2008’s best digital SLR for beginners
Categories: Cameras, Photography Gear
Written By: james
This year has been a big one for photography. With new digital SLR cameras being released by all top manufacturers, the urge to ditch your old point and shoot for a digital SLR just become a little harder to resist. Listed below are the top cameras of 2008 that are ideal for anyone who is interested in getting into photography or for someone who is just looking for a upgrade.
Why Canon or Nikon
JD Power has just released the results of it’s 2008 Digital Camera Usage and Satisfaction Study, ranking camera manufactures based upon customer satisfaction and usability.
Out of 8,000 responses, customers have chosen Canon and Nikon to be the best, not surprising. So obviously when it comes to which manufacture to look at when shopping for a dSLR, Canon and Nikon are a must. Now some of you may prefer Pentax, Olympus, or Sony for whatever reason when it comes to your electronics, but when it comes to a dSLR, Canon and Nikon will almost always be a wiser choice because…
- The popularity of the two far supasses the competition. This is a good thing when it comes to accessories, support on forums, services, or just sharing lenses between friends. Think of it as the Ipod vs the Zune. The Zune is a great mp3 player but there are only a few support sites, few 3rd party accessories, and it’s very hard to find anyone with one.
- The selection of lenses is a lot larger. The selection of lenses available to you with Canon or Nikon cameras is huge. Not only do you have Canon and Nikon’s own lenses, you have lenses from Sigma, Tokina, Tamron and a lot of other manufactures that all make lenses that are compatible on Canon and Nikon mounts.
- The used market is flooded with them. And it’s not because they’re bad. One of the main reasons keeping a lot of aspiring photographers from making the leap and buying a entry level camera is the price. But if you check eBay, Craigslist, or any photography forum’s for sale section, you will find tons of used Canon and Nikon gear selling for a lot less then the market price.
- It’s what the professionals use. And we all want to be professionals right? Or at least look like one.
The Cameras
So now that we’ve discussed what manufacture to choose, let’s take a look at the cameras available to us. Now, all of the following cameras are excellent and you can’t go wrong with any of them. The following is simply a list of the specifications so you yourself can make a side by side comparison and come to your own conclusion. At the end of the post however will be my personal pick for the best entry level dSLR.
* Specifications in red means that it’s the best amongst the three cameras.
Nikon D60
Megapixels: 10.2
Autofocus Points: 3
Max Frames/Second: 3
ISO Range: 100-3200
Crop Factor: 1.5x
Stock Kit Lens: Nikon 18-55mm AF-S f/3.5-5.6G VR DX
Compatible Lens Mount: Only Nikon AF-S and AF-I
LCD Size: 2.5″
Memory Format: SD/SDHC
Price: $630
Canon XS
Megapixels: 10.1
Autofocus Points: 7
Max Frames/Second: 3
ISO Range: 100-1600
Crop Factor: 1.6x
Stock Kit Lens: Canon 18-55mm EF-S f/3.5-5.6 IS
Compatible Lens Mount: All Canon EOS mounts (EF & EF-S)
LCD Size: 2.5″
Memory Format: SD/SDHC
Price: $699
Canon XSi
Megapixels: 12.2
Autofocus Points: 9
Max Frames/Second: 3.5
ISO Range: 100-1600
Crop Factor: 1.6x
Stock Kit Lens: Canon 18-55mm EF-S f/3.5-5.6 IS
Compatible Lens Mount: All Canon EOS mounts (EF & EF-S)
LCD Size: 3″
Memory Format: SD/SDHC
Price: $749
Now it comes to no surprise that the most expensive camera seems to be the best, the cheapest the worst, and one right in the middle that bridges the two. With only a hundred dollars separating the d60 and the XSi, you really have to ask yourself if the additional megapixels, autofocus points, and LCD size really worth it?
One of the biggest things I dislike about the Nikon D60 is the fact that it is only compatible with AF-S and AF-I lenses, so you’re limiting yourself when it comes to what lenses you’ll be able to use. My favorite lens for example, the 50mm 1.8, is crippled because there will be no auto focus when using that lens on the d60.
And the Canon XS just doesn’t seem up to par with 2008 standards. Instead, it seems more like a Canon XTi in disguise.
The Winner
Although all the cameras are great, it’s clear that there is one that’s a little ahead of the rest…
The Canon XSi is definitely the better of the three, simply because for the additional $50-100, you are getting a lot more. The specifications are what you would expect from a dSLR that has just been released in 2008, where as the others are a little dated and should instead be compared with older models. And most importantly, it’s a very easy to use camera that is perfect for any begginer or amateur.
What do you use?
What is your current camera and what about it makes you want to buy a new dSLR?
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August 8th, 2008 at 1:07 am
My first camera was the Canon Xt and even though its still a good camera and serves its purpose well, i just cant stand viewing my pictures on that tiny lcd screen anymore! Really looking to upgrade just because of the lcd screen.
August 8th, 2008 at 6:17 am
But what about the quality of the kit lens? That is a big factor in the price-value equation. I understand that the Nikon kit lenses are quite nice, perhaps better than the Canon offering (which is not so bad either).
August 11th, 2008 at 7:06 am
@Joshua, The LCD size on a canon XT and a XSi is like night and day.
@Juha, Thanks for the comment
Both lenses have the same zoom lengths, aperture ranges, image stabilization, and considering that they’re both kit lens, I think it’s safe to say that they are both optically equivalent.
August 13th, 2008 at 1:26 am
I love cameras!
August 13th, 2008 at 5:27 am
Nice article.
When I was first looking into DSLR’s about 2 or 3 years ago I decided to go for the Canon 350D and I’m very very glad I did. It was a choice between that and a Nikon. Smug elitist Nikon owners often look down on the 350D because it’s so “common”… but there’s a reason why it’s so common - it’s an awesome little thing. I love the canon lens range and love the fact i can use the EF-S or the full frame EF lenses on the same camera. The range is HUGE! The only real downside to the 350D is the size of the LCD.
Anyway, I’d go for Canon again any day (mainly because of the lens range).
I’ll soon be upgrading to a 40D hopefully - sticking with Canon. It’s the way to go.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:28 am
Sorry - the 350D is the Digital Rebel XT for you yanks
August 13th, 2008 at 10:02 am
I just can’t believe this. Recommending cameras by market share? What about the things that really matter, like usability, quality of lenses etc. Of the four points mentioned above, only point 3 about used markets count for anything as far as I see. What would for instance the Olympus or Sony professionals say when they read this? That they’re not real pros?
August 14th, 2008 at 4:32 am
Geir, I don’t think this article was not meant to say Olympus or Sony isn’t as good or isn’t as professional, but maybe just stating the cameras that really stand out on the market today that make a good catch for beginning photographers.
I have an 350D/XT and I can’t agree more with the other 350D owners, the lcd is tiny as hell! Time for an upgrade…
August 14th, 2008 at 4:40 am
Excactly, Tiffany. And that why it is quite striking that the cameras that stands out as a beginner’s cameras in Europe are the Sony A200 and the Olympus E-400-series due to quality, bang for the bucks etc. The markets are still large enough for these brands to get enough lenses at any price point or used. But this article very quickly states: Look at the market share, money talks. The Apple Story tells us the opposite, quality and usability doesn’t always have to do with market share.
August 14th, 2008 at 5:11 am
Geir - the 350D is an old camera - the lcd is small, but other than that it’s awesome. The newer versions of it - the 400D/XTi and 450D/XSi have larger LCDs 2.5 and 3 inch respectively. They to are very very good entry level cameras. Due to me wanting to upgrade I have been reading a lot of reviews lately and nikon and canon always come out on top, with the exception of one review judging the sony a200 to be the best buy due to it costing less than £300. Olympus camera’s reviewed were bottom of the pile. You simply cannot ignore the huge range of lenses available for canon and nikon camera and at the end of the day the lens makes as much, if not more, difference to image quality as the camera.
August 14th, 2008 at 5:19 am
I totally agree, but what is important is not the hugeness but the quality/price ratio of the range, and in this area I believe that there’s a bias from the Nikon/Canon crowd.
Also, there is a difference between paying $450 for entry level Oly cameras and 600$ for the Canons. The Nikon D60 is a different story.
August 14th, 2008 at 5:39 am
You have a point, but you have to remember that when buying an DSLR you’re not just buying a camera, you’re buying an entire system and if you intend on sticking with photography for a long time you’re going to have to like the system you’ve bought into. You don’t want to sell all the lenses you’ve acquired for your first camera when you want to upgrade, and if you want to change brands that’s what you’ll have to do. I’d rather start off with a brand i’m going to want to stick with all through my life in photography. In the long term i think that going for a brand like canon or nikon will give you a better quality/price ratio than buying another brand then changing later on (or be left kicking yourself that you didn’t go for the slightly more expensive choice in the first place).
September 6th, 2008 at 1:41 am
Concur with the others: I would absolutely pick the XT over the XS or XSi any day of the week if I were just starting out. I’d much rather save the $300-$400 to spend on glass. I upgraded to the 40D after shooting with the XT for a year, but never once regretted starting with that nice, simple, small and cheap DSLR.
Aaron
September 8th, 2008 at 9:15 am
yawn - Nikon, Canon / Canon, Nikon - yawn
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
September 8th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
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