Camera recommendations...

[Caster]

Originally Posted by darkcloud

I stopped into BestBuy to buy the new Maroon 5 cd and checked them out. I think I narrowed it down to the Nikon D40 which is a 6mp correct? or the 8mp Canon Rebel XTi. I really like both but the speed of the Canon over the Nikon was noticable.

Here comes the kicker. The Nikon is $599, Canon is $699, the 10mp Canon is I think $899. BestBuy also currently has a a deal with a 2 lens combo for the D40 going for $799. So you get the standard lens that comes with the $599 and the next lens which is the 100m-200m?? It's sounds like a good deal to me, but is it really to the camera buffs? I do like the idea of having 2 lens' and the price is pretty reasonable. I liked the feel of both but the speed and response of the Canon as I played with it still stands out to me. But I also don't know how much of a requirement those traits are.

I don't know. So again, what do you people think?

Okay well first to begin, when you step into DSLR's forget the whole megapixel thing. If you're not printing poster sized images (20"+) the megapixels aren't going to make a difference. My 8mp Rebel XT will provide better shots at high iso then a P&S 10MP camera (my 8mp Rebel XT actually handles high-iso shots better then the new 10mp Rebel XTi) because of the sensor size. Its kind of confusing, but if you have a higher MP count and a small sensor you're going to lose detail and have noisier pictures.

Like I said you'd want to start with a Rebel XT, a Rebel XTi, or a Canon 20D or 30D body and I'd recommend buying online from a retailer like B&H Photo & Video (http://bhphotovideo.com). After you decide what body you want, you can either decide on going with the kit lens (which isn't a bad start) or if you want to spend a little bit more and buy specific lenses you can as well. If your on a budget, the kit lens will give you a feel of the camera although its a bit limiting you can start to figure out where you're going from there, but if you're willing to spend a little more (and if you're going Canon) I'd go with a Sigma 17-70mm F/2.8-4 (I think that was the aperture). At the wide end (17mm) its pretty fast (F/2.8 aperture) and sharp and will give you a pretty long focal range (70mm). This lens will help give you a more overall feel of the camera, so you can experience the telephoto long end and the wide angle wide open end w/ bokeh.

Check out: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/ for a lot more info, its a great community and extremely helpful.

[JLausch]

I would say either a Nikon d80 (just under a grand) or if you're a canon guy (i kinda dabble in both but i'm kinda biased to canon) a 30d would be a good choice.