What is the best digital SLR camera I can get in my price range?
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011 at
1:00 pm
I am looking for a decent digital SLR camera for less then 500 dollars, any suggestions?
Thanks!


US $661.00



I have a Canon Rebel and it’s fantastic.. it cost me $720 back when i bought it but today you can get it for $500
It also has nice reviews and one-day shipping. I’ve seen better cameras but this is great good for your price limit
I always recommend what I own and know but you won’t get under $500. The Canon Rebel XS is an excellent camera. I’ve had mine for over 18-months. It’s easy to learn and operate and is capable of excellent technical quality. However the overall photo quality, learning the finer points of a dslr and how to create excellent results is up to you – true with any dslr.
The best camera in this price range is the Pentax K-x. Before you dismiss it because it is not a Canon or a Nikon consider this.
It has the best in class low-light performance (think taking pictures indoors) it means that you won’t have to use the flash as often.
It takes HD 720p video.
It has very quick autofocus for this class
It has the shake reduction built into the camera body which means all lenses will have shake reduction working on them. The Canon and Nikon cameras make you buy more expensive/heavier lenses in-order to get access to shake reduction.
It is the best built (doesn’t feel like a toy) camera and has the best ergonomics.
It is easy to use.
It can be had online at B&H photo ( a very reputable, audio/video dealer in New York. I buy a lot of stuff from there) for $499
Ultimately (this applies to any camera you buy), a camera is only as good as the person taking the pictures. A seasoned photographer with a cheap $75 pocket camera will get better photos than a person with a $8000 professional camera who uses that camera like a point and shoot camera. No matter what camera you buy you have to spend time and learn it as well as the craft of photography.
One last note. Don’t worry about how many megapixels the camera has. In this price class more than 14 megapixels will actually degrade the image quality (it’s a physics thing).
I definitely agree with Kenny on this one, as I highly recommend the Pentax K-X myself. Buy it, you won’t be disappointed.
Go to http://www.dpreview.com & compare for yourself. Shills will be biased.
I would consider Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera
*10.2-megapixel DX-format imaging sensor for prints up to 20 x 30 inches
*Includes 3x 18-55mm Zoom-Nikkor VR Image Stabilization lens
*Nikon EXPEED image processing; in-camera image editing and Active D-Lighting
*3.0-inch color LCD screen; 170-degree wide-angle viewing