I carry 2 bodies with me during my shoots: a Nikon D40x and Nikon D90. The D40x is considered “entry level” and the D90 for “amateurs/serious photographers”, but not “professional” grade. However, I have some kick-ass lenses, and the results are amazing! I learned this quickly and sold my kit lenses right away to invest in professional lenses.

I think they are the LENSES that make ALL the difference! The camera bodies are important up to a point: ISO range, viewfinder size, shutter speed, # of focal points, image size/quality. So get what you need with the body, then save up for the nice lenses!

You can check out my images at http://www.annietaophotography.com and http://www.annietaoblog.com. They are all taken with a Nikon D40x and D90!

And one more thing, getting great images takes a lot of shooting practice, so instead of upgrading equipment, you should first think of how you can learn different methods of shooting by practicing, viewing photography blogs, etc.

Happy shooting!

Thanks for making this post very comprehensive, Darren. I enjoyed thoroughly.

I recently purchased my own Nikon D5000 with 18-55mm lens and I like what’s to offer, as it’s suggested to an entry-level DSLR for many first time DSLR buyers.

So far so good. Still have a lot of learning to do.

The X70 is a great compact camera in that it has the range equivalent of a 24mm – 640mm zoom lens of a full-frame SLR. However, if you want to take a photography class, you would want a camera that gives you full manual control for when you need it.

The new K-x is an excellent entry-level camera with many advanced features (including cinema speed 720p HD movie in Motion JPEG). However, this camera is not yet available (but it can be pre-ordered).

The K2000 is a great entry-level DSLR with many advanced featuers. It is a 10 Megapixel camera that, like the K-x, allows metered manual, aperture-priority and shutter-priority modes for the photography student. It has several auto modes including a “green” mode that gives it point-and-shoot simplicity of a compact camera if that is what you are used to.

Any of the mid-level or advanced Pentax cameras such as the K200D, K20D or K-7 will have the ability to go into manual modes but may be overkill for someone new to DSLR photography.

Now the Pentax X70 costs about US$400.00 and the K2000 with a two-lens kit, 18-55mm & 50-200mm lenses (27-300mm full-frame equivalent), costs about US$600.00 so if money is a problem, you may want to start out with one lens and buy a second later.

My first SLR was a full manual Pentax K1000 with no automatic features.