# Camera for Christmas



## 2-Fer (Oct 29, 2007)

I don't know if this is the proper spot for this post if not maybe one of the mods can move it to the proper place. Anyway I want to get my wife a camera for Christmas, but I have no idea what kind to get her. I would like to get one that has exchangeable lenses. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## coolkid (May 9, 2009)

There are so many different types of cameras out there depending on how much money you want to spend. I have the Pentax K-X. I got the camera in a bundle package ( 2 lenses and the camera). The things I would look at when getting a camera is how many megapixels is the camera. More the better. Then I would look at the lenses. Depending on what type of pictures you are going to be taking. I have a wide angle lens that takes macro shots. As well as a zoom lens. There are point and shoot cameras out there that exceed the capabilities of the camera set up I have and cost alot less.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Don't pay any attention to megapixels - they haven't mattered since about 2004. These days megapixel counting is just a marketing ploy to get people to buy new cameras. Higher resolution is actually becoming a hinderance because the huge file sizes take up too much space on your hard drive.

Give me an idea of what you think your wife will focus on and I'd be happy to make a few recommendations:

?Family photos and portraits
?Action photography (kid's sports, moving subjects)
?Landscape photography
?Wildlife

What's the approximate budget?


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## RnF (Sep 25, 2007)

The size of the gear can matter too. A lot of DSLR's are just too bulky and big to haul around, especially if you have kids. There are smaller systems out there that are solid that use detachable lenses. Also, if she want's video with it, most DSLR's don't auto focus like you would expect and can be very frustrating to work with. Make sure you take a close look at that too.

Thresh is right about the megapixels. I suggest looking for something that has good High ISO performance (ability to take images in low light situations) it makes those indoor shots turn out much better. I will take better ISO performance over high megapixels any day.


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## 2-Fer (Oct 29, 2007)

Mostly she will be taking pictures of family, some landscape and some wildlife. I would like to keep it under $1000.00 if I can.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Along those lines I would recommend:

NIKON D5100 - This link takes you to a kit with the 18-55mm lens on sale for $649

NIKON 55-200mm Image Stabilized Lens $249

The 18-55mm lens will be solid for landscapes, portraits, and family pictures. The 55-200 is an inexpensive starter lens for wildlife that produces good quality and has image stabilization. This combo will put you at about $900. To save a little money, you can also go with:

NIKON D3100 - Also with the 18-55mm lens, on sale for $549, coupled with the same 55-200mm lens listed above.


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## 2-Fer (Oct 29, 2007)

Thanks threshershark that really helps a lot.


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## svmoose (Feb 28, 2008)

Thresh, do you prefer Nikon camera bodies over Canon?


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Moose - the short answer is yes.

I've shot on both platforms, and in all honesty Nikon and Canon are closely matched overall in terms of available lenses, image quality, etc.

The biggest difference in my opinion is firmware, or how the functions of the camera are accessed.

Just to give one quick example: Changing focal points is something I do all the time, sometimes literally a hundred times in one day. If I'm out photographing eagles, and a bird lands, I will use the center focus sensor and target the bird's eye as the focal point. If the subject then flies away, I switch to dynamic focus so the camera can use its full 51-point autofocus array to track the moving subject.

On my Canon, I used to have to dive into the electronic menu system to accomplish this. Specifically, I had to go to the Custom Function Menu, and then down to Screen 17 in order to make the change.

With my D300, this change is made using a switch on the camera body, and can be done by touch while looking through the viewfinder! There are a bunch of similar examples I could name.

Nikon's firmware, to my way of thinking, makes the most often used features the easiest to access. This saves a ton of time and hassle for me. The camera gets out of my way and I miss fewer opportunities.

Plenty of the world's best photographers shoot Canon, and are used to Canon's way of doing things. They will tell you that Canon's system is better for them due to X, Y, or Z. It all really boils down to what and how you shoot. If you know what settings to change, you can change them on any camera.

I will tell you that a contributor to this site, JayMorr (www.jaymorr.com) was a die hard Canon man until I handed him my Nikon during a bald eagle shoot several years ago. After an hour with my gear, he sold his entire Canon lineup and went black. As they say, he's never gone back.

Nikon and Canon are the world leaders, neither of them make junk. Mostly it boils down to which system "feels" right. I actually prefer Canon point and shoots, and do a lot of work with a Canon S90.


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## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

+1, I have a Canon 5D, an IS 70-200 and 50mm that rarely see daylight. I use my D200 97% of the time. At first I thought I was biased because I have always shot with a Nikon SLRs and DSLRs and those are the controls that were familiar and user friendly to me. But after tinkering with the 5D for a few years, I more or less discovered what thresh just pointed out. It's not a huge difference and like he also pointed out, both make top notch gear, but it's a difference that my random OCDisms aren't able to overlook. 


The Canon gear is for sale if anyone is interested. There is a 300mm f/2.8 ED AF-S VR II Nikkor that needs my attention.  

Sorry for the semi-hijack.


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## svmoose (Feb 28, 2008)

Thresh and Tree, Thanks for the info -- I guess I semi-hijacked as well. Sorry.


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