Help Choosing DSLR

[Surfrat]

I am in the market for a DSLR. I have looked at the Nikon D90 and 5000 and both seem like very nice cameras. I am also interested in looking at the Canon models. I have a 35mm Canon EOS Rebel, that I was wondering if I could use the lens off of to save some money? I also saw that Cannon has a rebate on the EOS REbel XSI with a 55-250mm lens. Here is some info on what I want to do with it....


Budget

* Between $600 and $1000.


General Usage

Photos of the kids and Family. My daughter plays soccer and does gymnastics, so I need something that can take action photos.

A mix of indoor and outdoor stuff. Outdoor for soccer games indoor for gymnastics.

[Frog]

Welcome to the forums!

What about the 5000 and D90 makes them seem like very nice cameras.
Not saying they aren't but need to know what you're looking at.
BTW, the D90 is a far better camera, if you need its better features, but then it is more expensive too, though I haven't checked prices lately.
One thing is, you're going to need a fast lens, especially for those gymnastics in a poorly lit gym. A fast lens is going to cost you a good amount of money, though the D90s superior high iso performance might let you get away with something not so pricey.
Better experts than I will respond but be sure to check our camera dealer feedback forum before you buy online.
There're more shady delers out there than good ones.

[Surfrat]

I am a complete novice at this. I saw images from a 5000 and d90 that just looked really good to my eye. As far as the features, the D90 has stuff i'll probably never use, but I liked the way it felt...it seemed more rugged.

I was considering cannon also because I already have a cannon lens, although no idea if they are compatible.

[cm_mtb]

Both Nikon and Canon will produce excellent images right out of the box. The Canon lens you have now will work with any Canon body. You didn't mention the focal length of your current lens, but for your daughter's gym and soccer, you will want a 200mm or greater lens.

[Surfrat]

Current is just a 50mm. Was hoping to find a kit with a 200mm lens since I have the 50mm. I am looking at the Canon Rebel T1i, because I like the video capabilities, havn't found a kit with a 200mm lens though. Any recommendations?

Also, if I was choosing between the Nikon 5000 and the Canon Rebel T1i, which do you think is the better deal?

[cm_mtb]

The D5000 and T1i are so close in price and features that you can't really say one is a significantly better deal. You'd be better off testing each camera and seeing which one you liked best. I don't think you could get either of these with a 200mm lens without going over your budget. I think your best bet while staying within your budget would be the Rebel XSi w/ the 55-250mm lens. It is an entry level-lens, though, and you would get even better results with XSi body and a higher quality lens (if you could stretch your budget).

A word on the video capability: the current dSLRs produce very high quality video, but most have some notable limitations. Autofocus doesn't work in video mode, clip length is limited, fps is low (bad for action), and you must film in manual mode without changing settings during recording. I'll leave it up to you to check specific models, but in general, if you want video, buy a video camera. Video capable dSLRs are fine for shooting an occasional short clip, but any serious film work is best done with a devoted video camera.

[Frog]

Good advice above. Just want to say that any photo you see in a camera ad will look good.
You probably went with the one that showed the kind of photos you are attracted to.

[Surfrat]

Well I went to BestBuy and started to play around with them. Fell in love with the Nikon D90 that had the 18-105 VR lens. Best Buy had it for 1299.00, so while I was waiting I looked on my iphone and found it online for $1148. Long story short, BestBuy honored the $1148.00 price, and I am the proud new owner of the D90!

I also picked up the SanDisk Extreme III 8gb memory card.

Daughter has a soccer game tonight, so I am looking forward to testing it out!

[Frog]

Congratulations.....make sure to post some pics.

[flyinion]

Hi all, I'm new here. I figured I'd post in this thread so there isn't "yet another what to buy" post out there. I've been thinking about getting a DSLR and have narrowed it down to the Canon XS or XSi (T1i is a little more than I want to spend I think). I like the price on the XS but not sure if the extras on the XSi make it worth it.

Currently for digital I'm using a few years old 4 megapixel point & shoot from HP. I also have a very old (1993) Canon EOS 1000F/N which was a European model equivilent of one of the Rebel 35mm's. Bought it while in the military and in port over in Hong Kong back then. I like it a lot but haven't really used it in years mostly due to the hassle of buying film and getting it developed.

I'm just a casual "home" photographer that's looking for something more than the P&S experience again but who knows I might actually get into photography as a hobby if something "clicks". So what do you all think? Should I go XS or XSi? Maybe I should just stick with the old 35mm camera? Or maybe I should even use both and maybe do something like B&W photos with the 35mm? I don't know if digital is any good for that.

[Anbesol]

The extras on the XSi are certainly worth it. The XSi for starters has a faster auto-focus ability, as well as a more complete metering ability (spot metering). No matter how much of an amateur or pro you are, that faster AF is a major benefit, the specific difference being the 9 point f/2.8 af sensor vs the 7 point f/5.6 af sensor. The larger LCD just seals the deal. If moneys real tight then that XS isn't a bad one, but I would certainly have a much stronger inclination towards the XSi.

[flyinion]

Thanks, yeah I found a few more details myself finally after I posted. Dug up some reviews that mentioned the XS is 12bit vs. 14bit on XSi and much poorer RAW performance. Since I own a copy of photoshop CS3 it might be nice to play with RAW files, and having a camera that can perform better with them I think is probably a good idea.

So yeah I think you're right, XSi is the choice for me. I do like some of the extras/upgrades on the T1i but I don't think what it has over the XSi is worth it to me at this point. I figure I'm better off putting the extra $150 the T1i would cost and put it towards another lense or something if I decide to get serious

[Anbesol]

14 bit vs 12 bit is a very minor difference compared to the AF ability, the difference is simply 4096 tonal levels of RGB, vs 16380 tonal levels in 14 bit - its a lot less than you'd think, 4096 is a *ton*, any web image you can find and all JPEGs have 256 tonal levels, and they do quite well at that. I certainly wouldn't put a huge amount of weight in the 12 vs 14 bit - the major difference is the AF sensor, and the lack of spot metering. You could even work it the other way to argue that 12 bit is better due to its slightly smaller file size, but once its begun process it will need to be saved as a 16 bit, so that sort of throws that in the wash.

I guess my point is, don't even think about the 12 to 14 bit difference, means very little if anything, unless you ever plan on printing a billboard of a sunset that would be viewed from 1 foot away :-\.

[straightarm]

I've recently begun to do some serious (but amateur) photography, and am thinknig of "upgrading" to a DSLR. But I'd like to know WHY - will I get more from it.

Pictures of places

The advantages of a DSLR are:

flexibility. You can change lenses, and so use the one most appropriate to your needs, whether it be an ultra wide for landscapes, a long telephoto for sports or nature work, a macro lens for ultra close up work or a fast short tele for portrait work

ease of bounced or off camera flash. Most compacts only have their own built in flash, which tend to give harsh results and red-eye.

speed of repsonse; many compacts have an annoying delay between tripping the shutter and the shot being exposed

high quality optical viewfinder with no paralax error

and perhaps most importantly, high image quality. DSLR have sensors that are bigger than those in comapcts, and in general, the larger the sensor, the better the image quality, especially at high ISO.