I'm definitely getting a new camera soon. Point and shoot just doesn't do it for me. I went to Best Buy today cause it was the closest electronics store around here. I took a look at two of the cameras I liked.

First was the Canon Rebel XT(silver). I liked its features and the 8.0MP. But then I took a look at the Nikon D50. That looked good as well.

Anyone have any suggestions to which camera is "better" or advice? I'm not an avid photographer. I just like to have fun with SLR cameras once in a while.

TIA

 

try looking for a nikon d70s. the prices on them should drop soon since nikon just came out with the d200. d70s should be better than the rebel xt and d50. btw..MP numbers dont really matter for these type of cameras, unless your planning to blow up(enlarge) your pictures to more than normal sizes. Look for a camera with good resolution numbers instead.

 

my wife has a D70 and it is worth the money, i'm not a great photographer but i can take some great photos with it, way better than the D50.

my 2 cents

 

In terms of Canon. I think that the XT is a good choice(I bought one for my sister) but a bit small in the hands. The 20D was a bit bigger, and fit my hands better. Also the thing I liked about the 20D over the XT was the frame rate. The 20D takes 5 frames per seond up to ~30 pics(better for when I'm at the races), the XT is 3 fps up to ~20. Both have almost the same resloution. The reason I went for Canon over Nikon was the number of lenses availible. I could get lenses for $150 that worked while I was learning and unsure of my comitment. I must admit that photography is a lot like car moding, once you get bit my the bug there can be no end. Just my 0.02.

 

Not true at all, the d70/d50 are pretty much equal in the hands of your average amatuer photographer

THe d50/rebel xt are also pretty much equal in the hands of most, so the only advice I can offer is to try them both out and go with which one feels the best in your hands

I own a d50 because its bigger and more robust in my hands

 

If you like a more natural looking photos with some conservative saturation, and for some odd reason you REALLY need those 8 megapixels, prefer a wider (more universal) choice of lenses, and the LCD screen to have a backlight (referring to the digital exposure meter, photo counter, indicator, whatever), prefer using high capacity compact flash cards (up to 4-5 gig on microdrives); the Rebel XT is great. The Nikon D50, you save a couple hundred bucks, short 1.7 megapixels (IMO, 6.3 should be more than enough as is), and it comes with a pretty decent quality lense for a factory DSLR camera. I believe it uses the SD memory cards instead of a compact flash card. The D50 photos seem to have slightly more saturation (good saturation I might add) with the colors than the Rebel XT from all the photos I've seen out of both DSLR's.

I'd say you take a look at sample photos and see which camera's results you like better for what you want to shoot and whether or not you're just going to use it as is out of the box or buy just the body itself and get your own lenses, which is the best route in terms of getting the most of the camera. However, a lot of people are just satisfied with the "out of the box" setups, especially if you're not that hardcore with photography.

 

Both are excellent bodies, and the D50 was clearly designed to compete with the XT. The question is what SYSTEM do you want to own? Clearly, Canon has more advanced lenses meant for action photography that Nikon has never been able to match (go to any pro sporting event and see all the big white lenses). If that doesn't matter to you, then it's a toss-up.

 

http://forums.***************/showthr...22191&t=225670

 

good find law

 

Whoa..great find.

I might be leaning more to the XT because of that deal.

thx for the input everyone.

Edit: It's the body only...but still good. And the package with lens is only 100 more.

 

There are good deals at B&H as well
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont....y=4&Submit=Go

 

I recently bought a DSLR and I went with an Olympus E-500. I think that the Olympus brand is often overlooked, even though their glass is great and the features on their cameras are fantastic.

Here are a few shots from my E-500, with my newb status. I recently got a new lens and took some new shots, but I'm too lazy to post them up.







Here is a link to the camera itself:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_se...p?product=1192

 

Check out the selection of lenses for both cameras. You'll most likely keep the lenses and change the body a few times. Megapixels don't mean anything except larger file sizes and larger print sizes. Just compare both feature sets and see what suits your style better. I have the D70 and love it. I was torn between that and the Rebel XT, but the XT was kinda small in my hands and the Nikon felt just right. Anyways, you can't go wrong with either. They're both great cams.

 

^^^ That's true, once you buy your DSLR, you collect lenses. I went with the 4/3rds system, and recently Panasonic and Leica have also entered the 4/3rd's system. The Leica Lenses even adapt to the Olympus body, so I'm looking forward to the entry level Leica Lenses that should be coming out soon!

 

The reason why most people choose Canon or Nikon is the selection of lenses. The other DSLRs don't have the variety of lense choices that Canon or Nikon have. Oh and photography can get very expensive real quick depending on what you do with it. You'll want to invest in a good tripod (Bogens are nice, but a good tripod can cost up to like 600 :x) and some filters (popular ones are circular polarizer, neutral density, uv haze for lense protection, etc).

The best way to buy filters is buy the one that fits the largest lens you have. They come in different diameters, so buy that and use step-up rings to fit the filter so you don't have to buy more than one. When it comes to tripods, just look for something that's sturdy and will hold the camera snugly without much movement. Good luck.