SLR-Wannabe- questions!!!

[sandra]

Bear with me, if you can... I am excited about the prospect, but nervous about such an important and expensive investment. I am admittedly a very needy SLR-wannabe novice...

I think I am going to be asking Santa for an SLR for Xmas! I have been wanting one for a long time... I drool over the photos I see in LOs by those of you using one. I did a little reading last night and came up with a possibility... Nikon D80. I read many threads here and elsewhere and am comfortable with the Canon v. Nikon deal.

**** I see that there are MANY very happy D70 owners here. Should I be looking for a much more economically priced D70? It has 6.1mp, whereas the D80 has 10.1mp. I assumed that more mp's is always better, but maybe 10.1 is unnecessary? Is that because what you lack in mp's can be made up for with lenses? And that brings me to my next question...

**** Lenses... the D80 comes with either an 18-55mm or 18-135mm. It looks like other packages are available too, with lenses and prices somewhere in between. Here are some options: http://www.nextag.com/nikon-d80-kit/search-html Now, my SLR ignorance is about to show... what do these lense numbers mean? The larger the number, the farther it can zoom? What about the first number, such as 28-80mm? And this leads me to my next question...

**** If I don't know the answers to basic questions such as these, am I ABSOLUTELY OUT OF MY LEAGUE even thinking about SLR?

**** And where did you purchase your dSLR? Did you find a great deal?

**** And finally... if anyone would be kind enough to share online resources to help a novice like me I would really appreciate it.

((I warned you I was very needy... LOL! Thanks in advance for any advice!))

[Angela]

I don't have a Nikon DSLR, but I was a complet novice when I first got my Canon 20D. I didn't know what all the buttons and gadgets were. But I learned. I read the manual, read website, read books. I played with the camera and saw what different settings did.

I say go for it!!! You'll have a blast, and DON'T be afraid to play. That's how you learn.

I got my camera on www.buydig.com. Also, go to www.ilovephotography.com. It's an excellent website for beginners as well as pros.

The numbers on the lens is the focal length you will get out of it. 35mm is the "baseline" on a film camera..so 18 would be a wide angle, and the 135 is the zoom. The bigger the number, the closer you get to something (I'm sure there's a better way to explain that).

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions!

[mrs2a50]

Okay, I have a friend who started out with the D50, and upgraded to the 200. She's amazingly thorough on her research and studying she does on this. And she knows my limits and capabilities.

She doesn't like the kit lenses. Her suggestion was to get the D50 body and spend my money on a good lens, rather than get the D80 with the kit lens. She said I will get WAY better pictures with the D50 and a good lens, versus the D80 and the kit lens. And she's on a bunch of camera boards, and she's seen no difference in quality of pictures between the 50 and the 80. So, when I finally make the plunge, this is what I will do. I think the 10.1 mp is overkill, unless you plan on printing poster-size.

She swears by B&H Camera. I bought my un-DSLR at Beach Camera and loved them. Both are online.

[mrs2a50]

And I recommend http://www.dcresource.com/ for comparisons. I love this site!

[triciadoll]

I have the D50 with three Nikon lenses: 18-55 kit lens, 55-200 and 50 1.8d. I LOVE the camera...it is still new as I just got it two months ago.

[sandra]

Thank you, ladies! Bumping for any other advice???

[mrs2a50]

I have the D50 with three Nikon lenses: 18-55 kit lens, 55-200 and 50 1.8d. I LOVE the camera...it is still new as I just got it two months ago.

Is the 55-200 usable as an everyday lens, or is it just a beast to grab and shoot with?

[triciadoll]

The 55-200 is a really good lens. In terms of size...it is small...it is only about an inch longer than my 18-55...it's not one of these huge, heavy, long lenses. I really like it. Went to the San Diego Zoo and only used it. And, 200 seems to be far enough of a zoom for me. Just to be clear...my 55-200 is the AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm 4-5.6G ED. Click on my pbase link and you can see pics of the zoo...taken with this lens.

[mrs2a50]

Thanks Tricia - I currently have a 12x optical zoom, and I'm very hesitant to give that up if my only option to replace it is a huge monster lens on the DSLR.