$800 Camera budget
 

So the wife and I are in the market for a new digi and have been looking at the Canon Rebel XT and Nikon D40X.

We have always used Nikon in the past, but are open to others this go around.

We plan to use it for Aquarium shots of course as well as supercross/motocross events and we enjoy taking photos of the Blad Eagles here in IL in the winter.

The standard lens on both seem to be the 18-55mm. I know we will need a macro lens for the tank as well and considered getting the 100mm Canon.

Any tips advice on this would be appreciated. We are looking to buy this week.

Thanks,

Todd

I bought a Canon Rebel XTi and its awesome (Amazon had the best price at the time). I've never used another DLSR so I can't comment.

Being as how you used Nikon in the past, if you have any Nikon Lenses from whatever cameras you had previously, they will not work with a D40. That being said I personally am a Nikon fan and am looking at getting a D80, but I believe that Canon has a better bang for the buck if you are starting fresh

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11041782#post11041782 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by J. Montgomery [/i]
[B]I bought a Canon Rebel XTi and its awesome (Amazon had the best price at the time). I've never used another DLSR so I can't comment. [/B][/QUOTE]

Don't think I can swing the XTi with all the addons we will need...I.E. Bag, more memory etc.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11041839#post11041839 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Iammatt219 [/i]
[B]Being as how you used Nikon in the past, if you have any Nikon Lenses from whatever cameras you had previously, they will not work with a D40. That being said I personally am a Nikon fan and am looking at getting a D80, but I believe that Canon has a better bang for the buck if you are starting fresh [/B][/QUOTE]

Yes starting fresh which is why we are thinking of making a change. We looked at the D80, but it is out of our price range currently. Too many other hobbies sucking up the extra money ;)

Do some Google searching on the Pentax K10d...It is beating out the Nikon D40 and XTi in many reviews. Its closer to the D80, but well within your budget. I recently bought one for $770, but heard the price has dropped to $700 flat.

Here's a good place to start - it was Popular Photography's DSLR of the Year: [url]http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/4242/editors-choice-2007-advanced-dslrs.html[/url]

Thanks, I will check it out.

Do you have any pics that you have taken with it mcliffy2? WOuld like to see them and compare to pics I have seen with the others cams.

Thanks

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11041931#post11041931 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Poppy828 [/i]
[B]Don't think I can swing the XTi with all the addons we will need...I.E. Bag, more memory etc. [/B][/QUOTE]
I got the XTi kit, 2GB memory card ($20 at the time on Amazon) and carry bag all for under $800.

SO I orderd the XTi from Amazon. Not as good a deal as Montgomery, but the camera, backpack Canon carry bag and the warranty (extended plan) wife had to have it and I was $802. The memory card was $49 and could not be included in the camera shipment due to it being from a different vendor. So I will just pick one up at Circuit City or the like tomorrow once the camera get's here. So all in all, looks like I went over budget by $50ish. Oh well. Should be much happier with the XTi...at least I hope.

Thanks for the feedback.

Todd

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11042470#post11042470 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Poppy828 [/i]
[B]Do you have any pics that you have taken with it mcliffy2? WOuld like to see them and compare to pics I have seen with the others cams.

Thanks [/B][/QUOTE]

I am just starting out so my reef pictures arent very good - you can see the quality in the easier to shoot subject matter (dog and cat) in these pics:

[url]http://thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107258[/url]

Google "k10d review" and you'll find a number of head to head reviews and sample photos of k10d vs. canon and nikon.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11043139#post11043139 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Poppy828 [/i]
[B]SO I orderd the XTi from Amazon. Not as good a deal as Montgomery, but the camera, backpack Canon carry bag and the warranty (extended plan) wife had to have it and I was $802. The memory card was $49 and could not be included in the camera shipment due to it being from a different vendor. So I will just pick one up at Circuit City or the like tomorrow once the camera get's here. So all in all, looks like I went over budget by $50ish. Oh well. Should be much happier with the XTi...at least I hope.

Thanks for the feedback.

Todd [/B][/QUOTE]

Didn't realize you were in Chicago too - would let you come over and play around with the K10d, never to late to return to Amazon ;)

That said youll probably be happy either way. I was debating between the k10d and xti, and decided to go with the k10d based on the image stabilization feature that canon does not have (you have to buy $700+ lenses to get image stabilization of equal quality in the canon). This was the only major difference IMO, image quality was pretty much equal, and canon gives you a bit more variety in lenses.

i have the XTi as well an I like it ver much, I already bought 3 lenses for it. on that note, dont go for the cheapy lenses, remember that what the camera sees through.... You will like the xti very much.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11044639#post11044639 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mcliffy2 [/i]
[B]I am just starting out so my reef pictures arent very good - you can see the quality in the easier to shoot subject matter (dog and cat) in these pics:

[url]http://thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107258[/url]

Google "k10d review" and you'll find a number of head to head reviews and sample photos of k10d vs. canon and nikon. [/B][/QUOTE]

Those are nice pics. I was not able to get the items I wanted for our budget with the Pentax. Although I did go over ours a little bit, the Pentax was still a bit too much for the wife to consider. Not to mention, she was able to play with the D40, XT and XTi last night and told me today she actually liked the XTi after I let her know I bought it. "By the way Honey, you made a great choice. I actually liked the XTi better, but figured our budget would be too small for it."

So I done good I guess. :)

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11044672#post11044672 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spooda420 [/i]
[B]i have the XTi as well an I like it ver much, I already bought 3 lenses for it. on that note, dont go for the cheapy lenses, remember that what the camera sees through.... You will like the xti very much. [/B][/QUOTE]

I was going to go the Tamron route for lenses once I decide which ones to get. I was thinking of 100mm Macro for the tank and then a 70-300mm with at least a 3.5f minimum. Suggestions on these or any other I should consider?

All I have is the cannon lenses, I go with the mid priced route, cheap lenses are just that... and the expensive lenses are way outside my price range... good place to do price comparison is beachcamera.com

I'm not really a photography expert or anything, but when I was in the market for my camera (canon digital rebel) the thinking I went in with was to buy into a set of lenses and upgrade bodies when I got the skills to justify it. You could probably save a lot of money initially by buying nice lenses and a used body which you would be replacing down the line anyway.

We are not the type of people that upgrade or have to have the newest and greatest thing when it comes out. Our current Nikon has been with us for 5 years. I have dropped it a few times so some of the functions or not possible anymore such as setting the scene you want to capture. That dial broke off, and the body is cracked. So it was time. We generally will use an item as long as possible.

The good thing with this camera as mentioned is that we can keep the lenses and just get a body next time around. Much more versatile than the Nikon.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11044967#post11044967 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Poppy828 [/i]
[B]I was going to go the Tamron route for lenses once I decide which ones to get. I was thinking of 100mm Macro for the tank and then a 70-300mm with at least a 3.5f minimum. Suggestions on these or any other I should consider? [/B][/QUOTE]

I think you can get some quality 3rd party lenses, Tamron in particular, just read reviews on the lenses you want to buy. I bought the Tamron 18-250 for $450 at buydig (which is also available for the Canon). It has received great reviews as an all-around lens, Head-to-head against the $800 Nikon 18-250 the differences were insubstantial. (of course you will still need a macro lens, but you will likely want something with more zoom and better quality than the kit lens...the kit lens is like buying a ferrari with a governer on it at 55 mph...youve gotta use a quality lens to unleash the potential you paid for).

I hear ya. Guess I have some reading to do and a bigger budget to obtain. :)

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11048503#post11048503 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Poppy828 [/i]
[B]I hear ya. Guess I have some reading to do and a bigger budget to obtain. :) [/B][/QUOTE]


Its the same way with reefkeeping, you ease them into it...now you've taken the first step, wait a month, then you get the bigger skimmer, then better lights, next thing you know shes ok with that aussie acan ;)

Exactly. We'll see if the camera works the same. It doesn't have the pretty colors like the corals though. Might be a more difficult task.

The price of Flash cards has dropped alot. I believe we just bought some at Cosco 2 GB for less than $20.

You can take really good pictures with the kit. Learn you camera and photography techniques before worrying about more glass if your on a budget. You won't be disappointed.

Mike

Well I recieved the Camera today. Charged the Battery and took a couple pics here in the office. Man do we have a lot to learn with this one. I can see that the standard lens will not do what we want at the races. Just not enough of a lens to get clear shots distance wise unless there are some settings that I need to learn first?

All in all, should be a fun toy to learn.

For long distance stuff, you'll want a telephoto lens. There is a really good 70-200mm canon L zoom lens that you might want to consider. I don't know how the light is where you shoot, but if you don't need a 2.8 speed lens, the 4.0 speed 70-200mm L is considered a good bargain.