SOAK : Digital SLR Cameras

I am in the market to upgrade my Kodak Z7590 (a really good consumer P&S camera) with a DSLR camera.
Primarily I will be using this camera for:
Shots of my dogs - both inside and outside
Shots of the wife
Close-up shots of my wife's jewelry/other creations in a light-tent I know *nothing* about DSLR's. I definately want one that I can manual focus to add flexibility with the close-up shots.I need some suggestions. Not the Canon vs Nikon but real suggestions. I've just looked into this canon camera . What ya think? Will I be disappointed? I am not a professional - just someone who wants a better camera.
So sound off.

OK, here is my .02¢

I have been into photography my entire life primarily using conventional film Nikon SLR's. I was a relatively early adopter of digital and my first Digital was a Canon point and shoot (a whopping 3 mega-pixels) When it came time to upgrade I was sold on the convenience of a fixed lens Digital and was tired of carrying around a bag with lenses.

While other serious photographers may disagree, I went with and can highly recommend the Canon SX30. It has a big honking Zoom lens and achieves wide angle equivalent to 35mm.

It does, in fact, allow for manual focus using a rotary wheel on back of camera as opposed turning a concentric lens barrel ring. (That may be a deal breaker for you.) From a cost standpoint, it runs about $500.00 which is cheaper than just the body you are considering before lenses.

Info here:

www.usa.canon.com...

Demo here:

www.infosyncworld.com...

I love this camera and the swing out LCD 2.7" is awesome for high angle shooting over fences and low angle shooting of pets etc. Great Macro function. Auto modes are great for 90% of what I do.

Hope that helps.

I use a nikon D300. We also have a nikon D40 also great.

You may get more help here. Photo.net
the guys over there are really helpful and can get you started in the right direction.

The only thing I would add is if you get a body and lens together and it is a kit type lens just toss it out!
Go for a prime lens like a 50mm 1.8 and an 85mm 2.8. You can buy little close up lenses for pretty cheap.
Try searching B&H camera/video or Adorama in NYC is really good too.

Try learning about aperture controls and go manual if you can. Also make sure your camera is on the correct white balance setting. These two things will really help out if shooting indoors.

Adorama
B&H

Well I know that someone happens to have bought me a Canon 350d for Christmas so I will report back on it with some test shots in a few days

Edit to add

I asked a similar question a while back and was given a very useful answer in the first reply
thread

Move up to the next level...get the DSLR, you will notice the quality and performance.

Canon or Nikon are both, but if you have a couple of thousand to spend, buy the new DSLR cameras that can take HD video 1920 x 1280p and pictures; it's worth the money. An all in one that does HD pics and vids is the deal.

Originally posted by kinda kurious
OK, here is my .02¢

I have been into photography my entire life primarily using conventional film Nikon SLR's. I was a relatively early adopter of digital and my first Digital was a Canon point and shoot (a whopping 3 mega-pixels) When it came time to upgrade I was sold on the convenience of a fixed lens Digital and was tired of carrying around a bag with lenses.

While other serious photographers may disagree, I went with and can highly recommend the Canon SX30. It has a big honking Zoom lens and achieves wide angle equivalent to 35mm.

It does, in fact, allow for manual focus using a rotary wheel on back of camera as opposed turning a concentric lens barrel ring. (That may be a deal breaker for you.) From a cost standpoint, it runs about $500.00 which is cheaper than just the body you are considering before lenses.

Info here:

www.usa.canon.com...

Demo here:

www.infosyncworld.com...

I love this camera and the swing out LCD 2.7" is awesome for high angle shooting over fences and low angle shooting of pets etc. Great Macro function. Auto modes are great for 90% of what I do.

Hope that helps.

edit on 23-12-2010 by kinda kurious because: typos

edit on 23-12-2010 by kinda kurious because: typos2

Nice source. Thanks for your efforts. I'll check them too.

reply to post by kimkim3074


Just kurious. Does SOAK in thread title imply Source Of All Knowledge or what?

"Nobody hipped me to that dude." = PeeWee Herman

I'm happy with my Nikon D5000 DSLR. Lenses were part of a reasonably priced kit and it gets nice shots. I thought the P&S style swivel screen with live view and interval mode that lets me do time-lapse photos were kind of neat touches. The fact that those features were in the same package are what had me sold.

Definitely a big upgrade from my P&S camera. Still I plan on keeping the ol' P&S camera for those times when I'd rather travel light. (Going on bike rides and doing stuff like that. Cell phone cams aren't quite there yet.)

Of course different features and capabilities cater to different folks. People have their way of doing things, and different photographers have different needs. I'd suggest going by a camera store and checking out different models. See how they fit in your hand, the weight and balance, and how easy they are to adjust, etc. (Then if the service is good, I'd suggest buying from the shop. Otherwise, you can probably get a better deal online.)

Oh, and megapixels aren't everything. The only real advantage I find to having them is more flexibility in cropping a shot. (Most pics get downsized for anything not printed.) A better indication of quality or capability is how well a camera resists noise at high ISO and/or low light.