Good First Camera?

[mrose_s]

What would you suggest as a good first DSLR?
I know a lot of people have Nikon D40's, are they are good point to start off with?

I really want to go past point&shoot and hopefully in a next couple of weeks I'll be in the position to spend a decent amount of money on a good camera.
I did a semester of photgrahy in highschool but other than that I don't have any experience so I'd be starting from square one pretty much, suggestions?

[Ridgeback Guy]

Whats your budget? I would suggest getting a factory reconditioned camera from Ebay. They come with a warranty, and are much cheaper then new. Just make sure the seller has lots of good feedback. That's where I got my D80.

[elegy]

or a reconditioned one from adorama, which is where i got my D60. i couldn't be happier with it. and i didn't even have the benefit of that semester in high school- i was total clueless newb- but the D60 is working out nicely for me. except for now i want to spend all kinds of money that i don't have on lenses.

[Ridgeback Guy]

Originally Posted by elegy

the D60 is working out nicely for me. except for now i want to spend all kinds of money that i don't have on lenses.

Aint that the truth! Seems that every lens I pick out costs more than the camera did

[SharkBait]

i'm using a sony a100 now, and at the minute i don't feel it's the camera that is holding me back, its the lack of other equipment like lenses and flashguns and whatever. So i still feel it's an awesome camera, although it's now been replaced by the Sony a200, which is even better, and packs so much into a small price! Also sony dslrs have vibration reduction inside the camera, so you dont need to worry about buying more expensive VR lenses.

Last year when i was looking for a dslr I was looking into the Nikon d40 too, but found the Sony offered more for my money and I'm very happy with my choice, but I've seen many pictures from it on here and it looks like a very good camera too.
Another thing, the D4O has since been replaced too, so they would be quite cheap to buy now too, if you didnt mind a 2nd hand camera.
what kind of money would you want to spend on a camera though?

I've had the D40. Great starter camera. The one down side is that it was a bit too sluggish for me. I've got fast pets and fast kids, so I gotta have a fast camera.

I currently have a canon EOS digital rebel XT and it is very zippy. Another good starter camera.

[Fran101]

the D40 is working out great for me I love it
it isn't too complicated or expensive and it does the job lol

[Beanie]

Most people will grudgingly admit that between Nikon and Canon, they are pretty equal and it just comes down to personal preference. I'd go to a store and pick them up, handle them. I DO think there are weight differences and body differences in how they will fit in your hand, so you might find you like one more than the other that way.

I went with the Canon Rebel because I already had a 35MM Rebel. I love it.

Originally Posted by Beanie

Most people will grudgingly admit that between Nikon and Canon, they are pretty equal and it just comes down to personal preference. I'd go to a store and pick them up, handle them. I DO think there are weight differences and body differences in how they will fit in your hand, so you might find you like one more than the other that way.

I went with the Canon Rebel because I already had a 35MM Rebel. I love it.

I agree with this.

Even though the rebel is slightly faster than the D40, the D40 felt better in my hand.

[Lizmo]

What do you mean by 'faster'? If you want faster, a better lens would take care of that. . .I'm sort of confused as to what you mean.

Anyway, I've got a Nikon D40X and it's perfect. I shoot Softball, Baseball, Children, Portriats, Playing/Pets, etc and have had no problems that couldn't be fixed with a different lens.