Thinking about buying a camera *NEW*

[Cstok]

OK... it's time to start putting my Christmas list together, and top of the list will be a new digital camera.

What would all of you suggest? I will be using it for ... you guessed it storm photos! OK and some of the familiy (gotta justify it somehow :wink: )

I am looking to go with something that is $1,000 or less.

 

[Cstok]

I should also mention that I will be taking these photos and blowing them up... maybe 8 1/2 X 11 or larger. I would like my office walls to be lined with storm photos!

 

[John Gnuechtel]

Well, you don't have to go far on these forums to find the many extolled virtues of the mighty Canon EOS Digital Rebel.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

But NOT with the kit lens. IF you truly want to take advantage of the rebel and want versatility, you need to put a good lens on it. Amos is taking the plunge soon. I think he figured with the current rebates he could get a rebel, 17-40 f/4, and 50 f/1.4 for $1400 ($300+ in rebates)

Aaron

 

[John Gnuechtel]

Originally posted by Aaron Kennedy
But NOT with the kit lens. IF you truly want to take advantage of the rebel and want versatility, you need to put a good lens on it.

True that.

 

[Amos Magliocco]

Yeah, the Canon rebates right now are amazing for the Rebel. For example, purchasing a Rebel *and* the 17-40mm L lens yields a rebate of $250. There is a form on the B&H website where you can see how much rebate the various combinations yield. No doubt it's a good time to buy. The purchases have to made by 1-31-05.

I haven't done it yet, but I'm going to pretty soon. Those rebate numbers justify a little credit card action.

I've been looking into DSLRs pretty much all year, and heavily since chase season ended. I recommend the Rebel even if you had enough money to afford the D20. The reason is that if you're just starting out with DSLR, the Rebel has plenty to teach, and the price allows for considering a better lens than the kit. Then, when you're a total pro in a year or two, you can splurge on the first affordable body with a full-sized CMOS sensor!

My disclaimer is that I don't own a Rebel yet, have never owned a DSLR in my life, and therefore really don't know what I'm talking about...LOL! But that's never stopped me before. 8)

 

[David Wolfson]

If I weren't already committed to Canon EOS stuff, with your needs I'd look hard at the Canon PowerShot Pro1. It has pretty much all the features of the Rebel, quality glass, and built-in 28-200mm macro zoom (with extenders available), etc. Here's a review and sample pictures: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/pro1.html
The best part is, B&H sells it for $715!

 

[David Schuttler]

For that price I would want more than just a 15 sec. exposure

 

[Bobby Eddins]

Originally posted by David Wolfson
If I weren't already committed to Canon EOS stuff, with your needs I'd look hard at the Canon PowerShot Pro1. It has pretty much all the features of the Rebel, quality glass, and built-in 28-200mm macro zoom (with extenders available), etc. Here's a review and sample pictures: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/pro1.html
The best part is, B&H sells it for $715!

I looked at this one but "detectable noise at ISO 100 scared me off.

 

[Chris Gullikson]

Originally posted by Aaron Kennedy
But NOT with the kit lens. IF you truly want to take advantage of the rebel and want versatility, you need to put a good lens on it.

The Rebel mated with the kit lens will blow away just about every point and shoot camera out there. I think it's a great lens to learn how to use your camera and has the advantages of being very light and having a nice wide angle zoom range. There is no other lens in this class that you can buy for 100 bucks.

I totally agree that it is a questionable lens for serious work, but for the price it's not a bad piece of glass (plastic).

 

[Kurt Silvey]

Does anyone have experience with the Nikon D70? The reviews I have read tend to give it the nod over the rebel. I have seen the D70 offered with both the Nikon 28–80 f3.5–5.6 and the Nikon 70–300 4.5–5.6 combo or the Tamron 28-300 F3.5–6.3 for the same price ~ $960.00

 

[Tony Laubach]

Thought the time came to reopen this thread, as I intend to use my $700 tax return to dive into the DSLR market. I've looked over the EOS Rebel and am highly going in that direction (Amos, did you get yours yet?). Are there other DSLRs out there that you all use that would also be worth taking a look at?

-Tony

 

[Rockwell Schrock]

I believe that the Nikon D70, whose reviews I have read are all stellar, has a new rebate of $200 on the kit with the body and lens. This rebate is new as of a few days ago. This is the camera that I'm saving up for at the moment.

 

[David Schuttler]

Originally posted by Rockwell Schrock
I believe that the Nikon D70, whose reviews I have read are all stellar, has a new rebate of $200 on the kit with the body and lens. This rebate is new as of a few days ago. This is the camera that I'm saving up for at the moment.

Cheapest I could find the Nikon D70 2 weeks ago was $1199.
That rebate would sure help. Reviews state it's is sharper than the Rebel but has more moire...

 

[George Flickinger]

I just purchased a Minolta Dimage z3 which is about $400. I'm not into changing lenses and such, so this should work for me. I bought it mainly for the 12x optical zoom with stabilizer, and "fine" quality 640x480 movies at 30fps.