# The "What camera / lenses I should buy" Thread

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/the-what-camera-lenses-i-should-buy-thread/251592>\
**Category:** random\
**Created:** [February 10, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/the-what-camera-lenses-i-should-buy-thread/251592 "2008-02-10T21:57:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MTsoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/91b2a8/32.png) [@MTsoul](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/MTsoul)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/the-what-camera-lenses-i-should-buy-thread/251592/1 "2008-02-10T21:57:30Z")

</div>

I have a Nikon Coolpix 2500 from 2002. It’s a supercompact 2MP camera that makes low-light indoor shots look like \*\*\*\* on a stick. You can imagine the excitement I’m having just thinking about a new camera. I’m actually indoors a lot and want to take high quality pictures in low light conditions. So I’m thinking of a dSLR. This is the correct choice, no?

So with dSLR, I’m probably going to go with a starters camera. I have my eyes on the Canon Digital Rebel XTi (and in a few weeks the XS?) and Nikon D40. Both look pretty good. The more important thing, as I hear, is the lens. I guess I would need a zoom lens, which would come with the starter kit with either camera (~20mm to ~70mm), and a lens for indoor shots, which I am guessing would be a prime/portrait lens (50mm)? So really, to get the best bang for the buck, I should pick the camera that comes with the better zoom lens and then buy a prime lens, no?

I heard the zoom lens that comes with Canon Digital Rebel XTi blows, but I haven’t heard much about D40’s default lens. Anyone have experience with or know something about that? But I do like how the Digitl Rebel XTi cleans its own sensor - is it that useful?

What prime lenses do you recommend for either camera? I hear good things about Canon’s 50mm f1.8, for its price anyway. What lens for the Nikon camera?

Since I’m pretty new to this, I’m staying conservative with my spendings. A $100 difference would be a pretty big difference, unless the camera / lens comes with a free blowjob or a feature with equivalent magnitude of worth.