Help with buying decision.

I'm faced with a rather unusual camera buying decision. It's not
for myself, but for a new acquaintance who's entrusted the
decision entirely to me. It seems he's been seriously interested
in taking more than casual snapshots for quite some time, buying
and reading various magazines and books, but didn't know how to
proceed or which camera to buy.

This guy's loaded and doesn't care how much he pays, but I think
high-end gear will be wasted on him for the time being. An
entry-level DSLR should be good enough, but I suspect that some
subtle bragging rights will also matter to him. He's not likely
to come to live and breathe photography, but is more likely to
become engrossed at times and then forget about it for weeks or
months.

I'm considering the Nikon lineup mainly because I think the
18-200 mm lens will be just right for him. (I know there's a
Canon counterpart now, but I feel that it's not well enough
established ATM).

I'm trying to decide between a D90 and a D300, but I'm not firmly
committed to these two or to Nikon either. There are two reasons
why I have not taken him to a camera shop and let him handle
different models:

1. We don't have any well-stocked local shop and there are no
authorised dealers which he prefers to buy from. I'll probably
have to order it from somewhere else.
2. I don't think a novice's first impressions can really be
relied on and I believe that most people can adapt easily unless
the design is really bad for anyone.

Given all this, any sensible comments and suggestions will be
welcome. TIA.

mianileng wrote:
[]
I'm considering the Nikon lineup mainly because I think the
18-200 mm lens will be just right for him. (I know there's a
Canon counterpart now, but I feel that it's not well enough
established ATM).

I'm trying to decide between a D90 and a D300, but I'm not firmly
committed to these two or to Nikon either. There are two reasons
why I have not taken him to a camera shop and let him handle
different models:
[]
Given all this, any sensible comments and suggestions will be
welcome. TIA.

FWIW: my wife has the D60 and the 18-200mm VR zoom, and has been very
pleased with both. Perhaps not as high a bragging potential as the D90 or
D300, but lighter, cheaper, and capable of doing an excellent job. But I
don't think you would be disappointed with either of the Nikon models. Of
the two, I'd possibly go for the D90, mostly because of the lighter
weight, video mode, greater flash range, and the use of SD cards.

Here's a comparison:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/comp..._d300&show=all

Cheers,
David

mianileng wrote:

I'm considering the Nikon lineup mainly because I think the
18-200 mm lens will be just right for him. (I know there's a
Canon counterpart now, but I feel that it's not well enough
established ATM).

Get the D60 with the two IS lens kit ($600) or the XSi with the two IS
lens kit ($750).

The advantage of the Canon kit is that the XSi is better at high ISO, if
you think that'll be important. Also, the D60 is due to be replaced
soon, while the XSi is a more current model, and is higher resolution.

Canon 5D Mark II with the kit lens.

On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:06:09 -0800, SMS wrote:

mianileng wrote:

I'm considering the Nikon lineup mainly because I think the
18-200 mm lens will be just right for him. (I know there's a
Canon counterpart now, but I feel that it's not well enough
established ATM).

Get the D60 with the two IS lens kit ($600) or the XSi with the two IS
lens kit ($750).

The advantage of the Canon kit is that the XSi is better at high ISO, if
you think that'll be important. Also, the D60 is due to be replaced
soon, while the XSi is a more current model, and is higher resolution.

So speaks a resident pretend-photographer troll who has never used any cameras
in his lifetime.

carl simllan wrote:
On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:06:09 -0800, SMS wrote:

mianileng wrote:

I'm considering the Nikon lineup mainly because I think the
18-200 mm lens will be just right for him. (I know there's a
Canon counterpart now, but I feel that it's not well enough
established ATM).

Get the D60 with the two IS lens kit ($600) or the XSi with the two IS
lens kit ($750).

The advantage of the Canon kit is that the XSi is better at high ISO, if
you think that'll be important. Also, the D60 is due to be replaced
soon, while the XSi is a more current model, and is higher resolution.

So speaks a resident pretend-photographer troll

That would be you, spammer.

--
Ray Fischer

Ray Fischer wrote:
carl simllan wrote:
On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:06:09 -0800, SMS wrote:

mianileng wrote:

I'm considering the Nikon lineup mainly because I think the
18-200 mm lens will be just right for him. (I know there's a
Canon counterpart now, but I feel that it's not well enough
established ATM).
Get the D60 with the two IS lens kit ($600) or the XSi with the two IS
lens kit ($750).

The advantage of the Canon kit is that the XSi is better at high ISO, if
you think that'll be important. Also, the D60 is due to be replaced
soon, while the XSi is a more current model, and is higher resolution.
So speaks a resident pretend-photographer troll

That would be you, spammer.

don't feed the trolls.

mianileng wrote:

I'm considering the Nikon lineup mainly because I think the
18-200 mm lens will be just right for him.

I'm trying to decide between a D90 and a D300

Go for the D90 with 18-200 and add one lens, a 50mm f/1.8 or splurge on
the new AF-S 50mm f/1.4G for bragging rights. A more practical choice
might be a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 'normal' lens but the 50 is a good portrait
lens. If he gets into it he can buy another body but he should have at
least one fast lens to play with.

--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

all google groups messages filtered due to spam

On Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:10:46 -0800, Paul Furman wrote:

Go for the D90 with 18-200 and add one lens, a 50mm f/1.8 or splurge on
the new AF-S 50mm f/1.4G for bragging rights. A more practical choice
might be a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 'normal' lens but the 50 is a good portrait
lens. If he gets into it he can buy another body but he should have at
least one fast lens to play with.

The 30mm f/1.4 is very nice and was somewhat useful in NYC in this
evening's snow, sleet and slush. But in the city's cramped spaces
it seemed like I was using a telephoto. My much wider lenses turned
out to be a good deal more useful.

ASAAR wrote:
On Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:10:46 -0800, Paul Furman wrote:

Go for the D90 with 18-200 and add one lens, a 50mm f/1.8 or splurge on
the new AF-S 50mm f/1.4G for bragging rights. A more practical choice
might be a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 'normal' lens but the 50 is a good portrait
lens. If he gets into it he can buy another body but he should have at
least one fast lens to play with.

The 30mm f/1.4 is very nice and was somewhat useful in NYC in this
evening's snow, sleet and slush. But in the city's cramped spaces
it seemed like I was using a telephoto. My much wider lenses turned
out to be a good deal more useful.

I love wide angle but a 12-24 is going to cost another several hundred
dollars and with an 18-200 there may be little motivation to change
lenses. The 30mm is at least a normal lens so you can put it on for the
day and be able to capture most anything 'normal' that used to be the
only lens people had for their camera. The 50mm suggestion would be
pretty specialized, just to try on for a while as a creative experiment
for a different look, kind of like the wide angle option. Both are fun
stuff that is not available on compact cameras so part of the fun of
getting a DSLR and it's a shame to miss that but the OP knows better
what the recipient might enjoy. A 50mm f/1.8 is only $100, it's useful
in low light, ideal for portraits and can give a very different look.

--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

all google groups messages filtered due to spam