Help me choose a DSLR

[aviation_man]

I have VR and AF with my lens so I don't have to worry about that

 

[Ramodkk]

Yeah I guess... but for example, if you ever want to get a 50mm prime lens, you can buy the manual non-VR for $150 or the AF VR for $400

 

[The_Other_One]

That's one thing I like about the Pentax... It has the internal focus motor which is TREMENDOUSLY faster than the Nikon! Just compared...room light, same distance/zoom, turned the ring all the way to one side, focused on my dresser. 2 seconds for the Nikon, less than a second for the Pentax. Both should be center-weighted too.

I wonder if the newer 18-55VR lenses are any faster than this one.

 

[Fatback]

Yes. I agree the menu is hard to navigate. It will definitely take some getting used to. But like said above I think you'd be satisfied with any camera lol. I mean it's not like they will sell a camera that will break down in a day. Get Heather to pick it out for you

You must be crazy, Heather doesn't know the first thing about cameras. I went with her when she got her's I tried to talk her into getting a Samsung or Sony. She got a Kodak which stop working about a month later, replaced it with the warranty and same thing happened. Now she has a Nikon Coolpix S230 I got her and it's a nice little camera.

I'm pretty sure they are all the same company... Them and about 5 other companies just share the same name Kind of like CompUSA, TigerDirect, Circuit City....

hehe, you know, I was looking around and found a 70-300mm lens for a Pentax for $3. It was used and kind of roughed up, but yeah And then I'm getting a flash and a nicer Sigma lens 70-300mm lens for mine for a total of around $200.

Hmm... You wouldn't happen to still have that Nikon, would you Hehe, but I hate it gave out. They are really wonderful starter cameras. You're a bit limited with your lenses (well...if you want auto focus) but I've always been complemented on the photos from mine. I hope this Pentax will hold up to the same standards...

Pentax lens are cheap, and it seems like there are more third party lens for Pentax. Whatever SLR I get the first lens I will buy is something like with a F1.8 or lower for some good night shots.

Nah I sold the D40 on craigs list like a day after it quit working. I kinda wish I would have kept it. I could of probably got the sensor replaced for what $250.

Something to consider when buying a DSLR is the cost of lenses, which in the long run will be much higher than the price of the camera. Most Pentax DSLR's (from the K100D and up) have both image stabilization and autofocus in-body, this means that most lenses you use (except older manual ones) will autofocus and reduce handshake. Other brands require you to buy lenses with these features which can be more expensive. For example, the Canon XS doesn't have either AF or IS built in the body, so you would have to buy an AF IS lens for it (don't really know if that's the name Canon gives them lol)

That was the first thing I looked at after I decide which cameras I wanted to consider.

Yeah I guess... but for example, if you ever want to get a 50mm prime lens, you can buy the manual non-VR for $150 or the AF VR for $400

That is a huge price difference. How important is VR/IS on a SLR. I was looking at the Olympus E-420 and it has no IS at all. There are a few lens you can get for it that have IS but thats it. It seems like VR/IS is something that every camera should have, but I was wondering how important is it? Seems without VR/IS that all pictures would be blurry unless on a tripod.