I wouldn't say I'm a beginner. I have been using the SLR cameras in my photography class at school for a while and those are D40, D50, and D70. I have been in photography for a while, and I understand the Nikon D40, still takes amazing shots, but I will be printing large prints and I do want the camera to stay with me for a while, I don't want to upgrade to a higher end camera next year or two. Plus, it's $2-300 more than the D40 to get an XTi. I might end up waiting to see this "new" 450D from Canon that is coming out Jan. 24th
John

 

Yeah if that's the case then definitely get 10mp+

Cool deal man,

-Gagan

 

Thanks for the help by the way Gagan!
John

 

np. I'm just an amateur...

One day I hope to be as good as http://billm.zenfolio.com/

He shoots with a D40 (but he does have some good 2.8 lenses). What a photographer!

 

^^ Yeh, he does have some really outstanding shots. Hmm, A good thing the D40 would be that I can use the saved money to get a f/2.8 lens instead of just sigma for the D80.

 

dont let anyone "have-better-photos-than-you" it all comes down to being at the right place at the right time. anyone can do it, thats why i like filming more than photo because its easier to express yourself.

Girlfriends and friends skim thru your printed photos without even looking at them for more than 5 seconds at most...
im like "look at it again...isnt it cool?"
"uhh yeah its great"
"cmon i stood in the cold for 10 minutes to get that shot!"
Its really all for yourself i guess.

i want 10 mp for cropping, i cant afford poster prints!
and my 5 fps for extreme sports photos.

My 20D is still for sale in posts above

 

I know I'm jumping in on this thread a bit late, but one thing that I really don't like about the D40 for the person considering one is the fact that it does not have an internal auto-focus motor. Because of this you are limited to using AF-S lenses only which can be great if you are willing to either settle for the more consumer oriented lenses only, or professional, high quality lenses. You wouldn't be able to use auto focus on great non-af-s lenses such as the 50mm 1.8 for only $100 new which is tack sharp and great for lower light shooting, or various other older lenses that don't feature af-s technology.

Feel free to buy a body that "only" has 6 megapixels, or even less. The pixel count in cameras is far more overblown then it should be. A standard 5x7 print can easily be made by a 6 megapixel camera and even a 2.7 megapixel camera can do the job. The main reason that DSLRs have higher pixel counts now is to either make consumers feel like they need to upgrade to the latest and greatest or because a professional may actually need the pixels to print a 24"x30" print or something else larger than any consumer would every print.

I personally started off with a D50 which is very similar in feature set as the D40 (both 6 megapixels and fairly good at higher ISOs) , except that it includes an autofocus motor internally. I recently upgraded to an older body, a D1h which was the professional sports and photojournalist body back in 2001 or so. With a great auto focus motor and 5 FPS it is really nice for sports and action. It has a lower pixel count than most cameras out there (2.74 megapixels) but unless you are making insanely large prints, it will still get the job done. D1h and D1xs can be had for very cheap now as well. I picked up my D1h for $350 shipped along with a SB-50dx flash. Both cameras that I own have great image quality.

If you want to get a D1h, http://www.ngscorp.com/used/ has some good prices for their bodies, or you could check online classifieds on fredmiranda.com as well. I bought mine from fredmiranda and the vast majority of people on that forum are very helpful and honest. Also one of the cameras that I would really love to have is a D2h which is the upgraded body to the D1h with a blazing fast auto focus motor and 8 FPS, it is a great sports camera. The 4.1 megapixel output it has is amazing as well and is a pretty good deal and in the price range of buying a D80 or D40x.

Another thing to consider is that while initially the cost of buying glass for your camera may seem steep, in the end, getting the higher end lenses is far more valuable than a camera body. Camera bodies and the technology in them are constantly being surpassed and the prices for bodies are always dropping while lenses are fairly stable. The lenses that you invest in will affect the quality of you're image a lot. Sharpness, how fast a shutter speed you can use, DOF etc.. The main lenses that I use are a Tokina 12-24 f/4, Nikon 50mm f/1.8, Nikon 80-200 AF-S f/2.8 I really don't have my midrange covered too well, but for the majority of my shooting it gets the job done, and eventually I will get something to cover that range.

Feel free to check out the pictures that I've taken over the past two years.. my website is http://chinesenapaj.smugmug.com/

I believe every image on that website so far has been taken with my D50 as I only got my D1h a few weeks ago and haven't gotten around to uploading any pictures from that camera yet.

I hope some of that helped anyone who is looking to buy a camera body or lens..
I feel like I wrote an essay with that one
If anyone has any questions or comments feel free to pm me as well.

Chris

 

yeah thats why i got a D70 as a first camera. i didnt even bother with the d40 bandwagon.

i have a 50mm 1.8f for my canon, thats all i can afford, takes great pictures. $80 lens, best bang for your buck. i would love a 70-200 2.8f

 

Yea I really like my 50mm because its such an amazing lens for a great price. It's a lens that everyone with an slr should own regardless of brand. It is a great way to learn composition instead of zooming in and out, and toy with DOF as well as allow for some low light shots without flash.

 

Cool, thanks for that comment. That was a big reason I didn't buy the D40/D40x, it had a very limited amount of lens that would work. It was down to D80 or XTi, and I decided to go with XTi as it was much cheaper. So far, I think this is what I will be purchasing, let me know what you think:

Canon XTi w/ 18-55mm Kit Lens
Velbon DF-60 Dual Function Light Weight Tripod
Opteka .38x HD² Super Wide Angle Panoramic Macro Fisheye Lens
Tamrac Explorer 1 DSLR Camera Bag
Opteka 10x 58mm HD² Professional Macro Lens
SanDisk ULTRA II HIGH PERFORMANCE 4GB
Sigma 70-300mm F/4-5.6 APO DG Macro Lens + UV Filter + Cleaning Cloth
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens

The sigma 70-300mm DG APO is known for being insanely sharp, and even better than the canon 70-300mm lens in some cases. The 50mm f/1.8 of course is the amazingly cheap, yet nice $70 lens. The macro add on would be nice on the 18-55mm kit lens, it would help with bugs/flowers/etc. and the fisheye would be cool just to have some weird and funky shots, mainly about cars. The tripod is, ehhh, not so sure, it's only $55 so its no way a professional tripod, but I think it will be good enough from reading on the reviews. And of course, the beautiful San disk 4gb Ultra II.

LMK What you think if you think thats good or, could be better.

 

Those are some pretty amazing pics on that page you linked. Lovin the closeup and macro section.

 

If canon is the way you want to go, then that sounds good. I have heard some good things about the XTi, but have never really used one. I have tried out a Rebel XT before which is essentially the same body and ergonomics for the most part though. I would recomend trying out the different cameras in a store if you can to get a feel for how the menus are and the ergonomics are. The big problem I had with the XT was how small the body was, and I thought it was a little bit uncomfortable to hold as well as the ergonomics were just not as natural to me as the Nikon bodies. It is all personal preference however, so again, totally up to you.

The kit lens with the 70-300 and 50mm 1.8 sound like a decent way to start out and learn/get a feel for the camera.

While the Opteka fisheye and macro may be cheap, I highly doubt that they will provide the quality of a true fisheye or macro lens. I can't so from experience as I have never used them but I think if you want wide angle shots, stick with the 18-55 for now. If you later want another wide angle, sigma, tamron, tokina and canon all make good high quality wide angles for the XTi.
If you really want the ability to shoot macro I'd say forget the Opteka and either invest in a ture macro lens or the Canon close focus lenses which are similar to filters. They screw onto the front of other lenses and allow for a closer focus. I don't know much about the Optekas, but I'm sure they function fairly similarly, but from what I have heard, everyone that had the Canon 250D or 500D has loved them and the quality images that they have been able to render. I eventually plan on picking up a 500D myself in 77mm for my 80-200. The 250D is for lenses in the focal range of 35-135, while the 500D is for lenses from the focal lenghts of 70-300. I would recomend the 500D paired with the 70-300 that you are planning on getting, in the proper filter size.

As far as bags go, nobody but you can tell you if the bag that you get is right for you. It is all personal preference if you use a backpack or shoulder bag or sling etc.. I personally prefer backpacks for long hikes outdoors, but shoulder bags for anything else with the ability to quickly access gear. One thing I will say though is that I would get a bag that is slightly larger than what you think you need because while it may be perfect for what you initially start with, you will more than likely get more gear, whether it be a new lens, or flash, batteries.. etc..

For tripods, I personally own a light weight, fairly cheap tripod that has served me quite well. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...EZ_Tripod.html
The Slik series tripods are pretty good for the money. Many have the very convenient and nice feature of lowering the tripod legs to nearly ground level for different perspectives. I would recomend the PRO 700 of 500 models instead as they have a more stable base for more weight.

Hope this helps.

 

Hey thanks a lot cny3123, your posts are very helpful. I have changed my mine since the last time I posted. I took out the tripod/opteka lenses, I will just order:

Canon XTi with 18-55mm kit Lens
Sigma 70-300mm APO DG Lens
Canon f/1.8 50mm Lens
Tamrac 1 DSLR Bag
SanDisk 4GB Ultra II CF Card

I will deal with tripod, widescreen/macro lenses later, I already know which ones I'm interested in, but I don't have the money, I will save up. Thanks for the help.

 

only two parts I like about it (=

haha, XTi is a wonderful camera, I've put mine to work!!!

 

they are so chiney