Budget like that is going to severely limit your options. Start hunting for a refurbished body and a used 85 mm 1.8 or something like that.Don't wait for the Nikon D-whatever, have fun now!http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_wijnands/..

Consider a Nikon D50 or a Canon 350D (Canon XT). Both should be available used and maybe reconditioned..

As for lenses this topic arises weekly. There was a discussion re Nikon in this thread:.

Http://forums.dpreview.com/...ums/readflat.asp?forum=1002&thread=24025885.

D50 and Sigma 24-70 f2.8 both used would be my suggestion..

Hope that helps..

Chris Elliott.

*Nikon* D Eighty + Fifty - Other equipment in Profile.

Http://PlacidoD.Zenfolio.com/..

Sjl7678 wrote:.

Hi everyone. I'm going to be buying a digital SLR in the near futureand I'm trying to decide what to look for..

Over the years I've owned a bunch of digital point & shoot cameras(right now I have a Casio) and each one has let me learn a littlemore about photography than the last. I'm ready to move up to a DSLRfor more control and versatility; hopefully this will be the lastcamera I'll buy for a long time since photography is just a hobby forme and not a job..

I'll be using the camera for lots of stuff, but the main thing willbe photographing swing dancers. The problem is that swing dances arerelatively dimly lit and the dancers move around a lot. I realizethis is probably one of the toughest situations out there and thateven with a decent (not amazing) camera I'm not going to get perfectphotos, but I'm hoping that I can at least get better results thanthe blurry and/or grainy ones I get from my point & shoot..

Price is definitely a consideration; I don't really want to spendmore than $700 or $800 on the body and lens together. I know this isprobably kind of low but since photography is just a hobby I can'treally justify spending much more. I have no problem buying usedequipment, so that might give me a bit more flexibility; are thereany sites other than craigslist that I should look at for that?.

I guess to sum it all up: I'm looking for a $700 to $800 (possiblyused) digital SLR and lens that will do a decent job of photographingdancers in low light. Any suggestions?.

Steve.

Take a look at the Pentax K100D & kit lens, but be aware that no camera can work miracles in dimly lit rooms, you will still get blurred shots if you are not careful & you don't have to have a full time job in photography to get the best use out of your camera..

25 years as a freelancer,(news,magazine, wedding photography) camera equip. over the years: Practica MLT, Canon A1, Minolta 9xi, 7xi, Dimage Z1,Fuji 5200,Canon S2,Pentax K100D,Olympus 380(see my Z1 shots athttp://www.photobucket.com ALBUM NAME: buckl the COMMUNITY album was done with the Z1, and most of the photos in the album:Other were w/the Z1)..

How close are you going to be? That will help determine the lens. If it is dim, you want to be closer, have a fast lens, good high ISO capabilities and stabilization. This is not swing but it is dancing..

Pentax DS, Sigma 17-70 @ F4, ISO 800.

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Pentax DS, Sigma 17 @ F4, ISO 1600.

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Pentax DS, Tokina 80-200 @ F4, ISO 800.

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Pentax DS, Zenitar 16 FE @ F4, ISO 800.

Image control:Zoom outZoom 100%Zoom inExpand AllOpen in new window..

K1000Photographer wrote:.

How close are you going to be? That will help determine the lens. Ifit is dim, you want to be closer, have a fast lens, good high ISOcapabilities and stabilization. This is not swing but it is dancing..

As close as I want to be..

Steve..

Sjl7678 wrote:.

K1000Photographer wrote:.

How close are you going to be? That will help determine the lens. Ifit is dim, you want to be closer, have a fast lens, good high ISOcapabilities and stabilization. This is not swing but it is dancing..

As close as I want to be..

As others have stated, you're gonna need a FAST lens. That is a lens with a "low" maximum aperture (or minimum f/stop). If you can truly get close, a bargain lens is the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 1.8 is gonna let a lot of light reach the sensor. Of course, it's gonna be a shallow DOF. Note, however, this lens will not AF with a D40/D40x. You can get a D80, or find a D50 or even a D70/D70s in someones older stock..

I wouldn't worry about stabilization (at least for shooting fast moving dancers). Image stabilization only helps camera movement/shake. It does nothing for subject movementWarm regards,DOF..

Dad_of_four wrote:.

As others have stated, you're gonna need a FAST lens. That is a lenswith a "low" maximum aperture (or minimum f/stop). If you can trulyget close, a bargain lens is the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 1.8 is gonna let alot of light reach the sensor. Of course, it's gonna be a shallowDOF. Note, however, this lens will not AF with a D40/D40x. You canget a D80, or find a D50 or even a D70/D70s in someones older stock..

I'll be able to get within 3 or 4 feet easily, so I don't think that will be an issue..

I've been looking at the Pentax K100D someone mentioned and it seems like a good camera. I know I'd defintiely need a new lens for it; is there a good place to look for used cameras and/or lenses online? Craigslist doesn't seem to have much in my area....

Steve..

Sjl7678 wrote:.

I guess to sum it all up: I'm looking for a $700 to $800 (possiblyused) digital SLR and lens that will do a decent job of photographingdancers in low light. Any suggestions?.

Easiest question I've seen for some time! Canon EOS 400D with the 50 mm f/1.8. No need to risk buying used equipment - you can have this new within your budget...

I just got a Canon Rebel XTi (order just the body with no kit lense for under $700 online). Canon has a really handy 50mm f/1.8 lense for about $75 online. It has done wonders getting indoor shots for me so far. They make several lenses that are even faster in the $300-$400 price range, but it's hard to beat that $75 lense if you compare value..

I hear that Nikon has one that is basically the same is the Canon XTi but less expensive (D40?). I'm not sure if they offer as wide of an array of lenses as the ES series that Canon offers, but someone with more Nikon experience may know..

Edit: Oh yea, don't forget to add in the cost of a decent memory card, camera bag, tripod, backup battery, etc. You won't necessraily need all of that stuff to start off, but eventually youll find those things to be extremely useful...

Steve Balcombe wrote:.

Sjl7678 wrote:.

I guess to sum it all up: I'm looking for a $700 to $800 (possiblyused) digital SLR and lens that will do a decent job of photographingdancers in low light. Any suggestions?.

Easiest question I've seen for some time! Canon EOS 400D with the 50mm f/1.8. No need to risk buying used equipment - you can have thisnew within your budget..

So that is the $700-800 gone straight away..

"I'll be using the camera for lots of stuff, but the main thing will be photographing swing dancers.".

So what does Steve do to photograph everything else? A zoom lens plus 50mm f1.8 (Canon or Nikon) would make sense but your suggested set up just is not flexible enough for everyday photography. He will have to buy used to get in under the wire with his budget. Nothing wrong with that. I have done it several times..

Chris Elliott.

*Nikon* D Eighty + Fifty - Other equipment in Profile.

Http://PlacidoD.Zenfolio.com/..

Chris Elliott wrote:.

Steve Balcombe wrote:.

Sjl7678 wrote:.

I guess to sum it all up: I'm looking for a $700 to $800 (possiblyused) digital SLR and lens that will do a decent job of photographingdancers in low light. Any suggestions?.

Easiest question I've seen for some time! Canon EOS 400D with the 50mm f/1.8. No need to risk buying used equipment - you can have thisnew within your budget..

So that is the $700-800 gone straight away..

Stupid me, I read the OP's question and answered it..

"I'll be using the camera for lots of stuff, but the main thing will be photographing swing dancers.".

So what does Steve do to photograph everything else? A zoom lens plus50mm f1.8 (Canon or Nikon) would make sense but your suggested set upjust is not flexible enough for everyday photography..

Well, that is debatable as those of us who owned SLRs when prime lenses were the norm will attest. But no matter, he can buy the 400D with the kit lens, and a 50/1.8, for around $800. Or he can have a 350D with the same lenses for considerably less...

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! I really like the Pentax K100D but that cheap, fast Canon lens is tempting. I don't suppose there's an equally cheap ad fast lens that would work with the Pentax?.

Steve..

The suggestions and advice every has given me has been really helpful. Right now I'm leaning toward getting a used Pentax K100D with the kit lens for everyday random shooting and then spend the rest of my budget on a Sigma Normal 30mm f/1.4 EX DC lens (hopefully used as well). Does this seem like a sound plan?.

Steve..

The K100D, new is already pretty low. Being really close, I would look at eventually getting a DA21...

Forget the Sigma prime. Get the FA35 or upcoming DA35 SDM. The FA is a much better lens, half the weight, $100 cheaper. When possible, buy Pentax primes. They are among the absolute best...

The Sigma 18-50/2.8 Macro and the Sigma 17-70 would be worth looking into instead of the kit lens...

That sounds pretty good... but if what I'm seeing online is right, the FA35 only goes to f/2. Will that be fast enough for what I need?.

I've also seen a FA50 that goes to f/1.4 online; is that a better choice?.

Also, are all of the SMCP-FA lenses designed for a digital SLR or are they for film SLRs? Will this change how they perform with the K100D?.

Sorry for all of the (probably easy) questions; I'm just getting into the SLR world and it can be confusing. Thanks for all the help!.

Steve..

Sjl7678 wrote:.

The suggestions and advice every has given me has been reallyhelpful. Right now I'm leaning toward getting a used Pentax K100Dwith the kit lens for everyday random shooting and then spend therest of my budget on a Sigma Normal 30mm f/1.4 EX DC lens (hopefullyused as well). Does this seem like a sound plan?.

Steve.

Pentax's image stabilization won't help keeping dancers still (unblurred), but Canon's high-ISO performance will. If the ONLY consideration was speed (big if), I would pick Canon...

There are a few advantages to the 35/2 over the 50/1.4 for low light. For one, getting closer is better, A 50 will have the field of view of a 75mm lens. That makes it a decent portrait lens but nothing too good for up close. The FA 35 will give a more "normal" field of view..

The 50 has a more narrow depth of field, so you may need to stop it down to at least F2 or F2.8..

The rule for hand holding without AS is 1/focal length in 35mm terms. The FA35 is much more holdable and easier to handle in low light. The FA35 is also quite sharp at F2..

If you are getting really close, I would also look at a DA12 or a Zenitar 16 fisheye. For me the Zenitar is a great low light lens although I stop it down to F4. It is so hand holdable. I can take non AS shots at longer than 1/10 a second. One can also scale focus it, so there is no need for AF or even manual focussing before shots...

Pentax high ISO performance is better. I shoot ISO 800 and 1600 quite a bit. I have shot 20D's and 30D's. They start losing it to the 6MP Pentax cameras by ISO 400..

AS is helpful. I do get in situations where shutter speeds needed to stop action are still not within the recommended hand hold limits. The spinning dancer shot of mine was taken at about 1/100 @ 135mm. The safe holding limit was 1/200. AS would have been nice...

That all makes sense. I was just concerned that f/2 might not be fast enough for catching dancers in low light..

Is the FA series designed for digital SLRs? If not, what issues would I have using one of those lenses with the K100D?Steve..

Thanks for all the help, everyone! I ordered a Pentax K100D with the kit lens yesterday. I'm going to be getting a faster lens within a week or two as well. I'm looking forward to learning a lot more about photography..

I guess it's time to camp out in Borders this weekend and check out some photo books while I wait for the camera to get here!.

Steve..

Congrats. You may want to look for some zenitar 16 photos in the Pentax SLR forum. It makes a great ultrawide lens. Also look at the DA21..

Have fun...