Professional Digital Camera

Question

I am looking for a professional digital camera for my mom's Birthday, in November. I want to get the best I can afford, which would be around $700-$800. I'm not sure exactly what to look for with digital cameras. I know that she mentioned wanting a high mega-pixel and no mm? I know she just wants to put pics directly onto the computer. Not sure what else. So anyways, my question is: Which digital camera would be the best for my price range? Thanks so much for the info!

Answer 1

You can buy a good DSLR for under $500 ... under $800 if you buy two lenses.  You may want to talk to your mom and see which camera she is most familiar using.  If she already has a 35 mm SLR, then you will want to buy here a matching DSLR body, so she can use the same lenses.  You will find that there are NO professional DSLR's for under $5,000 (Nikon D3) and the other choice is $8,000 (Canon 1Ds Mark III)

Look at these links.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.h...

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/d40...

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18-55-i...

And second lens

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/55-200m...

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamer...

Answer 2

I always recommend the D40 or D60 to my friends who want an entry level DSLR. Nikon and Canon both make a great camera but I prefer Nikon mostly because I grew up using them and had good experiences. Go to places like KenRockwell.com or DPreview.com

High megapixel is sometimes fooling. You want the largest processor you can afford. The entry DSLR will give you a APSc sized sensor which is much larger than a point and shoot sensor with the same number of megapixels. So that is as or more important than just megapixel count.

Answer 3

The Canon XTi is well within your pirce range, a large image sensor (which is more important than lots pf pixels), and is easy to use. For that money you can also get a second lens or a better flash to go with it.

compare cameras at dpreview.com

and remember that the most important part of any camera is the photographer. the camera is just a tool.

Answer 4

Nikon D80 or Canon Rebel XTi

Answer 5

Having been a professional photographer at one time, I can say that I would chose either a Canon or a Nikon. Some of my photographer friends seem to prefer the Nikon for various reasons. Get the highest megapixel you can afford and you should be fine.

Answer 6

For "professional", get the best Nikon or Canon model you can afford. A  Nikon D60 kit should fit your budget, as will the Canon XS. You might be able to find a Canon XSi kit for $800. The XSi is 12 MP vs 10 for the others, but that is not really a significant difference.  These aren't exactly pro cameras, but they will take all the lenses in their respective lines, includng the ones the pros use.

What does "no mm" mean?

Answer 7

First of all, megapixels equal maximum print size.  If you are only going to print up to 8x10 then 6 mp is enough.  Something else to consider is that more megapixels on the same sized sensor tend to cause more noise. Comparing the D40 and D40X for instance illustrates my point.  The D40X gives more noise at the higher ISO settings than does the D40.I personally don't have knowledge of the Cannon cameras ( I only shoot Nikon) so I can't give an opinion about them.  I think that anyone here would agree that it is probably better to spend money on better quality lenses than buying more expensive camera bodies.  So to make a long story short,  I would buy a D40 kit (18-55 zoom included)  and buy either 24-120 VR lens or a 55-200 VR lens. VR stands for vibration reduction.  VR removes the effects of minor hand shake letting you take better pictures in low light.  You might even consider buying these items used to increase your buying power.  Check out http://www.keh.com for an excellent idea of used prices.  I personally own a D40 and find the image quality quite good while keeping it small and simple.  There are occasions when I will grab it over one of my larger more expensive Nikons.  

I hope this helps,