these are my priorities, which entry dslr best fit?

[craig_dick1]

Hello. To be brief, I want:

image quality - more concerned with tonal range than detail,

responsivenes - minimum shutter lag,

handling - most direct manual settings

 

Hopefully not too brief to be comprehensible.

 

Thanks, .

Craig

[summerleif]

What is your budget?

 

What sort of lenses do you own?

 

What sort of lenses are of interest to you, in what price range?

 

If budget is no object, the most customizable, responsive, DSLR currently on the market is the Canon 1Ds Mark III. Combine it with a selection of Canon f/2.8 lenses, and faster prime lenses, and the best DSLR photos in the world are possible, in capable hands.

[ronald_moravec1]

The D40 was a snap to learn. Dial on top for M A S P, manual,aper priority, shutter priority, program.

 

Manual is easy. Press info to lite rear panel and change aperture. Then the right thumb wheel changes shutter.

 

Program will select average shutter/aperture combo. The dial under right thumb will bias it shutter up or down and change aperture correspondingly.

 

Meter is always visable in finder.

 

The D40x and D60 work similarly, but all require the latest lenses for full automation. You need a D200 or later to work with metering in camera with manual focus lenses D40/60 will work as a non metered body with nearly any Nikon reflex lens ever made.

[kendall helmstetter gelner]

The Sigma SD-14 has excellent tonal range (the DP-1 which uses nearly the same sensor was measured at around 11

stops), and satisfies you desire for lack of shutter lag, and very direct manual settings (since it has no scene modes like

other cameras they are not there to get in the way).

<p>

I would look around Flickr, or PBase for SD-14 sample images as you can often find full-size examples. A good place to

start is with the Sigma users gallery on PBase:

<p>

<a href-="http://www.pbase.com/sigmadslr/user_sd14">http://www.pbase.com/sigmadslr/user_sd14</a>

[kendall helmstetter gelner]

I meant to add also, that the SD-14 may not be the best camera if you have never used an SLR (not DSLR) before. But

from what you were asking after it seemed like you were comfortable around SLR's at some point and are migrating to the

digital version. In that case, I think you'd be very happy with the camera.

[colin carron]

I suggest you restrict your search to Canon or Nikon as they have the most complete comprehensive systems. That way whatever way your photographic interests take you, your chosen system will well cover them. You cannot go far wrong with any of the current Canon or Nikon dslr's and your choice will best be nade by trying them out to see how they suit you.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

"To be brief, I want: image quality - more concerned with tonal range than detail, responsivenes - minimum shutter lag, handling - most direct manual settings "

 

No budget constraints? What do you shoot? Is HDR an option? At what ISO's do you shoot? You provided way too little info to get any meaningful responses.

[Greg M]

Well.....you did ask.

[tommyinca]

The answer is yes.

 

They (Canon, Olympus, Pentax, Nikon, Sony) all have the technologies to max out your credit cards :-)

Lecia and Zeiss will want some of that too.

 

Check, Canon Rebel Xsi 450D , Nikon D60, Pentax 200D, Sony A350, Olympus E420

[craig_dick1]

OK, so more info needed. Entry level dslr is what I'll be getting, unfortunately there are budget constraints.

Thought the Nikon d40 was a clear choice, but was made aware of the sony a200 and the olympus e420. I've worked

with canon film slrs until recently, but all my lenses are manual focus, 20 or more years old.

 

priorities: image quality - more concerned with tonal range than detail, responsivenes - minimum shutter lag,

handling - most direct manual settings

 

Never heard of the sigma sd-14. I'll check it out.

Any other recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks, Craig

[shuo_zhao]

Craig, one of a DSLR's biggest advantage is its versatility: the ability to use a wide array of lenses and other accessories. Canon and Nikon have quite a decisive advantage over Sony, Olympus, and Pantex due to greater system expandability. (I must admit that Pentax offer some excellent consumer-friendly choices in their system, Sony has a ever-growing system, while Olympus's 4/3 system is quite extensive just as well.)

 

>> "priorities: image quality - more concerned with tonal range than detail, responsivenes - minimum shutter lag, handling - most direct manual settings"

 

To be honest, most entry level DSLRs are much better with these things than any P&S camera. Among the choices available to you, none has a decisive edge over the others.

 

The D40 is an excellent value nowadays. But it has its own problems. You said you prefer direct controls; the D40 has a mostly menu-based control interface (more menu-based than most of its competitors), which is not very direct. The D40 also lack a in-body AF motor, which means you can't AF with any Nikkor lenses that are not AF-S or AF-I.

[kendall helmstetter gelner]

I would note that alternative systems have as full a range of lenses as almost anyone would need to call upon at this

point - Sigma or Olympus or Pentax. There is simply no reason to restrict your search to Nikon and Canon cameras,

and there are great reasons to expand your search outside these common choices.

 

Again I would point to the original question looking for image quality and tonal range, and I would advise looking at

sample images that inform as to camera performance in these traits. It does not matter if you can buy 400 lenses for

one camera and 100 for another when over the life of the camera you might buy five!

 

Furthermore, because of price/performance considerations you'll often be looking at third party lenses (such as Sigma)

anyway even if you buy Canon or Nikon bodies - so it's not like getting a system that does not use Nikon or Canon glass

will really limit choices outside of what many people would have bought anyway, nor does it mean for most people that

they will be using lenses that provide any reduction in image performance. All systems these days have some excellent

lenses, across a wide range of focal lengths.

[photobycate]

I am using the new Sony A300 with live view. This camera is great for beginning DSLR. It's priced at $699.00 and comes with an 18-70MM lense. It is very easy to use and the quality is incredible. The camera is also very light to carry.

[marypar4]

I am enjoying the Nikon D80 Its a nice upgrade from the D40 ..size is a better fit for big hands..and image quality is superb. They have come way down in price.and you might even find a used one around with some lenses included.. The new canon xti is selling in costco for under $1000 with two lenses..nice package as well.

[lester_hawksby1]

I have a D40 and I don't really agree with Shuo Zhao's comment about the D40 interface being menu dependent. I never seem to need to delve into the menu system when using mine. It has only one control wheel, so most controls are button + wheel (aperture, exposure compensation, ISO, flash compensation) - hardly anything you need to set during a shoot is in a menu, and the menus are pretty clearly laid out. It's not at all like using a compact - and it has all the speed and responsiveness you'd hope for.

 

Yes, there are better cameras out there - but real improvements in capability are expensive, and I don't think anything will beat the 40's price/performance ratio. I do use more sophisticated cameras, and their features are good things, but I don't find the D40's supposed drawbacks matter all that much in practice. Also, the D40 is tiny and has an amazing battery life, and that means it's usually the one I'm carrying when I'm somewhere interesting. This is a major factor!

 

I can't really speak for the other makers, but a cursory examination of galleries here and on Flickr suggests that all are pretty capable in the right hands. If they still have real camera shops where you are, the slight premium over web prices is usually worth it for the advantage of being able to handle several cameras and buy the one you actually like using - which is more important than most minutiae of specification, and can't really be tested online.