1st DSLR Purchase
 

I am looking to purchase my first digital slr for outdoor and nature photography. I would like to use longer lenses around the 400mm range. I am comparing the Pentax IST DL; Nikon D70/D50; Canon Rebel XT; Olympus E-Volt 500, & the Nikon D70/D50. All of these are in the price range for me to buy. The Olympus E-Volt 500 seems like a nice piece of kit with two ZUIKOl lenses. Any opinions on my plan, there are alot of digital slr's to choose from but I will use it mainly for birding/wildlife, thanks.

As you will be told any of the above cameras would be a good buy - there are'nt really any bad DSLRs in your list. So it does come down to which one feels best and has the right feature set up for you. The only minus about the Olympus models is the lack of affordable lenses - although Sigma are now producing some - so getting long telephotos for birding is'nt as easy. I am now using a Nikon D50 and previously used a D70 - for general use I would advise the D50 as this leaves more of the budget for lenses. For bird photography I can't say I've noticed any difference between the two cameras - except the D50 is slightly smaller and lighter. If you're talking budget 400mm then I can recommend the Sigma APO 135-400mm. If you've got a bit more to play with then it's probably worth exploring the Canon route as their L series lenses seem to be the favourite of many bird photographers!

I cant add anymore to what Greypoint has already stated. Try to avoid purchasing a Canon this or Nikon that, look at each camera on its merits relative to you and your application. Personally I dont like where the on switch is located on the Canon's. Nikon's rotary switch on the shutter release is much more sensible and faster to locate in a hurry! Image quality will be marginal so feel and feature set become more important in any choice. Choose carefully as you probably live with the brand for the rest of your photographing days due to lens legacy. Lenses far out live any camera body.

Choose carefully :)

I think that you've contradicted yourself a bit there - I'd agree that buying a camera based just on the brand name might not be wise, as the handling of a dslr is very important. However, as you've stated, due to the longevity of lenses this purchase is likely to set all further camera purchases to eth choosen brand.

I think it's important to consider thr big picture when buying a dslr - look at other models by the same manufacturer, thes could be your next camera... look at the cost and availability of branded and third party lenses and accessories. This is what I did when going digital (and it's why I moved away from Minolta) and I decided I'd be happy with Canon or Nikon. The final deciding factor for me was that a friend uses Canon, so by going the same way we can now use eachothers lenses...

When I went digital I got an EOS 300D and have since changed to a 350D - for bird photography the fast wake up time, good shooting rate (3 fps) and big buffer of the 350D have all been great improvements over the 300D. The 350D also performs very well at high ISO, delivering great results upto ISO800 and acceptable ones at ISO1600, this is a huge help in keeping shutter speeds high. The biggest problem I had with the 350D was the handling, though adding a battery grip soon solved this.

My recommendation is to take your time making this decision. Look at all the angles, try them cameras yourself (don't just rely on reviews), and don't be swayed by people like me telling you how great a particular camera is (we almost all love our own kit).

For me, the choice was a simple one.
I already owned a 35mm canon slr, and a 100-400mm lens, so it was far easyer and cheeper for me to get a canon DSLR, than another brand.

Thanks for the great advice. Will the Nikon D50 accept lenses other than nikon.

It will accept third-party brands such as Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, etc. as long as they are supplied in a Nikon mounting. It will not take other camera manufacturer's lenses such as Canon, Pentax, Olympus, or third-party brands in non-Nikon fittings.

Duncan.

Great, thanks. I can get the D50 at a good price so I may go with this purchase.

I just purchased a Nikon D-50 and am VERY happy with it. I was given the Nikor 300mm and the 35-70mm lenses along with an old Nikon SLR film body so I sort of went with Nikon by default. But after just one day of handling it I knew I was a Nikon fan for life!

Sorry, but not taking the time to read everyone else's opinions I'm not sure if this has been said. But, especially considering the recent announcement about Minolta, I would strongly recommend getting only one of the 2 leaders in DSLRs - Canon or Nikon.

Once that is decided, consider your proposed uses of the camera and what lenses you may need. Then look at each brand and see what lenses are offered. Personally, I decided on the Canon 20D with the 100-400mm zoom lens (among others).