What DSLR for newbie with £500
Discussion
Hi,
Although I flirted with SLR photography years ago I won't remember most of it now but I'm brassed off with the 2mp Nikon Coolpix and I like taking my own pics.
So I want a DSLR camera for around £500 which has better resolution, doesn't suffer from the horrendous shutter lag and can get me closer that the 3x optical zoom the Nikon has.
It will be a general purpose machine so it will get used outside at sporting events and inside at parties etc. and I'd rather it didn't weigh a ton either.
Oh, and since i've already got 2x128mb and 1x512mb CF cards I wouldn't mind sticking to that format but its not a deal breaker and the camera doesn't have to be new, if there's 2nd user kit out there which is good enough for home photos which print nicely for an album I don't mind taking advantage of it.
Is it too much to ask to get a DSLR a newbie can use quickly at this price or should I stick to plain vanilla digital and just upgrade.
Although I flirted with SLR photography years ago I won't remember most of it now but I'm brassed off with the 2mp Nikon Coolpix and I like taking my own pics.
So I want a DSLR camera for around £500 which has better resolution, doesn't suffer from the horrendous shutter lag and can get me closer that the 3x optical zoom the Nikon has.
It will be a general purpose machine so it will get used outside at sporting events and inside at parties etc. and I'd rather it didn't weigh a ton either.
Oh, and since i've already got 2x128mb and 1x512mb CF cards I wouldn't mind sticking to that format but its not a deal breaker and the camera doesn't have to be new, if there's 2nd user kit out there which is good enough for home photos which print nicely for an album I don't mind taking advantage of it.
Is it too much to ask to get a DSLR a newbie can use quickly at this price or should I stick to plain vanilla digital and just upgrade.
I'd have to also bring up the D50. Apparently it has a great lens that comes with the kit, and it has all of the essential features of the D50. nly downside is that it uses SD cards, but you can pick up a fast 1GB cards for less than $100, IIRC.
Another consideration with sharing memory is whether the CF cards you have now are high-speed or not. Standard cards are 4x to 8x, whereas DSLRs tend to thrive with 40x or higher.
Oh, and DSLRs do tend to be a large investment overall... I went in spending $1000 on the D70 kit, and to date I have spent about $2500 overall... and it's been less than 6 months...
Another consideration with sharing memory is whether the CF cards you have now are high-speed or not. Standard cards are 4x to 8x, whereas DSLRs tend to thrive with 40x or higher.
Oh, and DSLRs do tend to be a large investment overall... I went in spending $1000 on the D70 kit, and to date I have spent about $2500 overall... and it's been less than 6 months...
Possibilities:
a) D50 or one of them Canon, Dark Side Rebel, thingies
b) Secondhand, bargains starting to be had for last years models, Nikon D100 or D70 ('cos there's so many around) et cetera
c) Something like a Panasonic FZ20 - although it's not a dSLR, it does have a lot of functionality, including manual controls
If you go for route c) you will have the advantage of not having to worry about dust ..... see the million and one other threads on dust in this forum
.... and you'll have some change which will allow you a bus ticket to get out and photo something nice 
Personally I think that any of the entry level dSLRs will let you take something pretty good straight from the box, but you need to work a bit to get the best out of them. Unless you really want the ability to use several lenses, though, you're buying features which you don't need. It's really only the
s that need to keep fiddling with their focal length.....
>> Edited by beano500 on Sunday 26th June 18:55
a) D50 or one of them Canon, Dark Side Rebel, thingies
b) Secondhand, bargains starting to be had for last years models, Nikon D100 or D70 ('cos there's so many around) et cetera
c) Something like a Panasonic FZ20 - although it's not a dSLR, it does have a lot of functionality, including manual controls
If you go for route c) you will have the advantage of not having to worry about dust ..... see the million and one other threads on dust in this forum
.... and you'll have some change which will allow you a bus ticket to get out and photo something nice Personally I think that any of the entry level dSLRs will let you take something pretty good straight from the box, but you need to work a bit to get the best out of them. Unless you really want the ability to use several lenses, though, you're buying features which you don't need. It's really only the
s that need to keep fiddling with their focal length..... >> Edited by beano500 on Sunday 26th June 18:55
barreti said:
So I want a DSLR camera for around £500 which has better resolution, doesn't suffer from the horrendous shutter lag and can get me closer that the 3x optical zoom the Nikon has.
Once you move up to a DSLR, shutter lag is a thing of the past. However, focal length is measured in mm, not 'x' (which is a bit meaningless). A 3x zoom typically is equivalent to 35-105mm, so you won't get a DSLR with a standard/kit lens that long; they're more like 18-70, 28-80 or 18-55. Hence you'll need a telephoto as well.
barreti said:
It will be a general purpose machine so it will get used outside at sporting events and inside at parties etc. and I'd rather it didn't weigh a ton either.
The good news is that an SLR system can expand as your needs expand. Except you wallet will shrink
barreti said:
Oh, and since i've already got 2x128mb and 1x512mb CF cards I wouldn't mind sticking to that format but its not a deal breaker and the camera doesn't have to be new, if there's 2nd user kit out there which is good enough for home photos which print nicely for an album I don't mind taking advantage of it.
AFAIK all DSLRS are CF, so you're OK there. You're sure to get better value buying second-hand; the obvious place to look is eBay, but choose a genuine seller.
beano500 said:
The D50 just lost the plot, did you know? Completely bizarre decision by Nikon, there. (One of the many oddities they like to throw out from time to time.)
You're not wrong: www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d50.htm#compare
SD? Child mode? I despair of Nikon's marketing department, must be staffed by fluffy girlies...
Hang on... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30020&item=7526511618&rd=1
s'quite alright Bacardi. It's going to take me a while to digest all this. I have to say I am quite impressed with the spec of the FZ20 now i've read a bit about it - thanks Beano500 for that suggestion 
I very much like the look of the Canon D300 and D350
I'm surprised at the price of the D300 - I thought it would be more.
Is the D350 really worth the price hike for a newbie point-and-press merchant such as myself ?
I very much like the look of the Canon D300 and D350
I'm surprised at the price of the D300 - I thought it would be more.
Is the D350 really worth the price hike for a newbie point-and-press merchant such as myself ?
barreti said:
Is the D350 really worth the price hike for a newbie point-and-press merchant such as myself ?
Just to give you a serious answer, I would say yes. You can see the list of improvements and comparison over the older model here:
www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos350d/
Well I've bought a Canon 300D
Let me explain why..
I had about £500 to spend and I got this for £420 incl postage on Fleabay. This gives me some spare cash for a new fast CF card, spare battery and car charger.
I was also very swayed by having a mate with a 300D who has a number of lenses he says I can borrow.
I'm hoping to get it tomorrow so you can expect to see me asking stupid questions on this forum for a while.
Thanks for your help.
Ian
Let me explain why..
I had about £500 to spend and I got this for £420 incl postage on Fleabay. This gives me some spare cash for a new fast CF card, spare battery and car charger.
I was also very swayed by having a mate with a 300D who has a number of lenses he says I can borrow.
I'm hoping to get it tomorrow so you can expect to see me asking stupid questions on this forum for a while.
Thanks for your help.
Ian
, it's really the person behind the camera who makes all the difference. barreti said:
Well I've bought a Canon 300D
Let me explain why..
I had about £500 to spend and I got this for £420 incl postage on Fleabay. This gives me some spare cash for a new fast CF card, spare battery and car charger.
I was also very swayed by having a mate with a 300D who has a number of lenses he says I can borrow.
I'm hoping to get it tomorrow so you can expect to see me asking stupid questions on this forum for a while.
Thanks for your help.
Ian
Well, you'll need to keep it on all the time to avoid missing shots due to startup lag, so the extra battery should come in handy
At any rate, I've withdrawn my recommendation of the D50, so I'm glad you didn't get that, causing me to feel guilty.
But as was just said, it's not the camera as much as the person using it. And Photoshop, but that's for another day...
barreti said:
Well I've bought a Canon 300D
Let me explain why..
I had about £500 to spend and I got this for £420 incl postage on Fleabay. This gives me some spare cash for a new fast CF card, spare battery and car charger.
Get your cards from Crucial.com/uk
Don't bother with the mega fast cards on the 300D as it doesn't take advantage of them.
If you're looking at lenses in the future, i suggest the Canon 28-135 IS. It's pretty much my standard lens and covers a good range apart from super wide stuff.
Thanks MonkeyHanger,
when you say super fast CF card do you mean 80x or anything above the standard card.
Would this do, what do you use?
Do you know how many pics on high res you can fit on yours?
www.crucial.com/uk/store/partspecs.Asp?IMODULE=CT512MBC1
when you say super fast CF card do you mean 80x or anything above the standard card.
Would this do, what do you use?
Do you know how many pics on high res you can fit on yours?
www.crucial.com/uk/store/partspecs.Asp?IMODULE=CT512MBC1
barreti said:
Thanks MonkeyHanger,
when you say super fast CF card do you mean 80x or anything above the standard card.
Would this do, what do you use?
Do you know how many pics on high res you can fit on yours?
www.crucial.com/uk/store/partspecs.Asp?IMODULE=CT512MBC1
The only advantage in fast cards (above 40x) is in the time it will take to download your shots via a card reader. If download time is important to you, then get a fast card by all means, but you need to compare speed against cost...
I've moved on to a 20D now, but i'll get the 300D out and check how many shots i can get on a 1Gb card, as that's the size i use.
I use Crucial cards as they've been 100% reliable for me, they always deliver fast and the price is generally competetive.
monkeyhanger said:
The only advantage in fast cards (above 40x) is in the time it will take to download your shots via a card reader. If download time is important to you, then get a fast card by all means, but you need to compare speed against cost...
Really, the major advantage of faster cards is how quickly they help you empty the in-camera buffer, if you take sequences of shots with the camera (e.g. sports) regularly.
The place to look as to which card is best for your camera is the CF database at www.Robgalbraith.com. There you will see that for the digital rebel (300D), any card is really suitable, due to it's use of the older DIGIC processor.
Bee_Jay said:
Really, the major advantage of faster cards is how quickly they help you empty the in-camera buffer, if you take sequences of shots with the camera (e.g. sports) regularly.
The place to look as to which card is best for your camera is the CF database at www.Robgalbraith.com. There you will see that for the digital rebel (300D), any card is really suitable, due to it's use of the older DIGIC processor.
If you'd care to read my previous post in this thread, you'll see that i already pointed out that faster cards are pointless on the 300D.
I owned one since the UK launch and have tried a fair few cards in it.
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