You know my opinion. ;D.

The 2-lens kit can be had for <$1k, w/ the following lenses:14-42mm (28-84mm) f3.5-5.640-150mm (80-300mm) f4.0-5.6.

With the 2 kit lenses, good wide and long reach at reasonable speeds, and the e510 has in-camera IS (works w/ all lenses) and LiveView LCD..

BTW, the D40x (compared to the D40), has:-10 megapixel sensor-Lower base sensitivity (ISO 100 vs ISO 200)-Auto ISO option includes ISO 200-Faster continuous shooting (3 fps vs. 2.5 fps)*.

Lee..

K100D kit with DA50-200?.

K100D body, Sigma 17-70 and DA50-200?..

Exactly. This is not a question unless you provide info on what you intend to do..

If you are just looking for justification, then 'go for it'..

K100D, 18-55, 50-200, And 50mm 1.4 = $765 (after rebate), leaving plenty left over for a flash. More equipment for less cash...

For what it's worth, my choice would be the Canon Rebel XT and the Canon EF 17-40 F/4L USM. This would give you a good camera body and luxury glass. Or, you can get the kit lens and have money left over for a flash, tripod, or camera bag..

Jerry..

For instance, for somebody who prefers portraits and insects, that telephoto zoom lens you mentioned would be far less useful than a medium telephoto with a decent lighting rig. For an evening sports shooter, f/5.6 may be too slow. And so forth...

There's certainly truth to what you say, but it would be unlikely (not absolute) for a beginner to have such a specialized interest. I should know - I'm one myself. I love to zoom, yet I know that I'll also be taking lot's of indoor photo's, and the idea of low-light indoor photo's with little fuss and great results is very intriguing. If you don't have a special interest or don't know where your interest lies, the greater flexibility seems like the logical choice..

Leejay Wu wrote:.

For instance, for somebody who prefers portraits and insects, thattelephoto zoom lens you mentioned would be far less useful than amedium telephoto with a decent lighting rig. For an evening sportsshooter, f/5.6 may be too slow. And so forth...

Where is this deal with the 1.4 50 ?gusGet what makes you happy...Anything less makes you less happy!..

The new Olympus E-510 gets my vote, too..

Or if you want the best deal still going, get the E-500 2-lens kit for < $600, and you'd have $400 to spend on some nicer glass..

If you need an external flash, get the Sunpak 383 or Vivitar 285hv (both are around $79 new), and offer as much or more power/light than the dedicated Olympus flashes that cost 4x that amount. Granted the Sunpak and Vivitar don't offer TTL, but that depends on how much TTL is worth to you..

Chris.

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Go to B&H and have them price match Adorama: K100D=$519.95 (with 18-55), 50-200=$229.95, 50mm 1.4=$199.00, you get $150 rebate for the K100D / 50-200, and $25 for the 50mm 1.4. You can do the math on your own .

Just out of curiousity, did Olympus improve the build quality on the 510? I was walking through Office Max the other day and saw the 500 on the shelf, I must say, it looked like a toy - and felt like a really cheesy piece of plastic. You can argue all you want, but any unbiased person who picked up this camera knows exactly what I'm talking about..

On the contrary, that also makes me wonder if the "proclaimed" poor build quality of the Rebel 400D is also false? Anyone?.

Igilligantoo wrote:.

Where is this deal with the 1.4 50 ?gusGet what makes you happy...Anything less makes you less happy!..

I am a beginner and not sure exactly what I will do. I will use my "kit" as a vacation package in a few weeks. I may also use macro for picture taking of fine timepieces. I'll probably also experiment with Auto and P and with deifferent lenses and settings..

Sorry, I can't be more specific at this point except, I won't be doing any weddings.  .

Maybe you all have some ideas related to the direction I should go in?..

Pyezahn wrote:.

Just out of curiousity, did Olympus improve the build quality onthe 510? I was walking through Office Max the other day and sawthe 500 on the shelf, I must say, it looked like a toy - and feltlike a really cheesy piece of plastic. You can argue all you want,but any unbiased person who picked up this camera knows exactlywhat I'm talking about..

Phil seems to disagree with you, as the review of the E-500 on this very site states, "Very good build quality, comfortable in use (good ergonomics), light weight." Sounds like the "really cheezy piece of plastic" is a winner..

I'm not sure about any improvements in build quality in the E-510, but from owning an E-500 (and reading the various reviews), an improvement doesn't really seem necessary..

Chris.

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