I am trying to decide which camera to upgrade to. I have been looking at the Nikons, but I wanted to get a good idea of what else is out there. I currently use a 10.1 megapixel CyberShot. Traditional digital cameras leave something to be desired for anyone who likes photography.

For anyone else who uses a digital SLR camera, which ones do you recommend? I am trying not to spend too much, so try to keep it under $600 or so. The one I really like right now is the Nikon D60. It's less expensive than the D90, but still looks like a quality camera and has great reviews. Has anyone had any experience with the D60?

Thanks for any input.

i know someone will bash me on this but i would suggest going to a best buy or a wolf camera if you have one in your area. Tell them your budget and what you want out of a camera and they can set you up with the best possible solution.

I agree that associates are hit or miss with knowledge at stores like that but I haven't been in a best buy where the camera person didn't know exactly what they were talking about.

One thing is to go during the day though, if you go right when they open or late at night then usually cameras is not staffed and you will get a CA or someone is supposed to work in all areas and know a little about everything. Going in the middle of the day will guarantee you get an expert.

One step ahead of you. I am actually going over there after class today to see if they have any of the Nikons or other SLR's. I want to get a feel for them before I order one, so I know which one I want.

consider the older ones too

I just bought a Nikon D200 from Best Buy for $600. Online deal - still in effect. New models are a little better in some respects, smaller - better low light performance in extremes. They also drive you to using lenses with their own built in focus motors.

But if you have older lenses that need to auto focus and meter properly or want one that is physically double sealed and almost bullet proof and that will do 5 fps then the D200 is a real bargain.

Anything over 6 mp in a DSLR is overkill.
the D200 is 10mp.

fewer (but bigger) sensor pixels is better, far better, than a small sensor with zillions of pixels like you get on the popular non-DSLR's.

Yeah, I have noticed that. Unless you plan to blow up the pictures of course, then the higher pixels do matter. I am thinking about getting the D40. I can get it on Amazon.com for about $450 and the bigger lenses are about $299.

Love my Nikons. Cameras these days are mostly high powered computers with a lens.

The D200 kinda overwhelmed me with the size of the digital files at the highest resolution or the raw settings compared to my D50. Fortunately, don't often need highest capability.

The CF memory cards used by the D200 are nice and big and sturdy. I''ve got an old one for a 2mb camera that is 8Mb. They are 2000x that capacity now.


here's some good articles on the megapixel wars:



http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/...pixel-race.ars

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm

After comparing the D40 and D60 all day I think I'm going to end up getting the D60. I'm going to sit on it for a few days and order one on Monday, after I make sure it's the one I want.

Why in the world would you sit on a camera!?!?!? lol

I have a crappy CyberShot... Eh, it's ok... For me anyways...

Years ago I bought my D50 from Dell. Yes the computer company. It shipped from their warehouse here in Atlanta.

They were dumb enough to match the price of one of these rip off joints (I just pointed them to a website for one of these stores):

http://donwiss.com/pictures/brooklynstores/

use lots of caution before you buy a camera

I prefer Canons. I like the quality of pictures taken by them. The SD lineup is very nice and reasonable.

I ended up with the Nikon D60. I used it on the last few offroad trips and I like it.

I myself am a Canon guy. My latest is the EOS Rebel XSi. Love it! I need to get a second job though so I can afford some of those fancy lenses.