Low Budget Digital SLR (for friend)

[B-9]

Hello!

I have a family member of a very good friend who is always intrigued when I show up with a new camera. He is still using old 3mp point and shoots from Lumix. He is also a great picture taker even with those dinosaurs. Actually.. i think he busts out more shots in a day than I do in a week.

So im engaging on a noble mission to outfit this gentleman with a capable camera.

Here are a few requirements ive set for him:

Cheap- im working with his wife and we both are strapped for cash.
Digital- he couldn't afford to develop at a lab, and I just dont have the time right now to do it.
6-10mp- should suit him just fine (so yes older DSLR would be great)

For glass,
Im also looking for a cheap Tele-Zoom, as he is most interested in capturing the White Tail Deer that frequent his property (im thinking 70-300 range?) Ide also prefer to stay away from 3rd party glass if at all possible.

Then, ill grab him a cheap 18-55 zoom for around the house snapping.

Total budget should be under 200$ is it possible? Ive been out of the loop so im looking for reccomendations to think on. No rush either, as im hooking him up with a Nikon Coolpix 5400 for the time being. We'de like to give a SLR kit as a Christmas gift, plenty of time to save change.

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the poorly thought out post

 

[daveleo]

The Nikon D40X got very high grades from owners. I owned the D60 and D5100 and those are very nice bodies.
I can't help you with tele-zooms, but get him the Nikkor 50/1.8 as his / her second lens.

 

[sevo]

The regular ebay going rate for the Nikon D50 (last of the entry level Nikons to support screwdriver AF lenses, the D40 is G lens only) and the kit 18-55 VR zoom seems to be about 60-70€ each.

 

[B-9]

Dave, thanks for getting me going in the right direction.

Almost forgot about the D100, a camera ive used extensively. Cheap as chips these days, around 75$

Oh oh oh then a 75-300 AF (with tripod collar) again around 75$

Then a nifty little fifty would be stellar.

Ide love to hear some suggestions for Canon/Pentax/Olympus also!

 

[Godfrey]

You can find Olympus E-1 bodies (that's a pro-grade body) in very good shape for under a hundred dollars if you look around a bit. One of the finest older DSLRs there are. An Olympus ZD 14-54/2.8-3.5 ED can be had for as little as $130, and a ZD 70-300/4-5.6 ED for around the same.

In equivalent field of view terms, that's 28 to 105 and 140 to 600 mm in two lenses, and both extremely good quality. The E-1 is a magical camera.

G

 

[Ko.Fe.]

You should be able to find Canon 500D (T1i) with 18-55 for $200.
http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_from....H0.XCanon+500D.TRS5&_nkw=Canon+500D&_sacat=0

This particular model will give a ride for most modern advanced P&S and mirrorless cameras in IQ, high ISO and battery capacity.

It is their first consumer DSLR where they have high enough ISO to handle cheap slow zooms, which you are after. Which is 75-300 from Canon. Get camera with kit lens first. Leave tele-zoom for another time.

Too old DSLRs are not worth of $200 and effort to use them these days, IMO.

While no tele to get deer, he could jump on something small with Rebel kit lens.

Model: Canon EOS REBEL T1i
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/10 sec
Aperture: 5.6
Focal Length: 55mm
Flash Used: No

and take some indoor shots where flash is not the option and old DSLRs will fail with absence of high enough ISO.

Model: Canon EOS REBEL T1i
ISO: 3200
Exposure: 1/100 sec
Aperture: 3.2
Focal Length: 71mm
Flash Used: No

 

[kxl]

Hello!


Cheap- im working with his wife and we both are strapped for cash.
Digital- he couldn't afford to develop at a lab, and I just dont have the time right now to do it.
6-10mp- should suit him just fine (so yes older DSLR would be great)

For glass,
Im also looking for a cheap Tele-Zoom, as he is most interested in capturing the White Tail Deer that frequent his property (im thinking 70-300 range?) Ide also prefer to stay away from 3rd party glass if at all possible.

Total budget should be under 200$ is it possible?

If that budget is a soft ceiling:

A D80, D40X or D200 will set you back about $175 for the body alone. I'd recommend the smaller and lighter D40X if AF is all your friend needs, but the D200 if he intends to use manual focus lenses.

If that budget is a hard ceiling:

A D70 (or D70S) will cost you about $80, but note that these were the first Nikon DSLR's so you definitely want to check shutter count and do the usual checks. Buy it from KEH, test it yourself and return it if it doesn't pass muster.

Lens:

A Nikon 70-300/4-5.6 will cost you about $90, Again, get it from KEH so you can test out the entire outfit. All of the above bodies are DX-format so at its longest you'll get an equiv. FOV of 450mm.

Good luck!!! And BTW, that is a nice thing to do for a friend.

 

[B-9]

Ide say it is a mushy hard ceiling on the budget, his wife will be extended at 100$ or less.

Ill be covering the rest, so ideally Ide like to give him the most bang for the dollar, if that means a little extra cash, im all over it.

Im thinking, a few garage sales left in me this summer, and I could use a decluttering, this will be my main fundraising attempt. After that, ive got a few cameras Ive dedicated to sell just for this endeavor. Which will likely be in the fall when the odd collectibles tend to move better.

Keep em coming gents, I really want to make an informed decision, as to best outfit him in our limited budget.

Edit: Im also good with a simple one lens (save the tele for later) kit, as winters here are rough he wouldnt be able to fully utilize a tele until spring.

 

[Austintatious]

Check out the Panasonic FZ super zoom series of cameras. Great image quality and no lenses to change out. Something like 28 to 400mm zoom. The FZ150 was very popular.

 

[Dwig]

Hello!

I have a family member of a very good friend who is always intrigued when I show up with a new camera. He is still using old 3mp point and shoots from Lumix. He is also a great picture taker even with those dinosaurs. ...We'de like to give a SLR kit as a Christmas gift, plenty of time to save change.

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the poorly thought out post

Whatever you go with, I highly recommend that you get it early and set it up and use it yourself for long enough to be quite familiar with it. You will be his go-to person for all of his questions and you need to know his camera and its setup in order to help. I speak from experience.

 

[ray*j*gun]

Nikon D90

The ONLY reason I sold mine was because it didn't meter legacy lenses. Actually a better camera than my D7000.

 

[f16sunshine]

These conversations are not complete without adding Pentax to the mix.
Most Pentax bodies can mount most of those great Pentax K and M Manual lenses from the past with full auto aperture linkage, metering, and focus confirmation (red blip).
There are many models available. Some of the older ones are very inexpensive at this point.
At the end of the day it's all that glass that makes it a top choice for budget enthusiasts.

I borrow my housemate K5 to use some of my lenses occasionally. It's a really nice little camera.

 

[Addy101]

The Nikon Appreciation Society of course immediately says: Nikon Dsomething. But in fact, Canon, Sony and Olympus also made very capable cameras in days of old.

A good condition (EX+) Sony A100 costs US$126,- at KEH. Add the Sony 55-200 (EX) for US$62,- and your friend is set. The advantage is that the Sony has image stabilisation. If 200mm is too short, get any Minolta 75-300 lens.

Somebody already mentioned the Olympus E-1 - if you can live with 5mp, it is a great choice (from US$94,- at KEH). I would opt for the E-520 as it adds image stabilisation for US$140,- and add a 40-150/3.5-4.5 or 40-150/4-5.6.

So, with these and the Nikons already mentioned, you've got plenty options in you price range.

 

[B-9]

Whatever you go with, I highly recommend that you get it early and set it up and use it yourself for long enough to be quite familiar with it. You will be his go-to person for all of his questions and you need to know his camera and its setup in order to help. I speak from experience.

Great advice, Thanks much! Sort of obvious now that youve pointed it out

@Andy, I started with Minolta (broke it) then Pentax SLR's myself (no digi exp tho) and I agree, they are definitely worth considering for the lens selection alone.

Sony is also a great option, those old Maxxum era beer can lenses are stellar! A bit slow and loud, but an incredible value. Thanks for adding that!

 

[x-ray]

A used D3100 Nikon and kit lens might be in the range but I checked and ebay is full of Canon 20D and kit lens kits for well under $200. I owned one and shot it for years and loved the results. it wound up being the camera I used for corporate head shots most of the time. I'd still be using it for head shots if I hadn't gone back to Nikon. I had it along with a IDsII and liked skin tones better out of the 20D.

 

[Aristophanes]

Best low light DLSR of its time was the enter K-x.

one for sale on Pentax Forums for US$150 but they are going as low as $100. K-r is also very good. That 12 MP sensor was the best low light image maker of its time.

I am only saying this because I have my Pentax K-x and DA 35/2.4 lens for sale locally!

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Another vote for the Olympus E-1 or even E-3 as prices are dropping (and will be lower in August as holidays become important and spare money eases).

And Olympus kit lenses punch above their weight. And, if you are going to be the expert on them, download the instruction manual so you've a PDF to refer to quickly when asked questions.

EDIT, Olympus made a 40-150mm zoom that I like and that is almost being given away on ebay. A search should show some sample photo's taken with it; 35mm equivalent would be roughly 80 to 300mm.

Regards, David

 

[btgc]

I'll not contribute technically as enough great suggestion have been made....let's ask if friend will use bulkier and heavier dslr with, umh, big lens (and heavy, if legacy zoom). What if his secret sauce is simplicity and portability of that 3mpix thing he is using currently?

I know too many people who after 3mpix compacts have bought so called bridge cameras or dslrs and put them on shelf because their iphones make better use for them.

p.s. I'm not trying to ruin whole party, mind you!

 

[kuuan]

Best low light DLSR of its time was the enter K-x.

one for sale on Pentax Forums for US$150 but they are going as low as $100. K-r is also very good. That 12 MP sensor was the best low light image maker of its time.

I am only saying this because I have my Pentax K-x and DA 35/2.4 lens for sale locally!

a Pentax K-x was the camera of my choice, before that I had used Pentax *istDs. Both have a small and light body that handles very well with a rel. big and bright viewfinder that make them well useable with adapted manual lenses.
The *istDs has the same 6MP CCD Sony sensor used in the Nikon D40, last Minolta dSLRs and consequent Pentax K-100D and K-100D Super cams, these later Pentax are a bit bigger but offer inbody stabilization.
So do later again K-x and K-r but again in a smaller body similar to *istDs, their more modern CMOS 12 MP sensor offers life view and video

 

[ray*j*gun]

The Nikon Appreciation Society of course immediately says: Nikon Dsomething. But in fact, Canon, Sony and Olympus also made very capable cameras in days of old.

A good condition (EX+) Sony A100 costs US$126,- at KEH. Add the Sony 55-200 (EX) for US$62,- and your friend is set. The advantage is that the Sony has image stabilisation. If 200mm is too short, get any Minolta 75-300 lens.

Somebody already mentioned the Olympus E-1 - if you can live with 5mp, it is a great choice (from US$94,- at KEH). I would opt for the E-520 as it adds image stabilisation for US$140,- and add a 40-150/3.5-4.5 or 40-150/4-5.6.

So, with these and the Nikons already mentioned, you've got plenty options in you price range.

There's a reason Nikon gets the love. Certainly there are other choices but with the lens choices and tough performance Nikon leads the way....