Would this be good starter camera?

[deepthroat]

Hi all,

I keep thinking about someday making the plunge and buying a real camera. I enjoy my "point and shoot" and love taking photos, but I'm seriously envious of those of you with real equipment.

Camera equipment that is.

I saw the following on sale at Costco today:

Nikon D90 12MP DSLR with 2 lenses (18-55VR/70-300VR) and a case with 4GB SD card.

$1,395

Is this is a good deal? Good starter package or too much?

[Snick]

I'd take a look at the new Canon 550D

[Jake_Sully]

I 2nd the canon. Out of curiosity, what point and shoot do you have currently?

[rxpharm]

DT, before you take the plunge into DSLRs decide what kind of photos you want to take. Lugging around a big DSLR is not always the easiest thing to do, especially if you are drinking.

You could also look at "bridge" cameras, which are the high end point and shoot types with more controls. Cameras like the Panasonic LX3 or the Canon G11 are some examples.

Also before you buy be sure you shop around and try out the cameras in the shops. Take a memory card with you that fits the model and shoot a few photos - try to get a feel how easy it is to use the controls and adjust the settings.

I would also suggest you look at the Sony DSLRs - the Alpha A500 and A550 are good choices as well, which are intermediate DSLRs. Pentax is a consideration - however they are in financial straits and may not be around in a few years. Sony, Pentax and Olympus all have in body stabilization which is handy as any compatible lens you put on the camera will have "anti-shake". Canon and Nikon have specialized anti shake lens for that, and not all focal lengths are available with that feature.

Olympus and Panasonic also make 4/3 cameras which are a bit smaller and lighter than the standard DSLRS from the main companies.

The Nikon D90 is a good camera - but don't buy on impulse. I would also suggest you look into getting a reasonable flash as well.

[deepthroat]

Thanks guys, great input.

I currently use a Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS

[pacman]

The D90 is a fantastic camera & 12 months ago I would have recommended going for that deal as fast as you could yourself down there.

It is, however, not a starter camera. It is a serious piece of gear as you will discover the moment you pick it up & hold it. It is one of Nikons heavy bodied cameras, as opposed to their 'made in China' plastic bodied specials that come with similar specs, but are designed to be sold through the discounters to compete with all other 'camera deals' that dominate the photography catalogues.

It seems all the manufacturers have gone down this route. This is clever of them as they don't disenfranchise their serious photography fans but open up their market to many more potential customers. This is essential for future growth because the real money for the manufacturers isn't selling the camera but the lens system that goes with them.

Once you invest in Nikon lenses, you aren't about to swap to Canon, not without incurring serious costs. And once the owners of the plastic copies start getting serious about their hobby, one of the first things they do is buy a metal bodied camera.

So by buying the D90 you cut out years of wasting time. And discover the joy of lugging around a heavy camera bag. Or just the camera but weight is a consideration.

Other considerations are price & something referred to as VR (Nikon) or IS (Canon) or whatever acronym is applied to the subject of Image Stabilization (IS) or Vibration Reduction (VR). Now the effectiveness of these systems isn't in dispute but what newbies discover to their amazement is that Canon & Nikon incorporate their systems in their lens while Sony, Pentax, Panasonic & Olympus have it in the body of the camera.

The upshot of this means that only VR lenses in Nikon are stabilized & any other lens isn't. BTW, Sigma & Tamron, the 2 major lens makers make compatible lens systems for all makes of camera.

However, there is a huge market for 2nd hand lenses but older models for Canon & Nikon are not stabilized. Hence when I considered buying the Canon 550D, a damn fine piece of gear even if it is one of their plastic fantastics, the price of a Canon macro lens I wished to put on it was over $3000. This puts the initial purchase price into perspective - so much for the internet bargain price.

After seeing Azza's & Manarak's photos taken by their 550D's, & knowing that a serious photographer like Foxxee wouldn't use anything else than Canon, I still have it on my short list. And it is at the start of its model life with all the bells & whistles.

But if I wanted to get a DSLR to take macro shots at a 'budget' price I would buy a Pentax K-x & look for a lens on eBay. The K-x is on the net for $500 (plastic case with metal body)) & the lens should be available for $300, maybe less. And it will be stablized, as will every other lens I put on it. And I have read all the reports of Pentax's imminent demise but as the K-x is almost the best selling DSLR in the world today (my opinion but backed by anecdotal evidence), I don't worry about that prospect.

But the K-x is no D90. What is surprising is that it (the K-x) has the best low light performance of any camera this side of a full frame sensor. And they cost serious money. Against the K-x are questions about build quality & little foibles that some in the trade question like the fact it uses AA batteries. How that is a weakness escapes me but hours of reading photography forums like dpreview.com have thrown up a multitude of complaints against every popular camera made.

On my shortlist then, I have the 550D, the K-x &... the D90. Well it was till the noise about its replacement has everyone in the biz buzzing about what a Canon beater it should be. It is due to be announced at Photokina in October as will a few other models that are being openly wished for.

IMO, the advancements on a prosumer model like the D90 are not likely to render it obsolete & most probably have advancements that will be used by only the most serious of amateurs. Famous last words? Maybe but in this day of planned obsolescence, there comes a time when you either put up or shut up.

The price reduction on the package you can buy from Costco is no coincidence & all retailers holding D90 stock will get keener to shift them the closer to October we get. But remember, the replacement model won't get seriously discounted for quite a while & the bargain D90's will disappear quickly once the market discovers how much they have to pay extra for the latest innovation.

What I suggest, use the imminent end of the D90 to get the best price that includes a wide angle zoom. Tamron & Sigma both make a good one & it will prove far more useful than the 70-300mm zoom. At the package price, get the long zoom too, you can always sell it if you tire of carrying it but for the money, keep it for shots like Chinaman is giving us from Cambodia.

This is no starter package but it does represent very good buying on a very good system. And one other thing, no manufacturer has a better flash than Nikon, something you will want for those intimate room shots...        

[deepthroat]

Wow, thanks Pacman. Way more info than I ever expected, and ultimately quite intimidating for a novice such as myself, but it just puts into perspective how much information really should be considered before I blunder into such a purchase.

Thanks!

[tomscam]

deepthroat, the D90 is a great camera but as some of the other guys said you probably don't need to spend that much to get what you want.

After reading Pacman's enthusiasm for the Pentax K-x in another thread, I went out and bought one myself. I, like you, was stewing over what would be best for myself and I'm pretty happy with my decision.

You can get this camera in the US for $520. Check out Amazon.com
Amazon.com

This is much cheaper than the D90 and should serve its purpose well.

[manarak]

Wow, Pacman is a bottomless well of knowledge !

I don't know much about the other cameras, but I can post some pix I've taken of a bellydancer in a dimly lit restaurant, using my newly acquired Canon 550D with the sigma 30mm f/1.4 objective.
The dancer was whirling and spinning, not easy to get a clear pic of.

I've locked the camera at 3200 ISO and f/1.4 and let the camera decide the aperture speed. AF was on "servo", but had problems keeping track of the dancer.
I'm quite pleased with the pix given the circumstances.

I can only imagine the results if the motive had been a static ladyboy showing me her cock  

[Snick]

Great pix, especially for 3200 ISO !
DOF is much better than I would have thought for f1.4

Servo AI is one of those features which gets a LOT better on the more expensive cameras.

[Chinaman]

(manarak @ May 10 2010,15:52) I don't know much about the other cameras, but I can post some pix I've taken of a bellydancer in a dimly lit restaurant, using my newly acquired Canon 550D with the sigma 30mm f/1.4 objective.

Truly some excellent shots here, manarak.

But she was not the one who gave you the rim job, I guess ;-)



We shall be in for some amazing lb-pics later on, I hope ...

Are you using the movie-feature?

[Chinaman]

(manarak @ May 10 2010,15:52) Wow, Pacman is a bottomless well of knowledge !

He is certainly a walking photography-encyclopedia.

I start enjoying the photography threads here almost as much as the lb-threads.

BTW, has anyone gotten an iPad yet??? SNICKY???

[Torurot]

Donnnnnny has a number of threads with photos taken with the Nikon D90 and sang it's praises to the roof until he upgraded to the D700. He still has the D90. What Pacman said was good advice.

The cost of a advanced DSLR is in the lens system. The two in your package are are great start.

Sony is releasing a new camera on the 11th May

[pacman]

Donnnnnny upgraded from a D80 Nikon, he had it before the D90 was released.

Bigmick bought the D90 & posted some good shots. Donnnnnny leapfrogged the D90 with his D700 but paid a lot more to do so.

The D90 still holds up against all competitors today. One wonders what Nikon can do to improve it.

[Snick]

(Chinaman @ May 10 2010,17:18) BTW, has anyone gotten an iPad yet??? SNICKY???

How'd you guess ?
I'm waiting on mine, I purchased it from Apple a few weeks ago, but I'm waiting on a friend to deliver it when he comes to Thailand. Two more weeks of waiting.

I've played briefly with one, and it looks great.