How did you pick your SLR camera? (with rules)

[kevinbythebeach]

1. Please keep your responses down to a paragraph or 2.
I'll start,,,


I almost chose and Oympus DSLR just because I had used one in film BW and I liked the brand...
Then the more i learned about the 4/3 thirds system and the lack of lens options and the prices I started looking at Canon and Nikon. I finally choose a Canon because I thought the name sounded better and the commercials and adds looked better and I saw alot of pics taken in Nat Geo with Canons. I figured if its good enough for them its good enough for me. So actually when i did purchase my canon i really had no clue about digital slrs except what a mega pixel is ..lolol...boy ive learned alot in a year and still dont know much... The learning curve is steep...

[Geoff F]

Went digital about 6 years ago with a secondhand Canon Powershot G2 which was a bargain at £350 (£700 new then for 4mp!) Eventually wanted something better, also secondhand, and was really thinking more about Nikon but found a good deal with a Canon 10D instead.

Now I have 'sold my soul' to Canon and currently using a 40D. I prefer the slightly heavier, chunky cameras. Looking back, I don't think there is much difference between Canon and Nikon but Nikon appears to fetch a slightly higher price on the secondhand market.

[Steaphany]

I was looking through an issue of Shutterbug magazine when I stumbled upon a full page ad for Sigma's DP1. The ad described the DP1 as a "A camera for artists" and I took a look at the Sigma DP1 web site which explained that the philosophy behind the DP1 being "A camera aimed squarely at the heart of photographic art". That was all nice to hear but hardly anything to inspire me to buy anything. Being technically oriented, I was at least curious enough to look up the imager specifications and I was surprised to read that the Foveon X3 technology yielded a chip where the Red, Green, and Blue photosites were stacked and they did not use a Bayer color mask on the chip. Since my career started out in the field of semiconductor engineering, I needed to learn how Foveon achieved this piece of magic. I did a quick search and read through several US patents that Foveon received and I felt I finally found a digital camera technology which met my expectations.

By this time, I was also aware of Sigma's SD14. I did read numerous reviews and saw that the gripes that people had with the SD14 amounted to a "lack of features" when compared to the more popular cameras. Faults were found in the LCD size, no live view, no in camera stabilization - all things that are peripheral to the captured photographic image. I researched the Canons and Nikons and found a company who provides a service to "Hot Rod" customize Bayer masked imager cameras by replacing the manufacturer's antialiasing filter. (what amounts to a soft focus filter) I even explored View Cameras and found a company which makes a digital image scanner to replace film, but I felt the costs were too high and I needed more flexibility than what a View camera offered. Since my ultimate goal was to achieve the highest clarity possible without accepting a Bayer masked imager, I decided to go with the SD14. I purchased my SD14 on October 2008 and have been working my way up the learning curve. I'm very pleased with the results.

[crisscross]

I was about to buy a D50 as shop stocks were disappearing fast (and having started digital life with an E4500) when a Canon 350D turned up 2nd hand from a recommended source. After a year with that and some frustration A D80 came up 2nd hand with 18-135 kit lens and could have had a 600 if I could have carried it. Snapped it up knowing my son wanted a digital, which could be either of the 2. After using D80 for at least 24 hours, I knew my son wasn't going to have a choice. (as it is he got a new job, new house and a baby and DSLR learning is on hold).

BTW 350D and D80 are physically smaller than 30/40/50D and D200/300 so I was not looking at next bracket up.

[Bill44]

Based on my film experience I knew what I wanted to shoot and I knew what features were important to me. Price played some part in my choice and after some months of research I chose the D90 and have not been disappointed. After 6 months of use I don't regret not getting the D300, and am happy to have put the price difference toward my 70-300VR lens.

[dan88]

Being unsatisfied with my current Fuji F470's (compact P&S) performance at night, I decided it was time to lash out on a decent camera. I spent many hours on dpreview.com and cambridgeincolour.com reading reviews and looking at sample photos. After doing plenty of research, the Canon 450D came up in my price "sweet spot" as well as providing very good image quality. The noise at higher ISOs was much less than the Pentax K200D (which was what I was originally looking at) and Canon's lenses seemed to be the best when compared with the Sigma's and the Tamron's (although I've seen great lenses from these companies too). People seemed to rate the Canon's lenses higher and their range of lenses was also another selling point.

I took a trip to my local electronics store (which I used to work at). I found out how much I could have slashed off the price (because I knew the people there). They offered me a considerable discount and I was sold! After 6 months of using this camera, I have to say I have learnt alot (both through CiC tutorials/forums and just using the camera).

[Dirk]

I have started with using DSLR camera's in 2007, i use Nikon and Canon. my learning point was steep too and i still learn a lot by using my gear and experimenting with techniques.

imho there are no real bad camera's i rather have a good body and good glass than a top body with low end glass

[Raycer]

Got an Nikon SLR and few lenses to go with it. When D100 came out, it was still too expensive. When D70 came out... it was a quick trip in to the store and out with a yellow box.

[Kirk]

My family is a "Canon-Family". My father and sister had a Canon AE-1 for as long as I can remember. I started of with a Canon Ixus V2 (Digital P&S). I loved the camera but after a couple of years the slow autofocus and low resolution drove me insane. So I got a 400D, just because I was used to Canon and it cost about what I was able to spend.

[n0ct]

Quite simply, the Canon fit my hands better than the Nikon. It was a matter of the layout of the buttons and wheels and how my thumb laid across the back of the camera. I was really leaning towards the Nikon due to always having wanted one, but went with the Canon due to ergonomics.

[Faldrax]

I was interested in getting a DSLR for some time, but with 2 young children could not justify the expense.
Then my trust Ixus 400 developed a fault a few months before my Brother-in-law's wedding.
So I had 'permission' to buy
Chose the Sony A200 as it seemed to have all the features for a 'beginner' at a great price (not LV was not an issue for me - I always used the VF on the Ixus).

[rpcrowe]

Canon produced the first sub one thousand dollar ($ USD) camera with lens; the 300D or the Digital Rebel with the 18-55mm kit lens. Although I decided against that camera and lens, I did purchase a Canon 10D (which I still have and use). The rest has been a slippery slope with me acquiring more and more Canon equipment until, now, I am finally satisfied with my gear.... I THINK!

[Keith]

I started with a Nikon D40 after reading Ken Rockwell, I love the camera but soon found it fell short of my requirements with its limitations, I was about to purchase a Nikon D300 when the Nikon D90 appeared, I decided to go for the D90, I now have both the D40 and D90 and intend to stay with them both.
The D40 is great for taking along as my point and shoot with plenty of opportunity to be creative with it, and my D90 covers my needs for a bit more speed and easier to change settings as I don't have to go into the menu for them, also all my lenses are interchangeable between both cameras.
I am still very much in the learning process for DSLR's but I find that everyone is very helpful on this forum and I have picked up a lot of good information from joining CiC.

[Donald]

As to why Canon? - Nothing more rational, I'm afraid, than a sense of 'my heart belongs to Canon'. Way back in the mists of time, it was an AV1 that started me on the SLR road. After years away from a camera, it was to Canon I turned when the enthusiasm and desire was rekindled.

As to why the 40D? It was a case of how wide the wallet would open at the end of last year. My partner had gone on a sailing trip off the coast of Malaysia and Thailand. I thought she could get one cheaper than in the UK (couldn't). By that time the bug had bitten and anything less than a 40D was not an option (not a lot of rational or logical thinking going on here, you'll notice!).

[Wirefox]

It was black shiny, lots of buttons to push and mighty purty....on a less technical note it scored top in the price range in a camera review (can't remember which magazine).

I am not wired in a way that I get hung up with the over analysis of hundreds of reviews and endless nights of waking in cold sweats with nightmarish images of POTN members cackling at my choice of camera. This is my first DSLR so I can only go upward (unless I switch to Nikon). So far I like my choice...gut instinct and limited budget. Lets face it within any particular price bracket there is only a smidgin of difference in bodies so I may as well go with the brand that has the promise of big game hunter white lenses and look windswept and interesting. (read as balding and flies undone)

[peterb533]

Simple choice, first grandchild just born, tired of missing shots with point and shoot and had a chance on a Canon 350D with kit 18-55mm lens at a really good price. So took it

That was five years ago, since then have upgraded to current kit, learning on the way from books, mags and mostly my mistakes!

Peter

[mfdesalas]

No one esle for Pentax?

I apologise for not having introduced myself first. I'll write an introductory post as soon as I finish typing this one.

I had an analog Pentax SLR for many years and I liked the camera and especially the quality of Pentax lenses. When I went digital at work in 2001 (I think) I bought a Powershot G1. I liked the camera and it was great for its time. I've always been a fan of Canon scanners, printers and other consumer electronics, so I also bought my first compact digital from them, the A75, back in 2005.

When I finally decided to buy a dSLR to replace my old pentax, which I had sold for lack of use, I decided on the Pentax Km. The budget doesn't stretch very far, I'm afraid...

I picked the Pentax Km rather than the Canon or Nikon entry-level models which cost much the same for several reasons: I liked my Pentax SLR very much; Pentax make some of the best lenses I have used (subjective, I know, but what the heck...); all Pentax lenses can be mounted on all Pentax SLRs, and there are a lot of cheap, secondhand, good Pentax lenses around; and finally, as the Km was the newest of the entry-level bunch, which was all I could afford, it was specced a little closer to the older, mid-range Nikon and Canon offerings at entry level at the time.

I must confess I'm using Sigma lenses, and that I'm not that happy with them, though. Nothing against Sigma, they make some great lenses... When I borrowed the 10-20mm from a friend who has a Pentax K-10, and used it with my camera, my jaw nearly hit the floor... I wonder how many people don't buy a camera body because the demonstrator unit has a cheap and nasty lens, with bad AF and giving blurry images...

Miguel.

[Shutterman]

I got my first SLR as a hand-me-down with a ton of lenses, filters, and adapters. I just purchased my canon because it was inexpensive, and it came with a couple of great lenses! I felt like I had to jump on the deal, and hopefully everything will work out with it :-)

[Amberglass]

My dad favored Canons and my uncle Nikons, went back and forth between the two film systems for years but finally settled on Canon. My dad bought me my first very Canon body when I graduated from high school so I remained with them for 24+ years. I hung onto my film cameras for the longest time, and refused to go digital because I was not impressed by the Canon 20D. But really like the 40D but decided to go with Nikon for full frame sensor.

Mostly because my shooting needs and style has changed for the more fast paced world of sports photography, and travel journalism.