help me out

[enfield]

Hey guys

I am going to be buying my first DSLR soon and I want your help.I have budget of $2k incl lenses and would prefer to buy the camera body brand new.

I am undecided between Canon 500D & Nikon D90 . Somewhat more inclined towards D90 after reading some reviews last night.But I read somewhere canon has more lense choices and is cheaper than nikon ? is that true ?

From pricespy the cheapest price for body only for 500d is $1029 and Nikon D90 $1199.Then i could get a 1.8 50mm and could you guys suggest me some good general purpose lense (good fun lense :P) that I can get in my budget.

I also found some package with kit lenses but after reading some comments on here about not buying kit lenses i am not sure.Anyways here are the packages i have searched from pricespy are any of them worth buying ?
Canon EOS 500D + 18-55/3.5-5.6 IS + 55-250/4.0-5.6 IS for 1630
Canon EOS 500D + 18-200/3.5-5.6 IS $1700
Nikon D90 + 18-55/3.5-5.6 VR $1778
Nikon D90 + 18-105/3.5-5.6 VR $1852

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks
Gary

[drspangle]

Hey guys

I am going to be buying my first DSLR soon and I want your help.I have budget of $2k incl lenses and would prefer to buy the camera body brand new.

I am undecided between Canon 500D & Nikon D90 . Somewhat more inclined towards D90 after reading some reviews last night.But I read somewhere canon has more lense choices and is cheaper than nikon ? is that true ?

From pricespy the cheapest price for body only for 500d is $1029 and Nikon D90 $1199.Then i could get a 1.8 50mm and could you guys suggest me some good general purpose lense (good fun lense :P) that I can get in my budget.

I also found some package with kit lenses but after reading some comments on here about not buying kit lenses i am not sure.Anyways here are the packages i have searched from pricespy are any of them worth buying ?
Canon EOS 500D + 18-55/3.5-5.6 IS + 55-250/4.0-5.6 IS for 1630
Canon EOS 500D + 18-200/3.5-5.6 IS $1700
Nikon D90 + 18-55/3.5-5.6 VR $1778
Nikon D90 + 18-105/3.5-5.6 VR $1852

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks
Gary

I'm on the nikon side of things, and I wouldn't have thought the 500D would even be feature competitive with the D90. I would have thought the D90 was up with the canon 40D or is that the 50D these days?

Big differences as far as I know will be (in favour of the D90):


bigger and better viewfinder - Pentaprism viewfinder versus the Pentamirror
two command wheels
wireless speedlight control
dedicated button's on top of camera allowing to adjust metering, exposure compensation, continuous shooting and autofocus settings on the fly without having to go into the menus
Better Focusing, Metering and White Balance Control
Just generally better AF - better points, tracking etc
AF illumination lamp
Much Better battery life
The Nikon is bigger and arguably better made, as the canon is basically an entry level camera. YOu may appreciate the smaller size, though for my hands bigger has generally been better a my d300s is only just big enough for my shooting style/preferences

Personally, I don't consider them in the same 'level'. I'm sure you can take similar photos with each, but the D90 is a step up.

In saying all that, I don't follow the canon announcements _that_ closely, so if I've made a mistake please point it out, and of course someone will have to go to the effort of pointing out the 500D pros

---------- Post added at 08:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:51 PM ----------

regarding lenses, buying a kit lens (18-55 at least, I dont know much about the 18-105) is almost always a waste of money if you plan to be at all serious about it.

Or not. It depends on what you will do with it. Unlikely to keep under 2k though unless you do.

[fokker]

If it was me I'd flag the kit lenses altogether and just buy the body and one or two good quality lenses (you may want to look 2nd hand here).

[drspangle]

Something to keep in mind is that lenses willl outlast any body you buy, provided you buy good ones :)

[enfield]

After reading some more reviews D90 it is :) that I am going to buy.
For the other lense should i go for Nikon Nikkor AF-S DX 18-200/3.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR ($1100 from pricespy) and then there is Nikon Nikkor AF-S DX 18-200/3.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR II which $1799 (quite over my budget).Whats the difference between the two and is the first one good for a beginner like me ?

Anymore recommendations on lenses would be appreciated

Thanks
Gary

[drspangle]

After reading some more reviews D90 it is :) that I am going to buy.
For the other lense should i go for Nikon Nikkor AF-S DX 18-200/3.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR ($1100 from pricespy) and then there is Nikon Nikkor AF-S DX 18-200/3.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR II which $1799 (quite over my budget).Whats the difference between the two and is the first one good for a beginner like me ?

Anymore recommendations on lenses would be appreciated

Thanks
Gary

There is only one version of the 18-200 :) Get whichever store has it cheapest

And it's great for people that only want 1 lens and travelers. It will be beaten by high end lenses and primes at all focal lengths and wider apertures, but as a compromise it can't be beat :) Not for that price!

[enfield]

http://pricespy.co.nz/category.php?k=s45018238 < There is VR and VRII(the expensive one)

[drspangle]

http://pricespy.co.nz/category.php?k=s45018238 < There is VR and VRII(the expensive one)

yeah I've just had a look around. It is confusing: Nikon has VR and VRII (which all 18-200s have), but then they also release version 'II' lenses such as the 70-200 and also it appears the 18-200. Just seeing what differences are. Sorry for confusion...

---------- Post added at 11:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 PM ----------

From what I can tell it just has a slightly tighter zoom ring to prevent zoom creep and a zoom lock to hold it at 18mm. VR is the same, optically i don't know of any differences...

[enfield]

would it be good for portraits and a bit of landscape photography ?

[drspangle]

would it be good for portraits and a bit of landscape photography ?

85-200 range will be decent for portraits, aperture is pretty small by then so not a great amount of DoF control, but the length will help out here anyway.

I'v never used one myself, but 18mm is wide enough for landscapes generally. It does have some fairly complicated distortion that you will notice with straight edges though, eg architechture and whatnot Best bet is to go to a cam shop you intend to buy it from and take some shots (taking your time, I always feel so rushed when I do that) and see if they are good enough.

[enfield]

okies cool thanks for you help :)

[Love Photos]

Hey, see you are getting your first DSLR, me too...

We are looking for a D90 in a similar way, look on Pricespy, just to let you know that Expert Infotech, show a very good price on the D90, except there are so many reviews stating the service is terrible, and products arnt always a good one. To me buying a camera is a big deal, consider i have to spend $1000+ on it, and i am so not rich.

Therefore i prefer to buy a camera from a dealer who have a very good after sale services, such as good contact, honest and reliable serviecs etc, and then go for one with a better price.

I have post several post up too, Haim told me Bartman is a very good dealer on Trademe, and Haim a crazy Nikon photographer too. I intend to get a deal off this Bartman dealer. as the after sale service is very important to me.

I hope this is help. And D90 is a very good camera, with a lot of good comments on it.

[drspangle]

Hey, see you are getting your first DSLR, me too...

We are looking for a D90 in a similar way, look on Pricespy, just to let you know that Expert Infotech, show a very good price on the D90, except there are so many reviews stating the service is terrible, and products arnt always a good one. To me buying a camera is a big deal, consider i have to spend $1000+ on it, and i am so not rich.

Therefore i prefer to buy a camera from a dealer who have a very good after sale services, such as good contact, honest and reliable serviecs etc, and then go for one with a better price.

I have post several post up too, Haim told me Bartman is a very good dealer on Trademe, and Haim a crazy Nikon photographer too. I intend to get a deal off this Bartman dealer. as the after sale service is very important to me.

I hope this is help. And D90 is a very good camera, with a lot of good comments on it.

I've dealt with Expert Infotech once, but that was just buying RAM for my computer. I've never heard any particular horror stories about them, only people telling you to stay away. Consumer Guarantees act always covers you :).

I got My D300s from Digi Parallel and a friend bought a D90 through them. They do a 1 year rtb warranty which is what you get from buying through the proper Nikon importer anyway *shrug*

[whittyp]

Both of the lenses that you are looking at a basically versions of the same lens. The VRII is the latest version. Basically VR is designed to compensate for camera shake and allows you to hand held the camera at a slower shutter speed than would be possible with out. The original VR lenses are supposed to allow for up to 3 f-Stops difference, whereas the VRII allows for up to 4 f-stops.

I do not know if this will help but when I was looking at getting the 70-200mm lens for my D90, I spoke to the Nikon agents who told me that I would not get much advantage of VRII over VR because the D90 has a cropped sensor.

[drspangle]

Both of the lenses that you are looking at a basically versions of the same lens. The VRII is the latest version. Basically VR is designed to compensate for camera shake and allows you to hand held the camera at a slower shutter speed than would be possible with out. The original VR lenses are supposed to allow for up to 3 f-Stops difference, whereas the VRII allows for up to 4 f-stops.

I do not know if this will help but when I was looking at getting the 70-200mm lens for my D90, I spoke to the Nikon agents who told me that I would not get much advantage of VRII over VR because the D90 has a cropped sensor.

All 18-200s use the second generation VR (VRII). The only difference is the stiffer zoom ring and focus lock.

[Haim]

70-200mm lens for my D90, I spoke to the Nikon agents who told me that I would not get much advantage of VRII over VR because the D90 has a cropped sensor.


HUHUHUH??? what does the VR have to do with how large your sensor is lol.

the only thing i see is that with full frame digital you can use higher iso's giving you a better shutter speed at the same f-stop as the one you had with the slower shutter speed on the DX camera.

Apart from that i think that he's full of BS


or maybe they ment that the advantage of the old VR 70-200 vs the VRII 70-200 is not apparent on the DX camera because it doesnt use more of the lense and therefore not going to vignette?

[sako]

......or maybe they ment that the advantage of the old VR 70-200 vs the VRII 70-200 is not apparent on the DX camera because it doesnt use more of the lense and therefore not going to vignette?

It's obvious that's what the rep meant.:confused:

[lennon]

I just started to look around for a new camera, and I'm thinking about the Nikon D90 (especially after reading this thread, but it's a tough call). More shops selling DSLR cameras here:
http://www.priceme.co.nz/Digital-Cameras/p_c-2,avs-926.aspx

[enfield]

go for d90 as i think its best in this price range .. ive decided on the camera but now have a hard time deciding what lenses to start off with

[mikexbarnes]

Hi All,

I have a similar dilemma with cameras and lenses. Not sure if this will help you or not enfield but maybe it will.

I've just found this site so I joined up, seems like there is a wealth of experience on here and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I'm planning to upgrade from a Konica Minolta Dimage A200 to a DSLR. I'm off cycle touring in a few months and am planning to take the DSLR.

Most of the photos I take tend to be portrait, landscapes and panoramas with the occasional telephoto shot of wildlife etc. I don't tend to take alot of photos inside however when travelling some times it's neat to be able to not use a flash and get good low light photos.

Another thing is I really like taking sunset/rise dusk/dawn shots, not necessarily directly at the sun but the light on other objects and terrain features. In all I think that a faster lens is probably advantagous for the shots I like to take.

Given that most of my shots are taken in the 28-75mm (35mm Equi) I feel that I should spend more on a lens in this range and get a second hand Nikon 55-200VR if I can for a couple of hundred dollars.

I'm looking at two lenses currently, the Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF] (http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikkor-aps-c-lens-tests/290-tamron-af-17-50mm-f28-sp-xr-di-ii-ld-aspherical-if-nikon-test-report--review?start=2) and the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR (http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikkor-aps-c-lens-tests/377-nikkor_1685_3556vr?start=2).

The both of these lenses are rated well on Photozone.de and seem to have reasonable performance. Both are also similar cost.

The Tamron has the advantage of being close to one stop faster while the Nikon has a wider wide angle and slightly more zoom + it is also a Nikon lens too if this is an advantage.

I'm kind of stuck at the moment and can't decide.

Is the slight speed advantage of the Tamron worth having? or is the Nikon lens a better option due to both the wide angle, the zoom and being a Nikon lens?

After this is decided I will have to decide on the D5000 or D90, both have their advantages. I would be equally happy with either one really but it will probably be a financial decision. If the D90 is going to cost a lot more than the D5000 then I will probably go with the D5000, however if they are going to be similar cost then I will go the D90.

I'd be interested to hear what others think.

[drspangle]

Hi All,

I have a similar dilemma with cameras and lenses. Not sure if this will help you or not enfield but maybe it will.

I've just found this site so I joined up, seems like there is a wealth of experience on here and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I'm planning to upgrade from a Konica Minolta Dimage A200 to a DSLR. I'm off cycle touring in a few months and am planning to take the DSLR.

Most of the photos I take tend to be portrait, landscapes and panoramas with the occasional telephoto shot of wildlife etc. I don't tend to take alot of photos inside however when travelling some times it's neat to be able to not use a flash and get good low light photos.

Another thing is I really like taking sunset/rise dusk/dawn shots, not necessarily directly at the sun but the light on other objects and terrain features. In all I think that a faster lens is probably advantagous for the shots I like to take.

Given that most of my shots are taken in the 28-75mm (35mm Equi) I feel that I should spend more on a lens in this range and get a second hand Nikon 55-200VR if I can for a couple of hundred dollars.

I'm looking at two lenses currently, the Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF] (http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikkor-aps-c-lens-tests/290-tamron-af-17-50mm-f28-sp-xr-di-ii-ld-aspherical-if-nikon-test-report--review?start=2) and the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR (http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikkor-aps-c-lens-tests/377-nikkor_1685_3556vr?start=2).

The both of these lenses are rated well on Photozone.de and seem to have reasonable performance. Both are also similar cost.

The Tamron has the advantage of being close to one stop faster while the Nikon has a wider wide angle and slightly more zoom + it is also a Nikon lens too if this is an advantage.

I'm kind of stuck at the moment and can't decide.

Is the slight speed advantage of the Tamron worth having? or is the Nikon lens a better option due to both the wide angle, the zoom and being a Nikon lens?

I'd be interested to hear what others think.


I have the Tamron non VR version (a bit older) and it's a good lens. The nikon is a bit longer and wider and is also AFS which I don't believe the tamron has (the older one doesnt) [This is an inbuilt AF motor and allows manual focus override any time without having to switch to manual focus using the switch on the front of the camera).

The larger aperture is useful, and doubly so with VR, but depends how often you are handholding in dim lighting. If you are mostly shooting in good light, or on a tripod the larger aperture won't help too much. I also have a 10-20 lens so wideness wasnt a concern for me.

Your usage patterns will dictate if the extra width and and length of the Nikon will be useful. (You can create a smart collection in lightroom to get ideas on your focal length usage). My 85 is about as long as I ever go, so the Nikon could cover all your bases.

[mikexbarnes]

Hey Drspangle,

That is a good thought on the AFS but I think Tamron call it BIM (Built in motor) on their newer lens (http://www.tamron.com/lenses/prod/1750_vc_b005.asp).

If I could afford it then a 10-20 and a 35 f1.8 would defintiely be on my list, but unfortunalty I can't afford them so maybe your thought on the 16-85 is right. Though I'm still a bit worried about the speed of the lens, 3.5 seems a little slow as I never carry a tripod.

Dilemmas, dilemmas!!!