I'm thinking about one of the nikons...

nikon d50 maybe...

not sure what the differences are yet with the different nikon dslr cameras..anyone have any opinions about the nikons?

I probably won't have the money by Christmas, but I am eyeing the Canon Digital Rebel XT. I have seen the pics from a couple of them, and they are great.

My SIL has the rebel, I think. its great!! she is a photographer at Inkley's and that is the camera they use. i want to get one for my hb sometime. The pictures are wonderful.

I have owned both the Digital Rebel and the Nikon D70. (The original versions of each, not the XT or the D70s.) I was happy with the DRebel but am absolutely in LOVE with the D70. I am comfortable with it in my hand in a way that I never was with the Rebel. If it's at all possible, I recommend going somewhere where you can actually handle the camera and see how it "fits" you. It's weird because they are so similar, but there was such a big difference in the feeling I had using them.

I will post some D70 pics later.

Me too!!!! I don't know if I will have the money by Christmas, but I would really like to get back into taking artistic pictures vs. just snapshots. What sites have you guys used to help you decide what models to even consider?

~jo

Wow! Checked one out in the store today! Very nice! The tag fit it well! I hope Santa can get it for you if you can't Julie!

I have owned both the Digital Rebel and the Nikon D70. (The original versions of each, not the XT or the D70s.) I was happy with the DRebel but am absolutely in LOVE with the D70. I am comfortable with it in my hand in a way that I never was with the Rebel. If it's at all possible, I recommend going somewhere where you can actually handle the camera and see how it "fits" you. It's weird because they are so similar, but there was such a big difference in the feeling I had using them.

I will post some D70 pics later.
i just went and held them both today...the nikon seemed to have a bigger 'handle' with my long fingers...

what felt better to you about it?

I just went and held the D50 myself two nights ago and it has been hanging out in a b&h cart ever since. It is the perfect sixe for me and didn't have the cheapish feel in the hand of the rebel xt.... plus the price is great.

I'm hesitating now, but I think today is the day.... I'm getting a bit obsessive!

~jo

I just went and held the D50 myself two nights ago and it has been hanging out in a b&h cart ever since. It is the perfect sixe for me and didn't have the cheapish feel in the hand of the rebel xt.... plus the price is great.

I'm hesitating now, but I think today is the day.... I'm getting a bit obsessive!

~jo
what price?

want me to buy one for you and you can buy one for me? :)

I did it..... I feel a bit sheepish spending so much on something for me. But I have had the photography bug since I was little and haven't indulged my slr passion for a long time because of film costs. I went with b&h because there price on the whole package that I wanted was great, plus I know I can trust them. Some of the ones on pricescan looked pretty fly by night, plus when you looked at the accessories and the ext. warantee they were more expensive.

I picked up a high speed 1 gig card at buy.com for $79 with their 10% off coupon I had in email. That is a lot of storage!

Now to stalk my cute UPS driver......

We bought a Rebel XT in a kit from Costco a couple of months ago. DH was really unhappy with the quality of pictures, which were soft when blown up. It was probably because of the lens in the kit. He returned it and bought a Canon 20D with a different lens (online with a rebate). He is much happier now!

Oh, we wanted to go with Canon because we already had a few Canon lenses from our Elan II (film camera).

I guess my point is that your happiness may be related to your lens.

Congrats Jo!

Kimberly

going to buy the canon rebel xt tonight...

Have fun!!!

I am loving the d50, but I have so much to learn. I am having to relearn all about 'real photography' , you know, aperatures and stuff.... it's been a long time :)
the clarity is amazing and the speed to die for! The extra features are amazing!

I can't wait to take some portraits of the kids.

let us know how the xt is !

~jo

Oh, I just realized that I never answered your question about price- I spent $699 for the body and the 18-55mm lens. I am adding the 70-200mm lens now, I think it will be perfect for portraits of the kids and such and the price is great ($140)
The other thing I got was the DVD tutorial which is absolutely invaluable, because it is teaching me about better pictures, not just where the buttons are and it is camera-specific.

~jo

oh boy....the one thing i'm having a hard time with is not being able to take pictures using my lcd display....i know...not real photography...but that is bugging me

not liking that i need a new lens to zoom.....uggg....might be returning this thing...

Which lens came in the kit? I went with the nikon in large part because of the great rep for lens quality. I expect that I will use the 70-200 lens most of the time, and it got spectacular reviews. I did most of my research at www.kenrockwell.com

I'm sorry you aren't loving the camera- I hope you get something you are happy with in the end :)

~jo

Which lens came in the kit? I went with the nikon in large part because of the great rep for lens quality. I expect that I will use the 70-200 lens most of the time, and it got spectacular reviews. I did most of my research at www.kenrockwell.com

I'm sorry you aren't loving the camera- I hope you get something you are happy with in the end :)

~jo
18-55mm came with it

nm

I have owned both the Digital Rebel and the Nikon D70. (The original versions of each, not the XT or the D70s.) I was happy with the DRebel but am absolutely in LOVE with the D70. I am comfortable with it in my hand in a way that I never was with the Rebel. If it's at all possible, I recommend going somewhere where you can actually handle the camera and see how it "fits" you. It's weird because they are so similar, but there was such a big difference in the feeling I had using them.

I will post some D70 pics later.
ok..i bought the rebel...but get this...i'm going to buy the d70 tonight :lol:

i'm playing with them this weekend and then deciding which one i will keep.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=207359&is=USA

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/70300g.htm

sorry- its a 70-300

have fun playing- I loved the feel of the d70, but my hands are super tiny and the slight size difference really helped me.

~jo

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=207359&is=USA

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/70300g.htm

sorry- its a 70-300

have fun playing- I loved the feel of the d70, but my hands are super tiny and the slight size difference really helped me.

~jo
thank you very much.

not liking that i need a new lens to zoom.....uggg....might be returning this thing...

Julie, I mentioned to DH that you bought this camera and weren't completely happy, and he suggested that you might be much happier with the Canon S2 than a digital SLR. Look at the link and read the first review:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009GZSSO/102-5892003-6628906?v=glance&n=172282&n=507846&s=electronics&v=glance

The Rebel XT doesn't come with a quality lens, and a lower end Nikon SLR won't either. You'll think your pictures look okay, but when you blow them up they won't stay sharp.

My friend has a Canon 10D SLR (precursor to the 20D) and she takes great pictures with her zoom. I mentioned this to to DH, because he had pooh-poohed the 10D. When he saw her camera with the zoom lens he pointed out to me that she was using a $1500 zoom lens. It makes a difference.

You have to really think about why you want an SLR. Do you like changing lenses? Do you need a shoe mount for an add-on flash? Do you like carrying a camera bag the size of a small carry-on (camera + flash +lenses)? Will you use a variety of lenses (macro, 50mm, short zoom, long zoom) or do just want a camera that can do it all and do it well?

You might decide that you do need an SLR. But I didn't even know the Canon S2 was an option.

Kimberly

thanks!

Julie, I mentioned to DH that you bought this camera and weren't completely happy, and he suggested that you might be much happier with the Canon S2 than a digital SLR. Look at the link and read the first review:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009GZSSO/102-5892003-6628906?v=glance&n=172282&n=507846&s=electronics&v=glance

The Rebel XT doesn't come with a quality lens, and a lower end Nikon SLR won't either. You'll think your pictures look okay, but when you blow them up they won't stay sharp.

My friend has a Canon 10D SLR (precursor to the 20D) and she takes great pictures with her zoom. I mentioned this to to DH, because he had pooh-poohed the 10D. When he saw her camera with the zoom lens he pointed out to me that she was using a $1500 zoom lens. It makes a difference.

You have to really think about why you want an SLR. Do you like changing lenses? Do you need a shoe mount for an add-on flash? Do you like carrying a camera bag the size of a small carry-on (camera + flash +lenses)? Will you use a variety of lenses (macro, 50mm, short zoom, long zoom) or do just want a camera that can do it all and do it well?

You might decide that you do need an SLR. But I didn't even know the Canon S2 was an option.

Kimberly

Good points Kimberly! I specifically got into this to get back into art photography (in other words lens changes and eyepieces ;) ) But if I hadn't I would certainly have considered the S2- nice camera. I would hate arrying this aroung everywhere- it is a carmera meant for specific purpose for me.

The lower end lenses really aren't the same, but they are great starting points for learning slr photography.

~jo

a guy that teaches photography was also telling me about these--

http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/product_details?reqID=1006&subsection=compare_digital_cameras

eta--
i think it was this camera that he was telling me about--- he thought i might enjoy the fact that it had more options that a standard digital. I am trying to find the info he sent me and so far am coming up short.

heather

Good points Kimberly! I specifically got into this to get back into art photography (in other words lens changes and eyepieces ;) ) But if I hadn't I would certainly have considered the S2- nice camera. I would hate arrying this aroung everywhere- it is a carmera meant for specific purpose for me.

The lower end lenses really aren't the same, but they are great starting points for learning slr photography.

~jo

DH has a Canon 20D, a better quality short zoom, an "eh" quality long zoom, and a good quality 50mm. He is looking to buy a really great long zoom for our trip to Hawaii. The camera bag is huge, but it makes him happy.

My friend with the 10D is a professional photographer, hence the expensive lenses.

I have a Nikon Coolpix S1 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007KQWF0/102-5892003-6628906?v=glance&n=502394&n=507846&s=photo&v=glance). I take some great shots with it, and it is so tiny I carry it in my purse at all times. DH grabs my camera when he mountain bikes.

Kimberly

One thing to keep in mind if you are deciding between a digital SLR and non-SLR is the depth of field you can achieve. Lots of artsy shots have super shallow depth of field (meaning only part of the image is in focus and then the rest of it softly falls out of focus.)

http://www.purplestork.com/proofs/dianahall/E0724201.jpg

http://www.purplestork.com/proofs/fly.jpg

http://www.purplestork.com/proofs/footfoot.jpg

Being able to get really shallow depth of field is related to the size of the sensor. Consumer-grade digital cameras have smaller sensors, so even with their lenses wide open they cannot get that look the way an SLR can.

P.S. What are you doing that you need a 200 or 300 zoom? That's huge! And you have to have such fast shutter speeds with such a long lens. I am very happy with my 50mm or 28-75. I "zoom with my feet" I guess!

P.P.S. The 50mm f/1.8 from either Canon or Nikon is less than $100 and will give you the sharpest of sharp images!

ok..i have the d50 and the canon rebel xt in my possession

man..this is tough...i can't decide

i like the way the d50 feels in my hand a little better....but it seems like the flash on the canon is better....does that make sense? anyone have any insight about that?

i think i'm going to go with the d50............................................... ...decisions decisions....................................

oh, don't need the 200-300, but it's soft out there anyways. I went with it because for the money it will let me play with and learn which range that I like to take pics in for a reasonable cost. a friend has this same lens, and her 16x20's are sharp as can be- no problems that I would have a problem with.
The shallow depth of field is what I want to work on tomorrow. Hopefully I'll figure it out on this camera- it's a lot more different than the old 1975 slr I had in college.
Any tips?

~jo

Any tips?

~jo

What are you doing to be taking pictures of? I would offer different advice for different subject matter.

Children and children's hands holding objects from nature for the most part.

I love love love your site by the way! Your tips on shooting kid pics were what got me back into a 'photography' frame of mind. :)


~jo

What are you doing to be taking pictures of? I would offer different advice for different subject matter.
i love your tips on your website for taking good pictures for your picture cards. that has helped me a lot.

i will mainly be taking pictures of people...kids.

ok..it is official...i took the canon rebel xt back to the store. i like the grip on the d50..it is smooth and the buttons feel natural in my hand. more natural than the canon did. i have been taking pictures of my kids on the auto focus and it's amazing. this camera is going to make me very happy i do believe!

Hey- I never had a due date buddy, but now I have a camera buddy :)

Congrats.

ok..i just realized this morning..i need to get another battery...my battery is dead and i'm MISSING IMPORTANT PICTURES (ok..not really..but i'd love to be taking pics) while the battery is charging...darn.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=productlist.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&shs=EN-EL3

i need a second battery for my d50....what's the difference between these batteries?

OK, here's my quick advice for photographing kids with an SLR.

1. Ditch those long lenses. You will be so far away and be locked into such high shutter speeds! Buy the 50 mm f/1.8 -- you won't regret it, and they have great resale value if for some reason you don't like it. This lens is an amazing value for the money, and you will love your sharp images!

2. Find the light. Watch the light. Know the light! It's really all about the light. Think you have a spot that you'd like to take some pictures in? Bring a stuffed animal out and shoot it from all angles -- 360 degrees around, and from low and high too. Try this at all different times of the day and in different weather. See what looks good and what doesn't. Maybe this might not even be a good spot! Or you might discover that it's perfect after 4 pm on overcast days.

3. Learn to read your histogram, especially if you are not using a lightmeter. The histogram will tell you so much more than the LCD preview about whether your image is correctly exposed.

4. Watch your highlights. If you blow your highlights you can never get them back. If you were used to film, this is a different way of thinking and it can take a bit of getting used to.

5. Keep your apertures low so your background is thrown out of focus. To do this you really have to be spot-on with your focus, since the plane of focus can be quite narrow depending on how close you are to your subject. One thing that might help is to learn your focus points and how to move between them easily.

6. ISO - Aperture - Shutter Speed. Check them every time! It can be a real bummer if you realize you shot a whole bunch of pictures in bright light at ISO1600 since that's what you left it on last time.

7. Make it fun for your kids. Engage them, play with them, treat the session like special mama/kid time and oh take a few pictures in there while you are enjoying them. (You really have to have your camera settings nailed to do this! Nothing spoils the rapport you have with your subject if you have to interrupt your conversation to fiddle with your dials.)

Hope that helps. Make it fun for yourself too!

Is this the one you mean Rosemary?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?cpncode=11-3007707-2&srccode=cii_13736960&A=ShowProduct&kw=NI5018DAF&Q=&O=&sku=247091

I really appriciate you taking the time to write this stuff up. I am really enjoying playing with the camera and learning just what it can do. I did get the long lens, as said before because I want to play, learn and figure out what feels good to me. (and for this price I really just wanted to experiment) I am really enjoying the 18-55 it comes with.... any reason why I would prefer/want the above lens when the 50 is within this range? Just curious.. there are soooo many options it becomes difficult to even navigate!

I'm working on that 'learn your focus points, it's a little tricky trying to remember not to always just center everything! The results are worth it though :)
What mode do you normally shoot in?

Any book recomendations? I personally learn well from printed matter...
Or perhaps an online tut site that you like?

I was so excited, yesterday my great aunt mentioned that she wanted to get a group photo and my dad volunteered that he had a tripod from his 1974 nikon slr. He brought it up from the house and let me keep it here so we were able to get a full family picture!! I even figured out the timer feature :) I think I may actually get a record of the whole family this christmas!

~jo

Jo, that's the one! There are two reasons it is preferable over the kit for portraits. One is the sharpness. The other is the lower aperture available. Your kit can only go to f/3.5-5.6 right? You can get so much more light with a f/1.8 than f/5.6, and at f/5.6 you can't get that blurred out background most of the time. I would definitely recommend the USA lens over the imported, since the USA lens will be covered by warranty. The kit lens is fine, really, but it can be frustrating since you can't achieve the results you may want with it. (Although it's certainly not limiting you the way a 70-300 would!) One kind of fun benefit of the 50 is that it's so light and tiny -- it makes it much easier to grab the camera and bring it along to places you might have thought twice about it before.

Focus points are really hard to master when you are trying to manage all the other buttons and settings. I would concentrate on your exposure first and then move onto focusing.

I shoot in manual with my light meter all of the time. My results are so much better than using the in-camera meter. If I don't have my meter, I put it in apterture priority mode, fill the frame with the subject and get a reading, and then dial it in manually. And even with all that I am adjusting on the fly based on my histogram.

I found this book really interesting and useful:
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817463003/)

Want to post some of your test shots and we can talk about them?

here's a few of my first shots with my d50...i'm learning from the beginning...i think i'm going to take a class if i can find one locally soon...
http://growingmoons.smugmug.com/photos/45235302-S.jpg http://growingmoons.smugmug.com/photos/45300213-S.jpg http://growingmoons.smugmug.com/photos/45416037-S.jpg http://growingmoons.smugmug.com/photos/45426612-S.jpg http://growingmoons.smugmug.com/photos/45740521-S.jpg http://growingmoons.smugmug.com/photos/45836088-S.jpg

i need to get a bag for my camera and probably a lens or two....rosemary, jo...what do you have? need something big enough but not a suitcase...yk (hard to tell shopping online)

julie - can i ask did you see any difference in the 8mp of the rebel and the 6 of the nikon d50?

i got to use my FiLs canon eos 20d (he is a professional photographer, specializes in wedding and portrait photography) today and was just so happy using that one (the fact that the rebels have been compared to the 20d in overall picture quality had me happy) but after reading some reviews about the d50 compared to the rebel, has me wondering. is it just the lenses? i saw a lot about the nikon lense being better out of the box. but if its jsut lenses then i dont really worry about that so much (my FiL has an endless supply of lenses i can use for the rebel). i specialize in building and landscape photography, if that makes any difference.

also, did they let you return the rebel with no questions? i would love to be able to get both for a day in the field to see which i like better :D

julie - can i ask did you see any difference in the 8mp of the rebel and the 6 of the nikon d50?

i got to use my FiLs canon eos 20d (he is a professional photographer, specializes in wedding and portrait photography) today and was just so happy using that one (the fact that the rebels have been compared to the 20d in overall picture quality had me happy) but after reading some reviews about the d50 compared to the rebel, has me wondering. is it just the lenses? i saw a lot about the nikon lense being better out of the box. but if its jsut lenses then i dont really worry about that so much (my FiL has an endless supply of lenses i can use for the rebel). i specialize in building and landscape photography, if that makes any difference.

also, did they let you return the rebel with no questions? i would love to be able to get both for a day in the field to see which i like better :D

i could not tell a difference. I did like the rebel a lot...but the nikon just felt a little better in my hand. it was smoother and i liked the button placement better. it was cheaper too.

i bought them both at best buy...if it is 'open' they will charge you a restocking fee...but i was very careful about opening any packaging...there was no tape on the box so they could not tell that i 'opened' them...so i didn't get charged a fee. also..if you or anyone you know has the best buy rewards card...i used a 10% off coupon to buy them...we get them once a month or once every other month.

hope that helps. make sure you ask about the restocking fee before you buy somewhere.

i could not tell a difference. I did like the rebel a lot...but the nikon just felt a little better in my hand. it was smoother and i liked the button placement better. it was cheaper too.

i bought them both at best buy...if it is 'open' they will charge you a restocking fee...but i was very careful about opening any packaging...there was no tape on the box so they could not tell that i 'opened' them...so i didn't get charged a fee. also..if you or anyone you know has the best buy rewards card...i used a 10% off coupon to buy them...we get them once a month or once every other month.

hope that helps. make sure you ask about the restocking fee before you buy somewhere.

thanks julie :D i really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. i have been online all day reading reviews and how-tos (can we say "obsessed"? :happy: ) i am so excited, though it will probably be at least a month before i can get them and test them out :monkeydan

thanks julie :D i really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. i have been online all day reading reviews and how-tos (can we say "obsessed"? :happy: ) i am so excited, though it will probably be at least a month before i can get them and test them out :monkeydan
OF COURSE I'D ANSWER YOU!!! you are always so quick to help me out!

i wish you and i lived closer..i would gladly let you play with mine a while.

i think you would be happy with either one. it's truly a win win in my opinion.

the little things are what make a difference from what i can tell. they have different textures to the body..how they feel. the buttons are in different places, they sound a little different. (there are actually more differences than that...but to a novice like myself..those were outside things i noticed)

i also was persuaded a bit b/c jo got he d50 and i wanted to be able to learn with her... :) call me a copy cat :kittypink

Juliebelle, thanks for posting the pictures! I think you have a really good eye for composition and you are definitely getting nice and close. The one big thing you should do is turn your flash off! Using the on-camera flash will always make pictures look like snapshots. Definitely try some more of the natural light thing!

I love these photo bags (http://www.crumplerbags.com/) It's a very funny web site. Just don't press the red button. Really, don't.

Juliebelle, thanks for posting the pictures! I think you have a really good eye for composition and you are definitely getting nice and close. The one big thing you should do is turn your flash off! Using the on-camera flash will always make pictures look like snapshots. Definitely try some more of the natural light thing!

I love these photo bags (http://www.crumplerbags.com/) It's a very funny web site. Just don't press the red button. Really, don't.
:LOL: i haven't figured out how to turn my flash off yet! hee hee

and i love those bags...do you have one? trying to decide which one would fit my d50 with the kit lens attached and my 70-300 mm lens

ooooo those are the bags I am currently coveting ! any recomendations on size?

I took my first whole family pictures with a tripod on thanksgiving- so awesome! even though the background was only so-so and the lighting was horrible it is still way better than my old camera could do.

I'm posting some more pics into my gallery here if anyone is interested :)

~jo

i think the 5 million dollar home bag would be perfect

http://www.amitymama.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=524

I should have posted this link before :)

Ok, drooling over the bag and the 50mm lens Rosemary recommended... where's the Homer drooling icon?

~jo

i'm asking for the bag for xmas

and thanks for turning your pics right side up jo

you are welcome- I don't know why that is soooo hard for me to remember!

~jo

what color Julie? I'm in love with the lime of the little bag, but the red for the big one... oh boy, I needed another addiction like I needed a hole in my head!

~jo

i think the light brown with the apple green inside...

this one
http://www.crumplerbags.com/Cart/Resources/CartResources/223_res/b223_o1.jpg http://www.crumplerbags.com/Cart/Resources/CartResources/223_res/b223_pop1.jpg