Solved! What DSLR camera to get

jacob1001

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I'm a fan of the Nikon range of cameras. Try the Nikon D3000 (comes with a lens I think), or the Nikon D3100 (sells standard as only the camera body. Also has 14.1 MP, which isn't half bad).

Sauniere

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I am a long term fan of Canon EOS SLR cameras, starting with film, and moving to digital with an EOS 400d. The model names in the USA are different, and they are branded "EOS Rebel". The current top model in the Rebel range is an 18 megapixel offering called the EOS Rebel T2i. You could of course spend thousands on one of the professional models, but honestly any of the EOS Rebel cameras will give you good results. Do not worry that the cheaper ones are "only" 12 megapixels. Unless you want to make truly gigantic prints you don't need more.
 

Toxxyc

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I'm a fan of the Nikon range of cameras. Try the Nikon D3000 (comes with a lens I think), or the Nikon D3100 (sells standard as only the camera body. Also has 14.1 MP, which isn't half bad).
 
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StefanHoferPhotography

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Some food for thought..

Have you asked yourself why you are buying a camera? If you are not very serious about photography i.e. you are NOT seriously considering getting into this hobby/profession and are buying the camera to have around for special purposes only, then go with the Canon. Reason being, they are less expensive.

Also, if you are on a tight budget, go with the Canon. Reason being, they are less expensive.

The biggest thing you need to consider when buying Canon or Nikon is #1) do you like how the camera feels in your hands, are the buttons accessible, is it comfortable when gripping...essentially you are testing the ergonomics of the camera...#2) you are now getting "married" into one brand i.e. after you purchase a Canon or Nikon, you will continue using that brand when upgrading components. Lets say you buy the Canon Rebel...1 year later, you want to buy a new lens - well you're not going to buy a Nikon lens, you will get a new/nice Canon lens, thats maybe more expensive than your camera. And then a year later, you might want to upgrade your camera...but since you bought that new lens a year ago, obviously you want a camera that is compatible. In essence, your first SLR camera purchase is more than a 1 time buy, it's an investment, and you will continue to build your arsenal of toys with that brand.

Canon and Nikon are amazing companies, and to choose one over the other is like asking an author what computer they used to write that New York Times bestseller. You cannot go wrong with Canon or Nikon.

Check out some of my photos at my portfolio Stefan Hofer Photography : Creative Photography Portfolios

Check out my blog and subscribe Stefan Hofer Photography Blog
 

jacob1001

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Thanks,
you are correct canon and nikon are the best but i haven''t delt with nikon before but heard lots of great things about them, but i am a canon person i love the eos range, i did end up purchasing the sony alpha a390 which was a big mistake at first but thankfully the online website i bought it of sent it to my post office but i wasnt here so they sent it back to the online shops address and then they sold it to someone else, cause i was on holidays, i got really angry at first but then relised this was actually a good thing, so i traded of to canon and payed a bit more, so i bought the canon eos 1000d, love the camera? but will 10mp get a good quality A1 print? like clear A1, with my standard home printer? our would you reccomend to go to a commercial printer and get it done?
 

StefanHoferPhotography

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Hey Jacob,

A full size A1 print is 33.1x23.4 inches. When blowing a photo up to this size, there are two things that will affect the quality of the print. 1) the camera megapixels. But this is fixed at 10mp for your camera. 2) the resolution and interpolation of the program and printer you are printing with. Personally, I use Lightroom 3 and print with an Epson 3880. Lightroom 3 automatically interpolates the image, and I do not need to apply resolution dpi because Lightroom does this automatically too. On the Epson, I match unique profiles that match different media i.e. for each printing paper there is a unique profile on the printer. You should have this on your printer too I'm assuming. Anyway, the profiles make sure the colors match and that the print looks good on the media's surface. All of the above apply to produce stunning prints. Now if you don't have Lightroom 3 you might want to look at some other software that can help "upsize" the photo. Lucky for me, there is no guesswork as Lightroom auto applies this for me, and streamlines the workflow. Another major thing you really need to consider before printing is to make sure you have zero noise and artifacts in the photo, because these will be highly pronounced when you enlarge the pic. SO make sure you have some type of basic editing software to eliminate the noise etc. Btw, are you sure you can print the above A1 size? You'd need a large format printer that costs bare minimum 2,000$. If you can't, then send it to the lab! They can! And finally, if your printer is able to print the photo and you don't necessarily trust yourself, then try sending it to the lab and printing it yourself and compare and contrast the two. See which one you like more. Some labs will have media that you might not be able to get, and sizes you wont be able to print. And like everything photographically or like anything in life, try as many thing as possible, test them, then compare the results and go with what you like more. Simple right?!
 

jacob1001

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Ohk, but going to a professional lab would be much better as they have the professional commercial printers, but some do charge quite a bit, but the only option for my printer to do a1 is to print seperate sheets through this website, www.blockposters.com cause my printer is A4 right now?
 

jmitch4861

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in the lowprice range i would go with canon, and remember the higher the megapixel is not the better always, i can run rings around new 14 mega pixels slr with my 12 mega pixel d2x (nikon). the best investment is always good glass(lenses) so i would try to get a body and then an aftermarket lens for the 500$. the kit lenses are alot of time junk,
i have been selling cameras for 10 years and teaching for 12.
 

fermata

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There are better ones on Amazon for better price now,check deeper.
 

Toxxyc

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Thread jack: I'm looking at a new DLSR camera myself now. I'm looking at the Canon 500D, as the Nikon camera's seem to have something built into the lenses that the Canon camera has built into the body, meaning you can get better pictures from Canon with cheaper lenses than with Nikon with the same type of lenses. Any information regarding this? I'm interested and thus asking as I'm starting to like photography a lot, and I think a 500D is a good place to start. Let me know if I'm wrong, or if I'm missing the idea or concept here... :D