Vancouver CorollaRev members...

thats exciting - you're ready to move up and get a dslr.

have a look at the new D60 and XSi also. nothing wrong with d40/d40x or the xt/xti. if you can find an excellent deal on the older models - go for it.
lots of people look at the megapixel, the mp is only part of the equation. high mp dont mean every single picture u take will be nice. nice pic is a combo of good equipment, good photographer and creativity.

as for lenses, sky is the limit as to how many you need/buy. since you are just starting, i recommend you buy cameras with kit lens... instead of buying a whole bunch of lens all at once or separate body and lens. it's a good way to start... kit lens are usually "all-in-one" kind of lens and they're good for people starting out. wait until you are good/familiar with the camera, then you invest in other lenses.

as for the numbers on the lens, i'm guessing you're asking about the aperture (f16, f5.6, etc.). they represent how wide the lens "eye/iris" opens. the bigger the number, the smaller the opening. the smaller the number, the bigger the opening. you can see this if you grab a manual slr and turn the ring on the lens, you can see the iris open up or close. if you choose aperture priority for taking a picture in a dark area, then u choose the lower number so the iris opens up bigger and lets more light in so your picture wont look so dark and on and on and on.

i think what you need to concentrate on right now is to find the camera you want, make sure it's got the features u want. once you find it, get one that comes with a kit lens. if you can afford it, skip the base models and go straight to the one u really want so you dont need to buy another camera later on.
start taking pics like crazy, practice, practice, practice.
worry about what lens for what job later on down the road.
i see FS and BB always having sales on dslr that comes as a kit with one or 2 lens. broadway camera is also a good place to buy, every now and then they have no gst sales. also, you can wheel n deal at broadway. one thing to keep in mind, most nikon cameras you buy in canada comes with a standard 2yr warranty

check out this site, it's mostly for nikon users but the guy explains everything in really simple terms. so if you're a beginner, check it out. www.kenrockwell.com - nikon site
www.dpreview.com for camera reviews.

eugene and ming... chime in and give our friend here some suggestions, explanation, advice, etc.

Lots of questions there.. haha. And you would need to choose very carefully what you require with lens. Because it all boils down to how much you want to spend. Erm... perhaps easier to meet and chat about this. Pick a day and time, I'm sure Jeff would be up to meet to chat too on this photo thing.

i can smell eugene calling for another corolla meet! :smilegrou

Yeah, the main reason for looking at the D40/XT right now is cost. Megapixels aren't too big of a concern for me at the moment.

I see that futureshop has the older model XT with lens kit 18-55mm for $499. I remember looking at the same one a year or maybe even close to two years ago and that package was close to or over $1000.

Broadway Camera has the D40 Kit with AF-S DX 18-55mm & AF-S DX VR 55-200mm for $729. This might give me more versatility with two lenses and its still within a reasonable cost.

Those are the ones I've been looking at.

if you can hold out for another month, back to school sale... prices may even be lower. the d40 is pretty good. my nephew have one and i've seen his pics - very good for a base model camera.
dont forget to buy a flash. if you going to buy a flash, i suggest you get a nice one - dont buy the base model flash.
if you go nikon and need a flash - i can ask my nephew if he's still selling his nikon sb-600 flash. last i heard it's brand new and he dont need it. it came as a kit when he got his d40.

goodluck with your search for a camera and post up some samples when u start taking pics.

**************************

just saw broadway camera website - no gst sale until july 27th.
www.bccamera.com

Car wash meeting:
Hey guys! Wasssuup!!!
The youth of my church will have a car wash fund raising this Sunday at 1pm-4pm. I'll be there helping too.
Anyone wanna come?
My church is near on 59th near Knight street.
The address is
7474 Culloden Street
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&...149,-123.077924&spn=0.00178,0.003642&t=h&z=18



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ok angus, i will make 2 trips.
i'll bring out my new evo and porsche

What are you all shooting with?

The D40 right now is most appealing to me pricewise for the 2 lens package. The only thing I see that might be a concern is I read it has no internal Autofocus motor. So I take it all it means is that I have to find lenses that have an autofocus motor as the camera won't be able to? I think I read that I just have to find lenses that are AF-S right? Are they common to find?

Futureshop had the XT for $399 dating back to the boxing day doorcrasher last year so the price isn't THAT great.

I would get the D40 if I were you, the kit lens is alot better than the one offered on the Canon and Nikon lenses in general tend to be less expensive than Canon given similar specifications.

Nikon has made a big push in the last year since the D40 was released and AF-S lenses are pretty commonplace now. It's not a big setback as people made it out to be.

I would not get the XT, unless budget really is an issue. Simply because with the XSI or XTi its so much more of an upgrade. for an additional 400 on top of the $499 you pay for the XT you can get an XTI/XSI possibly with more megapixels, better software drive and larger LCD screen within an almost identical body size.

I use an XT right now, paid $1k plus memory card from Broadway camera, almost 3 years and running. So as you can imagine its quite dated. The size I find is perfect for travelling and for this purpose its good and handy to have, but I wish i had a larger LCD, sensor cleaner, more focus points.

Really in a year or 2, the XT isn't going to worth much. My own personal theory is these cameras usually last around 3-4yrs before they need to be replaced so get the latest model and in 2 years plus expect to lose half the amount you paid for it.

i shoot pretty much anything/everything and so far i dont really see the need to get another lens - yet. it would be nice if i can get a 55-200 nikon w/VR and a fish eye lens.
you can still buy/use lenses without the motor inside, all it means is that you have to focus manually.

FS and BB have some nice sale right for DSLR. BB have a D80 kit on sale for $999. that is an excellent price for the D80! if you can afford it, get the D80.
mine will be 1yr old next month and i paid over $1300 for it + flash + filter + bag + tripod + flash bouncer = way too much money. if you have an old camera, some places takes trade-in. thats what i did for my dslr, traded in my old nikon slr+lenses+flash.
i have also noticed that the D80 holds its value really well compared to D40/x and the canons.

All DSLRs at Future Shop hold their value well, because they almost never go on sale!

Really though, just goto a Henry or Blacks and play around with both cameras so you get a feel for which one is more suited for you.

I'm with Eugene on this one. You should consider getting a newer body. Perhaps a d60 or xsi. both of which you can get for around 800 with a lens kit before taxes right now.

Angus I'll try to be there for the wash! Haha.. and you know what I think you go to the same church as my colleague at work.

I think we also had the debate on Nikon vs Canon on the old board. Do we still have access to VVTi.net? See if I can find some of the older posts.

whether canon or nikon you get - cant go wrong.
from experience and from what i've seen - canon seems to have sharper pictures and colors. nikon tends to have softer but deeper colors.

if you have the money for xsi or d60, why not go for the d80 or maybe hold out a bit longer and wait for d80's replacement. it's rumoured that a d80 replacement may be announced in sept.
d80 may be an older model than d60 and xsi but you can do more and far more superior than d60 and xsi.

co-worker of mine have the xsi - not bad. small and very light.

canon is also bringing out a dsrl under the xsi. supposed to be coming out in the fall.

I have a friend selling an almost-new Laptop. It's a Dell Latitude D620 for I think $480 or so? Can't remember. If interested let me know and I can show it to you sometime.

It has a 2.00GHz Duo Core, 2GB RAM, and a Nvidia Quadro NVS 110M 256MB (Awesome for decent gaming and/or mild picture/movie editing). But the hdd's only 80GB.

Well, I picked up the D40 with 2 lenses. Tried it out and like the LCD and picture quality while fitting really well within budget (especially with no GST).

So far it doesn't seem to overwhelming to get used to, although I think I'll miss having a big time zoom unless I get a new lens for that (I was using a camera with 12x optical zoom).

thanks. i'll keep that in mind
so far i revived 2 of my old desktops and they're now practically brand new!

right on! guess you got it from broadway camera. post up some pics when u get the chance

Saw the new jag xf yesterday. it's got beautiful lines. too bad they messed up the front

beautiful car.
looks like a mix of bmw, audi, volvo and aston martin

Congrats on the buy cdn8vr! Glad you got yourself into it. Haha.. now lets put that camera to work! Photoshoot anyone? Haha..

I'd be up for a photoshoot. but i only have a p&s

eugene, i've sent you a PM for that GT-S for sale.
jdm MR-2 engine with s/c. whole engine is practically new (rebuilt). i think it comes with cams and all - the works.

i saw another evo today in rmd.
of course the driver is asian.

it's just WOW. just WOW! :king:

My MR2 is almost done! yeah! Hey Eugene, I think we can order the tires now.

beware of the facebook virus going around!

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article.jsp?content=20080807_130244_13880

best hybrid for the buck

Best Hybrids For The Buck
Forbes - Jacqueline Mitchell
Hybrids are easy on the environment and conservative on gas--a winning solution for easing pain at the pump. But there's a catch: You may have to drive thousands of kilometres over several years before the savings on gas catch up to the extra expense of the car.

Of course, it all depends on which hybrid you buy, according to NADAguides.com, a vehicle pricing and information Web site, which last week announced the release of a study showing which hybrids earn their extra cost the fastest. The best cars only take a little more than a year. The worst take a bit longer. The 2008 Lexus LS600h sedan would take 1,390,850 miles to break even at Los Angeles gas prices ($4.59 per gallon). If you drive 15,000 miles (24,000 km) per year, that's 92.7 years.

In Depth: Best Hybrids For The Buck

"People buy hybrids because they want to save gas, make a small, individual impact on reducing the U.S. dependency on oil or make an individual impact on fuel emissions," says Tara Baukus Mello, senior writer and lead market analyst for NADAguides.com. "But if you are looking to have an impact on your wallet, then buying a hybrid may not make the best financial sense."

The best deal for is the $30,000 Toyota Camry hybrid that only costs within the same price range as the gas-powered Camry XLE. The hybrid gets 6.9 L/100km, and the gas model gets only 10.7 L/100km. The owner of the hybrid breaks even after 30,000 kilometres. For commuters who log 24,000 km a year, that's just a little over a year of driving.

Rounding out the top five hybrids with the shortest miles required to break even are No. 2 Chevrolet Malibu (51,830 km), No. 3 Nissan Altima (60,479), No. 4 Toyota Prius (66,990) and at No. 5, the Honda Civic (92,080).

At the bottom of the list--but still the eighth most economic hybrid according to the NADAguides--is the Lexus RX400h. A Lexus luxury hybrid SUV costs $9,000 more than the $42,950 R50, the comparable gas-powered SUV. The only difference in combined EPA estimated fuel economy is 2.4 L/100km; the RX400h gets 9.4 L/100km, while the R50 gets 11.8 L/100km.

Behind the Numbers

NADAguides.com derived its list of hybrids that earn their cost the fastest by using EPA-estimated combined average fuel economy, current 2008 manufacturer suggested retail price for all vehicles, federal tax credits when applicable and regular unleaded per gallon gas prices for 10 metropolitan cities as of July 3 from the Energy Information Administration. Break-even points vary slightly in different parts of the country, depending on gas prices and how much driving commuters tend to do. The more time spent in the car with higher gas prices, the faster the hybrid earns out its extra cost.

Overall, California is the leading state for hybrid sales, according to R. L. Polk & Co., an automotive marketing and research company. In 2007, 26% of all hybrid registrations were in California. Los Angeles was the city in the NADAguides.com study with the shortest break-even time for hybrid owners, because drivers there spend more time on the road and have the highest gas prices ($4.59 a gallon as of July 3). Houston had the longest break-even time since drivers there commute shorter distances and have the lowest gas prices ($3.88 a gallon).

Breaking Even

Drivers with shorter commutes who pay around $4 a gallon to fill up the tank may not break even within three to five years, a time when many motorists plan to sell their vehicle for a new one. That's the case for Houston drivers who paid an average of $3.88 a gallon at the time of the survey. Honda Civic hybrid owners would have to drive 67,685 miles, or 4.5 years at 15,000 miles a year, before reaching the break-even point.

Because of the long earn-out period, recent surveys show that the higher premium may be the deal-killer for would-be hybrid buyers. Several auto analysis firms have released studies showing that interest in hybrids is growing. Kelley Blue Book says 63% of new car shoppers polled in June expressed interest in hybrids; J.D. Power and Associates says 62% of consumers surveyed in its 2008 Alternative Powertrain Study were considering a hybrid-electric vehicle; and NADAguides.com says consumer interest in hybrid pricing information at its Web site soared 102.7% from January to June 2008. Despite these numbers, something extinguishes the interest and dissuades consumers from actually closing the deal.

It may well be the higher cost of going green, says Mello. Consumer interest in all segments was off from May to June of this year, but the biggest decline was among hybrids, a 33.6% drop, she says. Interest in more fuel-efficient compact cars was also down, but only by half as much, at 16%.

While a hybrid may sound like the more environmentally friendly choice, it may not be the wallet-friendly choice over the long term. Before rushing out and buying a hybrid, think about your driving habits and do the math. That's the only way to be sure that buying a hybrid makes economic sense. The alternative, driving extra miles for the sake of earning out the price difference, really doesn't.

engine oil sale at CT with free fram oil filter.
castrol oil 4.4L jug. buy one ($12.75 i think) and u get one fram oil filter included. limit of two per customer. i went to pick up two today and will pick up another 2 tomorrow.

So my car died today even though its only a 2006. Stalled as I was pulling out of the driveway at work. It started up right away but with the engine light. Then after about 30 min of driving, it died right on Lougheed and Boundary

Got it to the dealership up on Lougheed, but waited 1 hour for a tow. Not what I would expect from a Toyota.