of sleep! I'm turning to WB.com for suggestions...

I have never shot DSLR but messed around with 35mm a little before it started becoming dinosaur technology.

Pictures... mostly action and portrait.
I'll primarily want to capture movement from 5' away up to 70' away... baby on floor to wakeboarder behind boat...
Price - $500 - $700 for body
Needs to be user friendly as wife and technology don't always get along! Laughing

Based on the above criteria... suggestions on bodies?
Any suggestions on lenses?
Any suggestions on website for hot deals?
If I find something listed on craigslist or similar for a used unit... anything specific I should look out for?

Thanks in advance for helping a noobie out!

Jensen · Posted: Oct 13, 2008 3:31 pm Post subject:

you could pick up a canon rebel xti with a kit lens for 600, you could even get a used canon 20d/30d which are nice models.

for a lens the kit lens that comes with the xti would be fine and is great to learn on.

for a wide angle i shoot with the canon 17-40L lens which is awesome, but for a general walk around lens i would actually recommend the tamron 28-75 f2.8, i usually stay with canon gear but this lens has awesome reviews and will be my next lens.

check out www.bhphotovideo.com , i order all my stuff through them. stay away from sites that are "too good to be true" because they are scams.

to buy used check out the www.fredmiranda.com forums

congrats on the baby
Cool

Ejazzle · Soul Rider Joined: 22 Aug 2006 Posts: 345 City: Tequesta

Nikon D40 is the way to go or the canon xti. both are great

as for lenses.

Nikkor 18-55 f/ 3.5 and a Nikkor 55-200 is the way to go for sure, They are both about 100 bucks and great lenses. If you want a really good portrait lens, i suggest getting the Nikkor 50mm F/ 1.8, its about 100bucks too.

If you can afford it buy a D80 and those lenses. you will be happier in the long run...

boardordie · Posted: Oct 14, 2008 4:23 am Post subject:

Thanks for the feedback!

I've been leaning towards the Canon xti or Nikon D40. Looks like I might have made sense out of all the information out there!

Any comments on the Canon xti vs. the xsi?

warwagon · Outlaw Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Posts: 128

just throwing this out there, i'm thinking about selling some nikon stuff if your interested: a d70s body, 2 batteries, sigma 10-20mm F4, 4 gigs worth of cards, everything works great. thinking about switching back to some 35mm F5 film action.

jonyb · Addict Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 844 City: Paducah

I've got a Nikon D50 and it's really easy to use... Wife can use it pretty well too when she wants to.

I'll vouch for warwagons stuff btw. It's taken care of, that's for sure. Maybe he'll post up some pics he's taken with it..... Wink

dubitup20i · Newbie Joined: 17 Jul 2008 Posts: 30

Id advise against the d40 or d40x i had one for about 3 months then upgraded right away to the d200, My sister is in the same boat now bought the d40x and now is looking to upgrade to either the d90 or d300. the main reason is lens choices. dont get me wrong the d40 is a great camera altho it lacks the AF motor in the body so you have to buy more expensive af-s lenses. if you spend a tad more on your body it will save you a ton on lenses and the lenses are what you will be keeping in the longer run.

If I were to do it all over again and on a budget id probably buy a canon. their introductory bodies are great and gives you the cheaper body (price wise for you brand loyals) that will work with a more variety of lenses without the USM ( i think thats what cannon calls it) but im not up to speed on the canon gear and price point aswell

RUSSIAN · Posted: Oct 14, 2008 7:45 pm Post subject:

The rebel series from canon will work with ALL EF lenses and the EF-S lenses. USM is a type of focus mechenism within the lens(as with all ef lens's) and has nothing to do with compatibility.
One thing that is rarely discussed is the lens. The lens is what makes the slr what it is. You will have trouble shooting certain things with cheap lens's(there are a few exceptions)
If you are happy with the ergonomics of the cheaper bodies then go with one of them, and try to put some money together for a couple of lens's at minimum.
For pics of your newborn I recommend a fast prime(50 1.8-85 1.8 would make a killer low light budget combo) and get an external flash for when the child is a month or so old and not so sensitive to light. Trust me when I say that it is the quality of light that makes a good portrait(or any photo for that matter)
As for wakeboarding, you will have all winter to save up for a longer lens. When you have a budget figured out ask us and we can help you out. I would not worry about it at the moment though.
Have fun and shoot a lot, it's the best way to learn Very Happy

dubitup20i · Newbie Joined: 17 Jul 2008 Posts: 30

russian, thats what i was saying about the USM which is the same as the AF-S lenses by nikon the AF-S lenses have a focus motor in the lens them self which are the only lenses that will auto focus on the D40

RUSSIAN · Posted: Oct 14, 2008 9:47 pm Post subject:

I see what you are saying, but USM and AF-S are not the same. USM is a type of lens based focus system(canon lens's have 3 types) it stands for ultra sonic motor. AF-S is Nikon's only lens based AF system(I believe) I don't know much about the mechanics of the AF-S system, so it could very well be that it is similar to canon's usm system, but I was just clarifying that the two complete systems as a whole are different(point out compatibility), and that all EOS cameras can use all EF lens's, and the rebels and 20D,30D,40D,50D can also use the ef-s lens's
The d40 is aimed at the soccer mom crowd who will most likely never change the lens on the camera anyway, all they would ever need is the kit lens. Weird move by Nikon but I'm sure it sells

boardordie · Posted: Nov 10, 2008 12:28 pm Post subject:

Well after a lot of internet research and a trip to the local camera store... I pulled the trigger on a Canon EOS-40D with 28-135 IS USM Lens kit. The rebel series cameras seamed really cheaply made. Lots of plastic that I didn't think would hold up over the test of time. So now I just have to wait 7-10 very long days for the camera to arrive.

Guess it's time to hit the local book store and start ready up on how to shoot DSLR. I'm going to try and find "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby. Any other book recommendations?

Any pointers you guys have would be appreciated.

RUSSIAN · Posted: Nov 10, 2008 2:44 pm Post subject:

I highly recommend this book - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0817463003/bookstorenow57-20
Its a great learning tool
my best advice is to try and figure out why the camera is getting certain results, and then try to learn how to take over the control so you can get the results you want when you want