DSLR Decision Time [Update]
I have been looking for my first DSLR for a while in order to replace my old Canon Powershot A510. I am stuck between two camera’s and could really do with some advice.
Initially I was very convinced about the Canon EOS 400D, but the price to quality ratio of the Nikon D40 has really taken my mind of the Canon. Although the Nikon only takes AF-S lenses (lenses with integrated focus motor) and “only” has 6 MegaPixels, the price difference of more than £100 makes it really worth the investment. Additionally I hear everyone saying two things:
- Don’t focus on MegaPixels
- Lenses are more important than the body
So with the £100 difference I decided that there would be money left to make a nice investment in a good lens. I haven’t decided which lens to buy yet. I have about £160 left for a nice lens and especially the Nikon VR lenses look very nice (and expensive). I am really looking for some sound advice so if you think I am making a mistake, or if you have a good idea what lens I might be looking for (see my flickr stream if you want to know what kind of photos I tend to make) please let me know.
Now, strangely, during the writing of this post I started to re-evaluate the Sony Alpha A100. Sony’s first DSLR is practically a Minolta, offering a whole line of lenses. But what I like is that Sony tried to provide a slightly better system than others. First of all it has build-in image stabilization in the body, so in contrary to the Nikon it doesn’t need a special lens. So considering that the provided lens is a 18-70 mm F/3.5-5.6 (in contrast to a 18-55 mm F/3.5-5.6 in most other kits) this makes an actually good entry level model.
Unfortunately there are some downsides. The Sony is heavier (about 110 grams) and has a slower startup (just over a second). It does have 10MP versus 6MP on the Nikon but somehow I don’t care about that. At about £434 it does offer a good combination under my maximum budget. I don’t think Nikon can offer me a good combination of body plus lens that offers image stabilization for that price.
In the end I still haven’t decided on a camera. I was thinking of buying one before my Bachelor Degree ceremony at the end of this month, but maybe I better wait until I figured out exactly what camera to get. Recently Ronald also showed me the new Nikon D40x (basically the D40 with 10MP) which got me doubting for a while, but the price (£414 retail price) does not leave anything for a nice lens. Please if anyone wants to give me some advice, do it in a “limiting my options” way.
I had a look at both the Sony and the Nikon this afternoon and decided that the Nikon is very nice. The Sony felt a bit too big so I ordered the Nikon D40 later this day. I had a nice deal for a Nikon D40 kit + bag + 4GB SD memory for £342/€500. Hope the delivery is a as fast as they said (2 or 3 days).
The way I did it is, I spent as little money as possible to be able to start shooting the brand I had chosen. Which was a 350D 18-55 kit with 1G flash. The 400D was already out, but I couldn’t justify the extra cost.
Bear in mind you are buying into a system. Don’t make any compromises there. You can (and will) invest in lenses later which will make the whole question of what body from the range you use more and more moot.
Totally true, so if Sony sticks to providing stabalization IN the body, I could soon start buying good lensen no matter which Sony body. On the other hand with a Nikon, the lenses are more expensive but atleast I dont have to rely on the body to support this stabalizing.
As you can see I still don’t get which one to buy. With your advice I would say: buy the Nikon D40 for the VR lens range of Nikon is very good and the body of the D40 is cheapest. On the other hand VR lenses are so expensive that buying them any time soon will be hard.
What I learned when I was looking for a DSLR last year is that Canon and Nikon are both excellent brands, producing good to great camera’s and lenses.
Like alper says, you are investing in a system, which will make switching from one brand to the other harder in the future. But the most important thing for me was: “do I like the camera?”. And by that I refer to the shape and the way it operates. I mean, you are supposed to hold it and work with it, it won’t take pictures by itself.
Furthermore, from the start I liked how the D50 worked. So now I own a Nikon.
Since the Sony was more expensive, I decided to just try the Canon and Nikon budget range in a good camera store. What I noticed was that the Canon 350D was much smaller then the Nikon D50. A lot of people will like that, but it just didn’t fit into my hands well. Large hands, I guess.
My advice: stop reading reviews about camera’s and just try them. Also, don’t focus on the VR lenses too much, because you pay 200 euro extra for VR only. Start shooting first, then you’ll find out what type of photographer you are and what kind of lens would complement your setup. You can also get good second hand lenses for a nice price, and rent lenses to try them out first. And, just ask for advice in an active photo forum or camera related group on Flickr.
I think, mainly for the price, that the Nikon D40 is kindof a no-brainer. Thank you for the advise, I will go and test them in real life and then make a decission.