Looking for digital SLR camera recommendations

[texas pinzgauer]

I was a camera geek years ago and then got tired of lugging all of that $hit around. In recent years, an easy to use point and shoot Canon has done the trick for my photography needs.

Over the weekend, I was taking photos at a sporting event and you would have thought that William and Kate were planning to make an appearance given all of the senious DSLRs being used by the adoring parents at this lacrosse tournament. It got me thinking that I could probably benefit from having a DSLR.

I'm thinking that something like the Nikon D3100 is probably what I'm looking for.

Please weigh in if you've got an opinion or can share your experiences with a preferred DSLR camera that you've been particularly impressed with.

Thanks!

[Jimm391730]

I absolutely LOVE my D300 that I bought a few years ago, especially when coupled to the 18-200mm zoom that does it all! Blows every digital I've ever owned away, with room to spare. Despite it's size and weight I'll take it with me most everywhere.

The D3100 looks to be a nice camera.

Jim M.

[ScottishPinz]

Well this is well "off topic" but then of course general chat is just that... I think if you are going to get into photography seriously you have a choice of Canon or Nikon. At this stage I wouldn't worry too much about the camera you choose but look at the lenses of each manufacturer you may eventually wish to purchase. I can't tell you much about Nikon as when I made my choice I went with Canon

Any Canon or Nikon DSLR will be great, I still use my old EOS 400D (thats a Rebel for those in USA) as a backup camera and its just fine.

If I was buying a body now I'd go for the EOS 7D

The kit lens often bundled with the camera is not the best optic, but if used within its limitations can produce excellent photos!

One final thing... the forum picture which I took was done on a 10 year old compact!!!

My recent work is all with a EOS 40D and mostly L glass.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85306730@N00/

Enjoy whichever you choose

[VinceAtReal4x4s]

You know what I do professionally and while it isn't a cinema camera, I use a Canon 7D as a general on-set camera and for anything else that pops up. Shockingly good HD video mode and more importantly, takes great pictures. It has a real magnesium body and lots of pro style features without being over the top. I agree about the lenses. Stay away from what they come with and buy one of the better Canon zooms. If you have the money, get an L series Canon zoom or go for a Tamron if you don't want to spend that much.

The new Nikon D7000 would be my second choice. If money is of no concern, the Canon 5D is good or go nuts with a Nikon D3x.

The best place to get gear in the US is either Samy's Camera or B&H photo/video. They have the best prices while being the most reliable to deal with. If you see it cheaper elsewhere, don't be tempted. Lots of scam companies out there selling gear but I know these guys and have bought from them before, several times.

[texas pinzgauer]

I knew I'd get some well informed responses here from such worldly types as y'all! Please keep the comments and suggestions coming folks.

Thanks very much for your guidance.

David

[spandit]

We've got a Nikon D60, a bit old hat now but compared to our other compact digital cameras it's amazing. Despite buying books on digital photography, to be honest we just shoot in .jpg mode (rather than RAW) and the images are good enough for our purposes.

As DSLRs go, it's fairly compact and lightweight. Unless you were a professional photographer, I'd say the picture quality with the standard included lens is perfectly adequate. A newer camera should be even faster to take the picture which is important for your sporting events.

To summarize, any DSLR will be a marked improvement on a compact camera and you only have to choose whether you prefer Nikon or Canon

[edzz]

Another thing to consider when deciding on a camera body is what lenses can be rented locally, many photographers will find renting specialty lenses to be less expensive in the long run. For all the use I’ve gotten out of my 24mm shift lens and my macro lenses etc compared to their current value I’d have been far ahead of the game to have rented. Same goes for specialty flash gear.

Ed

[HafWit]

I would recommend starting with a budget and a purpose before you make your decisions. A professional grade body in excess of $1000 is probably overkill for most users. The lenses tend to be more important than the body for overall quality and you should plan to spend as much if not more on the lenses than the body. Decide up front if you will be needing very high resolution for huge blow-ups and if HD video is needed as this will limit your choices. Do you plan to carry many lenses with you for all purposes or will you try to accomplish most everything with one lens. I have a Tamron 18-270 that is a good all-around choice when I don't want to carry a bag on lenses. You can find things like the Nikon D90 and D5000 in special packages with accessories and a decent price. These are adequate for most people's needs. I opted to go with Nikon, but Canon always has something comparable.

Good luck.
Greg

[Erik712m]

Just went to the 5d. I'd recommend full frame. I'll post some side by side of the two when I'm back from the smokey mountains.

[Tibbermore]

Have you thought about one of the new generation compact concept digital cameras. A lot of the features of a full SLR but much smaller size and more portable. Might be a good half way house. Samsung NX10, Panasonic Lumix G2, Sony NEX-5. All have range of interchageable lenses.

[David Dunn]

David,
Go with either a Canon or Nikon. My experience is with Nikon, and went that way because of backward compatibility..... a old Nikon lense will still fit a new camera, though without the "bells and whistles" ...... Though you are starting over on equipment, 20 years down the road, the lenses you bought today will still probably fit the new cameras. In a pinch, I can still go back to my old F4s with the same lenses.... and I'm sure Canon is following the same with backward compatibility ( Vince would know for sure ).

Go with the leaders with a track history.

[texas pinzgauer]

All good comments guys. I did have a ton of Nikon equipement years ago but I'm really not looking to being a camera geek again. I find that a point and shoot doesn't work for the lacrosse games I'm attending with my younger son. I've attended Petit LeMans and Sebring in recent years and a point and shoot was just about worthless for anything that was going on at those races. I'm thinking about a DSLR with a couple of lenses will do the trick. I'm not looking for an excuse to take more pictures, just be better equipped when I do want to whip out a camera to capture the moment.

Everyone is steering me to Nikon and Canon and those are really the ones I'll likely buy. I do wonder if there's another respected manufacturer that has a dynamite product that's simply under the radar screen becuase everyone is so focused (a little camera humor ) on Nikon and Canon?

Thanks again for all of the great comments and suggestions folks.

[edzz]

Everyone is steering me to Nikon and Canon and those are really the ones I'll likely buy. I do wonder if there's another respected manufacturer that has a dynamite product that's simply under the radar screen becuase everyone is so focused (a little camera humor ) on Nikon and Canon?

My digital SLR system is Olympus, I have many older OM series macro lenses I wanted to be able to use so it was a good choice for me. If I were starting over with a full size SLR I’d more likely be looking at Canon or Nikon as they are the most common. That said I do still like the full size Olympus cameras.
The new Olympus Pen system has a lot going for it and is less bulky than most other digital SLR systems, may be worth a look.
However I still stand by my earlier comment about being able to rent lenses being of value. Many pro camera shops have full outfits available to rent and often will apply the rent to a camera purchase. Renting is a good way to find if a camera will fit your needs and when you need a lens that is cost prohibitive to purchase.


Ed

[Jimm391730]

You mentioned racing, here is a (shrunk from the 12Mp version) full sized image and a cropped close up from it.


New Jersey Motorsports Park, 2008

This was taken with a Nikon D300, 18-200mm zoom at 190mm, f8, 1/750 second, ISO 200 (the default lowest for this body). The lens has image stabilization and this was hand held. If I don't screw up it can take pictures that are sharp to the pixel. The car was going 80-90 mph in this image.

I know Canon makes very good cameras too (and had been ahead of Nikon until a few years ago) but my first DSLR was a Pentax *istD since I had a selection of Pentax lenses but I was never happy with it. Since I had to "start afresh" I chose Nikon if only for their long history.

My Nikon is definately work to carry around, but the likelyhood of getting a good sharp image with good exposure makes me want to get out and take pictures.

Jim M.

[texas pinzgauer]

Gang,

I went with the Nikon D3100 and am very pleased with it. I got it from a local camera shop, the place is crawling with camera nerds! I got the 18mm to 55mm and 55mm to 200mm lenses and it should be exactly what I need for my intended purposes. I deliberately went with a smallish camera bag so I'm not inclined to fill it up with more "stuff" later.

I'm sure the comparable Canon has the same thing but the Nikon came with an extremely helpful DVD that walks you through the features, buttons etc. on the camera and that really simplified the process of figuring out what everything does. I feel like I understand nearly 100% of what I need to know for my intended purposes. There's a manual of course but who wants to read that? (not me!)

Many thanks again for the many educated opinions y'all shared with me.