can you recommend a camera?
Anonymous wanted to know if I would recommend the D80 or the XTI.
I get asked the "What camera should I buy?" question a lot, and I'm not a technical expert and frankly think there is such a thing as too much of a good thing (google 'camera reviews' and you'll be immediately overwhelmed). You can buy your camera based on reviews, statistics, and performance. You can base your purchase on how much you like the advertising campaign or warranty of the manufacturer. You can base your camera on what it costs or what your friends tell you to do. You can pick a brand based on what camera people you admire shoot with. You can cram your brain with more data than you'll ever need and the second a newer model comes out will have your confidence in that one shattered. If you're desperate to look up the stats I advice www.dpreview.com. As you get into the dSLR world you'll quickly learn that the manufacturers are highly competitive and therefore all have very similar features - dpreview is very helpful when you are torn between two models and just need that one selling feature to push one above the other, like the width of the LCD preview screen or the colour of the writing on the neckstrap... ignore the catty consumer reviews and the companies blowing their own horns and head straight for the technical comparisons - much more impartial and therefore useful.
With any dSLR camera, you will likely replace the body before the lenses. So when you buy your first dSLR and start buying lenses, it's a pretty safe bet that you are marrying that company for a noteworthy amount of time. With this in mind, it's important not what you spend or how many megapixles you have, but how well the camera suits you. Ultimately, it's NOT about the camera - a talented and diligent shooter can shoot with any camera and get stellar results. So, completely unscientific, here's the simple 2-step method I HIGHLY suggest when shopping for a camera:
Step 1) Set your price. How much can you afford to spend? This is going to limit your choices right off the bat, so find the models comfortably within your price range. If you have a limited budget, I recommend going with a lower model of body and invest in a lens you'll love. If the sky is the limit then move on to step two.
Step 2) Manhandle every camera in your price range, even the ones you don't think interest you, and try on a few lenses while you're at it. Do your fingers intuitively know where the buttons and knobs and wheels are? Do you love the way things look through the lens? Is the shape of the camera body right for your hand? Does the weight of it feel too light or too heavy? Does it make you feel 'cool' holding it in your hands? Do you BELIEVE in the camera? If it feels nice, ask a million questions. Go home and read up on the one you think you're in love with. Then go back to the store and manhandle all of them again just to be sure. Whichever one feels like it just belongs to you, THAT is the camera you should take home.
If you are asking for my personal opinion between models, I am a Pentax girl at heart, but would gladly shoot with a Nikon. (I mean come on, there's a song that mentions Nikon... that's as good a reason as any, in my books, to go with a Nikon...)
I get asked the "What camera should I buy?" question a lot, and I'm not a technical expert and frankly think there is such a thing as too much of a good thing (google 'camera reviews' and you'll be immediately overwhelmed). You can buy your camera based on reviews, statistics, and performance. You can base your purchase on how much you like the advertising campaign or warranty of the manufacturer. You can base your camera on what it costs or what your friends tell you to do. You can pick a brand based on what camera people you admire shoot with. You can cram your brain with more data than you'll ever need and the second a newer model comes out will have your confidence in that one shattered. If you're desperate to look up the stats I advice www.dpreview.com. As you get into the dSLR world you'll quickly learn that the manufacturers are highly competitive and therefore all have very similar features - dpreview is very helpful when you are torn between two models and just need that one selling feature to push one above the other, like the width of the LCD preview screen or the colour of the writing on the neckstrap... ignore the catty consumer reviews and the companies blowing their own horns and head straight for the technical comparisons - much more impartial and therefore useful.
With any dSLR camera, you will likely replace the body before the lenses. So when you buy your first dSLR and start buying lenses, it's a pretty safe bet that you are marrying that company for a noteworthy amount of time. With this in mind, it's important not what you spend or how many megapixles you have, but how well the camera suits you. Ultimately, it's NOT about the camera - a talented and diligent shooter can shoot with any camera and get stellar results. So, completely unscientific, here's the simple 2-step method I HIGHLY suggest when shopping for a camera:
Step 1) Set your price. How much can you afford to spend? This is going to limit your choices right off the bat, so find the models comfortably within your price range. If you have a limited budget, I recommend going with a lower model of body and invest in a lens you'll love. If the sky is the limit then move on to step two.
Step 2) Manhandle every camera in your price range, even the ones you don't think interest you, and try on a few lenses while you're at it. Do your fingers intuitively know where the buttons and knobs and wheels are? Do you love the way things look through the lens? Is the shape of the camera body right for your hand? Does the weight of it feel too light or too heavy? Does it make you feel 'cool' holding it in your hands? Do you BELIEVE in the camera? If it feels nice, ask a million questions. Go home and read up on the one you think you're in love with. Then go back to the store and manhandle all of them again just to be sure. Whichever one feels like it just belongs to you, THAT is the camera you should take home.
If you are asking for my personal opinion between models, I am a Pentax girl at heart, but would gladly shoot with a Nikon. (I mean come on, there's a song that mentions Nikon... that's as good a reason as any, in my books, to go with a Nikon...)
PS - check out deals on eBay!!!!
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