nikon d3000 any one got one ? + DSLR general

Hi im just about the spend £330 on a d3000 just a few things i would like to know

does any one have one? whats your opinion on it ? good bad points? are NIKON good in general? What are there warranty's like ?

what other stuff would i need ?

i have a 6.5ft tripod already i know i need to budget for a bag, but thats about it i think comes with the usual 18-55 AF/MF lens and i have a 4gb sdhc card

thanks

[the_lone_wolf]

I was looking at Nikon DSLRs back in November, I found Canon's were too small for my grip and the Nikon's more comfortable

If you can stretch as I did you might consider the D5000, it has the CMOS sensor from the higher end D90 model, 720p movie recording and live view, all of which I've used since owning mine

Apart from that you'll probably want a telephoto lens of some sort, I bought a 70-300mm one from Tamron along with the D5000 and it's cheap and cheerful snapping, a little soft at the extreme tele end but apart from that a nice lens, and you can't argue with the price (~£100 vs ~£400 for the Nikon equivalent)

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by barwel1992

what other stuff would i need ?

Depends what sort of shots you want to get.

Nikon IMHO a decent brand, but also theres little to choose between Canon / Nikon. Not had to claim on the warranty so cant comment on that.

Very happy with my Nikon D40 though.

Its not just about the camera body though, its about the lens you put on the front of it to.

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Nikon IMHO a decent brand, but also theres little to choose between Canon / Nikon. Not had to claim on the warranty so cant comment on that.

The biggest difference between them is how they feel when you handle them

I'd recommend getting down to your local Jessops or similar and having a play with them, I'd be gutted if I'd ordered the Canon and then realised how much better the Nikon suits my grip...

cool, i cant stretch to the d5000 (if i could i would) in general it will be used for every day stuff so a bit of every thing.

and have had a play with the 3000 and love the feel in comparison to the eos 20d that i have been playing with

I own a d40X and if you look at most of the pics from my vfr build they are done on that.

More camera than i ever need and for the price its brilliant..think there still doing £40 cash back which will buy a case and card to boot.
10.2 mp
battery lasts ages
photo size is quite good ( about 2000 on standard from 4gb )
camera is solid and has taken many a bump but still in tip top shape.

Ive got a d90, its way more advanced than i am, but i was looking at the bigger picture (pardon the pun) as i thought i would get better over time so wouldnt need to upgrade as early.
But as fizz said, the lense can flatter the man, a good lense will make the difference.
Im looking at getting a 300mm lense before the end of year as well as a macro if my budget will allow.

Nikon or Canon you can't go wrong. I've got a Canon 400D and it's great. Don't spend a fortune on lenses yet, as you'll not know exactly what you want.

cheers guys thats food for thought

[keith_d]

One of my colleagues has recently bought a D3000. His thoughts were:

+ Easy to use
+ Plenty of helpful menus to guide you through setting it up
+ Good results on auto setting

- No auto-focus on older lenses
- AFS lenses are expensive

So it sounds like a good introductory camera, but if he starts using it regularly he'll be upgrading to a D90 within a year or two.

My sister on the other hand bought a D80 about ten years ago and it's still doing all the things she wants from a DSLR. So my recommendation would be to save a bit longer and shop around for a reasonably priced D90.

Just my thoughts,

Keith.