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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Looking for some advice....
Debra L Rothenberg, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 10:47 PM on 11.10.09 |
->> trying to find a camera for a very good friend. She was a photo major but that was literally almost a lifetime ago.
Not sure how bit by the bug she will be-so I am unsure of which camera would be best. She is mainly interested in shooting abstract and landscape and her kids, and her 7 year old son playing outdoor sports.
The cameras I am looking at are Nikons:
D60 refurbished
D3000
D5000
D90
thoughts? |
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Michael Ip, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 12:00 AM on 11.11.09 |
| ->> They're all pretty similar right? For what she wants to use it for, I'm sure they'd all suffice. Maybe I'd cross off the D90. The video feature doesn't sound like it'd be something she'd use much. |
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Matthew Ginn, Photographer
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Portland | OR | USA | Posted: 2:09 AM on 11.11.09 |
->> The advice I give to other people who aren't sure how much camera they need is to buy a pretty basic camera to start with, because the technology in the bodies gets updated so quickly these days. If she has extra money to spend, put it in lenses which don't depreciate so quickly.
If your friend was a film shooter, she'll be fine with just about anything on the market as long as it has a manual mode. In a year or two she'll have a much better idea what she needs and the cameras available then will be leaps and bounds beyond anything she could buy today. |
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Shelley Cryan, Photographer
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New England | CT | USA | Posted: 8:50 AM on 11.11.09 |
->> +1 on Matthew's advice.
Sounds like she's new to digital, and a bit rusty on her skills, so she wouldn't use a lot of the features on higher-end cameras right now. Better to get a lower-priced body right now and put any extra $$ into decent glass, the benefits of which she'll notice right away. The D60 you mentioned is a good model, and I'd guess if it's refurbished it's at an attractive price point, too. Michael's right that the ones you mention are all rather similar, really, so you can't go wrong.
If she outgrows it in a year, then she can upgrade. If she doesn't, that means she hasn't used it much and so a lower-priced body will mean she's not out much. |
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Debra L Rothenberg, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 9:09 AM on 11.11.09 |
->> thanks
what are you r feelings about refurbished cameras? I have always stayed away from anything refurbished from bad experiences but that was long, long ago. Are they better now? The warranty on a refurbished camera is only 3 months as opposed to 1 year for a new camera.
Anyone buy refurbished cameras? |
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Dave Breen, Photographer
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Somerset | PA | USA | Posted: 10:20 AM on 11.11.09 |
| ->> Some dealers add a store or Mack warranty to the 90-days to give the customer a full year. I'm not sure if any of our sponsors do, but there's a big dealer on the auction site that does. |
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Luke Sharrett, Student/Intern
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Forest | VA | United States | Posted: 5:11 PM on 11.11.09 |
| ->> Debra, I bought a Canon 1D Mark III refurb from Adorama, and its absolutely flawless. It came without a single scuff or scratch, and has miraculously been without focus problems. |
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Jeff Mills, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Columbus | OH | USA | Posted: 5:17 PM on 11.11.09 |
->> Can't beat a D90, serious bang for the buck with a full control and feature set.
All the others, while often great cameras for a given task, make sacrifices in terms of the control layout such as having a single control dial or lacking a top LCD status screen etc. I think the D5000 is great overall but it drives me crazy not being able to have dials to adjust both shutter and aperture on the fly.
Also only the D90 has the screw drive AF motor if she wants to be able to use any AF-D style lenses. |
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Mike Olivella, Photographer
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Tallahassee | FL | USA | Posted: 5:27 PM on 11.11.09 |
->> debra, from what you've identified, I'd suggest a used D300 from KEH.com (Atlanta mail order). Most of my gear was purchased used from them and I have never had an issue. They have a generous return policy and they are reputable. A used D300 is approximately $1,200 and with the low noise level, she can shoot at high ISO's if need be.
They have various "grades", and you can feel comfortable going down as low as their "bargain" rating. |
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Max Gersh, Photographer
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St. Louis | MO | USA | Posted: 7:25 PM on 11.11.09 |
->> D3000 & D5000 are both great entry level DSLRs. The D5000 is a stripped down D90 so it still gives you a great image and a ton of features.
I'd avoid the D60 with the other two cards on the table. |
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Thomas Oed, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | USA | Posted: 7:41 PM on 11.11.09 |
->> My vote would be for the D90 as well. I actually think the video feature would be a PLUS for her, especially if she doesn't already have a video camera, and even if she does, if she's headed out on a day where video might happen but isn't a priority, it's be handy to have both capabilities in one device.
I have always steered away from refurbs, at least in cameras. (Had some OK luck buying refurb PC's... got one lemon out of 3 of 4 purchases.) Anyway, the savings doesn;t seem substantial enough to justify losing 3/4 of your warranty. I saw an ad on here for refurb D3's... price is $900 less than what I paid for my brand new one from another SS sponsor - and that was a couple years ago so it's possible the markdown is even less now - and in no way would that savings have been enough to offset the peace of mind I got from buying a new off-the-shelf item.
I might be more inclined to pick up some refurb glass, since that seems a little less complicated and problem-prone, but then again, you usually get a 5 year warranty on new Nikon glass, so you'd be losing a lot more if the refurb only gives you 90 days. I have bought a number of used lenses over the years, and again had pretty good luck, but my last few purchases have been new, again for the warranty. |
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Michael Fischer, Photographer
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Spencer | Ia | USA | Posted: 7:42 AM on 11.12.09 |
->> Deb,
She needs to go handle each of them. See which camera "feels" best and is easiest to look thru. Any way you cut it, she's going to be spending several hundred dollars. Makes sense to spend a little time test driving them. |
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