Digital SLR Camera Advise Needed Please !

[ThatPhilBrettGuy]

poah said:

350 better than the D50

So you're saying the 350 is better than a camera that hasn't been released yet, and to my knowledge hasn't been reviewed?

Right...

[simpo two]

trackdemon said:

Personally I'd go for a D70 (I prefer the build of the Nikon body) with a Sigma 18-50mm & Nikor 70-300mm

Almost! I'd get the Nikkor 18-70mm with the body: it's a very good lens and is much cheaper when bought as a package like that.

poah said:

350 better than the D50

It should be. You're comparing a down-specced version of the D70 with an up-specced version of the 300D.

But if space is limited in your handbag, I hear the 350D is ideal (cheap shot but irresistable)

[Ex-biker]

simpo two said:

But if space is limited in your handbag, I hear the 350D is ideal (cheap shot but irresistable)

Yeh, but you still need another bag, 'cause the lenses are too big for my handbag.

IMO the difference between the 350D and D70(s) is hardly worth worrying about. Both are nice cameras.

[beano500]

Ex-biker said:

IMO the difference between the 350D and D70(s) is hardly worth worrying about. Both are nice cameras.

(resisting any partisan quips, which must be a first...) And a gentle trundle through this forum shows it's not what you got, but what you point it at....

Go handle things.

Pick the one that feels right.


The logic here? If it aint comfortable when you get to use it, you won't use it and you might as well have tipped your money down the drain. Three of my lenses and the body are great to feel and use, one lens is OK and one I don't usually feel comfortable with - guess which ones (I think) I take best pictures with?

[simpo two]

beano500 said:

And a gentle trundle through this forum shows it's not what you got, but what you point it at.... Go handle things. Pick the one that feels right.

Yep. Also, don't get dazzled by features. Some are important, others won't be. Go in with a mental list of what you want to do with the camera, and link it to the features it needs to do them. Don't be swayed by price; £50 or £100 isn't important in the long term so don't let special offers determine what kit you use for the next 5+ years.

[maserati3200gt]

simpo two said:

beano500 said: And a gentle trundle through this forum shows it's not what you got, but what you point it at.... Go handle things. Pick the one that feels right. Yep. Also, don't get dazzled by features. Some are important, others won't be. Go in with a mental list of what you want to do with the camera, and link it to the features it needs to do them. Don't be swayed by price; £50 or £100 isn't important in the long term so don't let special offers determine what kit you use for the next 5+ years.

Thanks Simpo.

[maserati3200gt]

[quote=trackdemon]Hi Pete,

Good to see your making the leap into the world of DSLR's - £1k should bag you a perfectly good quality starter kit. As mentioned Nikon D70 & Canon 300D are pretty much the mainstay of this price range and should leave you plenty for a decent lense or 2 - ebay is your friend Plenty deals out there, probably worth talking to your local Jessops too as they tend to be very competitive on price matching etc. Personally I'd go for a D70 (I prefer the build of the Nikon body) with a Sigma 18-50mm & Nikor 70-300mm (ebay can be a good source for lenses if your close to busting your budget).
Have you got your Gransport yet BTW?

cheers,

Hey Steve,
Sorry I missed your message my friend.

Thanks for the info mate.
Re car : Only a couple of weeks to go.

Im going for the D70 with the lens you have suggested and then I will play with a few other lenses to see how I get on !

Pete

[maserati3200gt]

Thanks for all the advice Guys
Just Bought the Nikon D70 with 70-300mm f/4 Lens and the 18-70mm Lens with Extreme 111 San Disk Memory 1.0 GB storage.

shooting at 3 frames per second which suits me fine (there were other at 5 frames per second ) but this fitted the budget and my requirements !
Perhaps I may catch Trackdemons car on the Bends with this kit !

Final Question .
The camera felt right and I am impressed with the build quality etc but how easy is this product to learn ?
Comming from a Fuji 5500 Camera that is ! ?

Thanks Guys
Pete

>> Edited by maserati3200gt on Wednesday 11th May 00:55

[beano500]

Balanced response to please everyone....

Welcome to the "clud"

OR

Oh not another Knee-con

maserati3200gt said:

The camera felt right and I am impressed with the build quality etc but how easy is this product to learn ?

Well, it's pretty easy to get results straight out of the box (from all accounts).

There's always the RTFM approach - I actually read the manual twce (still, few believe me ). There are a couple of independent (e)books which are very readable and there's a whole site at www.nikonians.com where a trawl through their D70 archives will answer an awful lot. Re-read reviews (like www.dpreview.com) too!

Although I came from F100 and F90X, I fould a few differences. But the biggest change, for me, was moving to a digital workflow - the camera itself's a doddle.....

[maserati3200gt]

Cheers Beano - Totally different to the Fuji !
Thanks for the links my friend.

[simpo two]

Hi Pete; we'll have to print off some more Clud certificates

maserati3200gt said:

but how easy is this product to learn ?

I just found a pic of the Fuji 5500 and it looks like a DSLR, so you shouldn't have major problems adapting.
One thing that surprised me and have now come to terms with is that you won't always get perfect shots straight from the camera. Expect underexposure and, as mentioned above, learn PhotoShop because without that, IMHO, your pictures will only be halfway there.

Also, if your scene is high contrast - eg sunlight fluffy clouds - expect burnt-out highlights and correct accordingly with -EV. The viewfnder 'highlights' and 'histogram' displays are essential for this, though the latter obscures half the image. Don't trust the monitor without these aids: often I've found they look great there.

I found a DSLR to be unforgiving (there's no obliging lab to correct mistakes) so if you get it wrong, it shows. But when you get it right, you go 'wow!'

[beano500]

I'm going to be contrary here, but:

simpo two said:

I found a DSLR to be unforgiving....

I revel in the control I have with it. Yes, if you get exposure completely wrong you've only got the latitude which you'd expect from slide film, but a button press away is a bracketing feature which costs you no extra in film processing - that's just an example, there are many things which inspire me about the dSLR route.

There's no better learning curve than using your camera every day and keep taking the shots, developing your style and learning from your mistakes - GO FOR IT



..or "JFDI"