SLR Digital camera

Greetings, any camera people in the house?
I am goinig to buy a Digital SLR. After reading a few tests, the Nikon D80 is leading the pack. I am considering a package deal with a 18-135, and a 70-300 VR (both Nikon)
I will be taking pics of my kids, who play HS Lacross, some nature stuff, as well as the usual fair. Will the 70-300 be sufficient to deliver good big action pic's? taken from the sidelines
Any thoughts on "must haves", "do not's", great bargains? places to buy? Places not to buy or thoughts in general.
Thanx for the info-Warpather
HTTR

I would recommend broadbandreports.com. They have a great digital imaging forum with very friendly people. I would ask your question over there or atleast read some of the older threads. It might answer some questions you have.
Digital Imaging Technology forum - dslreports.com broadband community (http://www.dslreports.com/forum/dphardware)

Much appreciated, Jamf. I will

Greetings, any camera people in the house?
I am goinig to buy a Digital SLR. After reading a few tests, the Nikon D80 is leading the pack. I am considering a package deal with a 18-135, and a 70-300 VR (both Nikon)
I will be taking pics of my kids, who play HS Lacross, some nature stuff, as well as the usual fair. Will the 70-300 be sufficient to deliver good big action pic's? taken from the sidelines
Any thoughts on "must haves", "do not's", great bargains? places to buy? Places not to buy or thoughts in general.
Thanx for the info-Warpather
HTTR

As far as camera bodies go, do yourself a huge favor, skip the D80 and buy the D40.

I've owned a D70, D70s and D80 and have just gone to the D40.

Unless you are a professional photographer and plan on shooting 8 hours a day, the D40 will meet and exceed all of your needs for a dirt cheap price. If you ARE a professional, you wouldn't be looking at the D80 to begin with;)

Ken Rockwell is pretty much a genius in my opinion when it comes to photography, very well balanced and down-to-earth. He's a professional photographer, and he grabs his D40 for almost everything he does. Check out Ken Rockwell: Recommended Cameras (http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/recommended-cameras.htm)

He also has great reviews on lenses. The kit lens with the D40 is surprisingly good, and the 70-300mm VR is an EXCELLENT lens, especially for sports. Rockwell has a great review on it as well: 17-300mm VR (http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/70-300-vr.htm)

A 300mm lens will be great for sideline shots. I have a 70-300 Sigma APO DG paired with a Pentax K100d and it is great for sports actions shots (assuming I have the settings right :)).

I grew up in a Pentax family, so I feel obliged to push the Pentax line. They are great cameras. The image stabilization is built into the camera body, so any lens you use will benefit from IS. This includes any K-mount Pentax lens produced over the last 30+ years (you can find some great deals on old, excellent quality glass). I have a K100d, which is only a 6.1mp camera, but image quality is outstanding. Here are a few pictures I've taken with it... Picture album dimaging - dslreports.com (http://www.dslreports.com/pics/dimaging/927006)

Now that I'm done with the Pentax pitch...the Nikon D80 is a good camera. You won't be disappointed if you go that route.

I frequent the digital imaging forums over at BBR as a lurker. There are some very knowledgeable people over there.

I bought my camera from http://www.beachcamera.com They have good prices and the shipping was fast.

You guys are some serious camera junkies.

I'm feeling like a loser over here with my new Sony cybershot. :(

You guys are some serious camera junkies.

I'm feeling like a loser over here with my new Sony cybershot. :(

I got a new Cybershot for Xmas, Gift to myself!

Just lost my whole damn post. :doh:

Let me start over: Adorama (http://www.adorama.com) has good prices and I've always been happy with their service. Amazon is also a good resource, as is Buy.com. Never had a bad experience with either of them.

Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ (http://dpreview.com) has a really handy side-by-side comparison tool that let's you compare cameras feature-by-feature. Beware the forums though, as technophiles troll relentlessly, arguing all day that it's worth an extra $2,000 to have ISO 2000. I kid obviously, but some of those guys just tweak me the wrong way as they seem to have no concept of return on investment.

I really can't speak highly enough about the D40. Last check on Amazon had it going for $470 shipped with the surprisingly good 18-55 mm kit lens. A D80 will run you close to $800.

What's the extra $300+ get you over the D40? Mostly added weight and bulk. It also gets you 3 FPS vs 2.5, and ISO as low as 100 as opposed to the "paltry" ISO 200 of the D40. You can also adjust EV in 1/2 step increments as opposed to the 1/3 increments of the D40.

If you want to haul a bigger, heavier, bulkier camera around all so you can have ISO 100 and an extra .5 FPS, then be my guest.

Personally I took the $300 I saved and put it towards the excellent 70-300MM VR.

I got a new Cybershot for Xmas, Gift to myself!

I really like it. It's great for what I need.

A 300mm lens will be great for sideline shots. I have a 70-300 Sigma APO DG paired with a Pentax K100d and it is great for sports actions shots (assuming I have the settings right :)).

I grew up in a Pentax family, so I feel obliged to push the Pentax line. They are great cameras. The image stabilization is built into the camera body, so any lens you use will benefit from IS. This includes any K-mount Pentax lens produced over the last 30+ years (you can find some great deals on old, excellent quality glass). I have a K100d, which is only a 6.1mp camera, but image quality is outstanding. Here are a few pictures I've taken with it... Picture album dimaging - dslreports.com (http://www.dslreports.com/pics/dimaging/927006)

Now that I'm done with the Pentax pitch...the Nikon D80 is a good camera. You won't be disappointed if you go that route.

I frequent the digital imaging forums over at BBR as a lurker. There are some very knowledgeable people over there.

I bought my camera from http://www.beachcamera.com They have good prices and the shipping was fast.

I used Pentax gear for many years in the film world-Top shelf stuff Good advice