I'm looking for an entry level dSLR to upgrade from my ~5 year old Sony DSC-W1 point and shoot. The W1 was almost $500 when new and had a lot of cool features for the time (large screen, VGA video, etc) but is now showing it's age. Plus I've never really been satisfied witht the performance; just too slow in certain circumstances.
I'm thinking I'm ready for an SLR, but I want to limit myself to spending $1000. There's nothing that I need that an entry level unit won't do. I really want image stabilization, and a decent live vew mode. Small size is a plus, as is good video. Here's what I'm thinking, tell me what you think. (Remember, etreme amature here).
Nikon D5000
Seem like a lot of features for the price (Costco has a kit for under $1k out the door with the body, an 18-55 and a 55-200 lense, nice bag, 4GB SD card, and some training books/DVD. It has everything I want except the size might be a tad large.
Olympus E420
Kit can be had with similar lenses as the D5000 for almost half the price. I really like the small size, but it doesn't do video, nor does it have image stabilization. On the plus side, the low price means I could possibly also pick up a solid point and shoot, which I assume (or hope?) have improved a lot since my W1.
Panasonic G1
Great size, optical image stabilization, can pick up the body with 2 lenses for under $1k or so. No Video at all though.
Panasonic GF1
Even better size, plus video. Downside is that for $1k I'd only get the kit lense, which is 14-45.
Any suggestions? I guess it really comes down to the fact that with a large D5000 or similar, I might not fell like lugging it around in a museum/zoo/etc while I interact with my kids. The W1 can fit in my wife's purse, a pocket of my cargo shorts, etc. I'm not even really sure if a small SLR will solve that problem though. I considered the Olympus EP1 but lack of flash is not good. Any other thoughts?
I'm thinking I'm ready for an SLR, but I want to limit myself to spending $1000. There's nothing that I need that an entry level unit won't do. I really want image stabilization, and a decent live vew mode. Small size is a plus, as is good video. Here's what I'm thinking, tell me what you think. (Remember, etreme amature here).
Nikon D5000
Seem like a lot of features for the price (Costco has a kit for under $1k out the door with the body, an 18-55 and a 55-200 lense, nice bag, 4GB SD card, and some training books/DVD. It has everything I want except the size might be a tad large.
Olympus E420
Kit can be had with similar lenses as the D5000 for almost half the price. I really like the small size, but it doesn't do video, nor does it have image stabilization. On the plus side, the low price means I could possibly also pick up a solid point and shoot, which I assume (or hope?) have improved a lot since my W1.
Panasonic G1
Great size, optical image stabilization, can pick up the body with 2 lenses for under $1k or so. No Video at all though.
Panasonic GF1
Even better size, plus video. Downside is that for $1k I'd only get the kit lense, which is 14-45.
Any suggestions? I guess it really comes down to the fact that with a large D5000 or similar, I might not fell like lugging it around in a museum/zoo/etc while I interact with my kids. The W1 can fit in my wife's purse, a pocket of my cargo shorts, etc. I'm not even really sure if a small SLR will solve that problem though. I considered the Olympus EP1 but lack of flash is not good. Any other thoughts?