How many shutter actuations is a DSRL good for?

[fkshiu]

Originally Posted by jus68

I had the same debate and what I did was I went to Costco and did the 90 day trial for the Xsi. Don't get me wrong I don't do this often but I figure I had to justify the costco membership fee somehow.... Anyways, my friend and I had a shootoff against his d60 and the results were very compable so we concluded it would just come down to individual preferences. But are you sure you want to get used? There's so much packed into those cameras that even a slight mishandle could cause damages. Within the $300-$400 range there are other brands that offer new dslrs.

Pentax and Sony both offer entry level dSLRs but I'd stick with Canon or Nikon. The big C and the big N dominate the SLR market in part because of the massive array of lenses available - and lenses are the reason you get an SLR. Sony has never made a big splash in the SLR market (unlike point & shoot) and with the company losing billions for the first time since anyone can remember there are questions as to whether Sony will continue to support dSLRs in the long term. SLRs are core businesses for Canon and Nikon, it is not a core business for Sony. I don't know much about Pentax except for the one that my dad had when he immigrated to Canada 40 years ago. I hear they're good cameras, but again the support for their dSLRs just isn't like it is for Canon and Nikon.

[Blom]

Originally Posted by fkshiu

Pentax and Sony both offer entry level dSLRs but I'd stick with Canon or Nikon. The big C and the big N dominate the SLR market in part because of the massive array of lenses available - and lenses are the reason you get an SLR. Sony has never made a big splash in the SLR market (unlike point & shoot) and with the company losing billions for the first time since anyone can remember there are questions as to whether Sony will continue to support dSLRs in the long term. SLRs are core businesses for Canon and Nikon, it is not a core business for Sony. I don't know much about Pentax except for the one that my dad had when he immigrated to Canada 40 years ago. I hear they're good cameras, but again the support for their dSLRs just isn't like it is for Canon and Nikon.

Agreed, thats what people have been telling me. What I would like to do is try both of them out (D60 and Rebel XSi). Just take a couple dozen shots with each, outside and then in a less lit area. I would really like to screw around with them on my aquarium (Or another aquarium) to see what I get. But from the sounds of it the shots will be similar. So I guess I would just like to get a feel to see who I like better. Canon or Nikon, the fight is on. Does anyone know of a place that will let you try the camera out for an hour or so in calgary? Thanks in Advance! (Besides Costco, its to hell and gone)

[Tom R]

London Drug will let you return a camera within 2 weeks so you can buy both and return one for credit within 2 weeks.

Tom R

[Blom]

Originally Posted by Tom R

London Drug will let you return a camera within 2 weeks so you can buy both and return one for credit within 2 weeks.

Tom R

HAHAHA buy both! Thats awesome. Other than that being a pipe dream I see your point. Let me just rearrange you're idea around a little. I could buy one and try it out. Return it for the other. Choose and get the right camera. Pain in the ass but at least I will be able to test them out.

Thanks Tom

[TheMikey]

As an employee of London Drugs, I should probably clarify: the company has a 15-day no hassle return. You don't return it for credit, you can return it for ALL your money back.



Happy camera hunting!

[imisky]

About the comment that Sony isnt a good DSLR brand...i dont think thats true, Nikon uses Sony sensors they dont make there own..So if you see Sony going down in the DSLR scene Nikon might get effected a bit but i doubt it. Canon on the other hand makes there own sensors and d*mn good ones. Walk into Walmart if you want to get a feel of what both camera feel like in your hand, bestbuy, futureshop all have DSLRs on display that you can play with i am not sure if they have batterys in them though.

[TheMikey]

In my opinion there are three things to consider when buying a camera.

The first is the Camera body. Unlike 'point and shoot' type cameras that appeal to the mass market wherein you get very good makes mixed in with not so good ones (i.e. Kodak, Coby, etc.) this is not the case for DSLR. Whether you buy a Sony, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, et al, you can rest assured that you are buying a quality camera regardless of make. That being said, some cameras have some features and/or strengths that might set them above the rest when camera shopping. Sony, for example, is merely a rebranded Minolta DSLR - as such, if you have an array of old Minolta glass at home, it might warrant a move to the Sony product.

The second thing to consider is lenses. As with camera bodies, no company makes a bad lens (well... I don't much care for the Canon 75-300 that some entry level kits have, but I digress). Also, there are literally hundreds of lenses that can fit your camera from the a similar manufacturer or from a third party company (i.e. Sigma). It's widely regarded that Pentax has some of the most premium lenses available for their cameras, but are you missing out on image quality by purchasing a Nikon? I don't think so.

The third and most important consideration when looking for a camera is you, the photographer. The absolute best thing I can recommend when purchasing a camera is to forget about specs, features, and the like (temporarily, of course), and go and pick up the cameras. Not to plug my company too much, but London Drugs (as well as Don's Photo) is a good place to do this. We have all our cameras (with batteries and a variety of lenses) available for you to play with in the store. Get a feel for the cameras. Hold them, look at the controls, compare weight and compactness. Once you find a camera that feels good, start worrying about specs and features you might use.

I suppose the summary of this is that a person cannot buy a bad DSLR these days. Many people berate Sony and Pentax for having poor low light/high ISO performance, but after looking at portfolios from professional and amateur photographers, I can safely say that the best determinant of photo quality has more to do with who is behind the camera than what is inside it.

With that being said, Nikon and Canon seem to be the most popular choices for aspiring photographers. Because of this there is a massive second hand market for these cameras. So if you're looking for cheap glass that's not brand new, you might have better luck with one of them instead of an Olympus.