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View Full Version : In market for a ~600$ DSLR body


dmegatool
2011-02-08, 01:11
Hey guys,
I owned a D80. Now I only got an SB600 and a 50mm/1.8 so I need a body to make that work.

As the title says, I'm looking for for something not too pricy. I saw the D3100 which look interesting. I'm just not sure what is the difference between Nikon's "entry level" and the prosumer cams. Is there any function I would miss ? I mean... I praticly only use the manual mode so I guest there wouldn't have too much difference.

Any other solution ? Note that I'm interested in the video capability. So I guess a used D90 could be an option but with no auto focus in video, it's a kind of deal breaker for me. Filming my little daughter would be a nightmare manual focusing :)

What's the successor of the D90 ? Is there anything coming out soon ?

PB PM
2011-02-08, 02:43
I have a D3100 as a backup to my D300, and my first DSLR was the D80, so I have some experience with the cameras in question. The biggest difference between the D80 and the D3100 is that the latter lacks a focus motor for non-AF-S lenses. The D3100 is a nice camera, although you will notice that the build quality is not up to that of the D80.

The D3100 only has one command dial, which makes shooting in manual mode a little tedious in some situations (if you need to adjust the aperture setting often). Also, unlike the D80 you have no direct buttons for ISO, white balance, image quality, AF mode etc. That being said the function button the D3100 can be set to one of those functions.

I think the video quality of the D3100 is good, and easy to use. The D3100s auto focus in video is not without it's faults, fast movements of the subject can often cause it to hunt for focus. Also, any noise created by auto focus will be recorded by the camera, which is annoying to say the least.

As for the D90 successor, it has been out since September in the form of the D7000, which is selling for $1200 Cdn body only, so not exactly in your budget. I think a used D90 might be the best option for you, as it operates exactly the same as the D80, and offers an improvement in image quality, although not as much as the D3100 at ISO1600 and up.

If you want more info on the D3100, I wrote a review of it on my blog: Nikon D3100 Review (http://robdphotos.blogspot.com/2010/12/nikon-d3100-review.html)

dmegatool
2011-02-08, 04:29
Great review thanks.

Not sure if I would like the d3100 after all. Sounds like a lot of little things would annoy me cause I was used to it (No white balance with kelvins, no ISO in the viewfinder, etc...).

D7000 on the other hand looks amazing. Maybe I could sale my Mac Pro for it. Anyone interested ? ;)

dmegatool
2011-02-08, 07:39
Did a quick search on eBay/Kijiji. I could get :

D80 ~400$
D90 ~750$ (There's an 18-105mm kit at 800$)
D3100 650$ 18-55mm kit at Futureshop

I wonder if a little d80 would do it for now :\. And what about video on the other DSLR ? I know the D90 suffer of the jello effect when there is fast movements. Is this problem solved or it affects every DSLR with movie capability ? Does the 3100 is affected ? Is this a entry level problem or does it affect higher end too ? Is it something that can be / will be solved ?

PB PM
2011-02-08, 12:56
Those prices are very high, considering that brand new D90 bodies are selling for under $700 at some dealers, if you can find one. Price of the D3100 is around $650 everywhere, in the kit, and around $560 without.

There are no DSLRs to date that do not suffer from the jello effect in video.

dmegatool
2011-02-08, 13:19
That's what I've found on eBay :\ Maybe I eBayFoo is off a little bit. But at the same time, I checked close retail stores and the D90 only is around 730$. With taxes that put it at 830$... Seems like no one as the 3100 body only either. Where did you get those prices ?

Maybe I could try to email/call the ones on kijiji about the price.

I'm surprise about the jello effect. Is it that it's less obvious on some models ? I remember pretty nice video shot with let say a 5D MK II. Or maybe there wasn't that much movements...

PB PM
2011-02-08, 13:27
The 5D MkII is better than most of the consumer cameras since it got a firmware update, but then so is the D3s.

eBay prices can be a little crazy, as people can get desperate to win an auction. Local shops can be a little high, try one of the bigger online retailers, some have it for $679, $699, although most shops are simply out of stock as production stopped months ago with the release of the D7000.

dmegatool
2011-02-08, 18:39
Thought I had a deal on a D90 (the one listed at 800$ in the post above). The guy wanted to let it go for 700$. Not too bad. I would have saved 450$ if I bought the kit in store. Still a 1 year warranty...

Closing the deal, the guy told he wasn't in my city anymore but he could ship it to me. I would receive it within 24hr. I just had to send the money with Money Transfert to his sister... Hummm no thanks :\

PB PM
2011-02-09, 04:02
Henry's has a used D90 for $569... get it while isn't hot!

dmegatool
2011-02-09, 11:49
Nice deal but I can't order it. When I reach the checkout page, I can't select canada in the billing or shipping address :( I created an account trying to force it to select canada but I really can't... weird.

dmegatool
2011-02-09, 12:52
Ordered ! Thanks for pointing that out !

I used henrys.com instead of .ca... duh.

Maybe I'll now look for a cheap versatile lens. Something like 18-135mm or whatever. My prime 50mm make beautiful shots but isn't very appropriate for everything.

PB PM
2011-02-09, 14:53
Glad I could help. 18-135mm is nice, but if you are going to go with a slow lens, might as well pickup the 18-105mm VR.