Went to Best Buy over the weekend...

[kirbinster]

I have a Nikon D80, D300 and D5000 - and the D5000 takes pictures that are just as good if not better than the other two. It has fever buttons and switches, so you need to do some advanced stuff with menus, but other than that it is a GREAT camera.

[inkista]

Yup, the D5000 samples Neil van Niekirk posted are pretty tootin' nice.

Honestly? All the dSLR bodies out there today are good value for the money. It's mostly going to come down to your budget, how it handles, whether you can easily suss the menus, the lens selections, and if you have any legacy glass or glass you can borrow.

If you have a heap of Nikon F-mount lenses, then going digital with Nikon is a no-brainer. If you have a great uncle with a bunch of Pentax K lenses he can give/loan you, then go with a Pentax. If the class you're taking or all your friends have a bunch of Canon gear, go with Canon.

The real decision you're making when you buy a camera body is which mount system are you locking yourself into? Looking at body features is all good and well, but those change every six months when the new product announcements come out. Like all computer equipment, you're likely to be looking at a new body within three to five years. The glass is your permanent purchase and is what's going to stay with you for a decade or three. Which mount system you choose determines what glass you can screw onto the front of your camera. You're likely to end up spending two to three times the amount of money you spent on the body on your lenses and other gear (like flashes).

Which system do you want more?

[johnStock]

Thanks for the link to the D5000 review. That was impressive.

Again, thanks for all the great help!

johnstock

[WPCatfish]

For what it's worth, I've been two weeks with the D5000 and loving it...and I came from the Canon family of 35mm SLRs. In some ways I feel like I've learned and experimented more with the D5000, but that is partially because I can see my results right away and it's not costing $.50 a shot in film and processing.

Despite the intimidation factor any SLR has for a non-SLR user (try getting a stranger to take a shot of you with one), even my wife has shown an interest in learning on the Nikon.

Speaking of Best Buy, do you have more than one you can take a look at? I've found my 'big box' store experience to vary widely, depending a lot on who you end up talking to, and if they are reciting whatever they were told to at their last meeting or if they're really experienced with the product they're showing. At least with Best Buy, they can't give out really dangerous advice (like I've gotten from some sporting goods chains.)

[johnStock]

There are some other stores I can take a look at. They're just 30minutes away (same as the best buy) and I was there late at night. Hopefully I'll get back there this weekend early to really spend some time evaluating.

[photofool475]

John Stock

I've also been in the market for a good DSLR camera and i've found some pretty good deals on some auction websites but haven't made a purchase yet. This website (circuspop) is running an auction for a D5000 right now (Nikon D5000) check it out. Or i'd just check B and H photo video, they usually have some pretty good deals.

[johnStock]

Originally Posted by photofool475

John Stock

I've also been in the market for a good DSLR camera and i've found some pretty good deals on some auction websites but haven't made a purchase yet. This website (circuspop) is running an auction for a D5000 right now (Nikon D5000) check it out. Or i'd just check B and H photo video, they usually have some pretty good deals.

Thanks, I'll take a look at those!