First DSLR Question

for your first time, it can't hurt to buy used. look for certain things though.

on the body of the camera- take it into a camera store. ask about the condition of the sensor (is it dusty? any problems with it?) and also check in the in camera menus to find out how many hours of use the camera has, and also how many shutter clicks it has on it.

for lenses, i would say for your first camera its worth it to just get a nice standard zoom, even a kit lens (if you choose to buy new), just so you can learn about composition and exposing a photo correctly before you get into in-depth lens usage.

find out those specs about your buddies camera (usage and condition) as well as the lens he intends to give you with it and the price hes asking and tonnes of people on this site can help you out from there.

good luck man

sorry i should have made that more clear, i looked at my buddys d5000 just as something to compare to. he isnt selling it.

I would still look into one, The D5000 is a gear beginner cam and the video is a nice plus too, it's nowhere near the quality and control of canons HDSLRs though, so look at the T2i for a canon low level HDSLR. If you are focused more on photos I would still point you towards the Nikon. It has an arguable much better interface, with a scroll wheel, which I don't think most low level canon's have. So for you: Photo focus: D5000 since you like it Video focus: T2i since there's not much else in the budget catagory

ahh.
well in that case, id recommend you look into some new low level dslrs like the rebel serious from canon (shoot some good video too!) and the d40 from nikon.

i don't know hte prices off by heart or anything though, so you might have to do a bit of research yourself to find all the answers you want.

haha sorry dude, dslrs dont work that way.

OP - Go into best buy or similar store and play around with the cameras they have there. Figure out which user face you like better because honestly starting out, you wont notice the small things that makes one company better than the other, but you will notice how fucking ass backwards the buttons can be. I suggest sticking with Canon or Nikon, Im sure Pentax, Panasonic and the rest have decent dslrs for a cheaper price, but youll regret it.

Buy used - If you like Nikon, look into something like a D70 or D100. They are good cameras and can be found for extremely cheap. Dont buy any of the entry level Nikons now a days, they are a waste. Sure The D5000 has more MP than a D70, but that doesnt really matter. I would also just say get a kit lens, if you're feeling lucky go buy a 50mm 1.8 as well, both lenses can be had for around $100. Once you figure out the constraints of the kit lens, then you can move on to better glass.

Last suggestion.. fuck digital. Go buy a cheap 35mm SLR and shoot film. The experience is much more rewarding and you will be forced to learn from your mistakes so much quicker. Plus at the end you will have an actual final result. Not just some cutesy pics to add to your myspace.

holy shit i actually agree with you soo much on everything you said^

especially the film part. film is the best way to learn the basics of shooting manually, and you'll do it fast. because a fuckup on film is wayy more significant than one on digital.

well actually some DSLR's do. you can access shutter actuations, check battery life and sensor condition  either in camera or via computer on any dslr, effectively telling you the hours/ life the camera has been used for. maybe i should have specified more for you.

i would also recommend not buying a kit lens
its basically spending money on something you will undeniably replace.

and also i wouldn't recommend with film necessarily. while it is fun to use, i think the best way to learn to compose a photo properly is through a digital camera initially. moving to film early on leads to people taking pictures they believe are original and special just because its on film and looks "indie". somewhat annoying, and leads to the same myspace/facebook problem if you ask me. but then again, i suppose some people could manage starting off successfully with film

Entry level Canon or Nikon (Pentax has maybe the best entry level in terms of performance with low light but i'm skeptical of growing up with a brand and moving onto their prosumer stuff cuz it seems limited)

I just started getting into photography not too long ago as well and i went with the Canon Rebel XS. I figured I'd get something for a beginner and that wasn't too expensive. I've loved every second of it. I mostly shoot nature and such but i brought it to a big air comp and was very pleased with the results. Whatever you decide, have fun with it.

Check out my flickr- www.flickr.com/bobby_maccormack

I have never seen a dslr that shows the hours that it has been used. They dont measure a dslr's life that way. They DO however measure the life in accuations.

Yeah you will replace it, but you will buy it for $100 and can sell it for $60 in a year. Better to spend conservatively and to make sure that photography is something for you and you will stick with it, rather than to spend $1400 on a Nikon 17-55 2.8 only to find out photography isnt for you.

And you think people dont go through this 'indie' phase with digital? Its actually much worse with digital, because they can fuck with the color balance and add cool logos and texts in piknic. I cant find a single 'indie' shot on my facebook that was shot on film.

 There is a reason most colleges still teach kids analog before they teach them digital.

Oh and FTK, if there is a camera that shows hours of use, please link me to it, I like to be informed.

I own the D5000, it is a good price point camera for general photography, i shoot skiing shots with it, gets the job done. Although there are better ones, such as the Canon 7d, buts it is alot more expensive, the d5000 is a great general photgraphy camera