Camera recommendations?

[GLC1968]

My lenses are all non-digital and none of them are auto-focus - 100% manual.

I'm looking at the D3000 - I cannot get over how much more affordable these cameras are then when I first started looking about 3 years ago! Prices have really come down quite a bit.

I'm wary of Canon even though they get top ratings on most review sites. I like the features they offer, but I've had two quit on me, so I don't trust their long term quality.

The Olympus E-520 also looks like a contender - but I'll need to see all of these in real time. I think that I'm leaning towards an SLR. Though, I did put a few point and shoots with manual abilities on my list too (one of which is a Canon! ).

Zen - that Panasonic (the Lumnix) keeps popping up with good review's too. Have you had one before? I read that it's good for it's video? I'm not sure if I care about video or not. Oy...there are a lot of options.

Thanks for the NYT link - Oakleaf - adds to my confusion even futher!

[lunacycles]

I have a Nikon D40 too, and I love love love it. Love It. No better quality for this level of digital SLR camera. Mine's about a year old and the battery lasts a ridiculously long time between charges. Meets all my needs.
However, it is not a P&S. I have an ancient Canon Elph for my work photography, and it just keeps on going and going like the Energizer Bunny, though the battery is definitely failing after a kazillion recharges. I think 5 years of heavy use is pretty good these days...Mine is about 6 years old, and just now losing steam.

[malaholic]

...but I don't think just one camera can do it all!

I'd have to agree with you on that! But, prices on both P&S's as well as DSLR bodies have dropped quite a bit recently, so maybe it's not so much a question of which one to get, but rather which one to get first.

I'd like a new SLR digital body that would work with my old Nikon lenses...BUT, I'd also like a POS that I could take when I travel, on the bike, to events, etc.

K, a couple of questions out of this....assuming that a P&S meets your needs for the functions you mention above, when/for what would you use the DSLR? If you got a P&S only, how often would you be taking a shot where you were wishing for the better image quality/lens flexibility/manual control of a DSLR? And conversely, if you got a DSLR, how often would you miss event/travel photos (or have to settle for low quality cellphone snaps) because the body & lens setup was too inconvenient to carry?

If you're thinking of eventually having both a P&S and a DSLR, I'd suggest getting both in the same brand (I'd also narrow down brand choices to Nikon & Canon if looking at DSLRs). It just makes things much more convenient because menus & settings will be similar between the cameras so you don't have to learn two different control systems. I've had 3 Canon P&S's and 3 Canon DSLRs and it's been easy to switch between them since they all navigate much the same way. Being able to make the adjustments I want to make quickly without futzing through trying to figure out where the setting is on this camera because I'm used to it being somewhere else in another camera can make the difference between getting the shot and being too late.

Anyway, since you have a birthday coming up - Happy Birthday!!!

[zoom-zoom]

If you're thinking of eventually having both a P&S and a DSLR, I'd suggest getting both in the same brand (I'd also narrow down brand choices to Nikon & Canon if looking at DSLRs). It just makes things much more convenient because menus & settings will be similar between the cameras so you don't have to learn two different control systems. I've had 3 Canon P&S's and 3 Canon DSLRs and it's been easy to switch between them since they all navigate much the same way. Being able to make the adjustments I want to make quickly without futzing through trying to figure out where the setting is on this camera because I'm used to it being somewhere else in another camera can make the difference between getting the shot and being too late.

100% what she said.

I should also add that we had 2 problematic A-series Canons, but I LOVE my 20D SLR (I also had a 10D when I did some portraiture work for a while) and my SX110 IS. That "little" camera is the most amazing thing ever. I love the image quality and all of the manual settings.

As far as point-n-shoots go, I think 5 years of solid use is VERY good. Unfortunately most PnS cameras are just not designed for longevity. Even digital SLRs don't seem as rugged as their 35mm film counterparts in many cases...but the technology has improved so rapidly that 5 years for an SLR model yields a ton of changes.

[Zen]

Wait...did you mean P&S or POS?

[OakLeaf]

I took it she meant both.

[Tuckervill]

Consumer Reports had the Nikon D90 as their best buy last year. Based on features, what you get with hit and price. I didn't get one and it seems it is not on top of the retailer's stock list anymore. Maybe it has been upgraded or something. I did a lot of research last year, and now I've waited so long I probably will have to start over when I go to buy mine.

Karen

[zoom-zoom]

I took it she meant both.

Heh, pretty much!

Karen, that is funny about doing all the research and then having to start over. 2 days after I ordered my Canon point-n-shoot they replaced it with a newer model. I hadn't even received my camera and it was discontinued. But I got a good deal on it and don't miss that single megapixel.