Which DSLR to buy ?

:O :confused:
Firstly, id like to introduce myself ... I'm about 31 from India... just taken up photography as a hobby... have a Canon S5 IS for about a year and was planning on getting a new DSLR. i have short-listed the Nikon D40x, D60 and the Canon 450D. I would like to being by saying my photography needs... just a casual amateur photographer who likes to capture the sunset , the sunrise... beautiful landscapes etc., my pictures are based more on nature than anything else.

Now i will need your help in choosing the right one as i am totally new to the DSLR category. Im leaving for HK tomorrow so id appreciate it if i could get some good advice as soon as possible.

Let me give you the reasons for choosing the respective cameras:

Nikon D40x:

I was actually looking for information on the D60 and came across a few articles which said that the D40x was faster than the D60 and it doesn't necessarily mean that more mega pixels would mean better picture quality. So that is how the D40x came to my mind.

Nikon D60:

I first choose the D60 as i read somewhere that it had a newer image processor and more MPs... which later on i came to read that doesn't mean is better.

Canon 450D:

The primary reason for choosing this one apart from the fact that this is a Canon was that it has got Live View Mode... now to be very honest i dont know how much this is going to help me or dissuade me from buying the others.

Sony A200/ A300:

im also considering the above mentioned camera as a lot of people told me that inbult IS and AF is much better and the Live View is the best in Sony and the lenses are also cheap as they dont have to be lenses with IS and AF motor in the lens.

One more thing id like to request u guys is to please keep the cost of the lenses... im not too sure which lenses cost more... i checked a few Nikkor lenses n phew ... took my breath away.

I had a question that i needed to ask y'all experienced people... do u think its a good idea to get the 450D or the others above mentioned... now I'm asking this keeping in mind the price of the lenses n all.

Secondly, I am looking for a lens .. maybe something which has like a 20 x zoom (i really don't understand how the zoom works on a DSLR but i checked out the Nikkor 18-200mm VR and it costs a bomb http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18200.htm) and i also wanted to know which one would be a normal lens ... or can i use the zoom lens to also take normal standard pictures ... or better still if i could have a single lens for all purposes.... i don't want to go beyond US$ 300 or so..

thank u

forgive me if my questions sound stupid..

thank u again !!

You've got some big camera decisions on your hands. I do not have personal experience with all the cameras mentioned, so I cannot comment as to the relative performance of each. However, what I can comment about is the choice of lenses. You say that you will primarily be photographing sunsets, sunrises and landscapes, yet at the bottom of your post you expressed interest in a 20X zoom and/or 200mm+ lens. Lenses like these are really only used for wildlife/bird photography or when you want to really compress perspective in a shot of only a portion of a landscape. If you are looking to keep costs down my recommendation would be to get the equivalent of Canon's EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens "kit lens". If you intend to do primarily landscapes this will be a very very flexible focal length range, and quality will be similar to much more expensive lenses.

As for how a zoom works with a DSLR, a 5X zoom just means that the ratio of longest to shortest focal lengths in the zoom lens is 5 (ie, a 20-100mm lens). A higher zoom number does not therefore necessarily mean that you can magnify the subject any more-- this is entirely determined by the maximum focal length (and sensor size). A 20-100mm lens (5X zoom) cannot magnify the subject anywhere near as much as a 100-400mm lens (4X zoom), for example.

Hope this at least helps get you started.

Thank u very much that was very informative... just one question though... since i have a Canon S5 IS which has 12x zoom... which lens according to u would be compensating for that much of zoom... suppose i want to shoot a mountain which is far away ... so which lens should i use ?

thank u

I believe the Canon S5 IS is the equivalent of a 36-432 mm (11.4X) zoom lens. This brings up an important distinction between compact cameras and digital SLR cameras: the the former can have much smaller lenses due to its smaller sensor size. You will not find anywhere near a 36-432 mm lens with an SLR...it would simply be enormous. You can find lenses near 35-200 mm, but you pay for it severely in both optical quality and price.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by McQ

I believe the Canon S5 IS is the equivalent of a 36-432 mm (11.4X) zoom lens. This brings up an important distinction between compact cameras and digital SLR cameras: the the former can have much smaller lenses due to its smaller sensor size. You will not find anywhere near a 36-432 mm lens with an SLR...it would simply be enormous. You can find lenses near 35-200 mm, but you pay for it severely in both optical quality and price.

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In fact. Most of us prefer to use two zooms that cover a good range of focal lengths while maintaining a good optical quality.

The only zoom that comes to my mind that covers your needs would be this one by Canon (I'm pretty sure other mainstream manufacturers have similar products)

However, I seriously add to McQ word: you ar losing too much in price and optical quality, despite it is an L lens.

Cheers,
Sebas.

Edit: as for a recommendation for a DSLR, my experience is limited to my father's Canon 20D -which I used just a few times, when I travel to visit him, which happens more or less once a year- and my current Pentax K100D Super (which was a gift from him in turn hehe!). But if I remember correctly, there was a thread were we were discussing DSLRs. Yep, it's here.

My suggest..go for nikon becoz since i used D70 its easy to use.D40X its the right choice..

The Sigma 50-500mm EX DG HSM "Bigma" covers 50-500mm with very good optical quality and comes with mounts for both Nikon and Canon but it has no image stabilization. Sigma has just released a 150-500mm stabilized lens if stabilization is a key need, for both brands. Both lenses run about $1000 by themselves, and are both large (12" extended) and heavy (4 pounds). :)

I'd go with the Canon as they have a wide variety of excellent and reasonably priced lenses available to them. With a DSLR you are buying into a lens system, instead of only the body.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...=128664&page=8

Nikon have image stabilization is stand VR ( Vibration Reduction ) on lens not in body.

Hi
i am new to tthe forum.iuse to have a canon Film SLR, recently moved to DSLR...took me a while to decide..eventually bought A SamsungGX10 after reading several reviews...i have not been disappointed...the quality of camera and the photos i have taken sofar are very good, have not found any problems yet.....have had it for about a month