Cameras

digital slr?

I’m somewhat of a newbie to cameras, but not as much as some. I have several point and shoot cameras, no digital slr’s.

Let me help you sort out the monotony that comes with buying a DSLR.

Someone suggested the Sony Alpha or the Pentax K100D, citing the in-camera shake reduction. This would be a plus, but is really only a selling point. In truth, this shake reduction only provides around 2 stops difference. Also, on the Pentax K100D, this sucks away the battery life on a camera that runs on AA batteries. Yes, this is the only DSLR that runs on AA’s, and hopefully will remain so. You see, the battery life is severely cut, giving you only around 400 pictures before they give out. My thing with the Sony Alpha are its less than good image quality at higher ISO’s, and its tendency to over saturate.

The Nikon D40x is an excellent camera for the money, and the best bang for your buck in its class; a title once held by Canon and the Digital Rebel series. The Nikon D40x has great image quality, excellent build and layout, and a supurb selection of lenses. Granted, non AF-S lenses will not auto focus. The reason being, Nikon took out the in camera motor. This seems like a major flaw, but when you think about it, it really was not. The Nikon D40 and D40x are designed for people who are moving up from point and shoots, who do not have any previous Nikkors, and who do not plan to buy any besides the 18-55mm kit or the 55-200mm extended kit. This is also why these cameras cannot be found with out the kit 18-55mm. This does not mean you cannot use the older screw driven Nikkors. You can still get that great quality, only you’ll have to manual focus the lens. This sucks, I know, but it’s easy to get use to. Besides, photographers have been manual focusing their lenses for well over a hundred years, and they continue to do this today; look at the $1000 Canon 65mm 1x-5 macro: http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=155&modelid=7325 Yes, it’s a manual focus, and a great lens, both optically and its all uses. Just look at it…!

The Nikon D40x, like all Nikon cameras is very well built. This goes from the $550 D40 to the $5,000 D3. This has held true all the way back in the days of film. Canon on the other hand always feels “Cheap”, that is plasticy and fragile. I don’t care what anyone says, but the Digital Rebel series, the Rebel, the XT and the XTi all feel terrible. The 40D is much better, but still feels like a Canon-light and cheap. It really only really goes away with the supurb EOS 5D and the Mark series.

One other thing that bring down Canon are its lenses. Unlike Nikon, whose lenses are stunning, Canon suffers from some optical flaws. Now, I love the way Canon USM lenses look and feel, but this is about it. Really, the optical quality does not get good until you lay out around $500. But the L series is where the optical quality become flawless.

Overall, I would suggest the Nikon D40x. For so cheap and such great quality, why would you want to miss it? For Canon, you’ll have to spend a lot more money to get the same quality. If you go with Canon, at least get the 40D and a good lens. Otherwise, you’ll be disapointed.

From what you’ve read, I might sound one sided with Nikon. Let me just say, this is how I feel, and from my own experiences with both Canon, Nikon, and Sony, Pentax, Mamiya, and others. If I use a Nikon, I know I get quality. If I use a Canon 5D and an L lens, I know I get quality as well. I would be crazy to say Canon is a bad company, as I would to say Nikon is. In truth, both make excellent products.

Hope this helps.

Digital Slr Camera Guide

Canon EOS 7D Digital SLR Camera $1549 The tool of choice for serious photographers and semi-professionals, the EOS 7D features an all-new 18-megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor and dual DIGIC 4 image processors. This camera body is compatible with the full line of Canon EF and EF-S lenses.

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18-55mm IS II Digital SLR Camera Kit $749 Photographers looking for an easy-to-use camera that will help them create their next masterpiece need look no further than the Canon EOS Rebel T3i.

Canon EOS 60D EF-S 18MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-135mm IS Lens $1199 The new Canon EOS 60D DSLR gives the photo enthusiast a powerful tool for fostering creativity with better image quality. This camera is compatible with SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards and the full line of Canon EF and EF-S lenses.

Canon EOS 7D EF-S 18MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-135mm IS Lens $1849 The tool of choice for serious photographers and semi-professionals, the EOS 7D features an all-new 18-megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor and dual DIGIC 4 image processors. This camera body is compatible with the full line of Canon EF and EF-S lenses.

Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2MP DSLR Camera/ 18-55mm IS II Lens/ 8GB Kit $499 Perfect for photographers ready to make the move to digital SLR photography, the EOS Rebel T3 delivers beautiful photos and video, speed, simplicity and fun. This camera features a 12.2-megapixel CMOS Image Sensor and Canon DIGIC 4 Image Processor.