SCroy wrote:.

Any suggestions for body (either D200, 30D, or K10D). Also need agood lens to cover wide to moderate telephoto with a wide maximumaperture. Working with a limited budget, so I want to get it rightthe first time. Any suggestions/advice would be greatlyappreciated. Thanks!.

Hi.

You really need to specify more about what you are intending to shoot..

For instance if you are shooting low light then clearly (to me) of those 3 it would be the 30D, but if you are doing outdoors stuff, then it would be between the other 2 for the weather sealing. Another option is a less expensive body and some very nice lenses..

As always I recommend you go have a play with all of them and maybe a few others as well (as many as you can get your hands on..

Neil..

For personal use, I typically shoot under a variety of conditions. I have however volunteered my services to shoot a friends wedding within the next few months. So, during the ceremony I will have to work sans flash. I know that CMOS is great for low light.

As for weather sealing, I've been caught with my pants down in the rain before with my old Fuji S5100........not a pretty sight. So, weather sealing to me would be a definite plus. I've had a chance to look at the D200, but not the K10D. Any experience with it?.

Ass far as good lenses go, I haven't seen to many for much less than $800 bucks (unfortunately)...

SCroy wrote:.

Any suggestions for body (either D200, 30D, or K10D). Also need agood lens to cover wide to moderate telephoto with a wide maximumaperture. Working with a limited budget, so I want to get it rightthe first time. Any suggestions/advice would be greatlyappreciated. Thanks!.

If you're working with a budget of $2,000, the D200 is far too expensive a camera body. Even the EOS 30D (whose body is bit more affordable but whose accessories might not be) is a bit of a reach..

As far as fast, inexpensive lenses in the wide to moderate telephoto range go, some of the "usual suspects" are.

Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 zoomSigma 18-50mm f/2.8 macro zoom50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 prime lenses (act as moderate telephotos)30 to 35mm f/2.0 prime lenses (act as "normal" lenses).

The Tamron and Sigma zooms are around $450 each. A 50mm f/1.8 prime tends to go for $125 plus or minus. The other primes tend to be closer to $300 plus or minus..

Kit lenses from Nikon and Canon tend to be slow zooms. But an setup like a Nikon 18-135mm kit lens (slow zoom) and a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 prime lens (for available light portraits) might work out well as a budget kit...

It's a bit tight but for a wedding I'd pick a D80 with a 17-50 tamron, an SB600 and that's most of your $2k budget right there. You might be able to pick up a used 35-70 off ebay for a decent price.Don't wait for the Nikon D-whatever, have fun now!http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_wijnands/..

The way I see your options:.

1) D200 + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 (or Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8). That's your budget spent..

2) 30D + Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS. Gets you image stabilization..

3a) 30D + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 + Canon 430EX flash + Canon EF 50mm f/1.83b) 30D + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 + Canon 85mm f/1.8 + Sigma EF-500 DG ST flash.

4) as per wijnands' suggestion: D80, Tamron 17-50, SB600 flash. Add a 50mm f/1.8 for no-flash stuff during the ceremony..

5) K10D + Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 + Pentax flash (AF-540?) + Pentax 70mm f/2.4 (or 77 f/1.8 + Sigma flash)..

I only know about wedding photography 2nd hand, but I think you'll need a flash, even if you can't use it during the ceremony. So that cuts it down to options 3-5..

I don't know as much about the Pentax stuff, even 2nd hand, but at least on paper the in-body shake reduction could really help for the no-flash indoor ceremony shots..

Otherwise, both the 30D & D80 are good cameras. FWIW I have a 30D, but I'd be happy with any of these packages..

Chris..

Thanks for the input guys. I know the budget that I have set for myself is fairly restricting, but I can't not afford to get it right the first time..

Camera body choice is, I suppose, not as important as lens selection. I am little concerned that 17-50mm lens may not be sufficient on the telephoto end while taking shots from the rear of the church. Anyone had any personal experience with this, and if so, what type of results should I expect (in other words, do I HAVE to buy another lens in conjunction with this one)?..

Camera body choice is, I suppose, not as important as lensselection. I am little concerned that 17-50mm lens may not besufficient on the telephoto end while taking shots from the rear ofthe church. Anyone had any personal experience with this, and ifso, what type of results should I expect (in other words, do I HAVEto buy another lens in conjunction with this one)?.

I don't have personal experience, but I'm fairly sure that 50mm won't be enough. I'm pretty sure that even the 70-85mm I was suggesting won't be enough to take photos from the back of the church either. If I had to guess, I'd pick a 70-200 or 70-300 lens (which implies that wide aperture is hideously expensive, and image stabilization is very important)..

That being said, you could get some nice wider-angle shots from the back if you can shoot from a balcony..

Your best bet here is to try and scout out the actual location with any sort of camera, just to see what you can do with certain focal lengths..

As an example, if I had to do this with my equipment, I'd try my 200mm f/2.8 lens with a monopod or some other means of support (like resting the camera on a railing). I'd also try to get some shots closer-up, from side-on with a 50 or 100 fast prime - although a 17-50mm f/2.8 might do the job here..

Hope this help,Chris..

The more I read in this forum generally, the more sympathy I develop for the poor folks trying to buy stuff..

It really is confusing..

1/ you do not need to waste money on a 30D, or spend the large amount required for a D200. (It's been forty years since I followed Pentax vcarefylly enough to comment).

The Canon Rebel XTi is as good or better than a 30D, for a lot lesss money..

The D40x is an extraordinary camera, value-sise, and the D80 is wonderful; both a lot less expensive than the D200..

2/ amateur wedding shooting again, a budget issue. On the Canon or Nikon (any model under discussion by you or me) a 50mm lens would give you a good overall view of the central area of the church, shot from a rear balcony. Depending on how many guests, you might even want a wider lens to show the whole church..

On the same level as the happy couple, shooting from the back is a probnlem anyway. Too many htings in the way..

If you bought a less expensive body and bought a Sigma (or Tamron, but Sigma might be a bit better) 17/18 - 50mm f2.8 lens, you'd be in very good shape for amateur weddings AS LON AS you were semi-official and could get to the front of the crowd..

Weddings are crowed events, and you need to be close in order to get shots with no people in the way..

And you need a flash buy the top of the line Canon or Nikon flash, and a Gary Fong Lightsphere..

IF I WAS DOING THIS (I've shot hundreds of weddings) I'd get a Canon XTi, a 580EX flash, a Lightsphere, the Canon 18-55 kit lens, and a Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 lens..

BAK..

BAK wrote:.

The more I read in this forum generally, the more sympathy Idevelop for the poor folks trying to buy stuff..

It really is confusing..

1/ you do not need to waste money on a 30D, or spend the largeamount required for a D200. (It's been forty years since I followedPentax vcarefylly enough to comment).

The Canon Rebel XTi is as good or better than a 30D, for a lotlesss money..

The D40x is an extraordinary camera, value-sise, and the D80 iswonderful; both a lot less expensive than the D200..

2/ amateur wedding shooting again, a budget issue. On the Canonor Nikon (any model under discussion by you or me) a 50mm lenswould give you a good overall view of the central area of thechurch, shot from a rear balcony. Depending on how many guests, youmight even want a wider lens to show the whole church..

On the same level as the happy couple, shooting from the back is aprobnlem anyway. Too many htings in the way..

If you bought a less expensive body and bought a Sigma (or Tamron,but Sigma might be a bit better) 17/18 - 50mm f2.8 lens, you'd bein very good shape for amateur weddings AS LON AS you weresemi-official and could get to the front of the crowd..

Weddings are crowed events, and you need to be close in order toget shots with no people in the way..

And you need a flash buy the top of the line Canon or Nikonflash, and a Gary Fong Lightsphere..

IF I WAS DOING THIS (I've shot hundreds of weddings) I'd get aCanon XTi, a 580EX flash, a Lightsphere, the Canon 18-55 kit lens,and a Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 lens..

BAK.

Hi.

Actually I would get the Tamron 28-75 2.8 no matter what brand you choose if there is one available. I do not have one as I have a similar lense, but at some point will get one..

Neil..

Sigma SD-14 and the Sigma 50mm EX prime....

SInce you were thinking about something besides Canon and Nikon, I thought you should know There Is Another..

> Kendallhttp://InsideAperture.comhttp://www.pbase.com/kgelnerhttp://www.pbase.com/sigmadslr/user_home..

What about a D40x with Nikon's 18-200VR...that way you're money is invested in the lense. A very, very good lense with great versatility...

BAK wrote:.

The Canon Rebel XTi is as good or better than a 30D, for a lotlesss money..

Explain your thinking on this? Beyond MP count which trades resolution most people don't need for more High ISO noise.. what so you see that makes you think Canon is offering as good or better a camera for several hunred less?.

Ken - KM 5Dhttp://www.cascadephotoworks.com..

Thank goodness someone who knows about shooting weddings posted..

So, my advice is now: do what he said .

Just to add some small amount of content: getting a kit lens is good advice if you've got something else for low light that doesn't completely overlap it in focal length. A kit lens can take very good pictures with flash (or enough light some other way)..

The other important thing is to get enough practice using all of this new gear. Make sure you know how to use it all in a variety of situations. Especially practice indoor group shots with flash, low-light shots without flash, and if applicable, outdoor shots with fill-flash..

Chris..

1. Why don't buy a Pentax K100D and invest the balance in good glass? You won't regret the small investment done on image-stabilized body which has low "high-ISO Noise" too. Buy 50-200mm or 70-300 lens to go with it alongwith kit-lens..

2. And if you do have to spend all you have than, Canon 30D with 70-300 or 55-200 lens. D30 has best high ISO performance among <$2000 cameras..

SCroy wrote:.

Any suggestions for body (either D200, 30D, or K10D). Also need agood lens to cover wide to moderate telephoto with a wide maximumaperture. Working with a limited budget, so I want to get it rightthe first time. Any suggestions/advice would be greatlyappreciated. Thanks!.

Regards, Ajayhttp://picasaweb.google.com/ajay0612..

Get an SD14 and the 18-50 EX lens..

O.http://www.flickr.com/photos/ollivr/http://www.flickrleech.net/user/ollivr..

Jaduffy007 wrote:.

What about a D40x with Nikon's 18-200VR...that way you're money isinvested in the lense. A very, very good lense with greatversatility..

This sounds very sensible to me. You need a flash, so if that also fits in budget, then get one and you are sorted..

Canon, pentax, olympus etc all have options too that are equally viable. You have to go in a shop and try them for handling to make your decision..

If I was to suggest a Canon system it would be the XTi, plus....

One off/amatuer - the two canon kit lenses.

Starting out Pro - 70-200 f4IS, and the 17-55 f2.8. Not sure if this is in budget, but it would be excellent if you were intending to do weddings professionally. (Providing you also factor in the need for a back up body, and a flash)..

For $2K: Pentax K10D + kit lens DA21 prime (excellent, relatively fast compact lens) DA77ltd prime (great, fast portrait / telephoto).

And zoom with your feet!.

I have personally found not thinking about zoom to benefit my compositions: I miss some shots, but I gain others...

I am very interested in the K10D (especially the "pancake" prime lenses) which seems to offer a lot of "bang for the buck". I can't seem to find one locally. Has anyone out there had any personal experience with this camera? If so, how does it fair against the likes of the 30D and D200...

The K10D is an excellent camera, especially for it's price point. It has a great viewfinder, support for lots of older Pentax lenses, weather sealing and Pentax ergonomics (which I tend to prefer over Nikon and Canon). Also, Pentax has, by far, the coolest selection of prime lenses of any DSLR manufacturer. If you're a street photographer and love prime lenses, you'll drool over the "Limited" series of lenses. For daylight street photography, Pentax is definitely the system to go with..

There are a few downsides to the Pentax system, though..

First, while the K10D has faster AF in daylight than Nikon, it's low-light capability is significantly slower. If you plan to shoot a lot of indoor action (like weddings, kids, etc), then Nikon and Canon are a better bet. Many people have found the AF system to be fairly slow and indecisive in low light..

Second, while Pentax has an excellent selection of prime lenses, it's lacking in fast telephoto zoom lenses. Pentax has announced the introduction of the DA* 50-135/2.8 and DA* 60-250/4 lenses, but they are not available yet. Right now, your only choice is to use a third party lens, like the Sigma 70-200/2.8..

Third, Canon, Nikon and Olympus have better lens availability. Simply put, Pentax has great stuff, but it's not as popular as Canon and Nikon. You'll have a much easier time finding Canon and Nikon equipment over Pentax. For many beginners, this isn't a problem (how many lenses are you going to buy anyways?). But if you need all sorts of different lenses, getting Pentax gear can sometimes be a challenge..

SCroy wrote:.

I am very interested in the K10D (especially the "pancake" primelenses) which seems to offer a lot of "bang for the buck". I can'tseem to find one locally. Has anyone out there had any personalexperience with this camera? If so, how does it fair against thelikes of the 30D and D200...

Pentax is hard to find..

Just a resum of all remarks..

But here are 2 mainstream options that will just fit your budget for around 2000$.

Body: Canon XTi Nikon D40x/D80Lens: Sigma/Tamron 18-200 Nikon DX 18-200 VRTamron 17-50 /F2.8Flash: Canon 430 EX II Nikon SB600.

+ rechargable AA batteries+ spare accu for camera+ memorycards+ diy 2$ diffuser or stofen omnibounce.

Pro Canon: lightstrong 17-50 lensPro Nikon: VR (image stabilization) lens.

Big difference is the handling of the two brands..

So how to choose?.

Go to a store, take them in the hand FEEL IT and try the menu items. Sleep a night over it and order it at BH photo video or adorama...saves you some bucks. Maybe your local shop is willing to match the price..

As mentioned the secret is te get to know your camera. Practice, practice and practice..

Happy choosing.Be gentle to the board! Try the wonderful search function.http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/search.asp..

Just 2 be clear.2 lenses with the Canon choice1 lens with the Nikon choice..

Body:_Canon XTi______________ Nikon D40x/D80.

Lens:_Sigma/Tamron 18-200_____ Nikon DX 18-200 VR_____Tamron 17-50 /F2.8.

Flash:_Canon 430 EX II__________ Nikon SB600..

By a camera that you feel you will get the most out of in the next few years and pick up an everyday lens. As I saw in some previous posts, the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 is a decent all around lens. I own one and use it a lot, not as much as my 70-200 VR but a lot. As well probably pick up the 50 1.8 if you go the nikon route, great lens for low light..

As for picking up the right lens for the wedding, if you already have the Tamron with which ever camera you have, would recommend the D200 as it's set for weather and seems to have better colors, rent the 70-200 for either as well as a flash and you should be all set.Photography and Graphic DesignPortfolio - http://www.atlanticexpressinc.comPrints - http://www.atlanticexpressions.com..

..an Olympus e510?.

The 2-lens kit can be had for <$1k, w/ the following:14-42 f3.5-5.640-150 f4.0-5.6.

Keep in mind in the 4/3rd System, the focal lengths are halved, so your reach w/ the kit lenses is equivalent to 28-300mm. The kit lenses aren't the fastest, but the in-camera IS w/ the e510 can buy you a little in low-light situations..

You'll also have $1k left to potentially get one or more of the following to help out in the low-light situations:Olympus / Zuiko 50mm (100mm) f2.0 Macro ($425)Sigma 30mm (60mm) f1.4 ($425)Olympus 14-54mm (28-108mm) f2.8-3.5 ($425)Olympus 50-200mm (100-400mm) f2.8-3.5 ($725 w/ rebates)Olympus FL-36 ($180) or FL-50 ($375) Flash.

My first SLR was an Oly E-20, and after looking hard at Nikon/Cannon offerings, I think I'm going to stick w/ Oly and the 4/3rd system..

Lee..

I bought the D40x and 18-55 lens (much better than it should be; no need for heavy 18-70) great light combination and cheap. You won't leave it home! I added the 18-200VR when I found it decently priced by J&R. It's heavier but all you'll ever need unless you're a professional great vacation lens and the pics are very good! I still have money for the cheap 400 or 600 flash. I think I'll go for the 400 as it is very light for bounce photography. I'm all set for now!.

(The D80 w/18-200 is a bit heavy although well balanced.).

Digital cameras become obsolete but not the lenses..

In the future maybe I'll buy a prime..

P.S. You can always sell the 18-200 if you don't like it for some reason.Cheaper yet would be getting the perfectly fine D40...

Also a good combo as an all around..

I looked at the D40x (there was something that just didn't feel right about the dials to me, though) as well as the 30D (which a friend just got to shoot his friends while surfing and recommended). I also looked at Nikon (D80.mostly). In the end, it came down to who seemed to have the selection of lenses that would fit my shooting style and needs (speed/reach/size/weight combo at a good price). Coming from the Oly E-20 w/ the 35 - 140 mm (equiv.) F2.0 - F2.4 (fixed) lens on it, I felt I would eventually want for that speed and reach again, being that I tend to shoot alot indoor events. Looking at Canon lenses, it just seemed that the faster Canon glass got really expensive really quick. being a non-pro, I couldn't justify the cost of something like the Canon 24-70 f/2.8 when the Oly/Zuiko 14-54mm (which gets great reviews) is almost as fast, has a little more reach, and is ~1/3 the price and 1/2 the weight, so I decided to commit to the 4/3rd system rather than Canon/Nikon..

Sorry to the OP for any threadjacking here....

Lee..

SCroy wrote:.

I am very interested in the K10D (especially the "pancake" primelenses) which seems to offer a lot of "bang for the buck". I can'tseem to find one locally. Has anyone out there had any personalexperience with this camera? If so, how does it fair against thelikes of the 30D and D200..

I bought a K10D after handling both a Canon 5D and a D200. The bulk of the 5D and the D200 nudged me toward the Pentax, and the pancake lenses sealed the deal..

I really like my DA21. I ended up buying two more primes that are compact and beautiful tools...

I assume you are talking $2000USD.

Prices from B&H..

Pentax K10D body only: $794.95Pentax smc DA 16-45 f4: $409.95Pentax smc DA 50-200 f4-5.6: $229.95Pentax smc FA 50 f1.4: $199Pentax AF 540 FGZ: $339.95SanDisk Extreme III 2gb: $40.95.

For a total of about $2016.

For this you would have a good twin lens kit with a fast 50 prime and a good flash, plus a memory card. Further more some of the Pentax Gear, if you are from the US, is under rebate conditions so you could save yourself a bit more.'No sir, I don't like it'-Mr Horse.

GMT +9.5.

Pentax SLR talk FAQhttp://forums.dpreview.com/...forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=23161072..

Again, I apologize for jumping in without scrutinizing the previous posts...so if this has been covered, ignore me..

The Rebel XTi is a very good camera. You can also pick up a refurbished 20D from Adorama for about $700 if you don't want to spend on the 30D. Unless wedding photography is your main thing, don't buy your lenses specifically for that purpose...you can rent what you need for that day, because you're already going to need to rent backup equipment. Buy what you need for your primary purpose..

That being said, in your shoes I'd consider the following lenses:.

Canon 10-22 - $675Canon 28-135 - $410.

Canon 50 1.4 - $285 (after rebate) or 85 1.8 - $340, depending on your shooting style..

These are retail prices, but you can often pick these up from the various (reputable) buy-sell forums for a decent discount...