go on dpreview.com

 

Thanks a bunch, will update you guys tonight when i probably but the camera

 

You could always look at what Pentax has to offer as well. Their cameras have in body stabilization and support every lens they have ever made (plus there are adaptors for screw mount lenses too...lots of old lenses are good glass...and auto focus is not the be all end all of photography).


What you haven't stated is what kind of photography interests you? If I were you I'd definitely do lots of reading on Dpreview.com or Stevesdigicams.com (or similar sites). Although one caveat about Dpreview, they do tend to be slightly Canikon-centric. If you like taking landscapes or pictures of stationary cars then you don't really need a camera with a really high frame rate, and if you plan on shooting RAW only then you wouldn't have to worry about reviews that state they don't like the JPG quality directly from the camera.

One more thing to remember, Glass is forever, bodies are not. Odds are if you were to spend $1000 (or way more) on a high quality lens you'll have it for a lot longer than the body you buy at the same time. I have some very nice Pentax glass I bought in 1982 that yields great images on my K10D, and some screw mount lenses that are at least 10 years older too.

If you have a good camera shop near by (not a Ritz/Kits/Wolf) you should pay them a visit so you can see all the stuff in your price range in one place.

 

Alright back from shopping heres what i got

Tripod & Bag ~50$
Sony a350 ~815$
2x Extreme II 4gig Compacts ~90$

Will post pics as soon as battery stops charging, its been 2+ hours now

 

honestly i wouldn't have returned the canon due to the lens, you could have easily gotten a monopod or a tripod if need be, they're not that bulky. most people don't shoot by hand with a 300mm lens anyway, unless you're in a bright situation where you can use a more desirable shutter speed.

 

I'm picking up a D40 this week!

For some good research, try http://www.kenrockwell.com He's got some good tips and info!

 

Agreed.

OP, one day you will understand how the different lenses affect your shots - with which ones at what focal length to use/not use a tripod, what to set your ISO setting to, what shutter speed/aperture to use in different lighting, etc. and choosing to buy a camera based on the image stabilization won't seem like that big of a deal to you. I hope you enjoy your camera and produce some excellent pictures with it though. Just my 2 cents

 

The D40 was my first dSLR as well and it was a great camera to learn on. I love how the screen visualizes what the different settings will do. Makes things a lot easier to understand. Also, I wouldn't invest much into lenses and just focus on getting the hang of taking pictures right now (unless you plan on moving up to a Nikon body. I went the Canon route ). The 55-200 is a decent cheap telephoto if you don't feel the 18-55 will reach out enough for ya. One day, if photography is your thing, you will want to move up to a camera with more features, better sensor, etc. Enjoy the new camera!

 

Sony DSLRs are FTW.................IF you can shoot worth a turd. if you want to buy lenses anywhere and everywher, you are out of luck. that stinks. gotta get em online.......or press your luck. but honestly, who needs a lens at the spare of the moment?

Nikons and Canons are nice too, easy to get accessories, great with high ISOs.

if you need to shoot above 800 ISO, you're a loser.

that is all.

 

To each his own

 

sorry that you can't compensate for uber-high ISOs with a semi steady hand or stabilized lenses.

never ran across a reason to use an ISO above 400, but then again, i dont care about little league sports.

jim

 

Whatever you say buddy. I'm glad everyone in this world isn't as narrow-minded as you.