DSLR recommendation

A friend asked me about buying the Nikon D90. I thought I'd share my view with everyone else here. Here was the e-mail I sent:

I want to buy the D700 but it is $3000, too expensive for my needs.

The D90 would come next. I like its higher ISO performance and image processing.

On a typical day when you take the camera around, indoors and outdoors, I want to be able to shoot without flash. The higher ISO performance would be very welcoming. Compared to my D80, the D90 can shoot twice as fast and still deliver the same image quality. Having said that, sometimes, you have no choice but to use flash, to enhance light conditions and for artistic effects.

Many people will tell you the camera body is not the most important component of the camera system. True, but if the camera can capture better images for the non-professionals (e.g. better auto exposure, cleaner images, more shooting options), the better.

After you pick a camera, the next big question is what lens to use. The answer depends on how and what you want to shoot. For me, I have done:

1) A few macro photography
2) Lots of candid camera shots (need a zoom lens for this)
3) Lots of nature (not birds) shots
4) Few bird shots
5) Few portrait shots
6) Lots of baby / toddlers shots
7) Very few action shots (need a fast, big zoom lens)

Some photographers have a dedicated lens for every situation. Dedicated lens means highest quality for a specific condition. We cannot afford to do the same so I look for a good walkaround zoom lens that will cover a bit of the macro, all of the candid/nature shots, most of the portrait shots, and some of the baby shots. At the same time, I look for a lens that will give me the sharpest picture.

My walkaround Nikkor 18-200mm lens is *ok*. Not the best, even at $950 when I bought it almost two years ago; it is only $650 now. Another option is the Sigma 18-200mm. It is a tad bit slower than the Nikkor but outdoors, there is no difference. Indoors, you will appreciate the 1 extra f-stop the Nikkor gives.

After shooting with the Nikkor 18-200mm for almost two years, I find that I do use all of the range, 18mm all the way to 200mm. What you want to shoot will define the focal range you want:

Portrait: 50-70mm
Landscape: 18mm and lower (as wide as possible)
Family: 18mm-50mm
Birds: 400mm+
Candid: 18-300mm (yeah, 300mm would be great)
Sports: 70-400mm

When looking for a lens, look for one with Vibration Reduction II technology (VR) -- Canon calls it Image Stabilization (IS) and others call it differently yet. It helps with *handheld* shots tremendously. Also, the longer the focal length, the slower the lens becomes -- unless you buy a fixed aperture lens (extremely expensive).