Can you point me in the right direction of a nice SLR digital camera?

Question

I know this has been asked a million times before, but I need help....

- I need an adjustable digital SLR camera....

- My price limit is about $750, including body and initial lenses.

- I will be using it for all kinds of photography, including fashion/glamour (and everything else).

Answer 1

I like the Pentax K200D. Its right about your price range and has a few features the other guys don't at this price point. Metal mount (and highly rated kit lens) http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/pent...

it also has weather sealing, in body shake reduction, and a solid feel to it.

Answer 2

the basic is the nikon D40. cheapest one and the closest thing to a beginner slr. with 750 you can buy camera and mabye another decent lens. this way you can keep the lenses when you upgrade years later to a better body. dpreview.com is the best place to find reviews and ideas.

Answer 3

I don't know about fashion or glamour but for everything else, I'd get the Nikon D40. The camera is easy to use and easy to carry around. The 18-55 lens is very sharp and the battery life is excellent and its under 450.

Answer 4

Check out the Sony A300. 10.2 megapixels, Image Stabilization (IS) in the camera body, Live View that works with the AF.

Need to hold the camera over your head to get the picture (like at a parade)? Flip the View Screen down and you can compose and focus. Using the camera at ground level? Flip the screen up.

Since the IS is in the camera body any lens you use will benefit from it. You won't have to pay extra for a lens with IS in it.

Sony lists 26 branded lenses and has released a Carl Zeiss T* line of lenses. Also, you can use every legacy Minolta Maxxum AF lens made since 1985.

Some accessories from the Maxxum cameras are compatible with the A300 and just about any accessories from the Konica-Minolta D5 & D7 DSLR cameras will work with it.

Answer 5

Try these sites, they may help you decide on the right SLR for your needs.

Good Luck

Answer 6

In addition to the above points, one other item you should consider if you want to only rely on the camera's image processing, or you want to sometimes touch up images with more specialized s/w. I don't know anything about fashion/glamour photography, but my best guess is that these are the kinds of photos that need a lot of touching up. If that is true, then you should read about the raw conversion s/w. In general, if you need external s/w support, it is safer to go with the two mainstream brands -- Nikon or Canon.

I am very pleased with my recently acquired D40, and in the early stages of learing to use Raw Therapee for image touch ups (more out of interest than out of a need). It's a pretty steep learning curve.

Answer 7

Any DSLR would fit your needs. You could get the Olympus E-510 or E-520. They compete price wise with the Nikon D40, but offer more features and are actually in the same category as the D60 and D80. Olympus is great quality and tends to be a better value, leaving some money for those extras you will need.