Purchasing my first New DSLR

[arindamchkrbrty]

Please help me finding a best value-for-money DSLR from Nikon/Canon within a max price range of 1000$.
I like mostly outdoors shooting of people and also nature and wild life sometimes.
Also I prefer having a capability of capturing HD movie quality video.
I want to buy this camera with all of your valuable suggestions becauase once I buy one I don't have the option of buying a second one within next 5 years at least.


Thanks
Arindam

[TheMoons678]

Are you willing to look into used gear? If you buy used at a good price and arent happy you can resell without losing much (if any) money. It's almost like renting for free. I started with a Nikon D60, went to a D80, then a D200, then a D90 and have gone through a dozen+ lenses within about 2 yrs.

If you go Nikon and are willing to buy used on craigslist/ebay/here:

used Option #1:
Nikon D5000 +Nikon 18-55mm VR lens $500
Nikon 55-200mm VR lens $150
Nikon AF-S 35mm 1.8G lens $200 or 50mm 1.8G $220 (new)
Nikon SB-400 flash $100

used Option #2
Nikon D90 + 18-105mm VR lens $800
Nikon 55-200mm VR $150
Nikon 50mm 1.8D $100

Buying new you could afford a new camera with 1 kit lens, or you will have to get a "lower grade" consumer level camera to afford more lenses. D3100 could be a good option.

[arindamchkrbrty]

Any more suggestions?
Suggestions for buying a new...give me insights from canon and nikon both

[inkista]

Arindam, you're asking for people to basically do your shopping homework for you. And without much information. dpreview will probably be more useful to you than we will.

All the current dSLRs do HD video. But getting "movie quality" is up to you and your lenses and a whole lot of specialized gear. Don't expect to be shooting like Spielberg just because you got a dSLR.

If your maximum budget is $1000, does that include lenses? A single lens can easily eclipse the cost of your body, particularly for subjects like wildlife.

"also nature" can mean a ton of things: insects and flower macros, landscapes, wildlife, birds... all of these have different equipment needs, mostly in terms of lenses.

Generally speaking, what camera body you eventually go with probably doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot. If you want newest sensor features, go for the newest entry-level camera (D3100/D5100, 1100D/600D), if you want more hardiness and better shooting features, but can only afford older sensor tech, then go mid-grade, one generation back used (90D, 50D).

But the body is the most disposable part of the system. What you really want to look at are the lenses that you'll want, and which camera mount system offers those lenses.

Generally, if you want to take pictures of things that move quickly (sports, wildlife, birds), then there's one additional caveat on the Nikon side which is to make sure that the lenses you want on the Nikon side are equipped with AF-S if you're going for a new entry-level camera. The D3100/D5100 will not autofocus unless the lens has AF-S.

[arindamchkrbrty]

@inkista...Yeah you caught me....
But I have some more insights now from what you say...I am a kind of person that I really mess up while times come up for getting a value-for-money electronics item...Well it's always true that every day new and improved things will come and it is really stupid to think of getting one that will not upset me for years...

Anyway let me ask some pin point questions:-

1. What is the basic difference between Canon and Nikon at a similar level..By similar I mean price..in DSLR?
2. In case of DSLR is it a fact that body is the main disposable thing and if I buy a lens even if I go on changing the body (of course same company), my lens will be utilised?
3. My Budget of max 1000$ includes the basic lens that an entry level DSLR cameraman need to have before becoming a professional. So in this case suggestions are welcome. I know different people have different opinions on canon and nikon. I just like to compare their respective good features and the one whihc will suit me, I will go for it..In this scenario I believe experince really matters and hence my thread in this forum.

[arindamchkrbrty]

Well by Nature I meant mostly macros and flowers...
By wild life I mean fast moving animals or insects...Mostly I do outdoor shootings..So i require information on that...
Let me ask here...What is the general better deal to go?
Taking only the body and not the lens...Then go for special lens....
OR
Taking the whole kit....

Now for the lens part...for normal portrait photography, fast moving animals photograpgy and landscape...what is the lens requirement as bare minimum?

Sorry I am new to DSLR....so may be asking some foolish questions...please bear with me...

[inkista]

Originally Posted by arindamchkrbrty

What is the basic difference between Canon and Nikon at a similar level..By similar I mean price..in DSLR?

Not much. It's basically a matter of the ergonomics and controls. The best way to see what the differences are is to go into a store and play with them both. In terms of shooting features, image quality, etc., nearly all the entry level dSLRs are on a par with each other. The biggest difference is going to be the focus motor issue, and the lens selections.

In case of DSLR is it a fact that body is the main disposable thing and if I buy a lens even if I go on changing the body (of course same company), my lens will be utilised?

This is correct. Each brand of camera uses its own proprietary mount system. So, once you buy a body, you're more or less locked into that mount system.

Originally Posted by arindamchkrbrty

Well by Nature I meant mostly macros and flowers...

A dSLR, unlike a P&S camera, usually can't take macro images without a specialized macro lens, or some form of poor man's macro technique, such as lens reversal or extension tubes. You'll want to keep your P&S camera for this until you can afford a macro lens, if this is going to be a main shooting subject for you. Macro lenses tend to start around US$400 and can cost more than $1000.

By wild life I mean fast moving animals or insects...Mostly I do outdoor shootings..So i require information on that...

For insects, the macro lens will probably still be the tool of choice, but for fast-moving animals, you'll probably want a telephoto zoom.

Let me ask here...What is the general better deal to go?
Taking only the body and not the lens...Then go for special lens....

Opinion is split on this.

My personal opinion is that you're better off getting a kit, so you have a lens to shoot with right away, and to get the experience you need with a lens, so that you can figure out what lenses you'll eventually want to buy.

People can give you specific lens recommendations, but the problem is that everybody is different and shoots different things. A lens one photographer finds to be indispensable and a mainstay may be the very lens another photographer never used and ended up selling off. The point is not to find the best lens that's out there, but the one that's the best fit for you and what you want to shoot, and how much you can afford.

Now for the lens part...for normal portrait photography, fast moving animals photograpgy and landscape...what is the lens requirement as bare minimum?

I'd say four lenses:

a walkaround zoom (the 18-55 kit lens is one) for the landscapes.
a macro lens for your flowers and bugs
a telephoto zoom for the animals
a portrait lens for portraits

And opinions will vary on this as well. I think you could start out with the 18-55 and a 100mm macro lens. Both can double as portrait lenses. And then save up for a telephoto zoom.

I'd recommend taking a look at this basic guide to lenses, so you'll get some idea of what the focal lengths and max. aperture mean in practical shooting terms.

[arindamchkrbrty]

@inkista
Thanks a ton ton!!
You enlightened me a lot and the website you forwarded me was even more excellent.

Thanks for valuable advices and suggestions.

[arindamchkrbrty]

Can anyone give me an idea that how Image stabilization feature present in now-a-days SLR camera s help in shake reduction. Among nikon and Canon lenses which one has more Image stabization features better?

[inkista]

With Canon and Nikon, image stabilization is in the lens. With Canon it's designated "IS", with Nikon, "VR". Sony, Olympus, and Pentax have in-body stabilization, where the camera does the stabilizing.