Beginner's DSLR

[vrsmxtb]

Hello PH photographers,

I'm about to start a digital photography evening class, and would appreciate some advice on my first DSLR camera, I would be happy to spend around £5-600, hopefully including all basic accessories.

Currently I have this fairly old camera, as well as a reasonable Canon compact:

http://www.cameras.co.uk/camera-reviews/kodak-easy...

I might start the course with it, as it has quite a lot of manual settings and a reasonable lense for a cheap compact, but the LCD screen is just too small and I find it really hard to judge the quality of the image on it.

Are there any places in particular that specialise in guaranteed second-hand / last years model cameras where my budget may stretch further? Or are the Jessops camera/lense/kit "bundles" as good a place as any?

Any particular camera models I should consider?

I understand the basic features they all offer but the amount of choice in the market is a bit bewildering. I want something that I wouldn't regret buying should my interest in the hobby really take-off, so a good solid foundation for upgrades / lenses etc.

[JDRoest]

vrsmxtb said:

Any particular camera models I should consider?

Can't really go wrong with anything from Nikon or Canon. They are all fine cameras and do more or less equal jobs. My advice is to buy the marque that your friends have. It's much easier to swap lenses and share an experience when you're on the same platform.

[flat-planedCrank]

JDRoest said:

vrsmxtb said:

Any particular camera models I should consider?

Can't really go wrong with anything from Nikon or Canon. They are all fine cameras and do more or less equal jobs. My advice is to buy the marque that your friends have. It's much easier to swap lenses and share an experience when you're on the same platform.

^ +1 Nikon / Canon

For used equipment, only one I can think of with a years guarantee is Nikon-only:
http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/products/secon...

The 'bundles' can be ok, but check what each component is - not all filters, mem-cards, etc. are created equal


One place to keep an eye on is: http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/
I'd not order from any-random-site, but it'll give you an idea if something really is a bargain.

I'd also advise popping to a local shop and checking which you actually prefer to use Some people just 'click' with a particular brand. Even if you know the absolute best internet price, personally I'd be willing to pay a premium to buy from a local store (after a bit of haggling )


Hope this helps

[vrsmxtb]

This looks a good deal?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004V2HE9...

I've used a Nikon D90 before and liked that haven't used a good Canon yet.. maybe I should wait until I've seen and held a comparable Canon.

If it makes any difference, I'm particularly into landscape photography.

Edited by vrsmxtb on Tuesday 4th September 22:46

[Xerstead]

For second hand kit, http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/ is frequently reccomended on a photography forum and http://www.mifsuds.com/ also gets a few mentions. I've not used either myself.

I'd stick with Canon or Nikon as they are the most popular and have a larger selection of used/secondhand kit available.

I'm not familiar with the Nikon kit, but for Canon, a used 40D (£320) with an EF-S 18-55mm IS(£69), a EF 50mm f1.8 (£70) and an EF-S 55-250mm (£129) will bring you in on budget with a good range of lenses. Prices from MPB Photographic, all Exc++ condition.
New, in that price range, it would be the 550D or 600D with the 18-55mm lens.
If I was doing it again, I know which I'd choose

Edited by Xerstead on Tuesday 4th September 23:05

[LongQ]

If you like large screens on the camera then you probably need something fairly recent - especially if you also lke the idea of video for example.

At the weekend I was shooting a variety of open air activities on (mainly) 2 bodies. All Canon.

An old 400D with, mostly, a 24-105 L spec lens.

A 600D with, mostly, a fully manual Samyang 14mm lens.

A 1D3 with, mostly, a 70-200 lens.

Each combination was intended for a different sort of scene and one might think that the 400D would be a weak link but it actually produces very good results given half a chance and a decent lens along with decent light.

On the other hand if you expect to be mainly attempting to work in low light conditions I general you should get greater photographic satisfaction from something very recent or, maybe, a good older model Pro spec body but I doubt any will quite fit into your budget just yet for a full kit.

If you fancy Canon try the Canon Outlet on eBay. At the moment they seem to be consistently offering quite a wide selection with several options that would be within your budget. The items are advertised as 'refurbished' but I have bought several different devices from them over the years and and all have looked new (though the boxes often not so new!). They come (or have done so far) with a full manufacturer warranty anyway so there is little to be concerned about.

[JDRoest]

LongQ said:

Each combination was intended for a different sort of scene and one might think that the 400D would be a weak link but it actually produces very good results given half a chance and a decent lens along with decent light.

I'm a big fan of 400Ds (strange as it seems). Camera has always done what I wanted, won a few competitions with it, and have used one on my latest project. I would heartily recommend buying a s/h 400D and spending the rest on glass.

At the end of the day, no good having a fancy body if you really want 10mm on a lens and can only afford the kit lens.

[swil00]

Strictly speaking its not a DSLR, more a DSLT camera, but I got a Sony A57 last month. Sadly you've just missed Sony's cashback offer though. I bought an additional 75-300mm lens at the same time and if the cashback comes though ok, I got the lens for just £60 !

Just back from holiday and pretty please with it. Watching groupon for DSLR courses, since its wasted in auto mode :-(

My only complaint is that with the standard 18-55mm kit lens, in auto mode it doesn't always detect the correct scene mode, meaning some distance portrait shots with a background leave the person out of focus. Any closer portrait shots are spot on though.

Overall a nice solid feeling camera.

[LongQ]

swil00 said:

My only complaint is that with the standard 18-55mm kit lens, in auto mode it doesn't always detect the correct scene mode, meaning some distance portrait shots with a background leave the person out of focus. Any closer portrait shots are spot on though.

Also not wishing to be pedantic but I doubt that portraits can be 'distant' by many definitions. I would guess that the designers (software) will have a maximum distance to a subject that they would consider to be a portrait for the purposes of automatic assessment. The decisoin may also take into account the lens in use and, potentially, whether you have 'face detection mode' enabled - that sort of thing - and use what it can to make its decisions. It's doubtful that the camera will always be able to double guess your shooting intentions.

There's no need to wait for a Groupon deal when you have internet access and a huge collection of on line tutorials in various forms that will start to take you through a digital camera's capabilities. That's assuming that you don't fancy working your way, selectively, through the various sections of the user guide as questions come to mind. You probably won't need to know the guide inside out - so just pick the sections that are relevant to something you have observed and wish to understand as you observe them. That's likely to be much more relevant to you than a generic course.

Plus, of course, people here are usually willing to offer guidance ... though maybe not so many with Sony kit specifically.

[CommanderJameson]

jdroest said:

It's much easier to swap lenses and share an experience when you're on the same platform.

flat-planedCrank said:

I'd also advise popping to a local shop and checking which you actually prefer to use

That, and that.

I have a Canon, not because I particularly think it's massively better than a Nikon or an Olympus or whatever, but because I like the menus and the buttons. The result is that I'm comfortable with my camera and I don't spend (too much) time fighting with it.

Sadly, this means that the only thing I can really blame my rubbish pictures on is me, but such is life.

[LocoBlade]

If you're thinking Sony over Canon/Nikon then make sure you can get on with the digital viewfinder that comes as part of the SLT design rather than a true SLR with a mirror actually showing you what's coming through the lens.

I had a quick play with a family member's Sony Alpha 37 today, overall it felt comparable to my Nikon 5100 in terms of size and handling, but I couldnt get on at all with the digital viewfinder. The viewfinder image was very blue and nothing like as clear as the Nikon viewfinder (or any SLR viewfinder I've looked through), so much so that I found it tricky checking if the subject was truly in focus, plus it also had a slight lag and judder to the view when panning which I thought was really disconcerting.

Edited by LocoBlade on Saturday 8th September 23:40

[Upatdawn]

regarding the Canon and Nikon true SLR ranges, where does the "pro" range generally considered to start from?

i feel i want more than a d5100 without going barmy (and suffering injury if wifey sees the invoice)

Nikon d3? Canon Mk2 eos?

[Upatdawn]

BTW, if you type into google (say) nikon d5100 vs fuji hs30 exr you will get sent to a website called snapsort giving loads of facts a suggestion...

[LongQ]

Upatdawn said:

regarding the Canon and Nikon true SLR ranges, where does the "pro" range generally considered to start from?

i feel i want more than a d5100 without going barmy (and suffering injury if wifey sees the invoice)

Nikon d3? Canon Mk2 eos?

If yo ulook at Canon you can get some idea from the requirements for Professional Services membership. See the links on the page.

So XXD and XD bodies as a minimum. I would think this relates to the the designed in build quality to some extent since the market population would still be quite large for XXD bodies if the purpose of the requirement was to severely limit the number of possible members.

Edited by LongQ on Sunday 9th September 14:36

Edited by LongQ on Sunday 9th September 14:36

[uk_vette]

I am also in the mind to upgrade from a Samsung L85
Sure a little long in the tooth, but great pictures.

Now we are looking at the Sony bridge camera, HX 200

Seems to have super zoom at 30 x optical, and 18,2 MP.
Any good?

vette

[Upatdawn]

uk_vette said:

I am also in the mind to upgrade from a Samsung L85
Sure a little long in the tooth, but great pictures.

Now we are looking at the Sony bridge camera, HX 200

Seems to have super zoom at 30 x optical, and 18,2 MP.
Any good?

vette

I have the Finepix HS30 EXR - Fujis latest bridge, bought because I had a S9500 fail (coulda got it fixed for £60...doh) and the screen is great for low/hi level shots, and it has a "30x" zoom (supposedly 24mm-700mm) but its not all that good lens-wise, especially at the far end of the zoom.