What is the best start out kit for my first DSLR?

I want to buy a DSLR instead of always using my little Nikon Coolpix 5400 it is

to limited to what I want to accomplish. Any suggestions?

Wow, that is one of the most generic questions I have ever seen - it's like asking what car should I buy without giving any specific information. Maybe you should put a little more thought into your posting and give us something we can work with, like:

 

- do you own already lenses from one of the manufacturers?

 

- What do you like to shoot?

 

- how much do you want to spend?

 

- any brand preference?

 

- how big do you normally print?

 

- etc. etc

There is no one "best" anything. Nothing works best for all situations, no matter what it is. You have to think about what you want to do, and then find the tools that address those tasks in way that meets your needs, and then search that list for what is within your price range.

 

- Randy

I agree with the other posters, asking what's the best DSLR is akin to asking what is the best place to eat or what's the best car on the market. Are you wanting a simple DSLR, something that's basically like your Coolpix but with interchangeable lenses and a little more control, or something more advanced? Do you already have any sort of investment in a photo line, like any film gear or accessories for your Coolpix? How much are you willing to invest to get started?

 

I really recommend giving some thought to those questions before you do anything else. Perhaps the first question to answer is how much do you want to spend; you can get a pretty good basic DSLR outfit for as little as $2,000 or an advanced pro outfit for upwards of $10,000. Then the next step is to go to the nearest camera shop or Best Buy/Circuit City and handle a couple of different bodies, get an idea of which ones feel right in your hands, fit your budget, and have the most features you want. Personally, I recommend sticking to Canon or Nikon, as they've got the most flexibility in their systems -- the most bodies, the most lenses, etc. -- thus allowing you to grow your outfit and upgrade your equipment as your skills increase without having to completely start from scratch.

 

When you get ready to buy, though, I recommend shopping online. You can usually get much better prices at a reputable online dealer like Adorama or B&H than you can at a brick and mortar shop like Circuit City or the local camera dealer.

I recommend the <a href="http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/10534/hasselblad_h3d/">Hasselblad H3D-39</a>. I think this will probably cover most of what you want to do. If you're shooting sports, maybe you'll want the new Canon 1DmkIII with its 10FPS capability.

Nikon's sport and family action outfit from Costco.

Get a Nikon D40. Buy from brick and mortar so you can return it in person if you don't like it.

And what is it that you want to accomplish?

 

A camera is only a tool, you need to match the tool to the job, if your wanting to use a DSLR as a point and shooter, buy any ol off the shelf kit, but if your wanting to use it in a more specific way, you will need to sit down and figure out what you are needing in functionality to as closely match it to your needs as possible, just remember, there are always compromises as there isn't a such thing as a do it all camera "but some come darn close"

 

Ken.

It's hard to say without knowing what you do specifically, but here are some basics for any SLR.

 

-Polarizing filter<br>

Increases contrast and eliminates ugly reflections.

<br>

-Neutral Density filter<br>

Allows for exposure times of up to six seconds by reducing the amount of light reaching the film.

 

<br>

-Tripod<br>

Just makes your pictures more stable. You'll NEED one for longer exposure times - say anything below 1/25/sec.

I'll second the D40 Nikon kit. Good place to start from, fairly low cost, easy to move up if you find your muse. As you grow with photography, realize the investment will be in the lenses, not the camera body. When you eventually get a better body, the D40 will make a decent backup. It's all good.The D40 kit is made just for folks like you - starting out in DSLR.

Canon - Digital Rebel XTI ---