entry-level DSLR

P

Patrick

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I am looking into an upgrade for my camera...well, actually, I am looking to upgrade to an entirely new camera. Right now I have a rather advanced point-and-shoot, with attachable wide-angle and tele-photo lenses. It is a $399 SONY cyber-shot DSC-H2, which is 6.0 mp. I am looking into getting an entry-level DSLR, but Im not too impressed with the Nikon D-40, and I was thinking seriously about the SONY Alpha, which has built in image stabilization and is 10.1 MP, for $899. As I will have to undoubtedly save for a few weeks to purchase this, I figured I would make a post about this topic so that any and all experienced photographers on here (Castevens especially, as you have helped me in the past with this subject) can weigh in on what my best move would be. I really like the built in image stablizer for SONY....are there any other ADSLR's in that price raneg I should look seriously at? Thanks for any help anyone can provide, I appreciate it.
 
This is a great place for reviews and discussion.

http://www.dpreview.com/

The main thing with DSLR's is you're buying into a lens system. New camera bodies will come along every couple of years but your lenses will last you much longer. I'm thinking about getting the new Canon 400d. I don't have to worry about lenses because I can use the same ones I bought with the original Digital Rebel several years ago. So look into bodies that have the features you're interested in but keep the company's lens selection in mind as well because once you start spending money on them, those are the ones you'll be using for a while.
 
dpreview helped me a lot when I was researching. I ultimately bought a Nikon d70, which I still love and adore. But I think the rival Canon digital rebel is probably a better camera for the money. The Nikon is more expensive, and it's a tossup as to which one is better.

The Digital Rebel and D70 have been replaced by Canon and Nikon as to the new entry level dSLRs. Now, Nikon has a D50 and D40, which are cheaper and just as good.

I have a lot to say about digital cameras, but I need to go watch the Oscars (go Departed!). I'll finish this sometime later.
 
and another website (along with dpreview) to keep you busy for a while is Steve's Digicams. VERY informative site.
 
Ok so Patrick:

What are you looking for in the camera?
What capabilities do you want?
What are you going to do with it (include things such as situations, like rainy/freezing/etc that it may be exposed to)?
Do you prefer a type of memory (compact flash > SD)?
What is your price range?
 
castevens said:
Ok so Patrick:

What are you looking for in the camera?
What capabilities do you want?
What are you going to do with it (include things such as situations, like rainy/freezing/etc that it may be exposed to)?
Do you prefer a type of memory (compact flash > SD)?
What is your price range?
Click to expand...

Hi and thanks for your response, I thought this thread had been forgotten.

What am I looking for in a camera?

- I want something with features that allow me to stream tail lights, take night time shots that come out clearly, high megapixels (over 6mp, which I have now), and good zoom with low shake/blur. I like the SONY because they have built in blur-reducing image stabilization technology whereas with Nikon and others you have to buy a lens for that, and those lenses seem to cost a lot more than if you bought a camera for which that technology was inherent (SONYs).

I would like a camera that I can use in multiple settings, rain or shine, however I am willing to bend this criterium if price becomes too much of an issue. speaking of, price range is $1,000

lastly, any type of memory is fine with me.

recap: highest megapixels, highest zoom, lowest blur for the price range. the rest I dont care too much about, as most high priced cameras can do the things I want (night time, streaming lights, etc.). thanks for the help!!
 
I'm so sorry I wasn't able to get back to you... I believe that the above post of mine was my last post for about 2-3 months.

Have you purchased a dSLR yet? Since I asked the questions, a few new ones have come out...

Check out http://www.steves-digicams.com/cameras_digpro.html -- his reviews are astounding.
 
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