who has a digital SLR???

I am looking at the Nikon D40...mostly because it is the most affordable Digital SLR with interchangeable lenses...
suggestions of others????

I shoot Canon gear but I bought my wife the Nikon D40X. Very nice camera. I hear the D40 is great as well, just a few less MP. As for others in the price range you might check out the Canon Rebel XTI.
You might also check into the availability and pricing of any other lenses you want for whatever rig you get.

does the canon rebel xti have changeable lenses?

the MP's are not my top concern. I will never be making posters or anything out of my shots..so 6 MP is fine...good for 8x10 print size which is as big as I ever expect to want or need a print.

Yessir........ Its a DSLR.

I would go for the Nikon for two reasons durability and lenses. If you pick them up you notice that the Nikon is heavier, that is because it has a solid frame were the Cannons and others usually are a partial frame (top is metal everything else hangs off of it)...that is the durability part.
Nikon has had the same lens mount forever. You can go buy an old manual focus lens and put it on your new Nikon and it still works (saves money if you don't mind the manual focus). Cannon has changed there mounts a few times and I am sure they will change them again. Hope that helps and if your wondering my wife has a Nikon D40, D300 and a few more that I can't remember... what can I say she is a photographer

I have the Rebel XT. I like it very much and it takes beutiful pictures but if I could do it again, I would get the Nikon.

I have the D40x and love it. I'm not sure how to compare it to other since this is the first SLR I have tried, always had the the little point-n-shoots. I think if you do your homework as I did you'd find it to be a good one to start with.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 87demonpro &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have the Rebel XT. I like it very much and it takes beutiful pictures but if I could do it again, I would get the Nikon.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Why? if I may ask...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jbales &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have the D40x and love it. I'm not sure how to compare it to other since this is the first SLR I have tried, always had the the little point-n-shoots. I think if you do your homework as I did you'd find it to be a good one to start with.</TD></TR></TABLE>

...believe me...I will be doing ALOT of homework!!!! Convincing my wife to spend that kind of money will always involve long hours of homework!!!!

(laugh!) ........... I'll tell ya ....... the whole "Nikon vs Canon" thing is about as bad as the "Triton vs Ranger" thing! http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/Laugh.gif Both are very good choices. BUT, my advice to you is ....... find the one that suits YOU in your price range. Find the one that "feels right" in your hands ........... the one that the controls and menus "makes sense to you" as a beginner with DSLR.
I have been photographing for about 34 years. I just started using DSLR's a few years ago. Trust me when I tell ya ....... I went thru the same thing youre going thru now trying to decide where to start! For me I started with the Canon 20D. I later picked up a Rebel XT that I drug all over Bejing China and France on business in 2006. Never had a burp out of neither of them and have a few thousand great shots. Theres a lot of large size prints hanging from those cameras ....... and not just in my house. I later bought a Canon 5D for weddings etc and recently bought a 40D. For ME ........ I like Canon. Ive heard the "quality of build" thing argued on both sides and frankly if you compare 2 of them in the same price range I dont see much difference.
Now with that being said .......... as I mentioned already ....... I just bought my wife a Nikon D40X a couple of months back, because she saw one in a magazine ..... LOL! And to be honest theres a couple of features that I like. It has a more user-friendly menu and the out of camera jpegs have slightly better color IMO with its standard settings but I find the focus system on that particular camera not as good as my Canons. I also know a couple of Nikon owners that have gone to Canon. But I know some Canon folks that have gone to Nikon. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/roll.gif

Remember ........ its NOT the camera that makes a good photograph ............ its YOU that will accomplish that.

Bottom line ......... check out a few cameras in your price range and see which one feels right in your hands. You might find that you like some other brand! One thing for sure ....... dont buy based on just what you read. Go get em in your hands. One other piece of advice ........ do not make images you see on the web your main deciding factor. Keep in mind that most of the pros and semi pros post process their pictures!


Modified by Pappy at 9:43 AM 1/6/2008

First of all, I'm no expert - the opposite is more true:

I agree with Pappy, I wish I could tell you that I did hours and hours of research to find the best value. That simply wasn't the case. I went online and read reviews of several different cameras and took note of the the things that were listed in the "cons" 1st and "pros" 2nd and went from there. I walked into Wolf Camera (I found cheaper online, but wanted one right then!) and started asking questions. I asked the guy to sell me a good DSLR camera for a poing-n-shoot photographer. I didn't mention a price range, and I didn't mention that I had already made up my mind. He immediately handed me the Nikon. I quickly followed that up with a question "why?" To my surprise and delight, he rattled off almost verbatim what I had found online. I like the small size of the camera body too. The one question I was concerned about was the AF-S or AF-I requirement on the lenses. I didn't even know what that meant, the guy explained that unless I had older auto focus lenses that rely on a camera body drive mechanism, I shouldn't worry about it. And since I do not have those, done deal for me.

I'm sure you have already but a quick google search will turn up many reviews.

Whatever you end up with, I hope you enjoy it! Don't forget to share your shots here!

THANK YOU PAPPY!!!!!!

...somone mentioned there is a good chance the Nikon will take my Film Camera Lenses...which is kind of a plus for me!!!
I presently own both a Canon and a Nikon film camera.
I am not a brand fanatic...Ranger, Triton, Canon, Nikon...plus's and minus's, usually predicated on preferences, for everything...just wanted to hear from others what they thought.

I am not looking to go pro...or make posters or anything from my shots...just looking to improve the quality a bit from my point and shoot and have the option to change lenses...perhaps use a zoom etc...so the camera is more functional and usable in a wider variety of applications.

Thanks Bales!

here is why I am looking for a new digital...(link below)

this is just a few pictures I could find without searching too hard, most have them have been downsized for the sake of storage space...

but look how in some of them there is this grainy look...it is like the point and shoot is tryig to process too much information and slops up the picture...
and these were all taken on the best quality setting..."superfine". when I lower the setting I get better quality ( less grain) but washed out colors.
some of these pictures look like they were taken with a film camera with a bad lense!!!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/RobDar36/RandomShots

...any digital SLR than came eliminate that will make me a happy man!
my present point and shoot is a Canon Power Shot A 40...which cost about as much as a SLR when I bought it. I do not think it is the camera, I think it is the pictures I take are a bit much and not really what it was intended to take pictures of. Wrong tool for the wrong application I think...it takes other pictures fine.

Anyone who says the Xt/XTI is durable is kidding out. My main camera is a Cannon 40D but I keep an XT in my boat with out a case. I try to keep it cushioned with cloths but it has taken a beating for two years in all kinds of conditions.

If I remember correctly you are semi restriced in the lens options for the Nikon D40 but either will take good pics.

Hello,
First off I don't work for Nikon or Canon, But I do repair both of these cameras. I work for a camera repair shop in orlando, FL. Jeep_Lover is only partially correct on the camera frames the XTI is mostly plastic, the 10D 20D etc have a very sturdy frame.

I shoot a Canon 20D and love it.
My boss shoots a Nikon D300 and he loves it.
I think it is all a matter of personal preference, EVERY camera has things that can and will go bad, although I would not recommend the rebel Xti for anyone who needs ruggedness, just because it has so much plastic inside.

thanx imbinary...