Can you help a newbie?

[mjsmith55]

I have a Canon Power Shot G10 (10mp, digic III) and would like to upgrade to my first Digital SLR (I had a fair amount of experience with film SLR's in the 80"s)

I'm pretty sure higher end pro-sumer bodies (Canon 50D and Nikon D300) are generally overkill at this stage, but I would like the more weather resistant bodies and higher fps and iso capabilities.

Would it be a mistake to go with the Canon 40D and get a better quality lens (which will survive body upgrades which I am resigned to be inevitable)

Or should I just buck up?

Thanks

[DarkPenguin]

I would spend less to start out with.  40D and a better lens.

[dalethorn]

I have a Canon Power Shot G10 (10mp, digic III) and would like to upgrade to my first Digital SLR (I had a fair amount of experience with film SLR's in the 80"s)
I'm pretty sure higher end pro-sumer bodies (Canon 50D and Nikon D300) are generally overkill at this stage, but I would like the more weather resistant bodies and higher fps and iso capabilities.
Would it be a mistake to go with the Canon 40D and get a better quality lens (which will survive body upgrades which I am resigned to be inevitable)
Or should I just buck up?
Thanks

Those extra pixels with the 50D would be very useful.  But if you have the money, a 5DII would be the cat's miaow.  I was shooting with someone Saturday who got one for his birthday.  Nice looking machine.

[Luis Argerich]

I'll try to help you but it will probably take some back and forth messages!

Question: What kind of weather sealing do you need?
If weather sealing is critical then you probably need to go the Nikon way, Canon cameras aren't really sealed until the 1D, the 5dII is a little better but expensive and not fully sealed either.

Warning about Higher ISO capabilities, in most DSLRs the real final native ISO is way below what the manufacturer says and to be honest ISO1600 is probably the native limit for good IQ in most brands.

Question: What about the fps? The Canon 40D is a great value if you need a fast camera, 6,5 fps is hard to match for the price of the 40D. The 50D adds some mpx and other features are they worth the difference to you? You know, not me!

PS: Isn't the G10 15mpx ?

Luigi

[Jeremy Payne]

PS: Isn't the G10 15mpx ?

Yes - the G10 is 15mp and DIGIC IV.

The G7 was 10mp DIGIC III.

The G9 was 12mp and DIGIC III.

[mjsmith55]

Thanks for the comments.

My G10 is 3 years old, 10mp and digic III.

I was working on the assumption that 10mp was good enough for up to 10x13 prints? I never need a print bigger than that, and mostly I view the pictures on an imac

I'm looking for a real dSLR, higher iso for low light shots, higher fps for a sports, and a camera body that will last a bit.

[DarkPenguin]

Thanks for the comments.

My G10 is 3 years old, 10mp and digic III.

Sounds like a G7.

I was working on the assumption that 10mp was good enough for up to 10x13 prints? I never need a print bigger than that, and mostly I view the pictures on an imac

I'm looking for a real dSLR, higher iso for low light shots, higher fps for a sports, and a camera body that will last a bit.

40D or D90.

[mjsmith55]

Yes, sorry it is a G7

I'm trying to get something that will last a bit also, this will be my 4th camera, and I'm a bit tired to the "micro upgrade"

The Nikon D90 has the movie mode which I def do not want.

[DarkPenguin]

Yes, sorry it is a G7

I'm trying to get something that will last a bit also, this will be my 4th camera, and I'm a bit tired to the "micro upgrade"

The Nikon D90 has the movie mode which I def do not want.

It also has the best sensor in its class.

[ejmartin]

Better to decide on the basis of the lenses you want.  If one manufacturer stands out as being better adapted to what you want to do (landscape, or wildlife, etc) then go with that manufacturer; the lenses are more important, they will be with you for longer than any particular body.  If several manufacturers offer comparable lenses for your shooting style, then one can have a discussion of the relative merits of particular bodies.  The differences among sensors (unless one goes to the high end bodies) are not so large in consumer class bodies (the one big difference being to go for CMOS over CCD for better high ISO performance); ergonomics might be a better discriminator.

[Lisa Nikodym]

Ditto the recommendation to figure out who makes the best lenses for what you want to do, and whoever it is will certainly make a decent body to go with them.  The lenses are what's most important, and where there's the most opportunity for improving your image quality.  Plus, lenses won't go obsolete nearly as quickly as bodies, so try to get decent ones to begin with and they'll last you a long time.

Lisa

[DaveCurtis]

When you purchase a DSLR, you are buying into a camera system rather than buying just a "camera". e.g. camera body, lens selection, flash selection etc.

Keep that in mind when making your choice.

[Yves Gaudet]

Personnaly I would go with a 40D or a D300 and a fair lens

40D:   http://www.lozeau.com/product.aspx?nav_id=4746&lang_id=E
D300: http://www.lozeau.com/product.aspx?nav_id=5559&lang_id=E
17-50 tamron (for canon): http://www.lozeau.com/product.aspx?nav_id=5334&lang_id=E
18-50 sigma (for Nikon): http://www.lozeau.com/product.aspx?nav_id=...1&lang_id=E

[NYRich]

17-50 tamron (for canon): http://www.lozeau.com/product.aspx?nav_id=5334&lang_id=E
18-50 sigma (for Nikon): http://www.lozeau.com/product.aspx?nav_id=...1&lang_id=E
[/quote]

Yves,

Just to satisfy my curiosity, why would you recommend the Tamron for a Canon and the Sigma for a Nikon? Obviously, they both come in both Canon and Nikon mounts.

[Plekto]

My advice is to figure out what you need and tell us a bit more about your styles and needs before moving to the mid-range or upper-end models.  Budget is also important.  For some people, $500 is pushing it, and for some, spending $2500 is acceptable(in which case just get a Sony/Minolta A900 and be done with it- nothing's better for $2500 currently)

If you just need a 35mm SLR type camera for family photos and so on, then the answer is simpler - just get a basic Canon Digital Rebel or Olympus for $500 - almost any of the models will do.  They are small, light, and have about the same resolution as your current camera(though obviously can do a lot more and offer different lenses and so on)

[mjsmith55]

Further thoughts if you could be of further help. Thanks in advance.

I currently have a Canon G7 (point and shoot) 10 mp, and it does a reasonable/good job with basics. but I'm looking to upgrade for;

1) expecting MUCH better overall image quality
2) ability to shoot action/sports (mostly baseball)
3) better shots indoors and or with low light

I have already realized that I;

A) do want 2 good/very good lenses that will last up to 10 years, and that the body will become sub-optimal quickly (2, 3 years)
B) do not need/want video capability
c) there is a steep learning curve with these cameras

To start I'm thinking of a Nikon D300, or a Canon 50D or 40D. The first two are certainly excellent/top notch cameras. But I'm also thinking that they might be over my head or just give me marginal image quality over the 40D.

Any thoughts would be appreciated