digital slr which one? LEN?

[linksmechanic]

I'm going to be purchasing a dslr in the near future. I don't want a super expensive one but don't want to shoot myself in the foot either. I really don't know squat about lenses and need some help. I want to take pics from quite a ways away. I've been looking at the canon xti and the nikon d40. My uncle likes the sony alpha because it will except minolta lenses. Please help I'm getting confused.

 

[Len Backus]

No best answer. You wouldn't go wrong with any of these choices. I have a D40 as a backup to my D2X. They use all Nikon lenses.

 

[linksmechanic]

What about lens selection. What brand is good/bad?

 

[bwaites]

Nikon and Canon both build great glass. Minolta is right there, maybe a tiny step behind.

However, Nikon and Canon seem to be leading the way right now in the DSLR world.

The D40 Len mentions is a great camera, the D40x is the current iteration, with a few little tweaks to fix a couple very minor problems in the D40. It uses only the newer lenses, though, not the older versions, but that shouldn't be a drawback, just remember to double check and make sure that the lenses you want are compatible.

You could also consider the D70S, buying one used from a reputable place.

Canon has similar models and capabilities.

Bill

 

[cameraland]

The best way to go would be the Olympus E-510. While the Canon and Nikon make excellent cameras, the E510 has the self cleaning sensor (They invented it), Live screen on the back (They invented it) Canon and Nikon have this on their semi pro cameras, built in Image stabilization (Canon and Nikon don't have this on any cameras, just a few lenses).
It is a 10 MP camera on a 4/3 chip which means it is equal to a 12 mega pixel camera on the system that Canon and Nikon use.
The camera comes with 2 lenses, a 14-42 (28-84 mm 35 mm equivalent) and a 40-150 (80-300 35 mm equivalent) for only 659.99.
Between the Nikon and Canon the advantage of the Nikon is the camera is smaller and the lens selection is nicer, Most people looking at the D40x, 10 MP camera go with either the 18-135 (Canon has nothing like this) or the 18-200 VR (Again Canon has nothing like this). Nikon also has a 5 year warranty standard on all of their lenses.
You will get a great picture with all 3. I would avoid the Sony. The ability to use Minolta glass should not be the deal breaker as the Minolta glass is an old design made to be used on their old great film cameras, not digital. The Olympus glass and Nikon glass mentioned are all digital specific glass. Canon has a few diital specific lenses.
Sony also comes with the least coverage when it comes to warranty.
I am only to happy to help you if you have any questions. You can call me at my office tomorrow, Thursday at 212-753-5128

Joel Paymer
Camera Land
575 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10022
Cameras, Binoculars, Spotting Scopes, Rifle Scopes - Camera Land NY

 

[Len Backus]

Joel, that post is a great service, thanks!

 

[400classelk]

is that the e410?

 

[JHow]

The D40 Len mentions is a great camera, the D40x is the current iteration, with a few little tweaks to fix a couple very minor problems in the D40.

Bill

what problems?

 

[bwaites]

what problems?

The 3 most important differences are these:

10 MP sensor (vs 6 MP for the D40) Some people don't perceive this as an issue, but if you crop your photos, having those extra pixels help. Some will say that the difference is miniscule in many situations, and I would tend to agree unless you are cropping pictures. I don't see much difference in 8x10's that aren't cropped.

1/500 second flash synchronization (vs 1/200 second for the D40) Doesn't seem like much, but if you use off the camera flashes, it can make or break the shot.

100 ISO lowest sensitivity (vs 200 ISO for the D40) This may or may not matter for point and shoot, but it does make a difference if you are using long lenses, and/or in some light situations.

Bill

 

[JHow]

The 3 most important differences are these:

1/500 second flash synchronization (vs 1/200 second for the D40) Doesn't seem like much, but if you use off the camera flashes, it can make or break the shot.

Bill

Actually, this is backwards. The newer camera has a slower synch speed for some reason.

1/500 second for the D40

1/200 second for the D40x