A Good Starter DSLR Camera

KingdomSeeker

Hi, I'm new to the forum. Since becoming partially disabled I've got a lot of time to devote to my photography. I've used some top end P&S cameras that have done a fantastic job but am wanting to move up to an SLR camera. I was wondering if you can recommend or possibly sell me a descent DSLR camera for around $200 that I can get my feet wet with, practice, and learn more. I have seen a few used DSLR cameras on Amazon for that price range.

ziggy53

The camera body is often the least important component in your basic equipment. Depending on what you want to shoot, lighting can be much more important, but the lens choices are also more important than the body.

Unfortunately, a good lens often costs more than the body, and a collection of good lenses can suck up even the best budget.

What is it you want to shoot and what are you budgeting for lenses and other equipment?

Art Scott

I am going to take a crack at this expecting you to say you will be shooting a little bit of everything...so do not look at the bottom tier of dslrs....I know nothing about the Canon line, except that the sought after lenses seem to be white... Nikon has lower end cameras that the lenses have to have built in motors and depending on your partial disability this will mean that you will not be able to use the older AIS manual focus lenses, which in some cases can save you a lot of money...I try to suggest something from the D7000 up and what ever lenses you think will fit into what you want to shoot.... for wildlife a 70-200 is kinda of short, unless you have proper blinds to be in so that you can get near the wildlife you want to shoot...70-200 is also short for most birds, unless again you have the blinds or can lure them into your back yard and shoot them at a feeder near a window, for people a great lens would be a 24-120f4... I have a kit lens that I use 18-70 but I hate the variable aperture ( an aperture that goes from 3.5-5.6 when you zoom)...but constant aperture (apertures that stay at f3.5 or 4 or whatever they are set to during all the zooming) are more expensive...Ziggy is correct that lenses and lighting are or could be more important than the body ....to me only to some extent, speaking of nikon here, the lower end bodies mean I have to buy motorized lenses and cannot shoot any of my older film lenses....which really limits me....as they are much lighter than the digital or any auto focus lens and perform superbly...I also like Sigma for lenses other companies for flashes but I also shoot a lot in manual mode, so I really do not need the most recently released models of flashes, but I do have 2 Nikon SB900's, but several other totally manual flashes....so depending on what you want to shoot, you may also be fine with the newer micro 4/3's cameras and lenses...what you buy into might be governed by the idea of making money down the road also....

Hope this is not confusing you more...

KingdomSeeker

Of course the subjects I shoot the most are my grandkids. Other than that I shoot wildlife, sunsets, flower macros, and landscapes. A couple times of the year we got to music festivals where I like to shoot the bands. I may be jumping the gun a bit because I just bought a Kodak Z990 which I haven't a lot of chances to try out. I did shoot some photos at the Butterfly Garden last Sunday. As far as budget, it sounds like I'll have to stay with a P&s for now. Right now $200 is all I have to spend. I'd have to add to my collection a piece at a time. The thing I really want to do is great night photography. I see photos and just want to be able to do it.

Art Scott

KingdomSeeker wrote: »

The thing I really want to do is great night photography. I see photos and just want to be able to do it.

I have heard that the high ISO performance of the Nikon D7000 is really good and I am sure that newer models will be even better ... ... so start watching the used sections of BH, Adorama, KEH and even Ebay...The full frame cameras also have fantastic low light capabilities but are also more expensive, however the Nikon D700 prices are starting to drop ... there are others on here that do a lot of night shooting, star trails and such, hopefully they will chime in ... How much noise you can handle in an image will also relegate which body, as most noise removal software also softens the image to some degree... ... ... It might be that for you an upper end P/S will do the job ... ... I still shoot with a Konica Minolta A2 for some of my work, as I have not found another camera with a 28-200 lens that has a moving floating focus point that can be placed anywhere on the focus screen ... that gives me more artistic value at times than the 51 focus points on my Nikon D300 ... it is fantastic for macro work, and landscapes, it is small and lightweight ...

Have a great Sunday.

Demian

My recommendation would be to get one of Canon's digital rebel SLR's with the 18-55mm kit lens. It looks like the XSi with lens is selling on Amazon used for about $400 (Sorry man, but I don't think you'll get a DSLR and lens for $200). You also may be able to buy them separately for cheaper.

The 18-55mm isn't the best lens in the world, but it's very versatile. It has a wide range of focal lengths, and the IS will help you handhold pictures with higher apertures.

If you want to do night photography, get a tripod. They're cheap.

If you want to take band photos, the 18-55 mm will be a bit too slow for that. I wouldn't recommend as a lens to start with, but a possible upgrade is the 50mm 1.8 - It's perfect for taking band shots, also great for taking portraits on a crop camera (which is what you would have). It's sharp, and best of all, relatively cheap at around $100.

Internaut

$200 seems a bit unlikely for camera + lens. At that budget I'd be looking at the Canon 350D, Nikon D70 or even a Nikon D40 (the Olympus and Pentax models of that vintage are also worth looking at). If you're just looking to dip your toes into the world of a DSLR, any DSLR + kit lens from the last six or so years is going to be a big step up from a P&S in terms of what you can do creatively.

Brett1000

KingdomSeeker wrote: »

Hi, I'm new to the forum. Since becoming partially disabled I've got a lot of time to devote to my photography. I've used some top end P&S cameras that have done a fantastic job but am wanting to move up to an SLR camera. I was wondering if you can recommend or possibly sell me a descent DSLR camera for around $200 that I can get my feet wet with, practice, and learn more. I have seen a few used DSLR cameras on Amazon for that price range.

$200 is low, save some more and get something newer, e.g. Canon 550D (T2i) with 18-55IS lens - around $500

NikonsandVstroms

What is your disability if you don't mind me asking? The reason I ask is I have one in my hands/wrists and at my worst the only camera that felt good in my hands (wearing wrist braces) was the Olympus E-420 due to the light weight and lack of a conventional grip making it more ergonomically like my Nikon FE. They should be in your price range now and will be a nice step up from your current camera. It's not cutting edge by any means but I also made some of my favorite images with that camera.

ThatCanonGuy

The 20D is around $200 (maybe with 18-55 lens too? ebay?), but you have to buy used. You pay extra for new equipment, and $200 won't get you much new. I would save up. The 20D is okay, but the screen is very small and the high ISO isn't that great (that will affect your night photos). 50mm 1.8, 18-55, and 24mm 2.8 are three good cheap lenses (esp. the 24 and 50). I would save up until you can get a used/refurb T2i for $380-400.