Thread: New Camera Choice

Hi. Have a look at dpreview. I'll suggest that there won't be great differences between all of them.

When making your choice try to consider your next move as you may want to carry flashes or lenses over to the next upgrade.

Sony A200 - see the thread Dullbird started.
EOS 1000D - waste of money, much better off with the EOS 450D
EOS 450D - Think of it as the Toyota of the entry level DSLR, every man and his dog seems to own one, but they are average.
D60 - Think of it as the D3 of the entry level DSLR. Everyone with a Canon will bag it because its a Nikon.
E-520 - I don't really know what the latest crop of Oly DSLR's are like. I do believe they are starting to get back some of their SLR heritage though.

I'm biased so for me it would be Nikon D60. If you can stretch the budget the D90 is definitely worth it.

Although I'm a sony/Minolta, I would have reservations about the Olympus because of the 4/3 sensor format. at least with the other cameras, the sensor is bigger, which will (usually) mean less highlight clipping and better noise performance. Also, consider the price and availability of lenses.
My preference is;

Sony/Nikon (who incidently share the same sensors)
Nikon have been getting rave reviews for thier latest releases, and you have a huge range of lenses to choose from, from the early MF lenses through to the latest offerings. sony has inbuilt sensor stabilisation and you get use the superb Minolta lenses

Pentax K20 which is excellent value, great features (inc weather sealing and image stabilisation) and and a decent performer that is often overlooked.

Canon (a bit overrated ) and the 450D over the 1000D. I personally feel they are trading on their name a bit. There have been some recalls on some of their cameras (admittedly the higher end stuff), and have heard stories of QA issues regarding their lenses.

Most importantly, do your research, and spend decent time in the camera shop trying them out for how they feel in the hand, brightness of viewfinder, responsiveness etc. The thing is once you go with a system, in the long run the real value and investment is not with the camera, but with the lenses.

Check out Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ.

Also there are links to other camera review sites under "About" on the LH menu on the website.

The D60 won't take any MF lenses and will only take the later G series lenses which have a built in motor.

Whilst Nikon does use a Sony sensor, the firmware and image processing is very much Nikon.

I'd forgotten about the Pentax K20, get's very good reviews too.

As for the 4:3 sensors, they are here to stay and in fact may end up dominating part of the market.

Originally Posted by dm_td5

The D60 won't take any MF lenses and will only take the later G series lenses which have a built in motor.

Oops, forgot that one - would have to go next model (D90)

Originally Posted by dm_td5

Whilst Nikon does use a Sony sensor, the firmware and image processing is very much Nikon.

So it comes down to personal preference about the image. Nikon holds more detail, Sony has greater Dynamic range. Earlier sony firmware wasn't the best but improved significantly of late (obviously didn't listen to the ex-Minolta engineers )

Originally Posted by dm_td5

I'd forgotten about the Pentax K20, get's very good reviews too.

Got one for my partner, and she can also use early Pentax MF lenses as well.

Originally Posted by dm_td5

As for the 4:3 sensors, they are here to stay and in fact may end up dominating part of the market.

Yep agree, but based on current technology, the compomises of such a high pixel count on a smaller sensor and lack of upgrade path (ie: full sensor) due to the contraints of the lenses really keeps it at the consumer end of the market and limits upgrade path should the photo bug bite...

Dynamic range on the new Nikons is brilliant! I think I'll be getting the replacement to the D700 or a D400 when ever they come out after seeing shots off D3, D300 and D90.

I would go Nikon D60 and further more I would look for a used D200 with a very little use. There are bargains out there.

The good news is they are all great cameras, capable of fantastic shots.. the important thing is.. which one you like! As you say, its pretty much holden vs ford. Once you have been shooting for a while, and really know the specifics of what you like it gets easier to choose (like the older canons had no spot meter.. I use it all the time so a canon would have been no good)

Most reviews / commentary from the camera fanatics around the internet are hilariously bad - all photos of brick walls and colours charts, arguments of the minutest detail of an image at 100% resolution.. useless.

Accessories are important too.. out of everything you can spend your money on, the only ones that I have found will make a large improvement to your photos are (in no real order):

* solid tripod (not some flimsy plastic thing, a proper manfrotto 055 or similar)
* a circular polarizer (doesn't have to be a superthin expensive one)
* a good flash
* good post process software
* knowing how to use the camera