Looking to buy a DSLR Camera and need advice

[maxrisc]

I have been researching Digital SLR cameras for a couple months and I'm about ready to buy. I will be using it for anything from landscape to portrait, 'hi speed' shots to macro. 90% of the photos will be portrait and landscape with the macro and 'hi speed' being more of a hobby with the camera. I settled on a price point of about $500 for the body and main lens or up to $700 for the kits. I am going off of 2 store prices, B&H, which I first found out about from slickdeals (thanks guys :woot: ) and BestBuy because it is local and i can get the gift cards from Giant Eagle and get fuelperks which if i spend $700 it would be $1.40 off per gallon, You can get 30 gallons at a time so that equals an extra $42 dollars off the camera purchase!

I am looking at the following:

Sony A300K Alpha 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Super-Telephoto Zoom Lens
BestBuy has it for $649.98
B&H doesn't have a A300K with the extra lens...

Nikon D60 SLR Digital Camera Kit with 18-55mm VR Lens & 55-200mm VR Lens
BestBuy $749.99
B&H 699.99

Canon EOS Rebel XS (a.k.a. 1000D) SLR Digital Camera Kit (Black) with 18-55mm IS Lens & 75-300mm III Lens
BestBuy $749.97
B&H 699.99



I am leaning towards the Sony because of the image stabilization being on the camera so down the road I don't need to buy the "more expensive" lens just to get that feature. I do like the Nikon also and the Canon would be a distant 3rd. With the fuel perks making the prices the same I would have to purchase it at BestBuy.


Any thoughts on these cameras and should I be buying the Sony or should I got with one of the other 2.



Thanks for your help in advance :)

Allen

[kyzen]

Don't get sucked into the belief that Sony lenses are cheaper, it's a myth perpetuated by a handful of cheap lenses in a vast sea of more expensive ones :)

From Amazon:

Sony 55-200mm - $230
Canon 55-250mm IS - $250
Nikon 55-200mm VR - $230

Sony 70-300mm - $250 OR $850 (the $850 will be closer in quality to the Canon below)
Canon 70-300mm IS - $540
Nikon 70-300mm VR - $540

Sony 18-200mm - $530
Canon 18-200mm IS - $560

Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 - $1800
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS - $1500 (usually $1800)

In almost all cases above, the Canon lenses get higher review scores than the Sony counterparts, the one exception being the 70-300mm bracket, where the $250 Sony is mediocre at best, but the $850 Sony is superb (though still oddly slow for the price point).

My suggestion, since you're looking at a $700 camera, would be to get a Rebel XSi + kit lens + 55-250mm IS zoom for $750 @ Amazon. Not only is the XSi better than the 3 bodies you've listed, but you'll get a very sexy entry level zoom to play with at the same time.

[maxrisc]

My suggestion, since you're looking at a $700 camera, would be to get a Rebel XSi + kit lens + 55-250mm IS zoom for $750 @ Amazon. Not only is the XSi better than the 3 bodies you've listed, but you'll get a very sexy entry level zoom to play with at the same time.


Thanks for the info on the lenses. Do you have a link to the XSi kit so i can check it out?


Allen

[kyzen]

Thanks for the info on the lenses. Do you have a link to the XSi kit so i can check it out?


Allen

I don't have an exact link, I'm posting from a 7" laptop right now :)

Last time I looked, to get the Amazon deal you needed to find the XSi kit, be sure you're buying from Amazon and not another merchant, then add it to cart. Do the same for the Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS lens, making sure you're buying from Amazon, and adding to cart.

At checkout there will be a $200 discount applied, if you're buying both the XSi kit and the 55-250mm IS lens from Amazon.com (and not some partner merchant).

You could also get $100 off a Rebel XS + 75-300mm lens, but the XSi and the 250mm IS lens are just so much better, it's not worth the minor savings to go for the lesser devices.

[dealseeking]

I don't have an exact link, I'm posting from a 7" laptop right now :)

Last time I looked, to get the Amazon deal you needed to find the XSi kit, be sure you're buying from Amazon and not another merchant, then add it to cart. Do the same for the Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS lens, making sure you're buying from Amazon, and adding to cart.

At checkout there will be a $200 discount applied, if you're buying both the XSi kit and the 55-250mm IS lens from Amazon.com (and not some partner merchant).

You could also get $100 off a Rebel XS + 75-300mm lens, but the XSi and the 250mm IS lens are just so much better, it's not worth the minor savings to go for the lesser devices.

How do you get the $200 discount? I tried to add both the XSi kit and the Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS lens, and made sure they are all from Amazon. But they still showed up to be $699.95 and $255.00 for me. So the total is still $954.95

[kyzen]

How do you get the $200 discount? I tried to add both the XSi kit and the Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS lens, and made sure they are all from Amazon. But they still showed up to be $699.95 and $255.00 for me. So the total is still $954.95

Try checking out, the discount should appear on the same page that shipping options/costs are shown.

[maxrisc]

Try checking out, the discount should appear on the same page that shipping options/costs are shown.


Yea, it works if you try checking out, that might be what I go with...

[kyzen]

Yea, it works if you try checking out, that might be what I go with...

I really can't say enough good things about my XSi, it's a solid camera, and definitely the best in its price bracket. Coupling it with the most popular entry level zoom lens just makes the deal even better.

[aerogurl]

of the three choices you have, only one company makes JUST camera's. I prefer to do business with people who know their craft and stick to it.. Canon do cameras, camcorders, printers, etc.. Sony does everything.. but Nikon, just camera's and lenses... come to the dark side, buy Nikon. :)

[is98wayi]

why not get a Nikon D40? If you intended to get D60.
here is why?
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm

I got my Nikon d40 last October.

[kyzen]

of the three choices you have, only one company makes JUST camera's. I prefer to do business with people who know their craft and stick to it.. Canon do cameras, camcorders, printers, etc.. Sony does everything.. but Nikon, just camera's and lenses... come to the dark side, buy Nikon. :)

Just because Canon makes other products doesn't mean they aren't good at making cameras. There's a reason they're #1 in the world of professional sports photography :)

That said, none of the cameras he listed are inherently better or worse than the others. In the entry level realm, the only significant boosts in improvement tend to come from going up entire price brackets, not from switching from brand to brand - and once you're at a price bracket, in all honesty, the cameras in it won't differ too much from one another.

My biggest complaint with the entry level Nikon's is their requirement for lenses with internal focusing motors. A lot of Nikon's better, cheaper lenses don't have that internal motor, meaning you either have to forgo it entirely, or spend more money on a lens that has the motor. Meanwhile, Canon doesn't have any such lens compatibility issues in any of their models.

The reason I suggested the XSi was because it's a solid camera, with a superb lineup of lenses (Nikon may focus more on lenses, but most would agree that Canon's L series is sexy as hell, and better than most similar class lenses). If you could find a Nikon D90 - or even a gently used D80 - with a second lens for anywhere close to $750, I'd say get that one, hands-down. But any other model - D40, D60, D5000 - is unfortunately inherently crippled due to the lens limitations :(.


why not get a Nikon D40? If you intended to get D60.
here is why?
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm

I got my Nikon d40 last October.

Not to disparage Nikon at all, they make some damn fine cameras, but it's worth taking anything Ken Rockwell says with a grain of salt :)

If you get onto any camera forums, there seem to be 2 types of people - those who treat Rockwell as the next Jesus, and those who regard him as a totally useless pretentious a**hole. He makes some good point, but doesn't like admitting he may be wrong about other things; and tends to treat his opinions as solid gold facts.



Whatever you get though, it's going to come down to you as the photographer - if you're not willing to learn how to properly compose and expose a shot, you're wasting money on a DSLR. Like many folks, including Rockwell, say - there's no such thing as a bad camera... just a bad photographer.

[zebrasf]

When I add the items to the cart and view the purchase page with shipping options still no discount of $200 mentioned above does not appear.

Please advise.:rolleyes:

[maxrisc]

When I add the items to the cart and view the purchase page with shipping options still no discount of $200 mentioned above does not appear.

Please advise.:rolleyes:


http://www.amazon.com/Canon-55-250mm-4-0-5-6-Telephoto-Digital/dp/B0011NVMO8/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I30MAAGTX1NZ3&colid=292YKP9XDU8AB

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-55-250mm-4-0-5-6-Telephoto-Digital/dp/B0011NVMO8/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I30MAAGTX1NZ3&colid=292YKP9XDU8AB

Make sure it is these 2 items, then go to checkout. On the right side it should show the discount...

[maxrisc]

My suggestion, since you're looking at a $700 camera, would be to get a Rebel XSi + kit lens + 55-250mm IS zoom for $750 @ Amazon. Not only is the XSi better than the 3 bodies you've listed, but you'll get a very sexy entry level zoom to play with at the same time.


It worked out as the same price as the other 3 with the kits I wanted....I just ordered it!

Thanks kyzen for the tip :worship:

[kyzen]

It worked out as the same price as the other 3 with the kits I wanted....I just ordered it!

Thanks kyzen for the tip :worship:

Enjoy, it's an awesome camera :)