I upgraded to this camera from a Rebel XT. I debated for months after the 50D came out whether I wanted to spend the extra on the 50D instead of the 40D. I eventually decided to go with the 40D and save the extra money. Overall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase. The camera is very well built and solid as a rock in the hands. I like having the larger size grip area even with my small hands. It makes me more able to control for camera shake. The controls are easily accessible in hand but take some adjustment if you are moving from a Rebel series camera up to the pro-sumer models like the 40D and 50D. The 3.0" LCD screen is a dream. The histogram features are also very convenient for metering and white balance adjustment while shooting. The noise reduction is very effective and dramatically reduces the noise for high ISO dark shots. The camera itself is a very sturdy build, much more so than the rebel series cameras, which makes it a much better choice for photographers interested in wildlife or other outdoors photography. I find that the in camera metering is sufficient for about 95% of the shots I take. Periodically, I have to break out my light meter to get the shot that I'm going for, but most of the time the in camera metering is excellent. I couldn't be happier with my purchase, especially since the 50D is so much more expensive and with bells and whistles that I did not need. My recommendation to anyone debating between the 40D and 50D is to do your homework and think long and hard about what you'd like to be able to do with your camera before purchasing it. The 50D has some really nice features on it that make it superior for some, but if the extra features are not needed, save your money and go with the 40D. You will not be disappointed! It is a great camera, and not is at a great price as well.
Read More Reviews on Canon EOS 40D 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens...
Nice camera. Pictures are clean and easy to take. It's my first dslr and it does not disappoint me. The next purchase for this camera is a variety of lenses.
Read More Reviews on Sony Alpha A200K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens...
I am a freelance photographer on the side, and I LOVE this camera. It is everything I hoped it would be and more. I use it for a lot of sports photography. It is the perfect camera for you if you can't afford a Mark III, but need to rapidly capture figures in motion. Bravo Canon!
Read More Reviews on Canon EOS 50D 15.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens...
I went back and forth about whether to buy the K7 for a long time because I already own the K20D. My biggest gripe about the K20D is the slow autofocus which too easily fails at low light levels. The promise of a better autofocus system led me to buy the K7. I've had it for just a few hours and have found that the autofocus is indeed much superior to the K20D - nearly instantaneous in most cases. It works at low light levels, too. The other thing that one notices early on is the superior resolution of the LCD monitor over the K20D. On these two points alone, I'm happy with the purchase. Now I get to play for a few days testing out the other new features and improvements that other reviewers and previewers have talked about.
Read More Reviews on Pentax K-7 14.6 MP Digital SLR with Shake Reduction and 720p HD Video (Body Only)...
I use a Canon Rebel XSI at work. I bought the E520 for my personal use. It's a great camera at a much better price. I wold highly recommend it.
Read More Reviews on Olympus Evolt E520 10MP Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization w/ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Lens...
I needed to change my old Pentax K100D camera because I messed up the optics on it.. Therefore, while shopping for a new camera, my next choice was also a Pentax, due to my previous great experience with this brand, and I also wanted to use the lenses I already owned. The Pentax K200d camera is so far very good; I especially like the large LCD, the 10.2 MP sensor, the clarity of the pictures, and its good price.
Read More Reviews on Pentax K200D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens...
Having been in the SLR world back in the 90s, I knew how much control you could have over your imagery, but I forgot just how great and fun it really is. Digital makes it even better. I wanted to give a quick run down of things I really am happy about vs. a point and shoot camera and maybe that will help people make the dive into SLR. The XTi is a really great camera to take that dive with.
Instant shutter release - I can't tell you how many good pictures I probably lost waiting for my Canon Digital Elph (had a SD110 and a SD700IS) to finally take the picture. With the XTi, you press the button and it takes the picture right away. In low light conditions, you might have to wait a second or two, but its still much faster. And with the sports setting, you are more likely to get a sharp image when there is lots of motion. You can take that picture of someone hitting a baseball right when it makes contact.
Multiple pictures per second - This is the frames per second rating. Not only does it take the picture fast, you can take a few pictures in a second. This allows you to just hold down the shutter release button and snap away, allowing you to ensure that you get action shots at the right moment. Recently I took my daughter to the zoo and took a picture of her feeding a giraffe. Because I was able to take multiple pictures per second, I was able to capture all the right moments of the event. I've actually taken this feature to the extreme by making some time lapse videos using 6000 frames of 4 fps pictures taken in 1.5 hours.
Quality of image - The 2nd picture I ever took with this camera was one of the best pictures I've ever taken of my daughter. And I was just playing around. Colors look better, lighting looks better. Its not about megapixels, its about lens quality.
Settings wheel - Having the wheel on top to control the settings of the camera is invaluable. You can instantly change between a portrait shot and a sports shot, macro and landscape, etc. On Point and shoot cameras, this often involves navigating a menu, which is time consuming and prevents or discourages you from taking certain types of pictures.
Lens can be changed - This is probably the most obvious feature. You know those great close up pictures of birds, flowers, insects and stuff? Those weren't taken with digital zoom, they used a real zoom lens. The difference in quality is enormous and digital zoom is a poor substitute for having a real 300mm lens. This camera doesn't come with a 300mm lens, but can buy a cheap 70mm-300mm Canon lens for a couple hundred dollars and take much better pictures than on any point and shoot camera.
Accessories - There is a whole world of accessories that are geared towards SLR cameras, you really don't know it until you start looking. So far I've bought a 70-300mm zoom lens, a UV filter, a polarizing filter, IR remote trigger and a remote timer.
Some things to be mindful of:
Get a UV protective filter to protect your lens. They are only like $10.
The screen is not a viewfinder - I didn't realize this either until after I bought it, but I understand why this is the case, you want to be looking through the lens. Honestly, this isn't as big of an issue as you might think it is. You still get to review your pictures on the screen and there is lots of helpful information about your settings.
Learn about photography - As great as this camera is, pictures still don't compose and take themselves, you should learn at least the basics of good photography. You don't have to spend a fortune or take a lot of time either, you can just get a short and small book that explains things like depth of field, composition, etc.
Read More Reviews on Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens (Black)...
I purchased this model from Amazon after seeing it in a local camera store. It is also my second Nikon D60 as I had the standard (not GOLD) model from [...], but returned that after realizing I wanted and/or could get along with just a single zoom lens instead of the two in the [...] Package. based on my small time with the initial D60 and now this GOLD version with the Tamron 18-200mm lens, I am not "crazy" about the picture or operational quality. Years ago I used Minolta SLR's and favored them over the automatic pocket 35 mm cameras. I enjoyed the manual control and flexibility they offered. Once DIGICAMS became lower priced and more readily available, I used those. My current DIGICAM, the Panasonic TZ5 actually takes better pictures on automatic setting than either of the two Nikon D60's I have tried. I like the D60 for the manual settings and creativity, but do not think the D60 is any better on Auto settings than what I already had. I wanted an entry level DSLR, and did not want to pay more for higher priced (and probably better) DLSR's but probably should have. The manual settings are great however and I enjoy having a "real" camera to experiment with. If you want a DSLR simply to replace your pocket DIGICAM, and just use for "AUTO" or "PROGRAM" settings, keep your current pocket camera and do not buy this D60. But if you, like me, want an "entry level" and reasonable priced DSLR, the D60 may be for you. I cannot say I am terribly happy or dissapointed overall, I just think this camera could be better at "AUTO" and "PROGRAM" modes. Certainly, I would recommend a "faster" lens than I got, the Tamron 18-200 mm Zoom XR.
Read More Reviews on Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Black Gold Special Edition (Body Only)...
One of the best choices for digital SLR. The video performance is outstanding....I purchase the camera with 18-55 and 55-200 lens and I'm very pleased.
Read More Reviews on Nikon D5000 12.3MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR and 55-200mm f/4-5.6G VR Lenses and 2.7 inch Vari-angle LCD...
As you have probably read already this camera is not for everyone. Having the SD14 and having read the reviews I knew what to expect. It is all true. Great picture quality, although I prefer the SD14 look (class of its own), great lens. The lcd is adequate for composition but difficult to judge exposure. Flash is well matched. Bild quality is the biggest issue. It does not feel solid when compared to both the LX3 or G10. The command dial fell off after a few weeks of use. Sigma fixed it under warranty in less than two weeks (unbelievable!). Only buy this if you after the best quality pictures obtainable from a compact digital camera. Although I am big proponent of choosing a camera based on the merits of its picture quality, I find myself constantly reaching for the LX3 since it has a better user experience with similar picture quality if small prints are going to be made.
Read More Reviews on Sigma DP1 14MP Digital Camera...
I continued my travels through the Pentax family since I learned to shoot with the old K1000 and all my lenses were bought for this camera, I just hated the idea of starting over from scratch. I upgraded to the MZS several years ago but finally made the leap to digital with the K20d this spring after missing graduation pictures of a niece due to rewinding film. I have absolutely loved the in camera shake reduction. My general use lense is a Sigma 28-300. I was shooting a pickup basketball game at our church this weekend at around 200 handheld in shutter speed priority and getting excellent shots. I've used all the modes at some point in the past six weeks or so and they all work wonderfully well though I can't imagine when ISO priority will actually be my main consideration in a shoot. I have only had one complaint and that came shooting lightning shots at night. The camera takes about 80% as long to write the information to the card as the aperature was left open. I have done some research and have learned that card speed might be a factor so I have some 30m cards coming,... I'll update if these improve this weakness. The data capture with each shot will be helpful in learning becuase this camera tracks everything but moon phase and wind speed involved with taking the shot. It can only greatly improve the leaning curve.
Read More Reviews on Pentax K20D 14.6MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)...
I had researched this camera extensively before buying it, but was torn between the various packages available. This one includes the standard Canon lens (very nice), memory card, cleaning cloth, extra battery, battery charger, data cables, case, and Tamron telephoto/macro lens. I'm very pleased with the camera. The case is something you will probably want to replace because the closures are not secure and can't be made secure. There's a risk of the top opening and dumping your hardware. The Tamron lens is ok... very nice for the price... but don't consider it to be comparable to more expensive lenses. It does not have the image stabilizer and it has some issues accepting standard-size filters, like it is a half a millimeter off or something. Having said that, this lens is the reason I selected the package. It takes beautiful macro shots. You'll get nice telephoto shots too, but have that tripod handy.
The camera package was everything it claimed to be. I highly recommend it, but be aware the case is low-quality and the Tamron lens is great/better for some purposes, but not the same as the Canon telephoto lens that is out there.
Read More Reviews on Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Black) + Canon 18-55mm IS Lens + Tamron 70-300mm Di LD Macro Lens...
I am a new user of the digital SLR and only familiar with the earlier film SLR's. There are some peculiarities, I am finding out, that must come with getting use to my new D90, such as the camera not allowing you to take a picture when you know there is plenty of room left on the 16GB card. When asking a dealer about this peculiarity I was told that the camera has a buffer and when it is full and sending pictures to the SD card, the shutter will not work!? At any rate, I get a message that shows "err" and that particular error message is not discussed in the "Error Message" section of my User Manual?
I have been able to work through the error messages and get a picture eventually but it wasn't the picture I wanted to take. My current assumption is that I need to continue reading the manual and learning more about the Nikon D90.
Charles E. Sadler...
Read More Reviews on Nikon D90 Digital SLR Camera with 18-105mm AF-S DX VR Nikkor Lens [Outfit] + Nikon 70-300mm Lens + 16GB Cameta Bonus Accessory Kit...
I received my Canon Rebel XSi on time. I am still learning how to use it. I paid reasonable price for the camera. This Canon camera should be a high-quallity product. I patron the Amazon.com for most of my on-line shopping. So far it always provide me reliable service.
Read More Reviews on Canon Digital Rebel XSI 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Silver)...
I received my Canon Rebel XSi on time. I am still learning how to use it. I paid reasonable price for the camera. This Canon camera should be a high-quallity product. I patron the Amazon.com for most of my on-line shopping. So far it always provide me reliable service.
Read More Reviews on Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera (Black Body Only)...
I am a freelance photographer on the side, and I LOVE this camera. It is everything I hoped it would be and more. I use it for a lot of sports photography. It is the perfect camera for you if you can't afford a Mark III, but need to rapidly capture figures in motion. Bravo Canon!
Read More Reviews on Canon EOS 50D 15.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)...
While it does have its quirks, this is a great camera. I'm not the most skilled photographer, yet, and it's nice to play with the manual settings or to be lazy and let the camera's auto settings do the work, and they do a decent job.
Pro's:
------
Small size - The Olympus E-420 (smallest SLR) is 32.6% larger than the G1. The Rebel is 60% larger than the G1.
Excellent Photo Quality - Having come from ultra zoom camera that was incapable of taking a quality picture over ISO 100, it is a dream to be able to shoot pictures at ISO 800 and be able to get print quality photos. I wouldn't go above 800, though.
Ability to capture raw - While it's expected in a camera this price, it's still nice to work with RAW files and have the ability to manipulate the unprocessed image - including white balance problems.
Cons - each of these is very minor
-----
Auto WB - This needs some work in certain lighting conditions
Burst Mode - Even if you have picture review turned off, it is forced on if you're in burst mode. This makes it next to impossible to capture a moving subject in burst. You're better off to rapidly fire off individual shots. **This is the #1 thing I would like to see addressed in a firmware update**
ISO above 800 gets real noisy real fast.
Bulb Mode - is capped at 4 minutes. This is fine unless you want to do star trails.
Limited # of lenses - hey, it's a new system and as such there aren't going to be a lot of lenses right now. They will be coming, but it will take time. If you want access to a ton of lenses right now, you may want to consider another system or at least be prepared to buy an adapter that will allow you to use Olympus 4/3 lenses or Leica M lenses.
-------------------------------------------
All in all, I love this camera. I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to talk the wife into allowing me to purchase the 45-200mm lense.
Read More Reviews on Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 12.1MP Digital Camera with Lumix G Vario 14-45 mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS Lens (Blue)...
One of the best choices for digital SLR. The video performance is outstanding....I purchase the camera with 18-55 and 55-200 lens and I'm very pleased.
Read More Reviews on Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD (Body Only)...
This one lives up to all the hype. I came out of a D200, and difference in image quality is immediately obvious. Of course, the move to FX comes with the ability to shoot with Nikon's pro lenses again, and the combo of the two gets you back to the kinds of images you remember from your film days. So ... the improvement is part camera, part lens upgrade ... but the results are just fantastic. Now I can use the same lenses for my D700 and my F4 body (backup) which makes packing my backpack a whole lot simpler.
For those of you moving up from the D200, the control layout of the D700 is very similar, so there's little learning curve regarding handling. If you are a tripod shooter like me, you'll love the ability to display the camera's settings on the rear display. I haven't found much of a use for live view yet, but I'm still playing with it. You'll find an excellent D700 settings guide out on Ken Rockwell's site.
If you are thinking about this camera, just buy it ... I've not regretted the extra investment for one second.
Read More Reviews on Nikon D700 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)...
I received my Canon Rebel XSi on time. I am still learning how to use it. I paid reasonable price for the camera. This Canon camera should be a high-quallity product. I patron the Amazon.com for most of my on-line shopping. So far it always provide me reliable service.
Read More Reviews on Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)...
