HN Explorer

Ask HN: What DSLR should I buy? New/Used?

4 points by aik ↗ HN
I'm an amateur photographer and am going to purchase my first SLR very soon. I'm looking into the Canon XSi with the kit 18-55mm lens and getting the 55-250mm lens to go with it. However I'm haunted by the fact that the camera goes on sale for +-$300 once in a while - it makes me want to wait.

Would I be better off getting a (better) used camera (off ebay or craigslist), waiting for a ridiculous sale, or getting the XSi at a decent price ($550 with the kit lens)?

Any photographers on here?

10 comments

[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 23.4 ms ] thread
brk
I've been shooting for 20+ years.

IMO, I'd only look at a camera with a full-frame image sensor, but your budget may limit you to less expensive bodies.

Half of the equation is the glass (lens). The XSi is an overall unremarkable camera body, but it gets the job done. You'll notice a big difference though between a low-end lens and a quality lens on almost any camera body.

Don't invest in the EF-s lenses, they'll only mate with APS-C sensor bodies. Go with the standard EF series lenses so that when you eventually upgrade to a higher-end body all your lenses will still work.

I tend to recommend the craigslist route to many friends looking to get into photography. There seem to be a lot of people who upgrade for no good reason, and end up selling their old bodies for a good price with only a few hundred to low-thousand shutter activations (practically new).

Canon and Nikon gear both hold their values well. The Canon gear is generally considered to be a little better than Nikon, but that is kind of an "emacs vs. vi" argument... Everyone has their own religious preferences.

If you must compromise on the price, get a good lens and a decent body. Upgrade the body when you have some extra cash.

aik
Thanks for the reply.

So what would you say is a bad deal in terms of shutter activations? A guy on craigslist now is selling a Canon 40D with 60k clicks for $1000. Excessive?

I don't know if a full-frame would be worth it at this point. Seems like it'd be quite a bit more expensive.

Getting EF lenses is good advice though - thanks.

sloak
Full frame sensors almost completely remove the need for tripods. The light sensitivity is so awesome you can shoot up to ISO 64K without too much grain. This means you can take awesome pics in the dark with no shake.

I love the Nikon D700 but it's a bit expensive.

brk
Yeah, 60K clicks seems like a lot. It varies by body, but you can usually look up the specs and find what the unit is rated for from Canon and/or when they recommend it to be sent in for service (the 40D BTW is rated for 100K). You'd probably want something with no more than 25% of the rated shutter activations.
hopeless
Honestly, it doesn't matter what camera you buy. Lens are much more important but even they pale into insignificance compared to subject, light and skill.

Just buy a camera then... Practice, practice, practice. Shoot everything. Try everything. Keep a photoblog. Publish photos daily. Join a club. Do a SoFoBoMo (look it up). Be critical. Aim for better shots. Plan ahead. Shot subjects that take you out of your comfort zone. All these things will do more for you than any camera body or lens, and are basically free.

Do NOT fall into the trap of thinking that photography is about the equipment.

I like to think I can hold my own, even with a basic Sony DSLR and a few mid-range lenses: http://photoaday.ideasasylum.com/p/407 http://photoaday.ideasasylum.com/p/419 and so on: http://photoaday.ideasasylum.com/browse/1

aik
Thanks - great advice. It's always easy to get caught up in the feature trails...

Wow the first photo of the baby is wonderful.

pasbesoin
Canon T2i just came out as what looks to be the successor to the Si (Sx? I forget). I believe it's around US$800-900 with an 18 - 50-something starter lens. I saw a mention of low noise up to 3200 ISO equivalent, and it does 1080p x 30 frame/sec video. If you're going for a starter Canon, I'd include it in your evaluation.
arthurdent
like hopeless said, the lens is a big deal. I'd ABSOLUTELY SKIP THE KIT LENS. If you're going nikon or canon, buy yourself the 50mm f/1.8 lens. it'll run you 100 bucks and teach you way more about photography because you'll get to play with the aperture a lot more (open that lens all the way up and you'll get a really narrow depth of field compared to the widest open on the kit lens).

Camera: to start with and learn on, xsi is a great camera. if you're thinking nikon, i'd get a d40 if you want to stay in the same price range (skip the d60, its not better than the d40).

i generally recommend the d90 for nikon as a starter if you're a little more flexible with budget (same sensor as the d300, cropped sensor, but i think thats a nonissue for most beginners, especially if you're shooting for posting online).

between nikon/canon -- just pick one. this is basically the same sort of question as "ruby or python".

i've bought happily off craigslist, but if you're even slightly concerned that the seller is sketchy, skip it, unless you know what to look for. better to pay 50 bucks more as insurance that you're getting quality early on. B&H photo is a great place to buy online and they'll match any reputable vendor (usually they're the bst though).

read kenrockwell.com. he reviews a ton of cameras and generally has a higher concentration of quality information in one place than you can find elsewhere.