Ok, the time is getting close, recommend me a camera.

[AndyKH]

Hi guys and girls. Its getting close to christmas when i will be buying myself my first dslr , i was looking exclusively at canons (have been watching refurbed 400d's on ebay) as i'm used to them but i'm now thinking about all the others. I'm looking at spending 3-350 sovs and obviously want the the best spec possible, Ok, over to you guys.

[Simpo Two]

AndyKH said:

Hi guys and girls. Its getting close to christmas when i will be buying myself my first dslr , i was looking exclusively at canons (have been watching refurbed 400d's on ebay) as i'm used to them but i'm now thinking about all the others. I'm looking at spending 3-350 sovs and obviously want the the best spec possible, Ok, over to you guys.

I can't make any recommmendations but at that level there are plenty to choose from - Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus, Samsung and probably another which escapes me. Canon and Nikon have the biggest ranges of bits if you ever plan to upgrade/build a system; Sony seem to be pulling ahead of the rest. Find them all at www.dpreview.com

[AndyKH]

I will be building a bit of kit over time and ideally want something that i'm not going to 'outskill' if that makes any sense. The 450d canon is exactly what i want but slightly out of budget and i'm wondering if it would be worth waiting a bit longer for it. I don't want to settle for a different camera then regret not waiting a month for the 450d.

[Yellabelly]

Well, from my experience............. don't

So you eventually, after much heart searching, magazine reading, PH thread watching, bothering Jessop's for another 'look' at your intended, you will be swayed by other views, will look to getting something a little higher spec, a little more money, what's in the package, do I need that Lowepro bag, that Manfrotto tripod, that 70 - 200/f2.8 telephoto, that 105mm macro that super dooper £300 flashgun, that .............? pal, this is endless, unrelenting and bl--dy expensive.
I am about £3,500 out on this hobb......obsession and I am still a crap photographer but I live in hope that I'll get at least one photo in focus!

However you will make up your own mind, even with the threats from the GF no matter what us lot say so, ........welcome to the club, stick with Canon or Nikon and watch you bank balance shrink like plums on a cold day.

Now spend some money!!!!

As a Nikon user I would recommend a Canon 400D or 450D as a starter or a Nikon D70 or D80 S/H, the Canon seems easier to use and produces good crisp shots out of the box whereas the Nikon seems to make you work harder even in program mode. AMHO !!!

Good Luck

Edited by Yellabelly on Monday 1st December 13:08

[AndyKH]

I am a little out of touch with it all but it was a major hobby 3-4 years ago back when i was an assistant photographer with access to a 1d. My O/H has always said she didnt mind me spending the cash as she's seen what i've been producing with a point and shoot and also my camera phone of all things!

[Simpo Two]

AndyKH said:

I will be building a bit of kit over time and ideally want something that i'm not going to 'outskill' if that makes any sense. The 450d canon is exactly what i want but slightly out of budget and i'm wondering if it would be worth waiting a bit longer for it. I don't want to settle for a different camera then regret not waiting a month for the 450d.

Fair points but bear this in mind. I can think of four things that combine to make a photograph. Camera body. Lens. Bloke behind viewfinder. Processing.

I think I can say that whether you take the photo with a 400D or 450D will make not a bean of difference to the end result... buying a more expensive body will make little significant difference unless you start getting really keen and critical. I'll put 50p on the first thing you change being the lens

[Simpo Two]

Yellabelly said:

As a Nikon user I would recommend a Canon 400D or 450D as a starter or a Nikon D70 or D80 S/H

Actually I have a D70 going spare complete with with very sharp Nikkor 24-85mm and a Nikkor 70-300mm ED, two batteries, charger, memory card, boxes etc. I appreciate the D70 is no longer 'state of the art' but it served me well and of course still gives the same results as it did when new.