OK, A friend has contacted me and they are ready to chuck the old point and shoot that she has been cussing at for the last year. She used to shoot 35mm SLR and is ready to make the jump to digital SLR. I need an update on camera suggestions. I went with KM-5D and will continue with Sony Alpa's because of my lense collection.

She isn't limited by old lenses so I am considering sending her towards Canon or Nikon but I haven't been following them lately. She will be wanting a consumer level with interchangeable lenses, macro, telephoto. I am looking for a sweet spot in the market so she doesn't have to refinance the house to get started.

So please fire away with you advice.

Thanks,
RonH

I'll fire the first shot.

I am a Nikon shooter and have been using the Nikon D70s for nearly 2 years now. I love it, but it has been discontinued and replaced by the Nikon D80.

As for the Nikon models that would fit the bill for your friend, the D40, D40x, D60, and D80 models are where she would probably want to start looking. They range in price form $499 for the D40 and on up to $799 for the D80 with a kit lens. The D40 is a 6.1 effective Mp camera, while the other 3 are 10.2 effective Mp cameras. The biggest drawback of the D40, D40x, and D60 cameras is that they do not accept the full range of Nikon lenses. These cameras do not have autofocus built in and therefore require lenses that have internal focusing mechanisms. The other lenses will work, but autofocus will not be available so they would have to be manually focused, and with some of them through the lens metering will not work, either. As an example, the good 'ol 50mm f1.8 lens would have to be manually focused, except on the D80. Other than that limitation, all 4 cameras are good and all are used by members of this forum. I am sure you will hear from some of them.

The best advice I can give, would be to have some models in mind and make a list, then go to a local camera store and physically handle them. When I bought my Nikon D70s, I went in specifically to look at a Canon Rebel, but when the sales clerk put the Nikon in my hand, it just felt better to me. And since they were fairly comparable, I went with the Nikon. She will want a camera that is comfortable to handle, and unless there is something very specific in a camera that she is looking for, would be happy with either brand as long as it was one that felt comfortable and she could handle.

For a complete listing of current Nikon offerings in the dSLR market and their specifications, send her here.

I believe she would be happy with either a Nikon or Canon. Like Gene says, go in a store where she can handle the camera to see "what fits her hands".

Because she has previous experience with a SLR, she knows what she's getting into. For this reason I would consider buying just a body and then add the lens she wants rather than just taking a kit lens. An 18-200mm is, at least for me, a perfect all around, everyday lens. I have added more lenses but still find that I use that one 80% of the time.

Rusty

I am going to have to make a pitch for the new canon rebel xsi. I just got one a month ago and love it.

Like Suzi, I also have the Canon XSi (also known as the 450D). It is one great piece of equipment. 12MP camera with a 3" LCD screen which is wonderful, also with liveview mode which I really don't use that much.

Canon is coming out with a newer model the XS (1000D) which is a slight downgrade from the XSi. The XS will be 10MP and 2.5" LCD screen.

A Review for the XSi is here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos450d/

A Review for the XS is here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos1000d/

I think it's fair to say that most, if not all, the current crop of DSLR's from the 'majors' (Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony, Fuji, etc.) are excellent cameras capable of fine photography. At the end of the quest, your friend should buy a camera that feels good in her hands and has controls that are logical and intuitive. She can buy the 'best' camera money can buy, but if it doesn't feel right, it will become an inhibitor, rather than an enabler, in her desire to take more and better pictures. Test-driving is a must, IMHO.

I have noticed a preference among guys for how the nikons feel in their hands and have heard comments that the canon rebel series just felt too small. I have small hands so felt the canon fit better. Both have good reps. Savings are possible by waiting to buy after the next greatest comes out and the price drops almost in half. Good deals right now can be had on both the xt and xti for instance. I agree with Rusty that 1st lens be a good mid-range zoom and add as can afford. IS capability very useful.

After much research I got the Nikon D40 a few months ago. It may not have some of the bells & whistles that the D60 does, but if you are on a budget getting it plus an extra lens (55-200VR) for less than the D60 is definitely a plus! And either the D40 or the D60 is going to cost less than the new Cannon XTi.

I'm gonna agree with Gene. I went into the store to buy a Canon and didn't like the feel of it my hands.
But the Nikon seemed to work. I think they are both equally good.

I have a friend that has a Pentax, and she isn't very happy with it.

I want to get my hands on a Nikon D300......but that would be too tempting right now.