Novice looking to buy new camera - needs advice
Discussion
Well, being a Canon man, I would point you in the direction of the Canon 20D which certainly falls into your price bracket and is a lovely bit of kit IMHO. The 350D, which I have, is also a great camera. A semi-pro friend of mine who uses a 20D thinks that the 350D is very nearly as good as his 20D, albeit not as robust.
The Nikon crew will no doubt be along shortly to disagree with me
The Nikon crew will no doubt be along shortly to disagree with me
matrs said:
Trackdays and Motorsport mainly
OK, well you need to budget for a whole package. I'm a Nikonite so my suggestion will be Nikon-based 'cos that's what I know best.
You will need (as a complete starter package but you can always add to it later):
Camera body
Mid-range zoom lens for general purpose photography (often packaged with body as 'kit')
Telephoto lens for trackdays
1Gb memory card from reputable maker
Bag to keep it all in.
My suggestions would be (prices from Warehouse Express:
Nikon D70 with 18-70mm lens (kit) £689
Nikkor 70-300 ED £265
Lexar 80X 1Gb CF Pro card £70
Oops, no money left for bag!
You can get the bits cheaper if you're prepared to use eBay, import etc. Unfotunately there wasn't enough loot for a long AF-S/HSM (silent wave) telephoto. If you think the D50 is adequate for your needs, get that and put the saving towards lenses.
>> Edited by simpo two on Wednesday 21st December 17:20
simpo two said:
Trackdays and Motorsport mainly
OK, well you need to budget for a whole package. I'm a Nikonite so my suggestion will be Nikon-based 'cos that's what I know best.
You will need (as a complete starter package but you can always add to it later):
Camera body
Mid-range zoom lens for general purpose photography (often packaged with body as 'kit')
Telephoto lens for trackdays
1Gb memory card from reputable maker
Bag to keep it all in.
My suggestions would be (prices from Warehouse Express:
Nikon D70 with 18-70mm lens (kit) £689
Nikkor 70-300 ED £265
Lexar 80X 1Gb CF Pro card £70
Oops, no money left for bag!
You can get the bits cheaper if you're prepared to use eBay, import etc. Unfotunately there wasn't enough loot for a long AF-S/HSM (silent wave) telephoto. If you think the D50 is adequate for your needs, get that and put the saving towards lenses.
>> Edited by simpo two on Wednesday 21st December 17:20
Here's the vote from the Canon camp - obviously MUCH better
again, warehouseexpress.com prices:
EOS 350D + 18-55 - £569
EF 70-300IS USM - £369
Sandisk UltraII 1Gb card - £66.90
£4.90 over budget, but you are getting a higher resolution camera, with a longer reach (1.6x vs. 1.5x), better and higher ISO capabilities and a fantastic brand-new USM (fast focussing) IS (Image Stabilised - anti-shake) long lens.
Fantastic little package if you ask me!!!
406tm said:
Secondhand D100 with MB-D100 £480 - From me with about 6 months warranty left from Jessops
18-70 of of Ebay £200 or there abouts
SB600 about £200
Bag £50
CF card £48 Ebay
And a few bob for a beer
In your eagerness to sell off your old junk you forgot to allow for a telephoto for the trackdays wot he specifically said he wanted to do. Read the brief!
I'm a canon person at heart but let me throw another option in the ring.
Minolta Dynax 7D with 18-70D Lens £669.00 at Warehouse Express
Add Minolta 70-300 APO D lens 339.00 also Warehouse Express.
If you buy a 7D before 31/01/06 you will get the VC-7D grip for free (worth £149) and a free 1GB Kingston CF Card.
I'm slightly over budget with this package but as an alternative go for a Dynax 5D which is superb value at £479.00 including 18-70D lens and will produce results near identical to the 7D.
You could also save a load if you bought the std Minolta 70-300D lens (not the APO) which is only £139
5D plus 18-70 £479
70-300D lens £139
1GB CF Card £69
Bag £60
Total £747
Bid advantage of minolta system is both bodies have built in Anti Shake so effectivly any lens you buy will become anti shake...
Minolta Dynax 7D with 18-70D Lens £669.00 at Warehouse Express
Add Minolta 70-300 APO D lens 339.00 also Warehouse Express.
If you buy a 7D before 31/01/06 you will get the VC-7D grip for free (worth £149) and a free 1GB Kingston CF Card.
I'm slightly over budget with this package but as an alternative go for a Dynax 5D which is superb value at £479.00 including 18-70D lens and will produce results near identical to the 7D.
You could also save a load if you bought the std Minolta 70-300D lens (not the APO) which is only £139
5D plus 18-70 £479
70-300D lens £139
1GB CF Card £69
Bag £60
Total £747
Bid advantage of minolta system is both bodies have built in Anti Shake so effectivly any lens you buy will become anti shake...
RobDickinson said:
Canon 350d kit is £475 at digitalrev.
Nikon D50 kit is £389.99 at DigitalRev
www.digitalrev.com/en/product_details.php?category_id=1&item_id=796
- which means if you can find another £35 you can have this big f4 HSM bastard for the sports:
www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/lenses/telezoom/100-300mm.htm
(£645 at Bristol Cameras)
>> Edited by simpo two on Wednesday 21st December 21:05
simpo two said:
Canon 350d kit is £475 at digitalrev.
Nikon D50 kit is £389.99 at DigitalRev
www.digitalrev.com/en/product_details.php?category_id=1&item_id=796
If you dont mind loosing out on ISO100, a few frames a sec (14 vs 12), 2mp etc.. but the kit lense is better than the canon, heard there poor(re) at higher ISO's too?
I like the feel/layout of the canons and I know someone I can borrow lenses off so thats more important to me lol...
simpo two said:
Secondhand D100 with MB-D100 £480 - From me with about 6 months warranty left from Jessops
18-70 of of Ebay £200 or there abouts
SB600 about £200
Bag £50
CF card £48 Ebay
And a few bob for a beer
In your eagerness to sell off your old junk you forgot to allow for a telephoto for the trackdays wot he specifically said he wanted to do. Read the brief!
Oy, the D100 is not junk. OK forget about the SB600 and get a Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 G Lens for £100 off of Ebay and a couple of extra CF cards or and Tripod
Happy Now?
RobDickinson said:
If you dont mind loosing out on ISO100, a few frames a sec (14 vs 12), 2mp etc.. but the kit lense is better than the canon, heard there poor(re) at higher ISO's too?
I don't think ISO100 is much of a dealbreaker, especially not for motorsport. By 14/12 fps you must mean buffer size? If so, how many times have you needed to fire off 14 consecutive shots, or even 12 for that matter? Difference between 6Mp and 8Mp is that your images are 15% wider and fill your card faster
Compare stuff here: www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_eos350d%2Cnikon_d50%2Cnikon_d70&show=all
However ATEOTD Rob we're squabbling over beans. The cameras are effectively equal. By far the most important factor is the bloke behind the camera. And then the lens.
simpo two said:
However ATEOTD Rob we're squabbling over beans. The cameras are effectively equal. By far the most important factor is the bloke behind the camera. And then the lens.
True. Theres not much practical difference between many of the current dSLR's, which is why how it feels in your hands/works for you is probably more important. That and a fast 300m...
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