I'm looking at getting an SLR camera, I have wanted one for a while and I think it's time to finally get one

I was wondering what peoples thoughts are on different companies and types. I have heard that Nikon, Canon and Olympus are the better companies to go with.

My mom has a Nikon D80 and it takes amazing shots, is the D40 the step down from that?

Also what are some good cameras to go with for Canon and Olympus?

What's your budget? If your interested in Nikon check out http://www.cameras.net.au they have some pretty good deals on startup packages (body and lens) I buy all my lenses from them. I'm pretty sure nikon will be announcing a new body soon so current stock could be on sale around it's release time.

If your just getting into photography (like i am) i dont think you could really go wrong with chosing either a Canon or Nikon.
You will probably get the widest variety of lenses to choose from if you go with either of these brands.
Obviously they are upgrading models all the time so im not sure of whats what at the moment, especially with you being in Canada.

With Nikon, when i started looking about a year ago there was (on the entry level of the scale) D40 stepping up to the D60 then the D90.
They have varying specifications with more megapixles, settings etc.

Canon had the entry level 1000D stepping up to the 450D, and now the 500D, although i think in the US/Canada and other countries the 1000D is called a Rebel XS and the 450D is the Digital Rebel XSI.

I found a great site...... http://www.dpreview.com/ ....... they have reviews, information, sample pictures etc. from all the different cameras and lenses.

Here is a comparison of a few Nikons specs comparing them to your mums camera. The D80 seems closer to the D60 in specs.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_d40,nikon_d80,nikon_d60&show=all

Canon 450D and Nikon D60 Compared
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_eos450d,nikon_d60&show=all

As i said i was looking about a year ago, so models change and get faded out.
Best to check what you can get locally then compare prices and use http://www.dpreview.com to compare the specs.
Then make your decision from that.

I ended up going with Canon, not for any faults i found with Nikon, ive just had Canons (just point and shoots, not DSLR's) in the past and liked them.

I should really open eyes before I post, not very helpful giving you an Aussie site for prices. As Evan said check out dpreview to help on deciding what to get. As they sometimes give the same camera different model names in different regions I'm not sure if it's called a d5000 in Canada but it might be a good nikon to check out.

Nikon D40X/D60 is an awesome entry level SLR that can take amazing photos.

I don't know if you have friends that have DSLRs, but if you're having a hard time choosing between Canon & Nikon, you might want to go with whatever your mates have too.

Most of my mates have Canons, and it was a big help being able to borrow lenses from them before I got my own.

If your mum has a decent lens collection, you might want to stick with Nikon so you can use some of those?

Tills - 04 August 2009 03:47 PM

I don't know if you have friends that have DSLRs, but if you're having a hard time choosing between Canon & Nikon, you might want to go with whatever your mates have too.

Most of my mates have Canons, and it was a big help being able to borrow lenses from them before I got my own.

If your mum has a decent lens collection, you might want to stick with Nikon so you can use some of those?

Yes you can borrow a lenses, but just a point of info taken from http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikonD60/

"As with the D40 and D40X, the new D60 doesn't have an built-in focus drive motor which means it can auto focus only with lenses which have their own drive motor (AF-S and AF-I lenses). "

So if your mum has a D80, the camera body has a motor inside it for the focusing, so her lenses probably wouldnt.
So if you put her lens on say a D60, the autofocus wouldnt work and you would have to focus manually because the D40, D60 need lenses with a focus motor built into them because there isnt one in the body of the camera.

Very good point mate. Thanks for clarifying.

In that case, just buy a Canon.

3rd attempt writing something on my mac and it shut down grrrr.

Any way I think you should think about what style of photography you may want to develop into. I am using the canon rebel xti and have been turned down for a few shoots because it does not have really high frames per second rate. But I am trying to get into alot of sports photography. If you are starting out its a great unit, fairly light weight and you have a lot of upgrade options.

You should hit up a store and just grab a nikon and a canon and compare how they feel some people prefer the feel of one over the other, I chose the canon brand as it was a really fast learning camera simple to use and realllllly user friendly. I also had a few friends that had canons so they could show me a few things.

Canon and Nikon are the two most popular right now, so either one that you choose you will be happy with, grab a photography book that explains the different functions and allows you to see what different things a slr can do. A book by Jim Krause called "Photo Idea Index" is a great book that explains what a slr really is, how to build up the enviroment your shooting in, lighting, digital effects and a whole mess of other great stuff.

Take the time to make your choice so that you are happy with what you get. And keep asking lots of questions about how to do things.

hope I helped

Thanks for the huge help guys!
in regards to some of the questions that you asked about price, i'm not sure really the average price. My friend just bought the nikon d40 and he paid 399 for it without any lenses. I assume that's pretty good? I will probably be buying in Australia but also Canada so it doesn't really matter what sites you send me since I'll check them all out. The camera I'm looking for needs to have a high frames per second to shoot sports and things, but I will also like to use if on vacation for scenic and personal shots.
I'm hearing a lot of people say go with canon and some saying go for nikon so I think my best option is to go out there and demo them out. Now all I need to do is get a lesson on using the cameras properly.
I think i'm more starting out like evan, not knowing too much but just wanting to have some fun with it.

The good thing about most DSLR's on the market is they have an auto mode so you can start using it straight away without much experience. Then once you get a handle on all the setting and controls you can start experimenting and trying different creative options. The HUGE advantage of digi over film is there is no cost per shot...go crazy and dont worry about development costs!

Nudge - 06 August 2009 02:16 PM

The good thing about most DSLR's on the market is they have an auto mode so you can start using it straight away without much experience. Then once you get a handle on all the setting and controls you can start experimenting and trying different creative options. The HUGE advantage of digi over film is there is no cost per shot...go crazy and dont worry about development costs!

That is a great point, I know the ones my friends have are DSLR's and they are perfect for multiple shots since you can take them at rapid and choose the best one later and delete the others.

I really want to get the Canon 50D. Anyone using this camera?

JustGiver, when you finally get down to Aus, look at joining a local camera group. A lot of the RSL clubs like bondi's do a meeting every second week. the give you a topic one week and then 2 weeks later you show how you captured it. It is a great way to meet people and everyone is keen on helping each other. But for over all knowledge about the camera and how it works grab a friend that has a similar camera and a bottle of wine or two and start snapping away.

rider26,
I have yet to use the 50D but have heard good things like the lcd screen is suppose to be big and amazingly clear, 6.4 frames per second so you should rarely miss a shot

Thanks Brad. I was always looking at getting the 40D, decided to wait and now the 50D is out. The big selling point for me is the 6 frames per second, and of course the LCD is a big upgrade from the 40D also. I have done a bit of shooting with the 40D and I really liked it. I still have a lot to learn but I can't wait to get the SLR and start shooting.

Check out http://www.d-d-photographics.com.au/ really good deals and pickup available from north sydney. Personally i would go for Canon. IMO their lenses are better than Nikon. Check out all the sports photographers at the olympics. They all have the big white "L" series lenses. Really says something if most of the pro's are using Canon.

I spose it also depends on your budget and what you are wanting to shoot.