First DSLR, $500 to spend, need advice

[Cheap]

I want a DSLR. I am leaning toward a used Nikon D80. With such a purchase, I have quite a few concerns and questions. Thank you in advance for any wisdom and insight you can share.

I’ve bought many items on eBay and a couple of things off Craigslist, but the idea of purchasing something as complicated as a used DSLR makes me a bit nervous. On the other hand, not only am I Cheap, I’m poor. I want the best value, and I can’t afford to throw the money away.

Should I buy a better used camera or a lesser new camera?

Assuming I buy a used camera, is the Nikon D80 a good choice?

I had two Nikon 35mm SLR’s back in the day (a FM and a FE2) that I really liked. I thought I would stick with Nikon for a DSLR.

What is a good/reasonable shutter count for a used DSLR?

Is a $500 spending limit too low for a DSLR and a get-by-for-now lens? Would spending $700 get me a much better camera?

I realize that there are many variables, such as condition, that influence the questions above. I just feel like I’m buying something with a lot of unknowns.

Again, thank you for any help that you can give me.

[Revive]

Cheap,

I bought a used D80 from KEH about 6 months ago. I have been extremely happy with it to this point. I had a Brand New Canon T1i before that and it was nice as well. I do not think that you will have a hard time at all finding a good camera for $500. There are a plethera of used cameras out there for around your price range that will take some high quality images.

My advise to you is be prepared to spend a substantial amount of money elsewhere besides the camera. I bought a "just get by" piece of glass to go with the camera, and to this point it has been fine, however as my taste and interests grow and my skills develope i am finsing myself wanting a new lense or two. Think about what your primary area of phto concentration will be to start and then get a lense to match that. My lense currently is a Sigma 18-125 mm standard that does the trick on a lot of tradional types of photos, however when i get into the Macro type stuff it doesnt quite cut the mustard. You will also want to consider a decent zoom lense if wildlife is in your realm of image possibility as well.

Along with that, i think that a decent editing software package is a must. The camera you are talking about is going to take nice crisp images, however when you get them on your computer you will more than likely want to "tweak" them a little. Not only will this help you make your images stand out but in my opinion the variety of effects available are just downright neat and fun to play with.

The shutter count is a whole differnet ballgame. I think i got my D80 with about 20k shots on it, which was pretty low considering the age of the camera. If you are interested in a d80 or newer model i dont think you will have a problem finding one with a decently low shutter count.

Hope some of that crap will be useful.

[fearnofishbob]

Nikon would be hard to beat. I just sold a 2 year old Canon DSLR -D400.
There are several reputable online camera dealers that sell used cameras. You might have some one to fall back on should you have a problem. They check these used ones out very closely before putting them on the market.
I would buy a "body only" camera then decide what type and brand of lense you want to go with it. If you buy a "package deal" with lenses you might find out later that you need a different lense. This happened to me and it cost me some extra $$ to get the lenses I really wanted.....Hindsight is 20/20

Good luck ...Bob

[_Cold_]

I've been shooting on a D80, bought used, since last year. I was in no hurry to buy so I waited for a great opportunity on a body I was interested in, and actually had deals in the works three times before (another D80, a D200, and a Canon 30D) I got mine...that fell through on the seller's end. Finally, I found a guy selling his late father's D80 and lenses on a photography site, and a deal was made. Shutter count was down under 1.5K iirc, which was obscenely low for a camera that old. Made the purchase, camera was absolutely mint save for some cosmetic circular scuffing around the tripod mount hole, and everything has worked top notch ever since.

I had the body, no lens, for several weeks before picking up a Sigma 18-50 f/2.8-4 as an all purpose wide angle zoom. It's completely IF, with internal zoom as well, so the front of the lens never moves, shifts, extends, or rotates, no matter what. I bought this lens new.

After Christmas, I added the Nikkor 70-300 VR to get some reach. I bought this lens as a factory refurbished lens, and actually DID have an issue with it. Occasionally, while zooming in, it would lock up and vibrate and make a horrible noise around the 135 area. I sent it back under warranty, and Nikon got it, made the repairs (needed a new VR unit) and got it back to me all in about 8-10 days without lens (that's repair time plus shipping both ways...impressive).

Just a few weeks ago, I added a third lens, the AF-D 60mm Micro. I purchased this one used, via craigslist, from a local seller which I met in person. The deal went down smoothly, and I've been very pleased.

All in all, I'd say the biggest thing to do in buying photo gear used is to not be naive. Check out multiple message boards and get an idea of what given pieces of kit are selling for and in what condition. Obviously, there's going to be a wide spectrum from a seller who think's HIS 10 year old gear is worth 90% MSRP, and there will also be the shady folks hawking cutting-edge...but broken...gear for less than half retail. You've got to know the market enough to recognize a good deal as well as a deal thats too good to be true.

As for a dollar amount...500 will get you there, but you're going to have to be a smart shopper and find good deals. Your lens will almost certainly be an entry level 'kit lens'. Luckily the current Nikkor 18-55 VR kit lens is surprisingly good, given the low price tag...just over $100. Alternately, you might opt for the superior optics and speed (but reduced versatility) of the 50 f/1.8 for about the same money.

[what-knot]

Dear cheap -- used is not a bad idea for a DSLR. Usually people treat them well. I have a D80 and am very happy with it. As for a lens, the vibration reduction (VR will be in the lens model name) really rocks.
good luck to you.

[Thirsty Red]

My 2 cents for what it is worth... After much research myself, I ended up purchasing a Nikon D70 on Ebay about 2 years ago. It was a personal use camera with moderate shutter count. Had been "serviced" for sale and the firmware was updated to the D70s (user can do this themself very easy). I believe the D70 is the first model to utilize AF lenses without the LENS needing the motor (not sure). Also, I believe the D70 with new firmware (D70s) make the camera identical to the D80 with (arguably) a few higher end details in the D70 that are not in the D80 (i think it has to do with RGB color or some such thing I am not sure of and, I may be way off my rocker here). All in all, I concur with others postings here 100%, just wanted to add in, you may want to look at the D70 model as it may be better or identical or moderately inferior, with less cost than the D80. Thirsty Red P.S. I got mine on Ebay, as a "kit" with an upgraded lens set. After my Ebay coupon etc... I think it came to about $280. Check seller ratings, do your research and go with your gut. My sellers listing said it was for sale locally so I figured it was crigslist. Ebay tells you where seller is located. I checked Craigslist in Boston and found the same Nikon setup so, bit of a coincidense, figured it had to be the Ebay model (shutter count etc... MATCH). Based on his craigslist listing, I reverse look up'd his phone number. I found out he was a doctor. Putting this detailed "research" together, I was confident the guy was not a scammer or a liar so I bought his camera. All is well. Maybe I can be to anal/type a sometimes but... didn't want a ripoff artist.

[_Cold_]

Most significant differences between the D70(s) and D80 are: 6MP to 10MP with the D80, 1.8 or 2" LCD compared to the 2.5" on the D80, flash sync speed better on D70, max shutter speed one stop faster on D70, CF (D70) vs. SD (D80), D80 does wireless flash, and the D80 has a bigger buffer.

There are, of course, other minor differences...the D80 has an improved AF for example, but most of these are things that a newbie will only notice in a relative, side-by-side comparison.

[TroutTackler]

I have a D80 and still use it occasionally as my back up body, but these new DSLRs are so much faster, better in low light, have higher dynamic range, HD video, etc., I'd look for a used D5000 or the new D3100 if I were you. The D3100 has the 14.2mp sensor, is much better than the D80 at higher ISOs (which is one of the most important things to me) and has a slightly faster autofocus.

[_Cold_]

Originally Posted by TroutTackler

I have a D80 and still use it occasionally as my back up body, but these new DSLRs are so much faster, better in low light, have higher dynamic range, HD video, etc., I'd look for a used D5000 or the new D3100 if I were you. The D3100 has the 14.2mp sensor, is much better than the D80 at higher ISOs (which is one of the most important things to me) and has a slightly faster autofocus.

Can you post a few image comparisons to show this? I've seen high ISO images from the D3000 and have tended to think that the mid-range models were slightly superior.

[TroutTackler]

Originally Posted by _Cold_

Can you post a few image comparisons to show this? I've seen high ISO images from the D3000 and have tended to think that the mid-range models were slightly superior.

I actually just shipped it back this morning! I bought it for video only and didn't realize until I got it that it didn't have a mic jack! So I'm getting the D5100 for video. You can google 'Nikon D3100 low light' and see some sample images.