Is there a cheaper alternative to a Canon D90

[CHIEF]

Righto first of all what i know about cameras could be wrote on a postage stamp so go easy.

Anyway what it is i've had a cheap crappy 60 quid camera for an age now and to be honest the quality at this level is pretty dire as you could expect from a camera at this price.

A couple of people i know have bought Canon D90's and after looking at pictures it has produced its simply blown me away considering they're only around the 500 quid mark.

What i want to know and ask the experts on here is there a cheaper priced SLR camera that can produce results comparable to the D90. I've been told that Canon and Nikon are the best makes but again i know bugger all about such things.

Thanks in advance.

Much appreciated.

[Simpo Two]

A Canon D90 you say...?



ETA: But any DSLR in the right hands will produce very good results - just buying the same camera doesn't necessarily mean yours will be as good.

Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 17th February 15:23

[CHIEF]

Simpo Two said:

A Canon D90 you say...?



ETA: But any DSLR in the right hands will produce very good results - just buying the same camera doesn't necessarily mean yours will be as good.

Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 17th February 15:23

I realise that but the difference in quality is superb compared to my cheap camera but the thing is for all i know there maybe a camera thats cheaper that will produce the same quality as the D90.

• *edited***

Ok i'll be blunt in an ideal world i'd like a camera thats as good or almost as good for around the 2-300 quid mark. Is that possible?

Edited by CHIEF on Wednesday 17th February 15:35

[Simpo Two]

CHIEF said:

Ok i'll be blunt in an ideal world i'd like a camera thats as good or almost as good for around the 2-300 quid mark. Is that possible?

Pretty much, yes. Most of the difference between, say, a D40 and a D90 is extra buttons that don't make the image 'better', just give you more control. After a £60 compact, any DSLR will be light-years better - but don't expect perfect photos straight out of the box, you'll have to put some effort in.

[gary71]

What they all said

Please excuse the blatant sales pitch, but you can have my (Nikon) D80 for £300, although you would need to buy a lens

[olimeads]

im asuming you are refering to the nikon d90?

[RobDickinson]

Canon puts the 'D' at the end, nikons put it at the start.

This continues throughout the whole body, everything is 'back to front' on the other (even down to which way the lens mounts).

There isnt a poor dSLR thesedays, even the cheap entry levels produce excelent pictures in most situations, perfomance and ergonomics takes a step up with more $ though.

A D90 (nikon) is still a amature/consumer body but towards the top end, D3000 is the entry level one and is fine, as is the canon 1000D or 450/500D.

[CHIEF]

Sorry it is a Nikon.

Doh - sorry i should get my facts right before posting.

[RobDickinson]

A canon D90 would get everyone confused!

[RichTbiscuit]

Buy a second hand body. I bought a Canon EOS 40D second hand last month and have absolutely loved every minute I've spent using it. The jump from my higher end compact to a DSLR was such a paradigm shift that it's taken me a while to get used to the change. I would definately recommend buying second hand to start off with and go from there.

Remember that in order to take good photographs it's not the camera (there's an award winning photographer who only uses a iphone i believe) but the person behind. What a DSLR gives you more importantly is lens flexibility, optical viewfinder and also being able to change most of your settings from button bodies rather than in menus. That last point alone makes the process so much faster and easier!

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[CHIEF]

Thanks for all your comments on this.
Sorry for the Canon/Nikon mix up - Duhhhh!!!

Anyway having had a look it seems as someone said above that the Nikon D40 comes in for some praise for a beginners camera.

Checked some reviews and it seems quite a bit of kit for 250 quid

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&amp...

[RobDickinson]

D40 produces some good images but its very feature poor for an SLR, usualy this wouldnt be an issue as they have plenty but I think the D40 lacks a ton of stuff I personaly use quite frequently (bracketing, mutlplie AF points, mirror lockup etc).

[CHIEF]

Ok what about a D3000?????

[RobDickinson]

CHIEF said:

Ok what about a D3000?????

Is the D40's replacement and has at least addressed some of its shortcomings.

Honestly go and hold all the low end bodies in a store somewhere, play with the buttons, change lenses etc, often one 'feels right' which is more important than a few techy details.

[mybrainhurts]

CHIEF said:

Ok what about a D3000?????

Do you mean the Praktika D3000, or the Brownie D3000...?

[Yellabelly]

As Rob said, you need to go and handle the various cameras as they do feel different in the hand, there is a distinctly different feel between Nikon and Canon, I tried a Canon 40D and Nikon D200 and bought the Nikon because it felt right.

When you've had a look and don't discount other manufacturers such as Pentax, Olympus and Sony although they don't have the range of lenses that are available for Nikon/Canon, then think about a Nikon D70 or D70s or Canon 350D/400D/20D or 40D. All of them produce stunning images in the right hands

HTH

YB

[cirks]

I know you mentioned the D90 and dSLR in your original post but the first thing to ask when moving from your 'el cheapo' camera is what sort of photography you want to do and whether you want/need the flexibility of an SLR. If you're only concerned about image quality, most of the modern compacts are going to be better than you currently have, then you could look at advanced compacts (eg Canon G11 etc) or bridge cameras (eg the Panasonics), then the SLRs etc. A bridge camera might suit you fine if you don't need the interchangeable lenses of an SLR or you want 'that look' but with a smaller body.

Definately go and handle as many cameras as you can but, don't just rush out and get an SLR for image quality sake alone.

[Quaint]

I'll second (ho ho) the people who suggest going with a second-hand body.

A friend of mine upgraded to a D90, and I bought his old camera (a D70) off him, along with a couple of lenses. I paid less than half the cost of a new D90 body. The D70 is a few years old now (IIRC it was launched in 2005) but I find it perfect for learning the craft of using a DSLR. It's got all the features I use (and plenty which I haven't really explored yet!). It loses out to brand-new kit on the size of the screen and the pixel count, neither of which worry me at all.

The picture quality is (to my eyes at least) excellent - my flickr page is HERE if you want to see some pics taken with the D70. Whatever is wrong with the photos on there isn't the camera's fault, it's mine!