# Camera Buying Decision...Help Needed



## TXPalerider (May 21, 2004)

My wife has an incentive program with her company where they receive points for various things. She has accumulated enough points to buy a digital SLR camera, but our choices are limited. Each point is supposed to represent $1.00, but, it seems to me to be a little inflated. Regardless, it doesn't matter, they can't be converted to cash so the points have to be spent within the program.

Which one these do you think is the best deal and which do you think is the best camera. We primarily use the camera to take pictures of our kids at swim meets, baseball games etc. To follow are our choices and their respective point/$ amounts.

*Nikon D3000*
18-55mm VR Nikkor Lense
*$627.00*

*Nikon D5000*
18-55mm VR Nikkor Lense
55-200mm VR Nikkor Lense
*$1237.00*

*Canon EOS Rebel T1i*
18-55mm IS Lense
*$905.00*

Which would you select and why? I would also like to take into consideration the cost/availability of adding lenses in the future.

Thanks in advance for your help/advice.

TXPalerider


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## pg542 (Oct 9, 2006)

You probably know this already but your brand choices are tops. You won't go wrong with either one. That being said, most folks, once they have chosen a brand, will stay with it. I myself prefer Canon, but thats just me. You won't go wrong with either. You could go to Adorama or B&H photo (online) and compare features, prices and suitability to your needs. Not only that, you could compare everyday prices to the dollar/point system you mentioned. The Canon package you list appears to be about the going rate but there are a few different levels of lens quality so without more details, it's difficult to say. Spend a little time on those sites and learn alittle about your choices. I believe the Canon also has 1080 video capability which is somewhat new to DSLR's.....Either of the brands are prime candidates for future lens additions. Again the prices vary with the quality of the glass(lens). Generally the lenses that come with a camera package (kit) lenses are not high end glass. That doesn't mean that you can't great great images with them. Something else to think about when makig a decision from your choices. Does it come with a card and how many gig. 1 battery or 2 . Battery charger included? Some times the kit prices are really attractive until you see what they don't include. Some kits are filled with lowcost cleaning kits and lenscap tethers which for me serve no purpose. I use top quality cleaning stuff and never did like a lenscap dangling from my lens. Look around at your choices and if you have more questions , post up. Good folks on here, I know I've asked a lot of stuff and always got great helpful replies. I only wish I was as good as some of the folks on here....Good luck


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

pg542 said:


> You probably know this already but your brand choices are tops. You won't go wrong with either one. That being said, most folks, once they have chosen a brand, will stay with it. I myself prefer Canon, but thats just me. You won't go wrong with either. You could go to Adorama or B&H photo (online) and compare features, prices and suitability to your needs. Not only that, you could compare everyday prices to the dollar/point system you mentioned. The Canon package you list appears to be about the going rate but there are a few different levels of lens quality so without more details, it's difficult to say. Spend a little time on those sites and learn alittle about your choices. I believe the Canon also has 1080 video capability which is somewhat new to DSLR's.....Either of the brands are prime candidates for future lens additions. Again the prices vary with the quality of the glass(lens). Generally the lenses that come with a camera package (kit) lenses are not high end glass. That doesn't mean that you can't great great images with them. Something else to think about when makig a decision from your choices. Does it come with a card and how many gig. 1 battery or 2 . Battery charger included? Some times the kit prices are really attractive until you see what they don't include. Some kits are filled with lowcost cleaning kits and lenscap tethers which for me serve no purpose. I use top quality cleaning stuff and never did like a lenscap dangling from my lens. Look around at your choices and if you have more questions , post up. Good folks on here, I know I've asked a lot of stuff and always got great helpful replies. I only wish I was as good as some of the folks on here....Good luck


Very well said.

These days, I don't even know what typoe of memory cards each of those cameras use. That would be something to check out also. If you get a camera with video capability, an 8 gb card or even 16 gb card would be nice. I recently bought two Transcend 16 gb 400x UDMA compact flash cards for $62 each. These are pretty nice and the camera doesn't have to wait to write to the card because they are pretty fast. I think I got them from Adorama. I have already run several thousand images through them, formatted and done it over and over. 1000 images at a single softball or baseball game is not unusual for me. Later I thin 'em out.

Depending on how many megapixels the camera sensor has, bigger cards are a welcome site. The Canon 7D is an 18mp sensor while my 1D MK3 is 10. That just about cut my memory card storage capacity in half so that's why I bought the new cards.

Can't help you with the Nikon brands. Sandy or Arlon will have to chime in. Honestly, I don't think you will go wrong with any of the three.

My only real suggestion is to see if you can find the cameras on display somewhere so she can hold each one and see how they feel in her hands. That could be a deal breaker/maker right there.

Good luck.
Mike


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## stargazer (May 24, 2004)

Great info guys, I am a Canon guy also (see how helpful us canon folks are:rotfl so I really can not speak for Nikon, but something else I have now started to consider when buying a camera is the LCD size. As I grow older, it gets a bit harder to see the smaller ones. I know the Canon has a 3" screen (I think the D5000 has a 2.5?) and the resolution is good enough that you can actually check focus with it. Something I really enjoy. My 1D has such a small LCD its almost worthless.
Anyway all you are considering are good ones. And Mikes suggestion about holding one in the hand is right on the money.


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## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

I like the new articulating screen on the d5000. You can shoot in live view mode from your ankles and compose a shot perfectly. I like the SD cards WAY better than the CF cards. I can read SD cards in my laptop directly but have to use a very slow adapter with the CF cards. I think the D5000 is very similar to my D90, seems a bit lighter though. With the 18-55 kit lens you can barely tell it's in your hands ("double edged sword" though). I have a few friends that have gotten D5000s and no complaints yet. You also have the option to use a lot of old manual lenses on the D5000. No metering but they work great in manual mode.

The D5000 has a 230k dot 2.7" articulating screen which isn't the best on the block. Functional but even the older D90 has a MUCH better 3" 920k dot screen but no articulation. 
Personally I'd probably stick with the D90 over the D5000 for just a few dollars more. I haven't found anything I like better than my D90 including the D700 I just got..

There are some really good cheap old lenses out there for these cameras. You just have to use them in manual mode. Makes it more interesting in my opinion. One of my favorite lenses is an old vivtar zoom I got for $12. Takes some very sharp images.

Here are some of my cheap manual lenses that work fine on a D5000.. http://www.pbase.com/arlon/mf_lenses

I don't know anything about Canons, they may work fine with cheap old lenses too..


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

> I don't know anything about Canons, they may work fine with cheap old lenses too.


The older Canon lenses used the FD mount. When Canon started making the digital cameras, they switched to the EF mount which simply means that you have to use an adapter to mount the older lenses on newer bodies. And the adapter has a glass optic which, from all that I have read, degrades the image somewhat. I don't think it is worth the hassle to try to use the older lenses with the Canon bodies.

I did use an adapter ($10 ebay) to mount one of Arlons Nikon lenses on my Canon and use it for some macro work. It was alll manual operation but since I was using a tripod, it was easy to take test shots and adjust the lens aperture ring manually until I got the exposure right. That was a neat experiment. My adapter doesn't have the glass optic, just an aluminum adapter for the different mounts.


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## TXPalerider (May 21, 2004)

After doing a bit of research on the internet, I've narrowed it down to the Canon T1i and the Nikon D5000. But, I'm leaning towards the Nikon. The reviews seem to be just a tad better, plus, I get the extra lens. I realize the kit lenses are not really great lenses, but, I'm sure they will take a lot better pictures than I'm capable of.

Any more specific thoughts about either of these cameras?


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## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

Picture quality of the kit lenses is amazingly good. What they lack is light sensitivity and a little durability if anything. The big buck lenses are a little faster but generally more durable too. The expensive lenses are a lot heavier too so you drop them more and they have more enertia when they hit the floor! It would take a lab to see much difference in the actual pictures.


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## pg542 (Oct 9, 2006)

TXPalerider said:


> After doing a bit of research on the internet, I've narrowed it down to the Canon T1i and the Nikon D5000. But, I'm leaning towards the Nikon. The reviews seem to be just a tad better, plus, I get the extra lens. I realize the kit lenses are not really great lenses, but, I'm sure they will take a lot better pictures than I'm capable of.
> 
> Any more specific thoughts about either of these cameras?


 I think you'll be very pleased. Just some thoughts: Carry it everywhere you can. Shoot everything that interests you. You can always delete the stuff that did'nt work. Learn the "non-automatic" side of the mode dial. That's where your better images will come from. One of the best things I did when I first went digital was to purchase one of the aftermarket instructional dvd's geared for your specific camera. I don't remember the company that does them, but it can sure cut the learning curve down, especially if you have'nt any experience with dslr's or film slr's for that matter. Alot of useful tricks and tidbits that aren't found in your owners manual are in the dvd's....good luck and have fun.


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

I found this on utube. I am sure there are a lot more if you poke around.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/15/first-nikon-d5000-and-canon-t1i-video-clips-appear/


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## Gary (May 21, 2004)

I'm having a hard time not giving my two pennies worth here. It's not that one brand is better than another, just different. I started with a D80 and loved it! But I sold it to build a mountain bike, yadda dadda... Then I bought a used Canon 30D from madf1man and became an immediate Canon convert. It was just the way it felt. It didn't feel "plasticty" and cheap. 

Now I have a 50D and am absolutley in love with it. Yea it's kinda big and heavy due to the magnesium frame, but it just fits so right and feels like it's worth the money I paid for it. At least for me.

My suggestion would be to have your wife pick em up and feel them. Now days a 50D can be had for under $850, a 50mm 1.8 at $100, a 55-250 for under $300 and a 18-55 for under $150. That would cover all ranges plus a prime.


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