Starter Kit: Recommendations?

PaddyofNine

So I have a relative going to New York in a month and I'm going to get her to stop by B&H for me. I had a Canon Powershot A620 which got stolen on me last August and I think it's time for me to make the jump to a dSLR. I have a 5MP camera on my phone which is great for point and shoot day-to-day stuff, and I'll be using the new camera for more involving stuff, including:

• Travel Photography: I'll be backpacking in South America for a month this summer, and it'll be used heavily for that.
• Horse Racing: I take a lot of shots of horses, and other sports photography too.
• General Stuff: I like the look of some of the new HDR stuff and wouldn't mind giving that a go for a while.
• Wedding: I'm going to a friends wedding in six months and plan on shooting it for her and giving her a photobook as a gift (don't worry, I'll be an appendage - she already has her own pro booked for the whole day!)

I've been thinking about either the Nikon D40x or the Canon 400D.

I've got about 600 dollars with which to buy a body and my first lens, and I'll probably buy another lens later on in the summer. What'd you recommend to get me started? Any brand preference? From reading around, I think it's pretty much even in terms of newbie-friendliness between the two brands, so is there any particular model I should be looking at? And apart from a body, a lens, and some memory is there any other essential piece of starter kit I'm forgetting?

Also, what kinda lens would you recommend to keep me going for the first six months?

And finally if one were to buy a memory card, how big are the shots from these babies? For example, how much could I store on a 2GB card? How much memory would I want to be bringing with me when travelling?

Thanks for any and all replies - this boards is definitely a great resource for newbies like myself...

nilhg

At your budget, and with the range of stuff you want to shoot you will do well to better the value of this.
I know (shock horror) its not CanNikon but its a fine camera (I have one my self) and the kit lenses are very high quality, you shouldn't really need anything else for a while.

A 2 GB card will hold about 200 RAW photos, maybe 300 high quality jpegs, and the more memory the better when you are travelling, I brought 11GB of CF cards and a 160 gb passport drive with me to OZ recently, cards are cheap now though.

Paulw

What you want and what you can budget seem to be very different.

The 400D is a very good starter SLR. Plenty of functions and loads of scope for you to improve. Then all you need are the lenses. The kit lens is certainly quite good.

But, you have a wide variety of interests, and those require different lenses. Landscapes are better with wide angle, sports with telephoto/zoom and weddings with sharp/fast primes or a quality mid-range lens.

Best of luck with your choice.

PaddyofNine

Paulw wrote: »

What you want and what you can budget seem to be very different.

I know, but there's no harm in aiming high! Hopefully in a year or two I'll have enough equipment to cater for all my interests well...

As for the camera mention, thanks for the suggestion and it looks like a great camera alright. I'd prefer to go for a Canon or a Nikon, though, for the sole reason that the PhotoSoc in college have mainly Canon and Nikon lenses which I can borrow if I join!

Paulw

There are many Canon users here, and a good few Nikon too. It also makes it interesting at boards events, since you can try out kit.

Ideal lens for what you want - EF-S 10-22mm (great wide angle for landscapes). 24-70 f/2.8 great for weddings, portraits, general use, and 70-200mm f/2.8 is great for sport, wildlife and such.

A lot of people here will certainly recommend the 50mm f/1.8. Not one I'm a fan of, but it's personal choice.

There are many good compromise lenses out there, including Canon and Sigma lenses. Have a good browse and read reviews before you buy.

TJJP

PaddyofNine wrote: »

I've been thinking about either the Nikon D40x or the Canon 400D. I've got about 600 dollars with which to buy a body and my first lens, and I'll probably buy another lens later on in the summer. What'd you recommend to get me started?

Before going the whole B&H route and having someone drag a camera back for you, it might be worth having a look at the adverts here on boards. The photo section has some pretty good value. Its not new nor has it a three month warranty like you would get with used stuff in the store, but it is worth a look. Most of the sellers have a good rep.

(ps. I ain't selling nothing there at the moment...)

melekalikimaka

PaddyofNine wrote: »

I know, but there's no harm in aiming high! Hopefully in a year or two I'll have enough equipment to cater for all my interests well...

As for the camera mention, thanks for the suggestion and it looks like a great camera alright. I'd prefer to go for a Canon or a Nikon, though, for the sole reason that the PhotoSoc in college have mainly Canon and Nikon lenses which I can borrow if I join!

what college my i ask?

challengemaster

i'd say to cover everything you've listed above.. you're talking about 2-3k...

PaddyofNine

UCD. I haven't had time to go near Photosoc yet but have a bit more free time next year so plan to get the most out of it!

melekalikimaka

PaddyofNine wrote: »

UCD. I haven't had time to go near Photosoc yet but have a bit more free time next year so plan to get the most out of it!

join the flickr group, theres alot of talks on by them, you c borrow cameras from them, think thy got in 400d recently. we are also sorting the darkroom out

Thirdfox

Are you in the UCD photocos Mele? You might want to update the email address (I sent them an email a long time ago and got a message back saying that the email address wasn't valid or something).

melekalikimaka

Thirdfox wrote: »

Are you in the UCD photocos Mele? You might want to update the email address (I sent them an email a long time ago and got a message back saying that the email address wasn't valid or something).

ye i am

what emil address

PaddyofNine

What talks're coming up, Melek?

m_stan

Get the 400d with kit lens. Bang on your budget, and a great starter kit. You can start getting silly with lenses, flashes, and endless other things when you've spent a few months pushing the limits of this body and lens. I started with this kit 18months ago, and I couldn't be happier with the decision. Still use the same body with no wishes to upgrade for a long time yet, though I have bought more lenses and lots of other stuff.

Oh, and I'd be getting several 4gig cards if you are off travelling.

Thirdfox

melekalikimaka wrote: »

ye i am

what emil address

This one I'm pretty sure:

photosoc@netsoc.ucd.ie

melekalikimaka

ucd.photosoc@gmail.com