New High Quality Camera
 

Entry level for the dau.

How about the Nikon D-60? I have heard good things about this one. Anyone have any other suggestions in the $500 - 700 range?

It looks like a good balance of price and performance for the enthusiast shooter. Thinking about upgrading to it from my D-50 in the Spring. Check out dpreview.com for good info and camera comparisons/tests. Be aware that this new line of compact SLR's from Nikon do not have built in auto-focus motors. This means that older lenses will still work with the camera, but since they lack auto-focus motors unlike newer lenses (AF-S and AF-I lenses) that have the motors built in, only manual focusing will be available when using an older lens.

So what would you have to go to in order to get the auto-focus feature.

I like the Nikon SLRs. YMMV -- plenty of people go gaga over the Canons.

Here's a handy lens compatibility chart. Notice that the AF-I and AF-S lenses were introduced in 1992 and 1996 respectively. So while the motor issue with older lenses is definitely something to think about, "older" is relative, and IMHO it's probably not a deal-breaker unless you have a stash of old Nikon lenses or plan to buy a lot of new ones.

Make sure that if you buy a used lens that it has the motor in the lens, or just accept that older lenses will be manual focus only.

Example: I used to run 35mm Nikon equipment. I loved my old 8008 but i got out of photography and it just gathered dust for the last 10 years. I've recently wanted to buy a new DSLR and would of course return to Nikon. My old 28mm lens is fully compatible with the new SLRs but it will only be manual focus because before digital the motor was in the camera not the lens. I can still use it, but only in manual.

Thanks guys. So how much for a camera, entry level but still takes good pics, that would have auto focus, in the lense?

very entry level but still nice is the D40 (any variation and can even be found at costo and target) any number larger than that is a step up the scale. photography is more more about the eye than the machine until you get into specialized needs that require different features. All of the new Nikons have the motor in the lens so you have no worries unless you want to go back and buy a used lens and then you'll just have to make sure you're getting the right generation glass.

Ok. Now I get it. So the D-60 will work.

Yes. In fact the D60 is the replacement for the D40. Review

Great link thanks!

Sam's Club has them on sale for $549 or something very close to that.

Also for SLR cameras, the quality of the lens that you use is much more important, and worthy of your $$, than the camera body itself. Spending a couple hundred on good quality glass will be much more beneficial to you and your photos than spending that extra dough on a fancier camera body. "Fast" lenses will allow you to keep your ISO down which will in turn reduce the amount of noise/grain in the image. My main lens is a Nikon 24-120mm f3.5-5.6 VR. That 3.5-5.6 tells you the available maximum aperture at the two focal length extremes. f3.5 being available at 24mm, and f5.6 at 120mm. Lenses get much more expensive as you reach for a larger available aperture like 2.8 or 2.0. The larger aperture (smaller #) allows more light in and lets you to be less reliant on ISO in order to have the fast enough shutter speeds to stop motion or overcome camera-shake in low-light situations. "VR" in Nikon lenses stands for "Vibration Reduction" and is an in-lens feature that stabilizes the glass in the lens to compensate for camera-shake. It works, but definitely isn't a miracle worker. Using breath holding techniques and keeping my elbows down at my sides while leaning against something helps much more than VR ever could. The best breathing technique I've found is the "sniper" one (that's just what it's called don't know the accuracy of the name) where you take two, slow deep breaths in, and near the end of releasing your second breath you press the shutter button.

That said, the noise on my D-50 is not even an issue until I get above ISO800, and I actually welcome noise in some of my black and white photos. There are also "prime" lenses that have a fixed focal length and aperture. These are typically of higher quality, but the drawback of course is you have to zoom with your feet, or change lenses to get the focal length you desire which can be tricky in dusty or sandy places like the beach. One favorite lens of many is the Nikon 55mm f2.8. It's fast, not too expensive compared to other 2.8 lenses, and is a nice, fixed (prime) middle-range focal length that forces you to maneuver yourself for your shots more so than a zoom lens does.

I have the D80, and I love it! I've read that the D60 is pretty much the same darn thing but a whole lot cheaper.

oh and ditto on the glass.

So the $$ and quality are in the glass. Got it.

Ass, Grass, or Glass dude, nobody shoots for free.

It's all about the glass, that's the part the light goes through.

Thanks to all. She got the D-60 yesterday and all I can say is WOW.