[Taralindsey]

Originally Posted by tanukiki

I am saving up to step into the dSLR arena from the p&s. I am trying to stay under 700 but want something that will give some opportunity for growth for a few years until I can afford better. I would LOVE something like the D300 or 40D but that's not meant for this time around. I am trying to decide between the Canon Rebel XSi (450D), Nikon 60, or maybe a Sony a200 or a300. I have many many reviews and have gone and drooled over them in the stores. I will have to stick with the kit lens on anything but maybe the a200 for a few months but then might be able to invest in glass. Any words of wisdom???

I can only speak for Canon because it's the brand I use.. I loved my Canon Rebel XT (350d) and I think it's perfect for a first SLR.. easy to use, lots of nice features.. smaller than the 40d (which is what I have now) I wish I would have kept mine to take places because my 40d is HEAVY! The rebel 450d will take just as good pics as the 40d.. everything really depends on the lens.

I say 450d and buy a nice lens afterwards ( I have suggestions on those too, if you like)

[MrTFFC]

Originally Posted by lostnexposed

IMO, u can never go wrong with a Canon. I always feel like Canon cameras make my pics look better compared to other cameras. and I just love the Canon colors.

But I think Nikon might be better when it comes to SLR, but I will let the experts comment on that.

a little more info on what kind of camera u want(size, mp, what kinda pics u would be taking with this camera etc) would help most of us here get an idea of what u want

Buy which brand makes the best camera suited to you. Don't buy a 'brand', buy a camera. There are a lot of manufacturers out there which make great cameras but they are all suited to different people.

Best advice I could give is to go to a store and touch and have a play with as many cameras as you can. Then go to a good website which has great reviews, something like www.dpreview.com They have many camera reviews and also resolution/feature comparisons which can help make your final decision.

Just remember, some brands rely on their name to sell a lot of their lower end cameras, not the cameras themselves

[ChloeSS]

my pics ~~

[tanukiki]

Originally Posted by Taralindsey

I can only speak for Canon because it's the brand I use.. I loved my Canon Rebel XT (350d) and I think it's perfect for a first SLR.. easy to use, lots of nice features.. smaller than the 40d (which is what I have now) I wish I would have kept mine to take places because my 40d is HEAVY! The rebel 450d will take just as good pics as the 40d.. everything really depends on the lens.

I say 450d and buy a nice lens afterwards ( I have suggestions on those too, if you like)

Yhanks Tara. I am leaning towards the Canon. It will probably be a bit before I can buy it. I will definitely pick your brain about lenses down the line.

[ChloeSS]

I owned a 40D. love the camera.. 450d is a good choice too.

[oo0ehxtahcee0oo]

I wish I knew more people in photography, I'm looking to hire a photographer for our wedding in Hawaii!! Anyone interested?? LOL!!

[Laurie8504]

Hmmm.....is the trip to Hawaii included???

[tanukiki]

LOL! That's what I was going to ask!

[lostnexposed]

Originally Posted by ChloeSS

my pics ~~

I like this one. I can usually never take shots like this because my reflection shows up, or it's too dark and I need flash.

[vernilover]

Originally Posted by tanukiki

I am saving up to step into the dSLR arena from the p&s. I am trying to stay under 700 but want something that will give some opportunity for growth for a few years until I can afford better. I would LOVE something like the D300 or 40D but that's not meant for this time around. I am trying to decide between the Canon Rebel XSi (450D), Nikon 60, or maybe a Sony a200 or a300. I have many many reviews and have gone and drooled over them in the stores. I will have to stick with the kit lens on anything but maybe the a200 for a few months but then might be able to invest in glass. Any words of wisdom???

it is always difficult choosing your first dslr, because when you enter the dslr arena, you are really buying more than a camera, you are buying into a system (lenses, flashes, accessories, etc.).

the big 2, of course, are Canon and Nikon. they offer the largest selection of lenses, and each have their own strengths and weaknesses...

sony is aggressively making a move in the dslr arena as well, but their lens selection is a lot more limited when compared to canon and nikon.

of the cameras you listed, I have used the Canon 450d(xsi) and sony a350 (basically a300 with more pixels). i'm familiar with the nikon cameras as well (used nikon d40).

if you are coming from p&s, I think the sony A300's live view will offer the most seamless transition from p&s. sony's a300/a350's live view implementation is slighly different from other manufactures in that it can use the camera's af system without losing live view. other manufactures either need to interrupt the live view so that the mirror can drop to AF, or it uses a much slower contrast detect af (but no live view interruption). on the other hand, the sony's live view system doenst let you zoom in to allow for easier manual focus (which might be more important in a studio setting). the only big negative with the sony system is the lack of lens selection when compared to the canon and nikon systems.

if you can wait, i'd wait and see how the new panasonic G1 is. it is a new generation of camera, a bridge between the p&s and traditional dslrs. it is an EVIL (electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens) system. but i guess im digressing

guess we need more info about your preferences when it comes to cameras, like what you plan on shooting, size preferences, etc.

hope this helps!

[tanukiki]

I will be using it mostly for taking family pics - some action type of shots and some posed. But want some flexibility for different types of photography- shooting flowers, etc. I can see the utility of live view but would probably only use it occasionally for some shots like taking pics for eBay. I have heard that Sony's implementation is really good for live view but the rest of the camera leaves me feeling cold. Well except the feel of it. I like the way it feels but also know that it's a bit heavier than the others so that it might feel weighted down after a while. There is the capability with a lot of Minolta lenses as Sony bought Minolta's camera biz but all in all I think I still prefer Canon or Nikon. I am really leaning towards the Canon XSi/ 450D.
I probably won;t be getting this for a while but I am not interested in a digital viewfinder so the G1 is out.
My P&S is not one of the little pocket cams. It is a relatively large Kodak with 12X optical zoom and 7 MP. I am just craving much more manual control and the ability to change lenses.
Thanks everyone for your input! :-)

[princ3ss]

Originally Posted by Vlad

I rented the 200-400mm f/4 Nikkor for the next game this coming Friday

I saw the pictures in the gallery and they are great! You took some seriously awesome shots with that monster of a lens. Congrats

Do you still have it or did you return it already? How great was it shooting with it?

tanukiki, i have the Canon 450d and it's totally amazing. But the versatility really isn't in the camera, it's more important which lenses you use with it.

[tanukiki]

Originally Posted by princ3ss

I saw the pictures in the gallery and they are great! You took some seriously awesome shots with that monster of a lens. Congrats

Do you still have it or did you return it already? How great was it shooting with it?

tanukiki, i have the Canon 450d and it's totally amazing. But the versatility really isn't in the camera, it's more important which lenses you use with it.

I am learning how important the glass is with all of the research I am doing. I think the 450D will do me well for the next few years at least. Now just to save up enough money.

[Lululapell]

I love my camera, I take pictures constantly. But I seriously need to take a class on exposure, etc...

[Vlad]

Originally Posted by princ3ss

I saw the pictures in the gallery and they are great! You took some seriously awesome shots with that monster of a lens. Congrats

Do you still have it or did you return it already? How great was it shooting with it?

I only had it for a week, then had to return it.

I rather opted to get a mint 300mm f/2.8 VR from a chap at Fredmiranda.com and love it! Shooting with a prime definitely requires a different technique, but its bokeh, AF speed, sharpness and contrast are just out of this world! I ordered a TC-14E teleconverter for extra reach for tomorrow' homecoming game, I am very excited to give that a shot. At $4k, the lens wasn't cheap, but the results speak for themselves. Here's two galleries that I shot with it last week. The kids and parents love it!