new here ,need advice on buying new camera

[redbeard]

i am going to buy my first dslr next week. i am told the nikon d90 and d300 are my best choices. i dont want to spend to much over 2 thousand. i thought about a used camera to start with , like on craigs list. but so many choices , cannon nikon d20 d30 d40 d80 d200 . i was told that the new d90 and d300 are really advanced. like from a carberator to fuel injecton was how it was described to me. so far only sales people have tried to help me. any input from a real person would realyy be good. im thinking about an 18x200 lense or around that size. thanks for your help .

[Frog]

What are you going to be shooting?
All the major brands have very good cameras.
Remember you are investing in a 'system' with Canon and Nikon having the most for the cameras, especially lenses.
If you are serious about photography, then you will end up spending much more on lenses as time passes, than bodies.
The D90 and D300 are great cameras with very good high iso performance and the 18-200 vr is a great walk around lens.
If you are thinking of buying used, I would try KEH or a dealer selling dealer models or re-conditioned cameras. Other dealers like B&H and Adorama also sell used, I believe and have good reputations to uphold so won't sell junk.
See our camera dealer feedback forum.

[redbeard]

i will be shooting a lot of my car shows and tractor shows that i go to. i shoot a lot of pics of fishing trips, flea markets, radio control shows. do you think the d90 and d300 are a lot more advanced then say a used d30 or d200?

[Franglais]

i will be shooting a lot of my car shows and tractor shows that i go to. i shoot a lot of pics of fishing trips, flea markets, radio control shows. do you think the d90 and d300 are a lot more advanced then say a used d30 or d200?

Here is how I see the market, just based on the models you've mentioned. There are two big dividing lines:

1. The age of the design. Technology is moving ahead really fast, basically making the camera sensor work better in low light (less noise) while capturing more detail (more megapixels). I have the Nikon D300 and its predecessor the D200 and the D300 is abot two stops better (i.e. when I have to I use the D300 at 6400 ISO whereas the D200 I stopped at 1600 ISO).

2. There are expert amateur cameras like the D90 and low-end professional cameras like the D300. Inside many of the components are the same or almost, notably the sensor and the image processor. The professional body has features that the professional might need like weather sealing, 51-point autofocus, 8 frames/second but do you really need that for your flea market? I think not.

If I were you I would definitely steer away from used professional models like the D200 and Canon 30D, admit that the D300 is overkill (it gets very heavy on a long day) and go for a current generation expert amateur model like the D90 with the Nikon 18-200

[OldClicker]

What are you going to be shooting?
All the major brands have very good cameras.
Remember you are investing in a 'system' with Canon and Nikon having the most for the cameras, especially lenses.
If you are serious about photography, then you will end up spending much more on lenses as time passes, than bodies.
The D90 and D300 are great cameras with very good high iso performance and the 18-200 vr is a great walk around lens.
If you are thinking of buying used, I would try KEH or a dealer selling dealer models or re-conditioned cameras. Other dealers like B&H and Adorama also sell used, I believe and have good reputations to uphold so won't sell junk.
See our camera dealer feedback forum.

"Remember you are investing in a 'system' with Canon and Nikon having the most for the cameras, especially lenses."

Sorry, I really have to comment on this since it is not in the Nikon or Canon forums. Unless you are planning on spending over $2000 for a lens, this really isn't true. All the DSLR brands have all the lenses that 99.9% of us will ever buy - let alone need. In fact, if you only count stabilized lenses, Nikon and Canon drop to the bottom of the list.. - TF

[Axle]

A suggestion...if possible:

Rent a camera and a lens. See if you like it, if you do, buy it.

But play the field, Canon, Pentax, Olympus, Nikon, find a camera that works for you both in what you're shooting and how it feels in your hand.