What's a good 35mm SLR

[kornphlake]

It sounds like a resounding vote for the Nikon F5, I'm not sure I'm really ready for a professional level SLR, I'm not sure I can swing >$400 for a camera body only. Sure 1/8000th shutter speed would be neat to have, 1/250 flash sync is handy, the most accurate metering known to man is something to brag about, but in the end it's the photographer not the camera right? What is the whiz-bang camera body that falls closer to the $250 mark? N70? N90?

[another view]

What is the whiz-bang camera body that falls closer to the $250 mark? N70? N90?

I'd look at the N80. It's newer than the N90 and has more features than the N70. Actually it has a lot of the F5's features but the AF is slower, flash sync is slower, etc.

[kornphlake]

I've never liked the way cannon cameras feel, but just for kicks what's the comparable Cannon?

[mjs1973]

I've never liked the way cannon cameras feel, but just for kicks what's the comparable Cannon?

I just picked up a mint condition Canon Elan 7N on ebay for $200, with lens. I think this is pretty comparable to the Nikon N80. I'm not a Nikon shooter, so I could be off on that. It's not the top of the line for Canon, but it sure feels nice to me. You can check it out here.

[photophorous]

I have an N75 with an AF Nikkor 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D IF lens, and it takes great pictures. AF is very accurate and fast most of the time but it does hunt a little in macro mode. I haven't used it for any action shots, so I don't know if it's that fast. I've mostly used it for landscapes. Auto exposures turn out really good most of the time and the manual settings are easy to use. I recommend the N75, but you should read the details on it's features/specs to see if it does what you need. I haven't had any problems with it, but in comparison to the N80, it doesn't feel quite as solid.

Hope this helps.

Paul