NWR: Rec. decent SLR camera

Magoobie1001

I'm looking to buy a decent beginner SLR digital camera for about 500 or less.  Any recs would be helpful!! I am usually a Canon or Nikon person, but am open to other suggestions.  Thanks!!

HobokensFury

I just got my FI one as an engagement present last week.  He decided on the Canon rebel.  It's on sale at best buy for $499.  Here is the link in you want to check out the specs.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Canon+-+EOS+Digital+Rebel+XS+10.1-Megapixel+Digital+SLR+Camera+-+Black/8929699.p?id=1214611419717&skuId=8929699&st=canon slr&contract_desc=null

tinydancer842

FI got a Cannon DS1i & loves it!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Eos-Digital-Rebel-T1I/11039754?wmlspartner=GPA&sourceid=44444444440311307304

dmoney79

i just got the nikon d3000, and so far i'm loving it
not like i really know the best way to take advantage of all its abilities, but, i read a lot of good reivews on it, and its a good dslr for someone who has never had one before, and it was pretty reasonable (i got it at best buy, i think it was on sale when i bought it)

Denise91980

Try B&H photo...they are really reasonable, have reviews on their products, and do not charge shipping or sales tax

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

USER876

I think the best bang for the buck out there right now is the canon rebel T1i.

If you are going to shoot in full auto, the nikons do a better job rendering jpg's right out of the camera, but the problem with the entry level nikon's is that in order to make them cheaper and smaller, they removed the autofocus motor.  So you are stuck with a limited amount of lens's that you can use for them that have the autofocus motor built into the lens.  To avoid this, and be able to use the entire nikon lens lineup you at least have to buy a D90, which has the autofocus motor built into the camera.

The canon cameras accept all the canon lenses.  One thing to consider with dslr photography is that it IS all about the lenses (not the camera body's).  Some of the lenses that were developed 10-15 yr ago are still being sold today and have high resale value.  A camera body typically goes obsolete in 3-5 yrs and becomes almost worthless.  So spend your money on the lenses, not a fancy body.

I must warn you, it quickly becomes an expensive hobby if you are willing to learn.  You will quickly outgrow the kit lens and be looking for other options.  A decent lens costs around 700-1000 dollars (and up).  Then you need accessories like compact flash cards, an external speedlight (the on camera flash is not that great), a case to carry everything, etc.  And once you get into it more, you will want to buy adobe photoshop or lightroom to develop and process raw files, neither of which are cheap.  It becomes an $$ hobbie.  IMO, if you are just going to use the kit lens, and take the jpg's right from the camera and don't think you will ever get past that, I would stick with a point and shoot.  It's hard to justify the 600 dollar price tag to get started and deal with carrying the bulky package.

Magoobie1001

Thanks for the reviews.

User- thanks for all that, it really was helpful.  I have always had an interest in photography, just lacked the time to make it a more serious hobbie.  I was considering taking a class at Brookdale to learn more, but I don't think I realized just how expensive it really is!!

USER876

my wish list is over 5K worth of gear......lol