Quote:
Originally Posted by bugmenot
inkista: Distance problem :P
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Ah. Then get a Canon.
If you're worried about lenses autofocusing or not and you want an entry level camera, I'd say look at the T1i. It's $699 on Amazon kitted with the 18-55 IS. And every Canon EF/EF-S lens will autofocus on it. (BTW, Nikon's the only brand with this kind of issue. Sony, Pentax, and Olympus will also autofocus with all their current lenses).
Or consider getting a used D80, which will do away with the focus motor issue.
Most of the current Nikon zooms are AF-S, so you really only have to watch it if you plan to shoot with a prime (fixed focal length) lens, or the 80-400. And you only have to worry about autofocus function if a) your eyesight is bad, b) you're shooting fast-moving subject matter (like kids or sports). Manually focusing is how photography got done for about a century or so, so it's not like it'll stop you from taking pictures altogether.
OTOH, I shoot birds in flight. I
like my Canon autofocus.
I'd also say that pre-Xmas or Boxing Day, it's not going to matter much price-wise. Current dSLRs are desirable enough that their prices rarely drop for specials. They do drop over time, though, and their new prices will be at their lowest when replacement models come out. I'd recommend being aware of the release cycles for both
Nikon and
Canon, so you can judge how "new" a model is in the lineup. The T1i is a year in on its 18-month lifespan. The D5000 about 9 months.