Opinions on purchasing camera

[HatchSurfer3]

Hey guys just looking for some tips from people who have some knowledge in the field. A friend of my asked me for some advice on buying her first slr. She has about $1200 to spend. Used isn't an option as the money is through bonus points she's accrued at work. What would be a good camera for her to start out with in that price range? Thanks!

[Big_Jim]

how are the bonus points converted to money? Is she limited in the stores she can buy from?

If I couldnt buy used, I'd probably go with the Nikon d7000. I have the d300, and a d90 as a backup body, but from playing around with the 7000, i love the low light performance.

[HatchSurfer3]

Originally Posted by Big_Jim

how are the bonus points converted to money? Is she limited in the stores she can buy from?

If I couldnt buy used, I'd probably go with the Nikon d7000. I have the d300, and a d90 as a backup body, but from playing around with the 7000, i love the low light performance.

Not completely sure on the specifics of the conversion into money. May be a gift card or the purchases must be made through a company mall type thing. I'll get more details on that. I recommended she look at Nikons but wasn't sure about specific models. Thanks for the advice Jim. I'll point her in that direction and see what her limitations are.

[HatchSurfer3]

So I found out its through a company mall. Things are purchased with points. Conversion isn't always the same, so it depends on the item. She was going to get the d7000 but the price skyrocketed to roughly $2400 when converting the points. She's looking at the d5100, any opinions on that?