03_AP1

i think you have that backwards.

The d90 is miles above the d3000.

Mo-S2K

oops! you are right. I meant to say D300, not D3000. The D3000 is an entry level camera. Sooooo.... D300 if you can afford it, otherwise D90, or D40x

s2kupo

Forget the D40x its not worth the extra money... Megapixels mean nothing and they have the same lens mount / features

Forget the D300 why pay twice the money for the same camera as a D90...

1. D40
2. D90
3. Wait for D3000

Only reason to spend twice as much would be to get the D700 cause its full frame. SAVE MONEY ON THE BODY AND USE IT TO BUY A GOOD LENS!!! DAVE HELP ME HERE!!!!

nguystep

i think the d60 comes with CLS mode, that would be my reason to jump for the d60 over d40

i shoot canon, so idk

FrostyWinters

But I still love my D5000, service recall or not. hehehe BTW, the lens I want now costs about twice as much as my D5000 kit. I guess I'll be using my kit lens for a while longer.

BTW, a good at-a-glance chart of differences between D3000, D5000, & D60:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0907/09...000handson.asp

Truth is I'd get the D3000 if it came out around the time I was shopping for a dSLR, and SAVE THE MONEY FOR A BETTER LENS!!

s2kupo

CLS will only work with an SB-800

D60 is less sensitive to light
D60 has worse noise than the D40
D60 has half the flash sync speed of the D40

CLS ehh yea thats cool but not worth the extra money.

ryandc5

wow thanks for all the helpful posts guys

ziiiippppyy, dude i didn't know about B&H
they have so many choices and great customer services
I called them and talked to pro photographer there
I told him i have $600 to spend and he gave me a few that fit my budget
now im leaning toward Canon EOS Rebel XSI/ 450D (yea i know i said i wanted a nikon )

kadeshpa

That's the camera I have, and I love it. Great IQ.

zzziippyyy

most of the entry bodies of today will meet all an amateurs needs. Your always better off with a quality lens or two for what ever bodie you chose.


[QUOTE=ryandc5,Aug 14 2009, 12:13 AM]wow thanks for all the helpful posts guys

ziiiippppyy, dude i didn't know about B&H
they have so many choices and great customer services
I called them and talked to pro photographer there
I told him i have $600 to spend and he gave me a few that fit my budget
now im leaning toward Canon EOS Rebel XSI/ 450D (yea i know i said i wanted a nikon )

[DT]

Another vote for B&H Photo or Adorama. Be +very+ careful there are some incredibly sketchy online camera vendors (in fact, many of them are actually the same).

Stick with a "regular" D40 (the X and 60 jam more MP into the same sensor/imaging setup and actually can reduce PQ).

The Nikon kit lenses are actually pretty decent. I'd say score a D40 with a 18-55mm and 55-200mm VR or if you want to spend a little more get a kit that replaces the 200 with a 300mm VR.

FYI, the 40/40X/60 do not have body AF motors, so there is a range of lenses that won't AF (auto focus) on those bodies (where they will AF on a D80/D90). Is it a big deal? Well there are some outstanding older lenses (especially Primes) you can score used, but for a starter it probably won't come into play. Plus the AF-S line (which AF on a D40) is constantly expanding. The new-ish 50mm f/1.4 AF-S is a great example of some new glass that fills a spot that was previously only available in a non-AF-S line.