Hi,

I'm looking to upgrade to a new DSLR camera, be it Nikon or Canon.
I'm hoping to spend no more than about 2 grand on this, including lenses.

I've been looking at Nikon's D5000, D90, and D300, with those being priced at about $900, $1100, and $1800 respectively by their website.
Also, I've looked at Canon's EOS 50D, at about $1200 (higher models are just too expensive for my high school budget).

I've looked at some comparisons of the D5000 to the D300, and despite the huge price differences, D5000 seems to have better image quality, according to http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d5000/high-iso-comparison.htm.
But the D300 still offers some attractive benefits such as the 51 point AF (compared to D5000s 11 point AF) and wireless flash triggering/adjusting. Also it's construction makes it more suitable for outdoor extremes, which I do hope to experience more of in the future.
The D300 though seems to have too much noise reduction, and the D5000 offers sharper images comparatively. But If I do go with the D300, I recognize I will have to go over $2k (which I'm willing to do if it's a prudent investment).
The D90 seems to be a good compromise of price and functionality, with fairly decent image quality.

I haven't looked too much at the Canon cameras yet though.

Any and all (unbiased) advice will be helpful.
Thanks!

1d mkII is sold around 800-1000€ here(from store) depending on shuttercount or if there is new shutter. I bet d300 would be good choise too if u need smaller sensor(for macro or tele), smaller camera, better lcd and if u allready got nikon lenses. Personally i would take 1d mkII for its bigger sensor, rock solid build and weather seals etc.

Upgrading from cheap camera to bit newer cheap camera wont be worth the cash. Or what camera you have atm?

Why compare the most entry level D5000 to the highest D series D90??
They are complete opposite sides of the spectrum.

I do like the features of the d300, but I would definitely like to get a good Canon if I could afford it. I can't find the pricing anywhere for the 1D mkII now, not even on their (Canadian) website, but if it's anything like the 1Ds series, I doubt I can afford that. They look like damn nice cameras though.
ATM, I have a pretty introductory camera, costing about $600, with a built in lens. I don't have any AF Nikon lenses, but only the old ones for a film camera.
I agree that a newer cheap camera won't be all that worth it, which worries me about getting a D5000. The D300 sounds like an exceptional camera, but I can't find out definitively if it has the best image quality.
What I am really looking for is quick, accurate autofocus (for sports photography) which makes me lean towards the d300, as well as excellent image quality.




Um... what?
The D5000 is not the most entry level camera (that's the d40), and nor is the D90 the highest D series (that's the $8000 D3x).
The D5000 and D90 are very similar cameras, and are not at all at complete opposite sides of any spectrum.
They both have 11 point AF, and 12.3 MP (with the same sensor), among other things.
The difference is that the D90 has faster rapid shooting, faster processing and a screen 0.3 inches larger.
It would not make sense that the difference between the extremes of their product pricing is only $200...




you contributed.

Price of 1d mkII isnt listed because they dont make them enymore, now they got the mkIII. Try looking some camera stores that sell second hand cameras. What kind of shooting are you looking the camera for?

Ah, that makes sense.
I guess I could look up some used camera stores in the area.

I really like candids - portraits, full body shots, largely anything to do with people.
I also really enjoy sports photography, like rugby, and action shots in general.
I do like scenery and landscapes and such, but not as much.

D3x is not a DXX Series, it's the pro series.

I couldn't help but notice a lot of wrong facts in many of the posts above

First of all D300 is a 1.5 FOV crop camera and is probably the best serious amateur camera out there right now.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond300/

I believe the main difference between D5000 and D90 is that D5000 doesn't have an in-body focus motor which means you can't autofocus with lots of Nikon lenses. They both have the same autofocus system though.
Oh and D300 and D5000 are two very different cameras targeting two different groups of consumers... but if you live in Canada I would advice you to get D90 over D5000 because over here the difference in price is only around 100 bucks.

EDIT #2: If you shot a lot of portraits and landscapes you should definitely take a look at D700. It's essentially a D3 in a smaller body and minus a few things that most people don't really need at least that's what I have been told.

This post was edited by Futurama on Jul 28 2009 10:27pm