Entering the world of SLR Photography...views needed on Nikon D3000

[Northstander]

My Camera of choice, any thoughts people?

Nikon | News | Nikon D3000

 

[Notters]

Trying to choose one myself at the mo... Wondering if all the stuff to help beginners destracts from it a bit?

 

[Skaville]

I'm about to replace my stolen Nikon D40, so I'd also appreciate any insight into good, reasonably priced Digital SLR's, especiallly the Canon EOS 500D which has a ridiculously good offer price on Amazon...

 

[Whitterz]

Ive got a D90, and it is SUPERB. Mind you I do alot of photography, with the fishing ect. In my opinion Nikon are the best and biggest on the market now. Particularly for DSLR cameras, the boundaries are constantly being pushed. Sound, and reliable. The D3000 has had great reviews, and from my experience of Nikon, they are well worth the investment.

 

[Hunting 784561]

Ive got a Sony Alpha, which is good for dulltards like me when used in Auto mode, or you want to get all artistic you can manually change the settings. Also the the lens quality is 10/10 - superb.

 

[raymondbriggs]

Olympus
Job Done,happy with mine.

 

[Triggaaar]

Depends what you're entering the world of SLR photography for.

Do you just want a P&S with better quality and a choice of lenses, and a clever camera that will get your exposure right for you - or do you want a camera that will help you take better pictures?

If the latter, you don't want the camera to make exposure decisions for you. You don't want different modes for different subjects. You want to set speed or aperture yourself, and learn when to use what for the picture you want.

And do you need low light performance? I haven't seen the D3000, but I know what to expect - a decent, inexpensive, light body along the lines of the previous models. What's your budget and requirements?

 

[D Block blue]

I'm about to replace my stolen Nikon D40, so I'd also appreciate any insight into good, reasonably priced Digital SLR's, especiallly the Canon EOS 500D which has a ridiculously good offer price on Amazon...

Got the EOS 400d had for 18 months no complaints here so would recommend any canon eos

 

[London Calling]

Also look at Leica, still considered to make the best lenses, also consider Pentax K20. Whilst Pentax can't keep in the advertising, for most people there Camera's hit the mark. I have the K10. There lenses are just as good if not better and they are cheaper. Also nearly all old Pentax lenses can also be used on the digital SLR's.

I am presently looking at a Leica or Panosonic Compact, which now perform, as good as a DSLR of 4 years ago?

 

[Notters]

Can you use old lenses on the Nikon?

 

[Willow]

Ive got a D90, and it is SUPERB. Mind you I do alot of photography, with the fishing ect. In my opinion Nikon are the best and biggest on the market now. Particularly for DSLR cameras, the boundaries are constantly being pushed. Sound, and reliable. The D3000 has had great reviews, and from my experience of Nikon, they are well worth the investment.

I also have a Nikon D90, and fully agree with Whitterz's comments.

 

[Willow]

Can you use old lenses on the Nikon?

Most will do. There may be some caveats, such as having to focus manually.

Nikon System Compatibility

 

[john baldock]

Hi dont know what your budget is but if you can stretch to it go for the Nikon d700 fatastic full frame camera pro speck(if you drop it chances are it will survive !!!!) i use this camera and the full frame sensor is fantastic £1,500 for good used body hope that helps.

 

[Northstander]

Im looking at spendingt at max for my first SLR up to £450, however I am getting into this as I want bigger zoom lenses, I want better pictures and will be in future buying filter lenses etc.

I want to also learn about shutter speeds to increase my picture quality etc

I have done a lot of homework on the entry level on SLR and the D3000 in my opinion seems to remain unbeaten and very must the most cost effective.

Again, Opinions much appreciated!

 

[blue'n'white]

Steve's Digicams - Main Menu

Try the above website - good honest reviews "untainted" by any brand loyalty.
I switched from ordinary SLRs a few years ago as I wanted portability and have worked my way up to a Panasonic FZ28 which is fabulous - 18x zoom, 10 mp, good crisp photos but, like all compacts, it suffers a bit in low light. However I can't bear to have to go back to the days of carrying loads of extra lenses about.

 

[Triggaaar]

Im looking at spendingt at max for my first SLR up to £450

Indeed, no need to break the bank for your first slr. But I'd recommend a Nikon with a built in motor, which can then autofocus all of Nikons AF lenses. The D3000 (or D5000) will require each lens to have a motor (a lot will have a motor anyway, but some, like the great cheap 50mm f1.8 don't). Are you only considering new? If not, I'd suggest the Nikon D200. It's a more professional camera, and IMO would help you learn more and take better pics.

however I am getting into this as I want bigger zoom lenses, I want better pictures and will be in future buying filter lenses etc.

I want to also learn about shutter speeds to increase my picture quality etc

The D3000, 5000 and 90 (while very capable) are aimed more at the P&S crowd, and have scene settings to make shooting without thinking easier. This means that they could lead you away from making the photographic decisions yourself (not good if you want to take the best pics) and you'll have to use the menu to get to useful camera functions, because the handy buttons on the camera have been devoted to things like scene choices.

I have done a lot of homework on the entry level on SLR and the D3000 in my opinion seems to remain unbeaten and very must the most cost effective.

The problem is understanding what entry level means. For someone who just wants a better camera than their P&S, then it fits the bill well (entry level means 'cheapest'). For someone who is more interested in photography, it's not as appropriate IMO. For example, if you were studying photography with a film SLR, there's a good choice your camera would have a dial for speed, an aperture ring, and nothing else (apart from film speed). So as a student you'd always be thinking about how you wanted the final picture to look, and you'd make all the decisions. That's a far cry from the type of camera that is touted as 'entry level'.

So my advice is to go second hand (with help if need be) and get a better camera. But it doesn't matter if you ignore that, I'm sure the D3000 would be great. I'm quite partial to those Nikons

 

[Northstander]

Cheers trig, excellent advice!!!

 

[Notters]

Good advice trig... Never considered getting a second hand digital, hard enough being up to date as it is, isn't it?!

 

[Triggaaar]

You're welcome

Good advice trig... Never considered getting a second hand digital, hard enough being up to date as it is, isn't it?!

Yes, it's a weird one in that like many other electrical gadgets, technology moves fast, and what's entry level today is more advanced in some areas than what was pro 5+ years ago. But being more advanced in some areas doesn't mean better. With things like cameras, mp3 players etc, technology became good enough some time ago, so there's more to look at (eg, with cameras it's worth noting the controls on the camera, flash syncing abilities etc, and not just how many mega pixels in has).

An excellent resourse for Nikon info is byThom

He points out that if you have a Nikon D70 (2 generations old amature model) or better, and there's something wrong with the quality of your pictures, it's not the camera.

A good forum for more advice on Nikons (and inspiration) is the NikonCafe

 

[folkestonesgull]

I have a canon 400d which is more than adequate for what i need - make sure you save some money for an additional lense etc if needed