Posted by bestcamera in
I’m saving up for a DSLR and I’m looking at maybe a Nikon,Canon, or Pentax. I will be saving up and my budget is $575. Also how come mp don’t “really” matter when buying a camera. I always thought the higher the mp the sharper the picture…
Possible Choices Include:
Nikon D40
Nikon D60
Nikon D3000
Canon Rebel XS
Canon Rebel XSi
Pentax K2000
I would definitely go with a Nikon. I was in the exact same situation – trying to decide between brands for a low price (I’m 15 and bought my own dslr). I went into the pro photography store where I live and was able to look at both Canon models and Nikon models hands on. I found that the lower end Canon’s just felt not very sturdy. The shutter sound was almost squeaky (it wasn’t just the camera I was using, I tried others too). The Nikon just felt “right” in my hands. I ended up with the Nikon D60 with a 18-55mm lens and a 55-200mm lens. I also have a few 1 and 2 gb memory cards. I always feel safer using more smaller cards in case one malfunctions or something, you don’t lose all your pictures, just the ones on that card. The D3000 has the exact same specs as the D60 – just a bigger screen which might be nice.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions! Glad to help!
I have the Canon XSI and think its a great camera for beginners and intermediate users. Its easy to control and has a ton of automatic and manual features. The mega pixels come into play when its time to print the image. The more mega pixels the bigger you can print your image out to. The canon XSI’s 12 mega pixels will be perfect. The sharpness of the image will come from the lens that you are using. I think you’ll enjoy the canon xsi.http://www.cameta.com/Canon-EOS-Rebel-XS…
All those models are great not only for a teenager but for any photo enthusiast. The D40 is undoubtedly the cheapest but my favorite is the K2000.
Megapixels don’t matter because most dSLRs have relatively larger digital sensors compared to compacts. If you won’t print your pictures in super huge billboard sizes then you will find it to your advantage to shoot at lower megapixels to get more pictures into your memory card.
Just fyi, unless you plan on buying from eBay or Amazon, you might have a hard time finding a body + lens + memory card for under $575.
MP ‘matter’ in the sense that, the higher the number, the larger the picture. Higher MP does NOT give a sharper image. It just means the image will be at a higher quality and you can make the end result larger without too much grain.
I recommend the Canon, and for under $575 you might be able to get the Canon Rebel XTi. That’s the camera I currently own and its served me well.
I would recommend going on Adorama.com and going to the used dept. under Canon digital or Nikon digital. A Canon 20D is about $350. A Nikon D50 is about $300. Both great cameras. Put that extra money your save into a good lens. You could find a decent lens for about $300-$400 depending on what you get. Adorama currently has a Nikon D50 with 18-55mm lens for $450. Get that and spend another $150 or so on the Canon 50mm f1.8. Great setup for a great price.
The D40 is an awesome camera for the cash and the cheapest you are considering, spend the money you save on it to buy filters, a lens (35mm f/1.8 is nice) and/or, a flash.
I recommend Nikon D40 Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Lens and Nikon AF-S 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX VR Zoom-Nikkor Lens + 4GB (SD) Cardhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?i…
Consider Sony, although higher mega pixels can be better, you can’t tell with spending a few hundred dollars on a lens that’s good enough. Also the more mega-pixels the more noise (colored specs in dark places)
For your budget I would recommend Nikon D3000http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JCS…