What is the best digital SLR camera under $575?

Question

What is the best digital SLR camera under $575?

Answer 1

One of the biggest factors in this decision is the options available AFTER the initial purchase of the Digital SLR ... and hands down ... Canon (and Nikon) are the industry leaders in SLR cameras for sure .. with MANY different lenses and accessories for their cameras that far exceed anything that Sony has put out to date.



The Canon EOS 400D is a very nice camera .. and the prices are definitely coming down. There is a WIDE RANGE of available (optional lenses), the camera uses a standard Compact Flash Card (wouldn't recommend less than a 4 GB card to start with), is quite fast in cycling thorugh (which means you can take lots of images very quickly) .. and the battery charge lasts quite nicely (meaning -- through several hundred shots -- and I shoot my images in the .raw mode).



What makes the deal with Canon even more of a bonus -- the EOS Digital and the EOS 35 mm can use the SAME lenses -- so if you have an EOS 35mm from Canon -- you can use the same optional lenses on your Digital Canon SLR as well. That has proven to be a bonus for me .. and allowed me to focus on select purchases to supplement these earlier lenses and expand on my creativity.



One addition to the purchase I would make is to make sure that you purchase a SPARE battery pack -- because .. (like I found out) .. when you switch from the 35 mm to the Digital SLR environment ... you throw 'caution to the wind' and the NUMBER of images that I shoot FAR EXCEEDS the choosiness that I had to ENFORCE on myself when I had to make the Film, the Processing and the Printing decisions.



Believe me .. the initial investment in a quality 4gb CF Memory Card will pay for itself within a very short time .. and with the ability to easily download those files to the computer you are using, to then be able to erase those files from the Memory Card and store NEW ones .. well ... what freedom and what NEW opportunities you have awaiting you when you want to take your camera to any event -- whether it is for family or just everyday events!



Source(s):

Canon -- the 9 point Autofocus is GREAT ... the only complaint I have (which is usual) is the FACT that I am a LEFTY -- so for me .. the controls are BACKWARDS .. which I solve by inverting the camera anyway (and Cameras have always been backwards all my life. It looks odd .. but it is a way I adapted to using tools NOT meant for those of us who are dominately left-handed). The Small Size did take some getting used to (and I am Retired, but used to the hulking 35 mm SLRs of old .. and I have SLRs dating back a few decades) .. and the fact that it is NOT metal (I'd feel a bit better about metal .. but no camera I see nowadays has a metal case at all -- they are all plastic) ... is something that still concerns me.



I PREFER to use standard MEMORY CARDS that I use across multiple pieces of electronics -- which is why I choose to find a camera that uses CF or SD format Memory Cards in the first place (and they are definitely cheaper than the non-standard Sony ones). My PDA and Computer read these formats .. so that is another consideration.



Great Entry Level Digital SLR camera ... and especially since the price is coming down. I'd get with the camera a couple of extras -- make sure that you have UV filters (which protect the optics in the lenses from Direct Sunlight's damage), as well as a middle of the road zoom lens (Which takes you to about 300mm). Add a Flash Unit and a spare battery (along with a spare Memory Card) .. and you should be able to do most things that you want to experiment with at this time.

Answer 2

Some people tell me that they are tired of reading my stock answers, but they don't understand that YOU have not read this answer before. It's for you and not the regular answerers in this section. Why would they bother reading it anyway??? You have asked what is the best DSLR for under $575. If I feel that this answer gives you all the information that you need, why would I post a different answer from the same one I posted for the last ten or fifty people who have asked the exact same question? Oh well.



Sorry. I had to say that at least once to get it out of my system.



You want a Nikon D40 and you can get it for well within your budget.



The Nikon D40 is a great little camera, very easy to use and quite reasonably priced. It has a few "consumer friendly" totally automatic modes that make it very easy to use - including a "Child Photo" mode - but still offers total photographic control when you are ready to take charge. It will get you in the Nikon family which is a great place to be. If you buy accessories and lenses, you will be able to use everything on any Nikon that you might upgrade to later on.



Check out Nikon's "Picturetown" promotion, where they handed out 200 D40's in Georgetown, SC. http://www.stunningnikon.com/picturetown/



Here are a few reviews, in case you have not read them yet. Be sure to note that they are several pages long and some of the reviews also have some sample images that you can look at.



http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_reviews/nikon_d40.html

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3756/camera-test-nikon-d40.html

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/d40-recommendations.htm



I hate to see people slam the camera because it can't autofocus with older Nikon lenses. It is true that there is a "slight problem" with older Nikon lenses not autofocusing on the D40, but if you do not own a bag full of older lenses, it is not going to be a problem. It is barely a problem anyhow. If you check www.nikonusa.com for "AF-S" lenses, which are ALL 100% compatible with the D40, you will find 23 lenses, including 7 "VR" (vibration Reduction) lenses and one true macro lens with "VR". There are another 25-plus lenses in the current catalog that provide all functions except autofocus as well as many (possibly dozens) "out of print" lenses that will work just as well. In addition, although these lens will not autofocus, most of them will still give focus confirmation. From the D40 manual: "If the lens has a maximum aperture of f/5.6 of faster, the viewfinder focus indicator can be used to confirm whether the portion of the subject in the selected focus area is in focus. After positioning the subject in the active focus area, press the shutter release button halfway and rotate the lens focusing ring until the in-focus indicator is displayed." (See http://www.members.aol.com/swf08302/nikonafs.txt for a list of AF-S lenses.)



The D40 only has 3 autofocus zones arranged horizontally at the center, 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions. This might be considered a limitation, but realistically, most people will find this perfectly adequate, especially if you are moving up from a point and shoot with only a center zone.



There is no "Status LCD" on top of the camera, but Nikon chose to use the rear LCD for this information. This is actually a nice move, as the display is bigger than the top display and you aren't using the read LCD for anything BEFORE you take the picture anyway. This is not a step backwards and it actually makes sense to me.



You can get the D40 with the 18-55 kit lens at B&H Photo available through Yahoo! Shopping or at 1-800-622-4987) for $525 (June 2007). Add a Lexar Platinum (60X speed) card for $25 or 2 GB for $35.

Answer 3

Even though a fellow forum member recommends the Nikon D40, it still does not address the issue of "shake reduction" should one purchase a telephoto lense within the range of 200 to 300 mms.



Currently, the best priced "shake reduction" DSLR is the Pentax K100D 6.1 megapixel with in-the-camera-body "shake reduction" that can be applied to any number of quality Pentax lenses. And of course, Pentax auxiliary lenses are very affordable. If you are looking for the best deal, there's a 2 lenses package: the camera body with an 18-55 mm. lense and a 75-200 mm. lense for $650 at samys.com.



Good luck!

Answer 4

It is hard to find a DSLR under $575. Nikon D40 is a DSLR under $575 which is replaced by D40X. You may get limited supply.



Beware to buy your stuff from a reputable on-line merchant.

Answer 5

Look for a Canon Rebel XT, should be able to find one around that price. Look at the website below.

Answer 6

hi there, well the prices are different over in the US than Britian so all i will advise you to do is get a Canon. i have one the Canon EOS 20D and they rule. YES look up the Canon EOS 20d.