Entry level D SLR recommends

Hey guys,

I've been looking at a Nikon D5000 (http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D5000-18...6861104&sr=8-1) as an entry level piece of kit.

It has an image stabiliser for shots from the boat, and some video capability (780p HD) for infrequent use, and seems to fare well against the Canon EOS range in tests.

Anyone got one/ recommend an alternative?

And what sort of additional lense would you go with for water/ wake shots first off- or is the kit 18- 55mm OK?

I rock the D5000 and my brother has the upgrade (D200) We ALWAYS take the D5000 on the boat. The pictures it takes are awesome! Then again, it's a Nikon so I think if I were to buy another one... I think I'd find a D90 over the D5000. Due to the second view screen on the top of the body, makes it a lot easier for making adjustments where as the D5000, ya have to know where to go in the menu's and take a little more time to set up your shot. If your stuck on price, I'd drop down to the D40 and save ya some money and go for a good lens.

As far as the video... I honestly don't use it very much. I have noticed that the best way to rock that is switch it to manual focus and focus by hand. otherwise it holds the same focus the whole time, (not like an actual camcorder). If your buying a DSLR for a camcorder, your buying it for the wrong reasons.

Last of all... your gonna HATE that 18-55 lens for wakeboarding... I use a 24-120mm and still just ain't enough.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18200.htm

This is the Lens I would HIGHLY suggest for ANY Nikon DSLR you look at. 18-200mm. Lets you get the close ups, and zoom in for the longer distances. It does come with a price tag tho which is usually more then the body. Lens makes EVERYTHING tho.

Check out: http://www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm for some more good info and reviews on stuff. He's got a lot of good insight.

Another big thing is learn the camera. If your one of those, set everything to Auto and take pictures. Save your money and get ya a little pocket camera that'll take the same pictures.

For shooting from a boat you just can't beat a 70-200!! I assume Nikon makes one. I have an f2.8 but the f4 is a lot lighter and works awesome in decent light.

Thanks guys, not buying the DSLR for video, but it's definitely a nice to have (as the Canon EOS450D- which I think you call the Rebel XSi- http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08...noneos450d.asp doesn't have it, and you have to pay a LOT more for the 550/ Rebel T2i which does)

I gotta do some more research about lenses then!!

I would only get the 18-200 Jason talks about if you want just 1 lens. It's ok, but there's way too many compromises made with it. I would recommend a 70-300 like this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...om_Nikkor.html along with a wider lens of whatever range you choose. There are also non-Nikon brand lenses that are just as good for less. It's less about the body and more about the lenses. There's a lot to learn and it can be a bit daunting, but the more you know before you go off to buy the better you'll be.

I am deffinately not an expert on this but, I just wanted to say that I bought a Canon Rebel XS in December and love it. It is my first DSLR and I get some great shots with it.

When getting into DLSRs remember, you are buying into the lens system you will probably stick with the rest of your life. Both Canon and Nikon make great gear. My recommendation would be to ask around your friends and see what brands they have, and go with what the majority of the people you hang with have. That way you can barrow lenses and have people you can talk to when you need help. Odds are you will replace the body many times but will keep the lenses you acquire for years and years

If you get into a debate on Canon vs. Nikon it will go on forever, but in the end you will be happy with either brand.

One other thing I want to point out, the D5000 is pretty basic. It doesn't have a focus motor in the body, so to get auto focus you have to buy lenses that are marked AF-S as these have the motor in the lens. They're also generally more expensive than their normal equivalent but focus faster on some bodies. You should make sure you're totally committed to a D-SLR before deciding to buy one. If you want to know anything specific you can PM me with whatever questions you have.

This is awesome- thankyou all so much for the input, I really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Anubis79

One other thing I want to point out, the D5000 is pretty basic. It doesn't have a focus motor in the body, so to get auto focus you have to buy lenses that are marked AF-S as these have the motor in the lens.

This is a really good point, and one I clearly didn't realise. Sounds like getting a used D90 body might be a better buy than a new D5000, and looking for maybe a 70- 300mm lens for distance stuff, with something shorter for anything that requires up close/ detail.

And all of a sudden I'vedoubled the $$ I was going to pay, but at least I'll get gear which is far more useful to me.

So what sort of lens is a good idea for close range detail? My girl is a dress designer so predominantly indoor, well-lit shots with some up-close pics of the fancy stuff would be good. A compact is fine for now, but if I'm splashing the cash, I may as well get a comprehensive package.

70-300 is a great outdoor/wildlife lens, although it might be a bit too close for boarding shots depending on what you're going for. I can fit the width of the wake at 70mm for a rider at 60 feet. At about 135mm I have the rider pretty much filling the frame top to bottom, depending on their height. If you want sequence shots you'll definitely want something less than 50mm. My lens setup for my D50 is 18-55, 50mm f/1.8 prime, and 70-300. My ideal setup would be a superwide 12-24, a midrange 18-105, my 70-300, and a few low-light primes in the f/1.4 to f/2 range. Overlap is good as it can prevent you from changing lenses as frequently. The more you change, the greater the risk of dust on the sensor and lens. If you can swing it, a setup like this would cover a majority of situations:http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...al_Camera.html. Toss in a 35mm prime and you've got the basics.

Both lenses are great for their price range and have image stabilization built in, which helps a ton in certain situations. Both lenses will run you about $900, so if you can find a used D90 or even a D80 for under $900 you can save some $ over the new package.

For your girl, depending on the detail she'd need to capture, a macro might be the best tool. You can focus from super close distances, but they are costly. You could probably get away with the 18-105 if she doesn't need to get super detailed. The most useful thing would probably be a tripod. That way lighting won't really matter and you'll eliminate human interference.

The great thing about a Nikon setup, and I admit I haven't read up on Canon lately, is that just about every lens made from 1950something until now will fit on a Nikon D-SLR. Some lose features, but they mount and can still be manually focused. There's great older lenses that you can get for less than new ones that have far better optical quality. And with a D90 you can auto-focus the ones that have the ability, no so with the D5000.

Whew, sorry about the long-winded post. Only you can determine just how involved you want to get and what body is best for you. The 18-105 and 70-300 are AF-S, so they'll work fine on a D5000 should you want to go that way.

Please don't apologise for a long post, it's all been really helpful! There was a girl at the lake today with a Canon 550D (Rebel T2i I think it translates to) which had a stock lens, 18-35mm. she said it definitely didn't zoom enough for the shots she wanted. And there was me, off to buy just that before I asked here... Thankyou!!

Always happy to help! Can't wait to see what gear you decide on. I'll gladly do my best to help with any questions you have once you start shooting. I'm still working on my technique while in the boat, lots of variables to overcome to get those quality shots worth keeping.

I just bought my first DSLR camera this morning and I'm afraid that I stole it....

In Texas we have an electronics chain called Fry's Electronics. Each Friday they have a big ad in the paper and each Friday I read their ad religiously shopping for things that I didn't know I needed. This morning was one of those days where I indeed found something that was just too good to pass up. In today's ad Fry's was advertising the Canon T1i DSLR w/lens for $499. That alone is a smoking hot deal considering that the msrp is $799 and most retailers sell it for $699.

When I get to the store they have one left, so I immediately snatch it up and head for the checkout counter. When the cashier rings it up it rings up at $394! Perhaps I should go play the lottery today?

Jesus... what a deal! $394 is an absolute steal!!! Congrats. That's about the price of a 1.4X extender for god's sake!! Good thing I need another body like I need a hole in the head or I'd be heading over there!

Originally Posted by nauty

I just bought my first DSLR camera this morning and I'm afraid that I stole it....

In Texas we have an electronics chain called Fry's Electronics. Each Friday they have a big ad in the paper and each Friday I read their ad religiously shopping for things that I didn't know I needed. This morning was one of those days where I indeed found something that was just too good to pass up. In today's ad Fry's was advertising the Canon T1i DSLR w/lens for $499. That alone is a smoking hot deal considering that the msrp is $799 and most retailers sell it for $699.

When I get to the store they have one left, so I immediately snatch it up and head for the checkout counter. When the cashier rings it up it rings up at $394! Perhaps I should go play the lottery today?

Thief! Thats awesome!

which fry's u go to ? cause i need a body and that sounds like a sick deal

I went to the Fry's in Arlington, Texas. I think the sale is over, but you may want to keep an eye out for their ads in Friday's paper.

Fry's is a tricky with their ads.... they will advertise something (like the T1i) at a rock bottom price, but only have one in stock. So when you see something like that in an ad you need to be there when the doors open if you want it. They also tend to have a rotation with the things they advertise. I'd bet money that they will have the T1i back on sale again in 6-8 weeks.

The way they do business makes no sense to me. They will give stuff away for cheap to get you in the door, but then on other items they'll be super high on their prices and refuse to match a competitor's price. Take the Canon 55-250mm lens for example.... Fry's has it for $269 and Wal-Mart had it for $229. The difference is that Wal-Mart doesn't stock it in their stores, but they will ship "site-to-store" for free, it takes a week or so to get it. Rather than wait a week I wanted Fry's to match the price so I could just get the lens that day. They wouldn't do it; they held firm at $269. They missed out on a sale as I went ahead and bought it from Wally World.

Used 40D and 70-200 f/4 would be a great set up for wakeboarding shots from the boat, you could get this all for around 1000.

Truthfully the entry level cameras just don't autofocus as well as the pro-sumer and pro camera.