Ultimately it's your choice regardless of what we all say Viridiana. So the best advice is for you to visit a camera store and try the different models out. For all we know you'll end up buying a...gulp...canon! In which case we'll have to kick you out of our little club :^)

Thank you everyone for your postings they are very helpful. I am glad that I joined the forum. I haven't gone to the store to check any cameras hands on I have just been looking online.

NikoDoby said:
I really don't like recommending buying used cameras to someone starting off. It's been my experience that you'll almost immediately want to upgrade to something newer. Lenses are OK to get used but not the actual camera body. You never really know what your going to get, reliability wise. It's an investment you want to make that will last you many years.

Have you tried out any cameras at the store? What were your thoughts? Size, weight, etc?

Once again, this is good advice and I agree. Why buy a camera twice? Get one of the ones adamz suggested then you will be happy for a while and you can concentrate on your lenses. When I had my D40, all I thought about was upgrading. Once I got the D300 all I thought about was lenses. Get something reasonably good now then get lenses to really make it work great.

VIRIDIANA said:
What do you think about buying on e-bay?

I buy lenses there. That's what I got my 70-200 and 300F4

adamz said:
d3000 - if You only need pictures not movies
d5000 - if You need movies
d90 - if Your budget is bigger
generally spend more on lenses than on body - tell us the budget and what kind of photography You like so we could help You more

BTW: Welcome to the forum :)

I agree with adamz's suggestions. Get something newer and then keep it for a while but have room to grow with newer technology. After that, concentrate on lenses. I have two bodies now that I'm happy with so I've been looking at lenses much more closely. It will be a while before I absolutely need a new camera body.

I'm a huge fan of buying used. If you want to upgrade soon after buying used you're able to recoup a much larger percentage of your purchase price than when buying new - and can rest assured in making an informed decision.

Ebay, though, I'm not a fan of. I believe in hands-on. If craigslist is weak in your area, that stinks.

I really don't like recommending buying used cameras to someone starting off. It's been my experience that you'll almost immediately want to upgrade to something newer. Lenses are OK to get used but not the actual camera body. You never really know what your going to get, reliability wise. It's an investment you want to make that will last you many years.

Have you tried out any cameras at the store? What were your thoughts? Size, weight, etc?

What do you think about buying on e-bay?

I would go for the D90 as well, just because I wouldn't mind splurging for one now if I had the extra cash lying around. But I would probably buy body only, because I have the 18-135 and the 35mm 1.8.

I could dual body and look like a pro now. :D

For around 1000$ if you are a bit serous about photography D90 18-105 VR kit would be set I would recommend,
D90 will allow you to learn the most about photography, and 18-105 VR is actually very good lens and even better value for the money.

I'll toss this in. You will probably feel overwhelmed when starting your ventures with shooting DSLRs. My advice: take as many photos as you can, play with the settings, and don't get discouraged. Keep this in mind, you WILL get good, it just takes practice.

Learning how to use DSLR cameras is a marathon, not a sprint. ;)

as 35/1.8 is a great lens is neither close to be a useful lans for many different activities, good for landscape, portraits maybe but that's all

as for lenses, well there's never enough :) but there always should be a rational choice at the beginning - any prime lens is not a good solution here, not at the beginning, when You start Your journey with slr's

I'll also second Nikos idea to just have fun taking pictures, no matter what tool You will use

+1 with Jessi except that you'll always want more lenses regardless of the camera body you get. I'm going to say the D5000 is a great camera for a student who's beginning photography. The only reason I'm not saying D3000 is because I think you'll enjoy being able to record videos and the D90 would leave you less $$$ for lenses.

I'll also say that regardless of what you get that you learn to use it and just have fun taking photos. It's the photographer that makes the picture not the camera! This forum is getting crowded with Texans ! :^)

ted2001 said:
For my $1000, I'd get a D90 and 35/1.8. Then I'd save for the 16-85.

Or a (used) D80 and a couple of nice lenses--the 35 1.8 is excellent and maybe the 18-105, which I think is a bit better value than the 16-85.
[edit] maybe the d5000 or the d60 is a better body to begin with than the d80.

As a fellow beginner (bought first DSLR in April - D60 w/ 18-55 VR kit lens) who has just a few months on you, I want to stress how important it is (My opinion anyway)to save money for lenses. I have already added one lens to my bag and am saving for another. I had no idea how quickly I would feel like I needed additional lenses in order to get the shots that I want. I am very happy with my D60 at this point, but I will admit that there have been times when I wonder if I should have gone with the D40 so that I could have had the extra money for more glass. I can't say I regret it, but my desire for lenses has made the thought cross my mind.

Also, I made myself sick trying to make the perfect choice within my budget, and a lot of people would argue with my choice, BUT I do LOVE my camera and am so enjoying learning about photography. Whatever you choose, just also choose to enjoy it and you will come out OK.

Oh yeah - also save some $$ to pick up a couple of books, especially if you do not have anyone in your life who can help you learn. I personally felt like I understood less about cameras and photography after reading my camera manual than I did before!

For my $1000, I'd get a D90 and 35/1.8. Then I'd save for the 16-85.

adamz said:
I would go for D5000 with Your budget, You can get it with 18-55 & 55-200 VR kit on B&H for $950 - check also Adorama, as the price might be lower there, this will give You full advantages of new sensor with full video capabilities. Also invest in good memory card, I would go for Sandisk Extreme III (now sandisk extreme) and a nice bag (look for this brands Lowepro, Kata, Think Tank).

As for speed, every camera released after 2006 will give You the same speed and feel like the old film one - means no delays.

I second this choice, the best Nikon start for less than $1000.00, great sensor, better AF, live view, video mode etc

Pete

just checked adorama, they have it for less than $900, sorry B&H :)

I would go for D5000 with Your budget, You can get it with 18-55 & 55-200 VR kit on B&H for $950 - check also Adorama, as the price might be lower there, this will give You full advantages of new sensor with full video capabilities. Also invest in good memory card, I would go for Sandisk Extreme III (now sandisk extreme) and a nice bag (look for this brands Lowepro, Kata, Think Tank).

As for speed, every camera released after 2006 will give You the same speed and feel like the old film one - means no delays.

Ritz has the D60 kit (w/18-55mm VR) for $499 right now. That's a great one to start with. If your an enthusiast then try to find a D80 in good shape and a new 18-105VR on you local classifieds.

Thank you all for the advice I feel very welcomed here. As for the kind of pictures I take well they are your everyday every occasion kind of pictures. What I am looking for is a camera that doesn't take long to respond one that I can click away picture after picture without having to wait for it to be ready for the next shot. As for my budget I would rather not spend more than 1000.00 including the lens..

I hate to be redundant, but as everyone else has suggested, it really boils down to what type of photography that you are interested in the most.

I would recommend an entry level camera which can do everything reasonably well, but not necessarily any one thing perfectly.(Of course some argue that no camera can do anything perfectly :))Then as you grow and gravitate to a particular photograpic niche....and you will....you will have a better understanding of of the equipment you need to purchase to accomplish your goals.

VIRIDIANA said:
Hi I currently own a Cool Pix P 80 Nikon and would like to upgrade to an SLR camera what do you all recommend for a first time SLR user?

What is your budget, your future plans, what is your main photographic interest. There simply is not one camera fits all, but there is lots of beginner choices, like mentioned in above post's

I only hope that you will give Nikon a chance, they make good cameras and most Nikon users are happy with their choice in photographic gear

So if you need some better advice, get back to us with some more info

Pete

Adamz said all there is to it.
I would add D60 body if you could find a good price for it, some dealers are offering very good rebates on it currently and it is about the same as D3000 so if it is cheaper it is a better deal. And be more generous on the lens.

I agree with Johny, what kinds of pictures do you want to take with your new camera. You might need a D300s and 70-200/2.8 ($4000+) or a Canon G11 ($500 - non SLR) or Leica X1 ($2000). I'd recommend you look at websites devoted to the kinds of photography you have in mind and see what cameras/lenses are used. DSLRs are wonderfully functional cameras, but each has it's place, as do other types. There are somethings I'd love to photograph, but the necessary equipment is out of my reach, so keep that in mind. Whatever you choose, like others have said, optics are most important as are simplicity and ability to exercise control over a camera's function.