Camera Advice wanted.. (please)

[The Riddler]

Hi all, after 2 years with my trusty Fuji S5600, the time has come to make the leap to a full SLR..

Unfortunatley, i only have a very limited budget for this (sub £300) and have mainly been swinging towards the sony Alpha A200.

Is this a decent camera? What else could i get for this kind of price? The best price i've had on the sony is £216 with an 18-70mm lens. Obviously, i would need a body and lens kit to start with, But realise the initial purchase could work out more expensive in the long run (when buying lenses and accessories)

All thoughts and advice welcome!

[nick_bbb]

Somebody recently asked me if they should buy the Sony as thier first DSLR, I said that I wouldn't as the lack choice for lenses and other accessories will fustrate as they go up the learning curve. I suggested a Nikkon or Canon. They ignored my advice and bought the Sony. Already they are fustrated at the choice of lenses available.

[rustyspit]

If you want to match the price of the Sony, your options are quite limited.

From Nikon, you could get a D40 kit for £215-ish - a good camera, but perhaps getting a bit long in the tooth. The more recent D60 kit is about £100 more.

From Canon you could get an EOS1000D kit for about the same price as the D60, or you could try getting a refurb 400D from the Canon outlet on eBay ( http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Canon-Outlet ).

Personally, I'd take any of those cameras over an A200, but the best advice is to read some reviews, then go into a shop and try them out for yourself. Have a look here for price comparisons:
http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/

...and here for reviews:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/

[350Wedge]

Dont forget that the lens mount is Minolta 'A' so most Minolta lenses will also work with the A200. That opens you up to other options such as Sigma who make a good selection of lenses. Unless you want super sharp lenses equivalent to Canon L series or Nikon top end glass then you still have plenty of choice. The Sigma EX series are extremely good and not bad value either esp if buying second hand.

What kind of subjects will you be taking? To start with you will have the kit lens, and I believe the 70-300mm Sony lens is around £139 (on Amazon) which you can add at a later date.

As for the camera itself its a good little camera, anything over 800 ISO isnt quite as good quality as its main rivals. And lets face it, a Digi SLR with the features of the A200 complete with lens for about £216 is a bargain! Amazon i believe are the cheapest at the moment including the current £30 cashback offer...

Edited by 350Wedge on Friday 7th November 13:39

[Jack Blag]

For your budget, I would buy a Nikon D40. The lenses will never be outdated, but the body will, so it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money on the body if you're on a tight budget.

As an example, Jessops have a Nikon D40 with an 18-55mm lens, 4Gb Ultra II memory card and a bag for £279.97.

[Pupp]

Don't dismiss used bodies/outfits either. Good kit out there to be had and you might get more for your money.

[nick_bbb]

350Wedge said:

Dont forget that the lens mount is Minolta 'A' so most Minolta lenses will also work with the A200.

Ahh Minolta, famous for thier DSLRs

[350Wedge]

nick_bbb said:

350Wedge said:

Dont forget that the lens mount is Minolta 'A' so most Minolta lenses will also work with the A200.

Ahh Minolta, famous for thier DSLRs

You obviously never used a 5D or 7D then, or going back to film days the fabulous Dynax 9 and 9Xi (owned and used both of these). I used to be purely Minolta before moving to Canon, excellent products...and lets not forget who Leica used to manufacture some of their camera's/lenses

[nick_bbb]

Things move pretty quickly now though

[Stu247]

350Wedge said:

Dont forget that the lens mount is Minolta 'A' so most Minolta lenses will also work with the A200. That opens you up to other options such as Sigma who make a good selection of lenses. Unless you want super sharp lenses equivalent to Canon L series or Nikon top end glass then you still have plenty of choice. The Sigma EX series are extremely good and not bad value either esp if buying second hand.

What kind of subjects will you be taking? To start with you will have the kit lens, and I believe the 70-300mm Sony lens is around £139 (on Amazon) which you can add at a later date.

As for the camera itself its a good little camera, anything over 800 ISO isnt quite as good quality as its main rivals. And lets face it, a Digi SLR with the features of the A200 complete with lens for about £216 is a bargain! Amazon i believe are the cheapest at the moment including the current £30 cashback offer...

3 work colleagues of mine have recently all bought Sony A200's and can't fault them.
IS built into the body instead of the lens is a plus(not sure how well it works though) and they all seem to pick up lenses on ebay at handy money.

All in all I think it's fantastic for the money

[kendalmint]

Just made the move to a DSLR (last week!), after a good look around I opeted for the Canon 400D (outgoing model to the 450D) can get these for around £350 if some highstreet shops, or on e-bay 'canon outlet' site selling B-stock (exdisplay or repaired cameras) with a years warranty for around £270-300 which having got mine this way seems a great deal, this camera I would say is way beuond my ability now or for years to come

[havoc]

Buy a 2nd-hand / refurb'd Canon or Nikon:-
- much wider choice of lenses*;
- even the older ones are still quality items and have all the features a beginner will need;
- dust aside, a body will be good for years...or at least as long as the sensor lasts!

* Which is the important point - lenses help make good photos, not the body...

[The Riddler]

Plenty of food for thought on here, cheers all.

Will get myself down jessops and play with a few of the recomendations.

Ta.