Photo guys (new camera question)

[727bryon]

I've been looking at getting a cheap (under 600ish) digital camera for skim, skate, bike, and all around other photography.

I was looking in some Popular Photography magazines, and the Nikon D40 caught my eye. $599 lens included. Seemed like a real bang for your buck kinda deal.

Anyone familiar with it, or have anything to say about it? Other sugestions are welcome too.

Thanks.

[Joe Bailey]

B&H has a Nikon D40 kit for $740 which has a 18-55mm lens (ok for skate and all around), and a 55-200mm lens (good for skim). It's a 6mp camera...not the best, but pretty good. It has iso settings from 200-3200...it would be nice to have an iso 100 setting, but you can live without it. It only shoots 2.5 frames per second...this is really pretty crappy when you're shooting skate or skim photos, but you can good photos if you practice your timing.

Nikons make great cameras. Their lenses are especially sharp. But if you can afford a bit more, I would check into a Canon Rebel setup. Their image processors are much better than Nikon's, giving you less noisy and pixelated images. They shoot iso 100 and 3 frames per second. Worth checking out.

Hope this helps,

Joe B.

[727bryon]

I'm checking out some different Cannon Rebel kits from B&H right now.
Seems like a better deal than the D40, but I only sorta know what I'm looking at. haha.

[UmmmmIdk]

if u wanna spend around 5 then get the cannon powershot is s5, not dslr but close, i got the s3 and it is sick

[Sandskimmernewbie]

B&H has a Nikon D40 kit for $740 which has a 18-55mm lens (ok for skate and all around), and a 55-200mm lens (good for skim). It's a 6mp camera...not the best, but pretty good. It has iso settings from 200-3200...it would be nice to have an iso 100 setting, but you can live without it. It only shoots 2.5 frames per second...this is really pretty crappy when you're shooting skate or skim photos, but you can good photos if you practice your timing.

Nikons make great cameras. Their lenses are especially sharp. But if you can afford a bit more, I would check into a Canon Rebel setup. Their image processors are much better than Nikon's, giving you less noisy and pixelated images. They shoot iso 100 and 3 frames per second. Worth checking out.

Hope this helps,

Joe B.

I don't have "Pro Photo" under my screenname but I am here to back Nikon up. First off, 6mp is more than enough. Ive seen 16x20's printed from 6MP cams that look perfectly fine. ISO 100 is nice, yes, but you won't need it. ISO 200 has like 0 noise anyway. Im not going to back up 2.5 FPS for sequences. But you should be able to get the shot in one frame anyway, instead of relying on burst to get that "Moment."

I don't know that this less noise/pixelated garbage is. I know a few pros that have D50's for their spectacular noise performance. Unless Canon has some lenses that you NEED, a D40 will be perfect. I don't know the current price on a Rebel, but its more expensive, isn't it?

Im just giving you options. Don't stray away from Nikon's D-- line, its a fantastic line of bodies and Nikon has some great glass to pair it with. I don't know anything about Canons, so I can only offer advice to go with a Nikon.

[Joe Bailey]

Damn dude...don't take it personal. I'm just trying to help the guy out.

[WRX]

2.5 frames/sec is kind of a bust especially for skate/skim sequences. hm, im looking into the XTi actually.. what do you guys have to say about it?

[Mmm... Pasta]

The D50 is super sick, absolutely no complaints with it. Super fast sequence shot is especially nice for skimming.

[wardovision]

I ISO 100 is nice, yes, but you won't need it. ISO 200 has like 0 noise anyway.

ISO 100 might not be needed but it sure is a lot better option for skimboarding shots 85% of the time. While Nikon makes excellent cameras this and the 2.5 fps would be a sticking point for me in purchasing a sports camera.

edit: I'm not saying it isn't a great camera or won't suit your purposes. I just really value having complete control of my settings and getting the desired aperture value isn't always possible when using a higher ISO (without shooting 1/4000).

[Atrus]

I have owned the Digital Rebel XT and I have used the Nikon D40 and I would highly recommend the D40. Unless you plan on dropping some serious cash on new glass for the rebel ($500+), get the D40, the photos it takes out of the box with the kit lens are far superior to the Canon. body wise they're both solid cameras, and I know a lot more Canon guys than I do nikon, but im tellin ya, i like the images that come out of the nikon better, especially if ur just getting into photography, you will probably like the sharper image you get from the nikon. plus for under 500 its a much better deal. The difference in megapixels is neglible, and you don't get some advanced features w/ the nikon like exposure bracketing, but the difference in image quality trumps that as well. you can't go too wrong either way, but i know if i had bought a d40 instead of a rebel, i probably wouldn't have given up and sold the damn thing. good luck!

and make sure you buy from B&H Photo, they are without a doubt, the standard in quality online A/V retail: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

[727bryon]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone.

This will be my first decent digital camera, so I don't think I'd even notice the things you all are talking about. At least for a while. haha.

It will be a while before I get it, but I like getting my ducks in a row before a big purchase like this. (I'm only 17, so $600 is a big purchase.) When I get it I'll try to remember to tell you guys what I decided on.

Again, thanks a lot.