What would you get out of these?
Discussion
Hullo,
Ive had SLR/DSLRs for years but earlier this year I had to sell my trusty Olympus E-510 due to financial circumstances.
I can now afford to buy a camera again and have a few options! my budget is around £400-£450 which needs to include atleast one lens and a memory card.
1. Olympus E-520. Sticking with what I know, the E-520 is basicially the new version of the E-510. Bearing in mind that prior to the E-510 I owned an E-500 so pretty much know these cameras inside out. I like the way the cameras work but there are a few things that let me down. The dynamic range on the cameras arent great. Its not bad by any means but its so easy to blow highlights when trying to get detail in shadows. The clipping is also quite harsh when doing so. Also I always found that results tended to vary vastly. I could never really trust the camera to give me the result I wanted and would often have to play with settings to get it just right, or spend time in photoshop later. Saying that though, the new camera features a Dynamic range booster but acording to reviews, this also increases noise in the areas affected. Lastly, the availability of add-ons. Not that there arent any, but more that they are very expencive for lenses/flashes and anything else as the majority of kit is made my Olympus only due to them using the 4:3 system.
2. Nikon D60. I used to own a Nikon F55d film SLR. I used to love it and always wanted a Dslr that would work in exactly the same way. I owned a Nikon D50 for a while and whilst it did everything exactly how the F55 did, I "upgraded" to the E-500 shortly after buying it. The Nikon, in my eyes, seems to be a good bet. Comparing sample photos from the 4 cameras listed, the Nikons are my favourite straight out of the camera. The only real downside I can see is much like the Olympus, availability of add-ons. Not so much flashes and other accessories but lenses! Only select Nikon lenses (and others) work with the camera due to the way it focuses.
3. Canon 1000d. I dont know a great deal about this camera really and only came across it last night. It seems to be a good contender with no real let downs as far as anything goes. Looking at samples again, the colours seem to be quite washed out. Reviews have said that this camera has a good dynamic range, but looking at samples, it seems mostly due to the photos lacking in contrast. I quite like punchy colours but also want plenty of detail in the highlights and shadows. Obviously, this could be corrected in photoshop but I would rather it came out of the camera acceptable (in my eyes). I have never used a canon DSLR before so have never seen how the menu systems work either.
4. Sony Alpha A350. Again, I dont know a great deal about this camera but have seen some samples and reviews that I am very impressed with. I like the colour and sharpness of the pictures straight out of the camera. Infact I cant fault them. My main concern is actually the fact that it is Sony. Big brand, yes, but in my experience, pretty much everything I have owned that is Sony, broke pretty quickly, usualy a week after the warrenty ran out! I have owned a few Sony point and shoots and were pretty happy with them (although this is going back around 6 years). Also my uncle owns one of the Alpha models (the first one) and his images are cracking, he has no complaints.
So, with my limited knowledge on the 3 cameras out of my comfort zone, which would you choose? The main contenders in my eyes are the 3 I dont know alot about. I do like the Olympus cameras but did often get frustraited with the lack of dynamic range and various other quirks that I never found with the D50 I owned.
Are there any other cameras I should maybe consider too? Remember, my budget is £400-450. I would prefer to buy new but would consider second hand too for something like a D80 if you can get them in that range?
Help!
:-)
Ive had SLR/DSLRs for years but earlier this year I had to sell my trusty Olympus E-510 due to financial circumstances.
I can now afford to buy a camera again and have a few options! my budget is around £400-£450 which needs to include atleast one lens and a memory card.
1. Olympus E-520. Sticking with what I know, the E-520 is basicially the new version of the E-510. Bearing in mind that prior to the E-510 I owned an E-500 so pretty much know these cameras inside out. I like the way the cameras work but there are a few things that let me down. The dynamic range on the cameras arent great. Its not bad by any means but its so easy to blow highlights when trying to get detail in shadows. The clipping is also quite harsh when doing so. Also I always found that results tended to vary vastly. I could never really trust the camera to give me the result I wanted and would often have to play with settings to get it just right, or spend time in photoshop later. Saying that though, the new camera features a Dynamic range booster but acording to reviews, this also increases noise in the areas affected. Lastly, the availability of add-ons. Not that there arent any, but more that they are very expencive for lenses/flashes and anything else as the majority of kit is made my Olympus only due to them using the 4:3 system.
2. Nikon D60. I used to own a Nikon F55d film SLR. I used to love it and always wanted a Dslr that would work in exactly the same way. I owned a Nikon D50 for a while and whilst it did everything exactly how the F55 did, I "upgraded" to the E-500 shortly after buying it. The Nikon, in my eyes, seems to be a good bet. Comparing sample photos from the 4 cameras listed, the Nikons are my favourite straight out of the camera. The only real downside I can see is much like the Olympus, availability of add-ons. Not so much flashes and other accessories but lenses! Only select Nikon lenses (and others) work with the camera due to the way it focuses.
3. Canon 1000d. I dont know a great deal about this camera really and only came across it last night. It seems to be a good contender with no real let downs as far as anything goes. Looking at samples again, the colours seem to be quite washed out. Reviews have said that this camera has a good dynamic range, but looking at samples, it seems mostly due to the photos lacking in contrast. I quite like punchy colours but also want plenty of detail in the highlights and shadows. Obviously, this could be corrected in photoshop but I would rather it came out of the camera acceptable (in my eyes). I have never used a canon DSLR before so have never seen how the menu systems work either.
4. Sony Alpha A350. Again, I dont know a great deal about this camera but have seen some samples and reviews that I am very impressed with. I like the colour and sharpness of the pictures straight out of the camera. Infact I cant fault them. My main concern is actually the fact that it is Sony. Big brand, yes, but in my experience, pretty much everything I have owned that is Sony, broke pretty quickly, usualy a week after the warrenty ran out! I have owned a few Sony point and shoots and were pretty happy with them (although this is going back around 6 years). Also my uncle owns one of the Alpha models (the first one) and his images are cracking, he has no complaints.
So, with my limited knowledge on the 3 cameras out of my comfort zone, which would you choose? The main contenders in my eyes are the 3 I dont know alot about. I do like the Olympus cameras but did often get frustraited with the lack of dynamic range and various other quirks that I never found with the D50 I owned.
Are there any other cameras I should maybe consider too? Remember, my budget is £400-450. I would prefer to buy new but would consider second hand too for something like a D80 if you can get them in that range?
Help!
:-)
Edited by Deluded on Sunday 19th October 17:44
If you're serious about an SLR system, lenses and all, you don't want to tie yourself down too much with a camera like the D60 - better a secondhand D70/s/80/200 in your sights, or a Canon.You are obviously clued up on the pros and cons of the above cameras so I can't add anything there. For what it's worth, if I were making the choice I'd go for Canon or Nikon on the basis of the ubiquity of lenses and accessories; between the two you mentioned, I'd choose the 1000D because I wouldn't like the inability of the D60 to use certain lenses. A quick search suggests that a used D80 plus a basic lens and a memory card should be under £450.
I'd just echo other peoples comments. You really know all the info 
I'd take a look at all the options at a local camera store and see which you 'get along' with most, can be half the battle
If you like the way Nikons work then i'd go with a used D80 over the D40/D40x/D60 range.
Personally i'd discount the four-thirds system cameras due to their inherent characteristics.
Cheers.
I'd take a look at all the options at a local camera store and see which you 'get along' with most, can be half the battle
If you like the way Nikons work then i'd go with a used D80 over the D40/D40x/D60 range.
Personally i'd discount the four-thirds system cameras due to their inherent characteristics.
Cheers.
Blowing the budget by a fiver:
Nikon D80 + 18-55VR, free delivery or collect from Jessops £450: http://www.jessops.com/Store/s75429/0/Digital-SLRs...
2GB SD card, free delivery, £4.99: http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/880...
Nikon D80 + 18-55VR, free delivery or collect from Jessops £450: http://www.jessops.com/Store/s75429/0/Digital-SLRs...
2GB SD card, free delivery, £4.99: http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/880...
Edited by rustyspit on Sunday 19th October 19:17
Ah, I didnt realise the D80 was in my grasp in brand new form :-)
My dad has a D80, ive used it once or twise and liked how it worked (much like the D50 and my old f55d). If I can definatly get one in my price range (such as the jessops offer there), I will go for it!
Otherwise, I still dont know... I think the E520 is out of the window really. But not sure, I do like the cameras alot. The Canon I dont know a great deal about and yes, the 450D would be the better option but JUST a little over budget I think.
My dad has a D80, ive used it once or twise and liked how it worked (much like the D50 and my old f55d). If I can definatly get one in my price range (such as the jessops offer there), I will go for it!
Otherwise, I still dont know... I think the E520 is out of the window really. But not sure, I do like the cameras alot. The Canon I dont know a great deal about and yes, the 450D would be the better option but JUST a little over budget I think.
Deluded said:
With regards to the D80, does anyone here that owns one, have problems with dust on the sensor? I see the camera does not have a dust removal device.
Wouldn't worry about it - neither does mine (D200) and I still manage to earn a living from it. And I change lenses a lot! Deluded said:
The whole dust issue annoys me quite alot. Used to get it a fair bit on the D50 and found is very annoying.
Yup - I'd stick with a bridge camera then; do you really need to change lenses anyway? Any zoom lens, and changing lenses is going to exacerbate this problem on a dSLR. I have to clean mine every six months or so and have taken it in for a specialist clean once (in 14 months) and had to do similar with my previous dSLR.
Have you actually handled the Canon 450D (or similar)? You'll find that they handle and operate quite differently to the Nikon cameras. Neither is necessarily better, but most people prefer one over the other.
It's probably worth going into Jessops and trying them side-by-side. I suspect you'll find the D80 viewfinder is nicer than the 450D - the D80 viewfinder uses a pentaprism, whereas the 450D has a cheaper pentamirror.
It's probably worth going into Jessops and trying them side-by-side. I suspect you'll find the D80 viewfinder is nicer than the 450D - the D80 viewfinder uses a pentaprism, whereas the 450D has a cheaper pentamirror.
beano500 said:
Deluded said:
The whole dust issue annoys me quite alot. Used to get it a fair bit on the D50 and found is very annoying.
Yup - I'd stick with a bridge camera then; do you really need to change lenses anyway? Any zoom lens, and changing lenses is going to exacerbate this problem on a dSLR. I have to clean mine every six months or so and have taken it in for a specialist clean once (in 14 months) and had to do similar with my previous dSLR.
... None of my olympus' have ever suffered from dust on the sensor and I changed the lenses pretty much every time I used them.Ive never used a Canon DSLR before but have used Canon SLRs plenty. I liked the way they opereated but I expect they arent quite the same. Although saying that, I find the Nikon Dslrs very similar to how the Nikon SLRs operated.
Dust bunnies - how we hate 'em! Buy a DSLR and you'll get them no matter what though. Even my D2X with better sealing succumbed in the end and had to be cleaned. The point though is that the vibration mechanisms to clean the sensor will shake off some of the dust but it isn't a cure all. Some time or another the sensor will still need cleaning, no matter how many times you activate the - ahem - vibrator. Proper planning can though extend the time between sensor cleans. Changing lenses trackside in dusty conditions is a no no, so plan ahead where possible and be sure to have the lens you will really need on the camera before you leave home. In other words, don't let this facility sway you. I am a Nikon man because their cameras feel better in my hand and the controls - for me anyway - seem to fall more readily to hand. Handle the cameras yourself before you decide - you might be surprised at how awkward one feels compared to the other.
Deluded said:
^ The D50 I owned constantly had dust on the sensor. I would clean it and a week later it would have dust spots on the photos again.
Interesting - so you say that Olympus get less dust than Nikons? I wonder why this should be. I presume you're taking the usual precautions - ie switching the camera off, angling it downwards and making the change fairly rapid. Perhaps Nikons have more residual charge than Olympus?Anyway, all I can say is that it's a very very very minor issue in my experience with the D70 and D200, although I agree that if you use small apertures and have plain backgrounds or blue sky, dust will show up much more. Personally I'd put ergonomics ahead of 'dust removal tools', which in my cynical opinion are put there by marketing departments to prey on fears and steal business from rivals.
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