first DSLR help please

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seisky

Bronze member
I'm gonna get my first DSLR in less than 2 weeks, and I need to decide quickly what I want to get. The main choices I'm looking at are Nikon D40 or Canon Digital Rebel XT. The only thing I don't like about the D40 is that it can only auto focus with certain lenses, which is a major turn off. Here is a list of what the camera needs:

-preferably about $500 or lower for body and kit lens
-good for sports and wildlife, but also all other types of photography
-tripod mount and hot shoe(lol)
-will work with Vivitar 285HV's or other flashes
-a good selection of lenses that won't be TOO expensive for me to get when I'm just starting
-can shoot an unlimited amount of shots in a row or at least a decent amount
-easy to use and learn on
-can autofocus with lenses(only thing I don't like about D40 for most lenses)
-will last a long time

Can anyone help me find a camera? It doesn't have to be a D40 or Rebel, I'm open to suggestions. Thanks for your help!

And yes, I read the SLR thread.
 
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Eric Magray

Steel Member
d40

when it comes to consumer level cameras (anything under $2000), nikon has a better line up of cameras. nikon has canon beat when it comes to quality and affordability. dont get me wrong canons are nice too, but for about the same price of a canon, youll find a nikon with better features.
 
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seisky

Bronze member
I'm way turned off on the the D40 though because it can only auto focus with certain lenses.

also, would a Pentax K100D Super be good? Would it work for sports and wildlife? I might want to become some sort of sports or wildlife photographer when I'm older, and I don't want to have to switch brands and buy a bunch of new stuff.
 
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Eric Magray

Steel Member
seisky said:
I'm way turned off on the the D40 though because it can only auto focus with certain lenses.
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its called AF-S, and nikon is making it the new standard. its where the autofocus motor is in the lens instead of the body. theres plenty of high quality AF-S lens out now anyway. and if youre looking to buy a lower grade camera for only 500 then i doubt youre gonna be spending hundreds more on any high quality lens for it that doesnt come in AF-S.

case in point: youre not gonna be putting a couple grand into a lens to shoot telephoto wildlife shots on a $500 camera....
 
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seisky

Bronze member
so are you saying that I should go with the D40?

and no, I don't want to spend lots of money on high quality lenses when I'm just starting. if I become some kind of photographer, than yeah, I would spend the extra money.

I'm still leaning towards the Rebel XT.
 
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P4RK3R

Member
Any camera below the D100 won't let you use old, manual focus lenses. They will let you manual focus on the newer Nikon lenses that have electronics inside them, but the rangefinder in the D40, D50, D60, D70, D80 won't register the lenses, and won't let you take pictures.
 
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Eric Magray

Steel Member
seisky said:
so are you saying that I should go with the D40?

and no, I don't want to spend lots of money on high quality lenses when I'm just starting. if I become some kind of photographer, than yeah, I would spend the extra money.

I'm still leaning towards the Rebel XT.
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i had the same problem when i was looking for a camera. i was actually leaning more towards the xti before i bought my camera. but i read as many reviews and comparisons i could find about the xti and d40. i ended up learning that the d40 has many more useful features. and when i compared kit prices on bhphotovideo.com i noticed that the d40 was a little cheaper, so i went with it.

whether you go for the d40 or the xt is up to you. i was just making the point that youre gonna get a better camera for the money with nikon and that there are tons of great lenses that work perfectly with the d40.

i have the d40 and i love it. the user interface is so much more organized and understandable than the xt (and ive used xt's and xti's plenty of times). i just didnt want you to be ignorant to the fact that the d40 works with more lenses than you will ever need.
 
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seankane

Member
parker said:
^Or get the Rebel XT because you can use older Nikon manual focus lenses on it, unlike the D40
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you need to drop it with the flashes. for a first dslr, the kit lens will be good enough for awhile. then say you want a telephoto, there are plenty of AFS lenses that'll work perfect. then a fisheye you can get the 10.5mm 2.8. no that, doesnt have auto focus with a d40, but when focused to infinity, everything beyond 2ft will be in focus, so there isn't even a need for auto focus on that.

so everyone bitching about not having an autofocus motor is complete bullshit.
 
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Eric Magray

Steel Member
parker said:
^Or get the Rebel XT because you can use older Nikon manual focus lenses on it, unlike the D40
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thats true too. if you want to use old nikkor lenses, you can get an adapter for a canon eos body and find plenty of good quality lenses for really cheap on ebay.
 
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