Yeah, I got one from Adorama at a good price and bought also the lenses I needed to work.
What? You didn’t know I’ve never used a DSLR in my works? See… that’s why I didn’t bother getting one until I wanted to do something my hobbyist Fuji S9600 couldn’t do, which is ultra-wide angle shots. Yup, all the photos you’ve seen on Flickr so far were taken using point-and-shoot cameras (with exception of those before 2005, which are from a film Nikon N50). Moral of story — cameras don’t really matter until they get in your way.
Why Nikon?
The question I got asked the most these days. I was between Nikon and Canon. Why is that? Because they are the best lenses manufacturers in the world. I didn’t buy that Nikon to use some crappy 3rd-party lens. There are some exceptions out there, of course (like the Tokina I got, Zeiss and other top manufacturers), but they are rare exceptions. So, a word of advice for those buying DSLRs: stick to good lenses manufacturers and buy those goodies, okay?
Before I go on, one thing: apart from that slight detail I mentioned, I don’t care about brands. Both Canon and Nikon are great DSLR and lenses manufacturers and the choice between then is merely personal, not technical.
That said, I chose Nikon for some reasons:
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Familiarity of controls: I already shoot Nikon on film, so I’m used to the controls;
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Lens availability: I can never find the Canon lenses I want in stock in New York, and most of ultra-wide-angle lenses for Canon aren’t very good (apart from a few Zeiss);
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Weight/resistance vs. Portability: the Canon EOS 50D, although way more resistant and well-built, is larger and heavier, and I like traveling light. In fact, most of the time you’ll see me carrying only one lens;
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Accessories: Canon currently doesn’t have a small, good carry-around flash like the SB-400;
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In-camera electronics: I love Nikon’s LCA in-camera correction and ADR;
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Price: I got a great deal on the D90 and lenses.
I’m quite happy with it. Next weekend I’m going to the Westchester County to try it out, so I’ll have some landscape shots to share. 🙂