Read the reviews on this web site and Steve's Digicam. Then go to a camera store and hold each camera that interests you. It is important that the camera feels comfortable in your hands. After that, reread the reviews.Then make your decision..

Just a suggestion.thezero..

I have read over the reviews probably three times each. I am just a terrible decision maker. I like the D40 because of solid picture quality. I like the K100D because of image stabilizer and cheap lenses. I like the Olympus because of it's cheap price and twin lens kit. I don't like the K100D for the fact it uses AA batteries.

I don't like the Olympus because of lack of lens choice for later on down the road. Is the image stabilizer and cheaper lens choice worth is for the K100D or is the D40 better because of rechargeable batteries? I know the K100D has some more options the D40 doesn't have. Although, I don't know how to use most of those options yet. Needless to say, I might want those features in the future. Which would have the best overall picture quality, or would all of them be about the same? Okay, I guess this is more of a my-own decision thing, but I need some help if anyone would like to help my sorry butt out...

D40 or D40x? The K100D is six megapixels. I would get the Canon Rebel XT (350D) with it's 8 megapixels and fairly low price and excellent kit lenses..

Bill.

Shoot liberally!..

Don't forget the Pentax K10D with it's waterproof/dustproof casing! Seriously you can drive yourself mad trying to split hairs with each dSLR. If I were you, I'd go to the camera shop, hold a few in your hands, actually try taking some serious pictures with them (not just random shots of the best buy counter guy!) and see what works for you. Incidentally, that was how I found out about the bad image quality of the H9, by actually testing it out in store at a best buy  Then spend more time taking pictures ..

I picked up a Canon 350d (XT) last week for a really good price (here in South Africa). My choices were the Pentax K100D, Sony Alpha, Nikon 40D and the Canon 400D. I would have proberbly gone for the Pentax, even it is only 6mp but because I got the 350D so cheaply, I decided to take it instead. I will proberbly only get another 2 lenses, so the whole lense choice thing does not bother me..

But I would say go and try them out and DON'T choose something just because the salesman says they sell X amount of them a year...

Did you really type "I don't like the Olympus because of lack of lens choice for later on down the road"?.

I am asking as there are about 65 to 70 lenses out there designed for the "FourThirds" open standard cameras made by Sigma, Leica, Panasonic and Olympus. So far the dearest I've seen is about UK 5,500 or so and the cheapest are the two kit lenses with the E-500 (which was "Highly Recommended" on this website). And they were all designed for digital use and are not film ones that will fit and work because the edges are cropped out....

Regards, David..

Mineeme wrote:.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.... Same old question that is always asked: whichone do I buy?.

Age old answer: Buy the one I bought, because I'm insecure and need confirmation that other people also make mistakes. .

I am looking at the D40, K100d, or Olympus e500..

They all are good. 6 MP is all you need. As you found out, the Pentax is the best VALUE..

I was set on the D40 but then saw the twin lens kit for the e500 andthought that would be the way to go. Two lenses vs. one lens andminimal price difference. Then, I found the K100D and like thatthought of it also. I can get the K100d with kit lens and a50-200mm for $588 wheras the d40 would be 525 with just the kitlens, or the E500 tein lens kit, which is $585. I have brieflytried the D40 and E500 and like both in my hands.



Go hold the Pentax. If it fells good, you'd be silly NOT to buy it..

I guess where my decision comes down to is overall picture quality..

Is it really? Most people don't have a clue! If you are telling us the truth, then I'd save up a bit more..

IQ is simple. There are 3 Things that affect IQ....

A great lens, a big sensor with big photosites, and minimal in-camera processing. Let's look at your choices relative to these "rules"....

No "kit" lens has great IQ. They can be OK, but anybody with an ounce of sense and discrimination can see all manner of problems with them. The Nikon "kits" are the best, closely followed by the Pentax and the Oly. But not much to choose here. The Nikon "kit" is all plastic. The others have some metal in them.



The Oly has the smallest sensor and the most MP, thus the smallest photosites. The other two have 6 MP in APS-C sized sensors. They are NOT exactly the same size, but the differences are tiny..

Both N and P seem to be gentle with in-camera processing. Not sure about O..

As far as IQ, I would rate the D40 and K100D equal and the E-500 slightly behind them. But all 3 are fine cameras!.

Also, the camera being able to grow as I need it to..

All 3 cameras are systems. The D40 is a bit of a problem, since it only accepts lenses w/ in-lens focus motors. Don't even THINK about MF as a possibility! The K100D uses the widest range of lenses (but some of these are OLD). I'd pic N last in this one. P and O tied..

You didn't mention flash, but N has the best flash system..

This would be my first DSLR and a humongous step frommy CASIO S500. I am new to SLR cameras but I absolutely lovephotography. Any help would be much appreciated..

I don't have any of these cameras. I would buy the K10D if I was buying a dSLR in 2007, but this is prolly beyond your budget?.

Just buy something and start taking pix! But avoid being a fan boy of the brand that you accidently bought... .

Charlie DavisNikon 5700 & Sony R1CATS #25PAS Scribe @ http://www.here-ugo.com/PAS_List.htmHomePage: http://www.1derful.info'I brake for pixels...'..

Would a Tamron AF70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di LD be able to auto focus on the D40? I know the D40 does not have an internal focus motor, but I can't find anywhere to see if this lens would auto focus with the D40 or not. I am currently leaning towards the D40, and will probably buy it if I know I can get lenses at decent prices for it that will AF. I like the K100d and E500 because I would start out with two lenses. I would only be starting out with the kit lens with the D40. Thanks for any help. Sorry for being annoying...

I suggest posing your question on the appropriate Nikon forum. Since I own Canon DLSRs, I hesitate to make specific recommendations.thezero..

The D40 has 6 megapixels but has a usable ISO 1600. That won me over...

Chuxter wrote:.

The D40 is a bit of a problem, since itonly accepts lenses w/ in-lens focus motors. Don't even THINK aboutMF as a possibility!.

Old chestnut alert! True, the D40 doesn't autofocus with the old Nikon screwdrive lenses. BUT, it will accept them and you can focus manually, if you really want to use the old lenses. Assuming you want to buy an old AF Nikon lens, that is; not that there's anything wrong with them, most are very good, but they have mostly been superceded by newer AF-S variants. The upside is that ANY new Nikon lens you buy will fit ANY Nikon body you buy, digital or film with a very few exceptions, (most of which you, me, or anyone will never need to worry about). So, if you buy your D40 now and add for example, the 17-55 f/2.8 DX to your kit (very nice lens, fast, pro grade), when you decide to upgrade your camera to something else from Nikon with better performance, you will be able to keep your lens. Try that with an Oly or Penty.



You didn't mention flash, but N has the best flash system..

Nikon has the best flash system. Yes indeedy..

Just buy something and start taking pix! But avoid being a fan boyof the brand that you accidently bought... .

Sound advice. As someone hereabouts says - Buy what makes you happy; anything less makes you less happy..

Rob.

If you're bored...http://braveulysses.deviantart.com/gallery.

'Have the courage to be ignorant of a great number of things, in order to avoid the calamity of being ignorant of everything.' Sydney Smith (1771-1845)..

Http://www.bythom.com/tamrondb.htm.

But from what Thom says in his D40 review, only Nikon and Sigma make lenses with integrated focus motors at this point. No doubt it will change with time.Rob.

If you're bored...http://braveulysses.deviantart.com/gallery.

'Have the courage to be ignorant of a great number of things, in order to avoid the calamity of being ignorant of everything.' Sydney Smith (1771-1845)..

The D40 is nice and uses the same sensor as the K100D. Both have nice viewfinders, good ergonomics and are about the same size..

The D40 requires lenses with the internal focus motor, so forget about most Nikon and pretty much all third party lenses. There is no top display, so you need to look through the viewfinder to find shutter speed, aperture....

The K100D is the same size but a little heavier due to AA batteries (Use rechargeable nimh or lithium disposables) The AS is nice and the photo processor is a bit cleaner..

Check the photos in the forums. See what you like better. Also, look for comments an the lens compatibility issue with the D40...

Whats the difference between nimh and li-ion batteries other than convenience (since you can use standard aa batteries in place of nimh and li-ion are a proprietary size/shape)? Does one last longer than the other?..

Standard alkaline AA's will not last very long. Rechargeable and Lithium batteries work a lot better. The difference is several hundred vs several tens of shots. Alkaline batteries do not even have enough oomph to turn my DS on. On the other hand, I get over 500 shots from some old nimh batteries. Lithiums will get you even more life and better AF...

I think I am going to go with K100D. Really, the only thing that I didn't like about it in the first place was the fact that it didn't come with it's own battery and charger. I looked into it a little bit more, and cometo find out, I like the fact that it takes AAs. I think I am going to get the K100D and get a set of eneloops with a maha C401FS charger. I eventually want to get a nice telephoto lens. I have read complaints about the kit lens.

I eventually want to get a nice zoom/telephoto lens. Now, I just have to scrounge up the cash to buy this stuff........

Mineeme wrote:.

Thanks for any help. Sorry for being annoying..

You are welcome. You are not annoying. You questions are appropriate for this Forum..

Charlie DavisNikon 5700 & Sony R1CATS #25PAS Scribe @ http://www.here-ugo.com/PAS_List.htmHomePage: http://www.1derful.info'I brake for pixels...'..

MWCT wrote:.

Whats the difference between nimh and li-ion batteries other thanconvenience (since you can use standard aa batteries in place ofnimh and li-ion are a proprietary size/shape)? Does one last longerthan the other?.

There are 4 battery types you should be aware of:.

1. Alkaline...non-rechargeable, 1.56V, 3-year life, low energy2. NiMH...rechargeable, 1.35V, life depends on usage, medium energy3. Li-ion...rechargeable, 3.6V, 3-year life, high energy4. Lithium...non-rechargeable, 1.65V, 10-year life, highest energy.

The Li-ion batteries have a much higher voltage than the others and thus are not available in AA cells. They are VERY common in digicams, but the packages are "special"...the mfgs like that!.

Charlie DavisNikon 5700 & Sony R1CATS #25PAS Scribe @ http://www.here-ugo.com/PAS_List.htmHomePage: http://www.1derful.info'I brake for pixels...'..

I am he and you are me and mineeme and we are all together....

This is the exact same question I have... And I want the same K100d that you just decided on...I think... I will probably add one prime to it. but it sure seems like an amazing deal to me. Camera 18-55 and 50-200 for 588....

But that K10 is whispering in my ear... And the devil on my shoulder says what about 10 mp and why does the K100 start at ISO 200?.

And my wife when she hears what I am wanting to do will say "what about the 5 cameras you already have" ??? "Are they broke or something?.

I can never get all my answers lined up in a row... Help..

Congrats if you really did make your decision...Oh I'm the one with the Get what makes you happy quote..Thanks BraveU for immortalizing in this thread... hahagusGet what makes you happy...Anything less makes you less happy!..

I recommend the E-500 because of the quality of the kit lenses (the 40-150mm is a very nice lens that you likely won't get rid of even if you upgrade to other lenses), as well as the proven dust-buster in the Olympus E-Series cameras that rated better than any other manufacturer offering a dust-buster..

The E-500 also offers really nice photos right out of the camera (no post processing required), and it also offers plenty of automatic "scene" modes to make the transition from P&S to DSLR just that much easier..

I bought the E-500 about 6 months ago, and I love it. I have no regrets at all. Buy the E-500 2-lens kit now, and when the camera becomes "old news" to you, pick up the 14-54mm and 50-200mm lenses, and you'd be set and I expect extremely happy for a very long time..

If you're like me and really like the 40-150mm kit lens, you may just want to focus on the wide end and get the 11-22mm, which is also a superb lens and the combination of the 11-22mm, 14-54mm, and 40-150 would give you combined range of 22-300mm (35mm equiv)..

Chris..

Wow that is the single most interesting post I've read on this forum. I used to think all batteries were the same. Given the post, it seems lithium are the best batteries followed by lithium-ion. You do sacrifice a bit for the convenience of AA (as I had assumed)!.

Now for the rechargeable type batteries, is it true that you should cycle the charge from max capacity to empty before charging again?..

MWCT wrote:.

Wow that is the single most interesting post I've read on thisforum. I used to think all batteries were the same. Given the post,it seems lithium are the best batteries followed by lithium-ion.You do sacrifice a bit for the convenience of AA (as I had assumed)!.

Now for the rechargeable type batteries, is it true that you shouldcycle the charge from max capacity to empty before charging again?.

No. There is a 3rd type of rechargeable battery, Nickel Cadmium. It's not used in cameras. It has the characteristic that if it is "short cycled", it develops a "memory" and gradually looses it's capacity. This is fixed by "deep cycling" it. Newer NiCd batteries are much better, but they still need to be deep cycled somewhat..

Nickel Metal Hydride batteries don't require this deep cycling. And Lithium Ion battereis are damaged by deep cycling. To find out these facts, use Google and find sites that describe various batteries..

Charlie DavisNikon 5700 & Sony R1CATS #25PAS Scribe @ http://www.here-ugo.com/PAS_List.htmHomePage: http://www.1derful.info'I brake for pixels...'..

MWCT wrote:.

Wow that is the single most interesting post I've read on thisforum. I used to think all batteries were the same. Given the post,it seems lithium are the best batteries followed by lithium-ion.You do sacrifice a bit for the convenience of AA (as I had assumed)!.

No, it all depends. I have a digital SLR that uses AA's and the output is identical to another equally serious camera that takes a unique Li-ion battery. The main difference is that a set of AA's cost about 6 or 7 and the posh one costs 70 or so to replace (until I discovered the UniRoss one at 15). But in terms of volts, amps and power (watt hours) they are identical _in use_. It's in your wallet that they differ..

Now for the rechargeable type batteries, is it true that you shouldcycle the charge from max capacity to empty before charging again?.

Only the NiCd ones not the NiMH (both are types of AA's or AAA's - in practice)..

Li-ion are supposed to last longest when charged and not used. I can't comment on that except to say that (a) I use mine most of the time and (b) once when I used a set out of sequence (as in forgot where I'd put it) it was still OK months later..

Regards, David..

I use rechargeable nimh batteries and like them a lot. I also have a bunch of lithium AA's I got for "cheap" at Sam's Club. I have power for a thousand or two photos and no worries about taking a charger...