Which DSLR should I start out with?

Question

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Nikon d40 -

18-55 mm AF

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Olympus E-510

14-42 mm

Answer 1

Nikon makes a great camera and the D40 certainly is a very nice camera.Having said that it is a few generations old.Nikon has since come out with the D80 and D60.Also the 6.1MP's of the D40 is lacking compared to some other choices out there today.

It really depends on what you intend to do with this camera you should be able to print nice 8X10's and maybe even 16X20's without too much problem.

I use Canon camera's myself,but if I were just getting ready to purchase my first DSLR I would definitely check out the Sony A-300.This camera is only a couple of hundred dollars more than the D40 and it has 10.2 MP.

The D40 with  an 18-55mm lens lists for $470  

and with the 18-55 and the 70-300mm it lists for $849

The Sony A-300 with an 18-70mm and a 55-200mm lists for  $799.They also have a kit that comes with just an 18-70mm for $599.All of the above prices are from B&H Photo.Sony's 2 lens kit is less than the D40's two lens kit.

Sony has really made a lot of progress in reducing the gap that was once between themselves and Canon and Nikon.Also the Sony has built in IS or VR as Nikon calls it.This means that you don't have to lay out the big bucks like us Canon and Nikon users for Image stabilized lenses.The built in IS is a big deal as far as I'm concerned,it will let you take hand held shots at slower shutter speeds and still have nice focused images.The Sony also has a built in cleaning function.The following link is to B&H photo.  http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

From the B&H home page just type Sony A-300 camera in the search window and it will take you right to the page and you can check them for yourself.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Nikon D 40

or go up a notch or two based on your financial ability.

to; Nikon D 60

     Nikon D 80 / 90

visit dpreview.com  to link info and discussion about

Nikon and other DSLR's  / review  pricing at b&h.com

(B&H probably the best reliable mail order source)

Answer 3

I would go with the Nikon

Answer 4

Get the Nikon. Why? Because I own one and it takes fantastic pictures.

Answer 5

I agree ... If you look, you will see that the Nikon has a much larger sensor than the Olympus