DSLR advice

I've been thinking about investing in a "real" camera for a while (especially for travel, etc).  I know other people here in the same boat (want to invest, wondering if they should spend the money), so I thought I'd pass along some really good DSLR advice a friend just sent me.  

I might still wait to get one, but I'd definitely go with the Canon.  Anyways, enjoy:

Without further ado, on to the camera stuff. 

First off, either a Nikon or Canon camera will be a great camera.  A lot of people squabble about which is better but it really comes down to investment and personal preference.  I have always used Nikon and find them a little more comfortable to hold and use so I will continue on with them.  Again, this doesn’t make them superior or inferior to Canon.  
Secondly, the best sites to buy camera equipment are www.adorama.com, www.bhphotovideo.com, www.jr.com, www.tristatecamera.com, and www.calumet.com.  Amazon and ebay are also good resources.  

My camera is a Nikon D70 introduced in 2004.  It was the second tier entry-level amateur camera back then.  Since then Nikon and Canon has added three or four tiers to their product lines.  The top tier is professional, next a high-end amateur, then mid-level amateur, then an entry-level amateur. The D70 was really one of the first really good, affordable DSLRs.  The Nikon D70 was replaced by the similar Nikon D70s (really the same with a larger screen) in the spring of 2005 and a 3rd tier camera was introduced (Nikon D50) about the same time.  The D70s was replaced by the D80 in August 2006.  The D50 was replaced by the D40 in November 2006.  The D80 was replaced by the D90 in August of last year.  The D40 was replaced by the D40x in March 2007 and is not as good of a camera.  Why am I telling you this?  Because it matters, a year in digital cameras is equal to 25 regular years. A camera introduced 2-1/2 years ago may as well be 62 years old. It's completely obsolete.  

There are two generations of cameras. The difference between generations is so significant that the best Gen 1 camera, the D2Xs, can't make pictures as good as the cheapest Gen 2 camera, the D90, in most real picture-taking situations.  The most recent generation 1 camera is the D40 (we’ll forget the D40x because it stinks). The first generation has only primitive picture and white balance adjustments.  Generation 1 cameras have an Optimize Image menu with crude controls allowing only two rudimentary options of "Enhance (+)" or "Moderate (-)" for saturation, and WB trims that extend only to ±3. There is no green/magenta adjustment for WB, which is too bad. Second generation cameras offer the potential of significantly better real image quality because Gen 2 cameras add Nikon's Adaptive Dynamic Range (ADR). ADR allows Gen 2 cameras to render most real scenes much closer to the way our eyes see them, without a bunch of added contrast, blown highlights and blocked shadows common on film and Gen 1 cameras for most people.          Generation 2 cameras are sweet and do a whole bunch of other stuff that is really nice.  But I know you want an entry-level camera for cheap so you can play around and get comfortable with it then move up.  That’s fine.  The argument I’m trying to make is don’t get my camera because it is so obsolete and you can get a much better camera for about the same price.  Get a D40 (and yes I know that it is 70 years old according to what I told you before but it is still the best Gen 1 camera).  It is the camera you want.  It has a great screen, which is more important than you would think because that is how you can tell if your pictures are nice or not, it is light, fast and can do everything my camera can do but does it better.  I know you are worried about the price, but hey are only 450.00 with a lens NEW!  The ‘buy it now”s on ebay for a D70s with lens are 450.00.   Why not get the newer better camera for the same price??  Do not get a D70, the screen is way too small.  If you want a refurbished camera the price drops to 375 and without a lens it drops to 330 (all prices quoted are from adorama).  Boom, done!   

The extras.  I’ll do the lenses first then move onto a lens cover and flash.  The lens that will probably come with your camera is a 18-55mm DX, a very nice lens.  If you are looking for more lenses that will cover a wider range consider these: 10-24mm DX, 35mm f/1.8 DX and 55-200 VR DX.  The 35mm is a tougher faster lens than the one that comes with the camera.  That allows you to shoot in lower light levels without the picture becoming blurry.  The 10-24 is a real wide sharp lens.  It will allow you to fit more in the frame.  The 55-200 is a zoom lens that will allow you to blow up objects further away.  You could also get a 18-200mm VR DX, which is the lens that I was shooting with most of the time.  
The thing about lenses is you never really want to carry more than three lenses.  If you want to cover everything you want a low light lens (35mm f/1.8) one that is really wide (10-24mm) and a zoom (18-200mm or 55-200mm).  You do not want the lenses ranges to overlap and want to try and keep the weight down.  So if you do buy a 18-200mm VR DX then don’t get a 55-200mm DX.  You also want to keep the weight down and that is a disadvantage for the 18-200mm, it is kind of heavy and expensive.  

The last two accessories I would recommend are a flash and a lens cover.  The lens cover protects the lens and depending on which one you get acts as a filter too.  They never loose their value and are much less expensive to replace than a lens.  I like Hoya for a protective UV filter.  The flash I have is a Nikon SB-400.  It is tiny and really nice and adaptable.  It is also pretty inexpensive if I remember correctly.