Best digital camera around $1000?

[GrimJack]

A few points.

DPReview.com is a fantastic site. I spend a lot of time there, it's well worthwhile.

Currently I own Canon (digital) gear, however, if I was going to buy a full on DSLR, I'd get a Nikon. More than likely the D90, the video option is just too good to pass up. Canon has a body that does video as well, but it's over 3 times the cost! My old school 35mm gear is all Nikon. Unfortunately it's all full manual stuff, nothing that I would want to use with a modern body, but still.

However, chances are I won't go full DSLR. Why? Because a fair bit of the design is leftover from the stone ages of camera design, stuff that's designed for film use only. For instance, a prism and a mirror? That was designed to protect film. It has no place in a digital camer.

Eventually, the camera manufacturers are going to figure this out. It's already starting - check out the Panasonic G1. It's essentially a DSLR without the leftovers from the film age.

One more bit - I wouldn't buy a Sony, even though the wife already has a bunch of lenses for the Minolta / Sony mount. None of the Sony reviews are stellar - as a matter of fact they seem to be below average, which goes a long way towards explaining the price.

 

[GotTurbos?]

A few points.

DPReview.com is a fantastic site. I spend a lot of time there, it's well worthwhile.

Currently I own Canon (digital) gear, however, if I was going to buy a full on DSLR, I'd get a Nikon. More than likely the D90, the video option is just too good to pass up. Canon has a body that does video as well, but it's over 3 times the cost! My old school 35mm gear is all Nikon. Unfortunately it's all full manual stuff, nothing that I would want to use with a modern body, but still.

However, chances are I won't go full DSLR. Why? Because a fair bit of the design is leftover from the stone ages of camera design, stuff that's designed for film use only. For instance, a prism and a mirror? That was designed to protect film. It has no place in a digital camer.

Eventually, the camera manufacturers are going to figure this out. It's already starting - check out the Panasonic G1. It's essentially a DSLR without the leftovers from the film age.

One more bit - I wouldn't buy a Sony, even though the wife already has a bunch of lenses for the Minolta / Sony mount. None of the Sony reviews are stellar - as a matter of fact they seem to be below average, which goes a long way towards explaining the price.

Couple points:

DPReview is one of my favorite sites.

D90 is fantastic, I have one, but the video option is almost useless to me as it uses a rolling shutter so you can't really film moving objects (just google d90 videos and the issues with it will probably come up first)

Mirror and Prism- what would you prefer? that the sensor provide feedback on the screen the whole time? I love the optical viewfinder, its clearer and focuses faster than using live view, also battery life is a huge deal with DSLR's. My point and shoot will last maybe an hour of taking pictures, where as my d90 will take 850 on one charge. The design isn't outdated, its effective.

G1- Hardly an SLR, awesome point and shoot but you will never get the ISO performance or quality you could get from a DSLR, the sensor size is minuscule in comparison. You REALLY start to notice this with night shots.

Sony- Agreed.

 

[FIL]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08091503leica_m82.asp

If you really don't want a mirror and prism in a high end digital camera, there's only really one option....

 

[GrimJack]

Couple points:

DPReview is one of my favorite sites.

D90 is fantastic, I have one, but the video option is almost useless to me as it uses a rolling shutter so you can't really film moving objects (just google d90 videos and the issues with it will probably come up first)

Mirror and Prism- what would you prefer? that the sensor provide feedback on the screen the whole time? I love the optical viewfinder, its clearer and focuses faster than using live view, also battery life is a huge deal with DSLR's. My point and shoot will last maybe an hour of taking pictures, where as my d90 will take 850 on one charge. The design isn't outdated, its effective.

G1- Hardly an SLR, awesome point and shoot but you will never get the ISO performance or quality you could get from a DSLR, the sensor size is minuscule in comparison. You REALLY start to notice this with night shots.

Sony- Agreed.

I'm going to stick with outdated.

The only reason Live View bites so bad is because of the mirror - take that away, the speed isn't an issue anymore.

No contest on the battery life, though.

G1 miniscule? Not really. Point and shoot cameras are miniscule, but the G1 isn't really a P&S. For comparison:
Nikon d90: 23.6 x 15.8 mm (3.72 cm&#178
Panasonic G1: 4/3 " (18.00 x 13.50 mm, 2.43 cm&#178
Canon SX10 IS: 1/2.3 " (6.16 x 4.62 mm, 0.28 cm&#178 <-- This is a real P&S. Notice the miniscule sensor!
Plus it has fully interchangeable lenses, unlike virtually every P&S out there. And it's capable of longer exposure times, still has the same 1/4000s shutter speed...

To be honest, I don't expect this thing to be the DSLR killer. But I *do* expect something like it to do exactly that within the next few years.

 

[Scot]

If you decided to go Nikon, you might consider starting with the 18-200vr lens. Then I would match a body up to the lens that was in my price range. I think you can get the D40 and 18-200 lens for around $1200. The D40 is a great starter camera and is a smaller body. One of its main limitations is that you can only use the "DX" type lens, which is not really a problem for you at this point. The D90 + 18-200 will cost about $1500. You will most likely never outgrow this camera body. The 18-200 range is great! You can take great shots of things up close up and the 200 brings the distance things in quite nicely. If I had to pick one lens for a DSLR, and was going on a trip, I would have to go out and buy the 18-200. The only reason I don't have one now is that I invested in other higher quality lens that cover that range. For example, my 18-55 2.8 lens cost about $1200. And oh yeah, I have two Supras that are sucking me dry....

You will find that the 18-55 kit lenses that come with the camera kits are very capable, but they will leave you hankering for longer reach.... and lens envy will set in... Very similar to turbo envy...

ALTHOUGH, I did not go to dpreview to see if the D40 and 18-200 had any issues working together... Which I would check out before I bought that set-up. You never know...

If I am not mistaking, I don't think Canon offers a comparable 18-200 lens. Again, it is important to go to the store hand get your hands these things to see what works best for you. And keep in mind, the person behind the counter will have a biased preference. A good salesperson will point out the positives and negative of both.

In the end, you will find that the lenses you select will be the most important investment, with the camera body being second. Bodies come and go, but the lens can last a lifetime


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/595841-REG/Nikon__D90_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

 

[alloyguitar]

If you decided to go Nikon, you might consider starting with the 18-200vr lens. Then I would match a body up to the lens that was in my price range. I think you can get the D40 and 18-200 lens for around $1200. The D40 is a great starter camera and is a smaller body. One of its main limitations is that you can only use the "DX" type lens, which is not really a problem for you at this point. The D90 + 18-200 will cost about $1500. You will most likely never outgrow this camera body. The 18-200 range is great! You can take great shots of things up close up and the 200 brings the distance things in quite nicely. If I had to pick one lens for a DSLR, and was going on a trip, I would have to go out and buy the 18-200. The only reason I don't have one now is that I invested in other higher quality lens that cover that range. For example, my 18-55 2.8 lens cost about $1200. And oh yeah, I have two Supras that are sucking me dry....

You will find that the 18-55 kit lenses that come with the camera kits are very capable, but they will leave you hankering for longer reach.... and lens envy will set in... Very similar to turbo envy...

ALTHOUGH, I did not go to dpreview to see if the D40 and 18-200 had any issues working together... Which I would check out before I bought that set-up. You never know...

If I am not mistaking, I don't think Canon offers a comparable 18-200 lens. Again, it is important to go to the store hand get your hands these things to see what works best for you. And keep in mind, the person behind the counter will have a biased preference. A good salesperson will point out the positives and negative of both.

In the end, you will find that the lenses you select will be the most important investment, with the camera body being second. Bodies come and go, but the lens can last a lifetime


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/595841-REG/Nikon__D90_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

I agree with most of what you said, with the exception of the D40. I hate that camera. If you've ever shot with one, you'll know why. The body is made primarily (if not entirely) out of plastic and just doesn't feel like it's durable at all. Plus, having the focus motors located in the lens (as opposed to the body) means that there are a VERY select few lenses that can be used.

Furthermore, I hate the concept of the D40. It makes every fourteen year old girl think that they're a professional photographer because they have a "dslr."

I am the proud owner of a Pentax *ist Ds, a Nikon d70s, a Nikon D80, and I usually shoot with a Nikon D2X at work (graphic designer). I have to admit that my next camera will more than likely end up being the D90.

Spend the extra couple bucks and get the D90 with the 18-200 lens. You'll thank yourself that you did.

...and to whoever mentioned the sony dslr at the beginning of this, I haven't shot their newer digitals, but with the older ones I had nothing but issues out of them.

 

[flight doc89]

For instance, a prism and a mirror? That was designed to protect film. It has no place in a digital camer.

the mirror does have a purpose, it protects the sensor. The D90 does shoot video, but only up to 10 minutes worth of HD in each clip, iirc, and after a few minutes of video the colors tend to shift as the sensor heats up. Once that happens, even if you stop taking video and start taking pictures, the following color will still be off in those following pictures until the sensor has a chance to cool down.
The sensors are fairly resistant to permanent damage, but they WILL burn if exposed to too much light for too long.
Anyways, prism autofocusing is much faster than any liveview camera's digital autofocus. The only exception to this is Sony's liveview system, which uses a separate sensor for the liveview image rather than using the image sensor.

Sony's don't shoot fast enough for me, but if you happen to REALLY want a liveview camera (image on rear screen rather than using viewfinder), Sony has the best liveview system imo.

Personally, I would either go with a Canon or Nikon as there is so much equipment available for them. I would recommend that you try to keep your money in your lens(es) rather than a body. What kinds of photography do you plan on doing after your vacation?

 

[Sawbladz]

I personally have the entry level DSLR from Canon, the XSi or 450D. This is a great camera if it is your first DSLR. It has all the functions of the larger bodies and can still produce quality photo's. Most who are newer to using a DSLR prefer the smaller, lighter body of the XSi when compared to the 40D, 50D, 5D etc. I was just in a store looking at a 50D and I couldn't get over how big it felt in my hands. Definitely go to a store and handle the cameras before you get it set in your head which is best for you.

The other benefit to picking up the cheaper body is that you can add more quality glass. If you buy the right glass from the start, you will never have to replace it.

 

[FIL]

I was just in a store looking at a 50D and I couldn't get over how big it felt in my hands.

teehee... you want a bit more of a shock? go take a 1D for a test drive