First D-SLR

[dtmpower]

I am looking for my first D-SLR to progress on from my Fuji S2000 zoom compact.

What's the current best of the crop under £500 ? I will want to take motorsport action shots and also family action and portraits.

[RobDickinson]

I'd look at the nikon D3100 and the canon 500D new.

Or a 40D used and a 55-250IS lens for motorsport.

[Killwilly]

Nothing wrong with the Canon 450D and kit lens for starters, you can always add better lenses as you progress.

Taken with my 450D and 18-55IS kit lens

Edited by Killwilly on Sunday 10th October 07:39

[RobDickinson]

Can you still get the 450D new!?

[horacethefrog]

Killwilly said:

Nothing wrong with the Canon 450D and kit lens for starters, you can always add better lenses as you progress.

Taken with my 450D and 18-55IS kit lens

Edited by Killwilly on Sunday 10th October 07:39

I don't think that's doing the 450D any justice - it's a nice shot but it looks like a massive amount of compression has been applied and the image quality has been lost.

[Killwilly]

RobDickinson said:

Can you still get the 450D new!?

http://www.digitalrev.com/en/canon-eos-450d-with-18mm-55mm-is-lens-kit-2832.html

[Killwilly]

horacethefrog said:

Killwilly said:

Nothing wrong with the Canon 450D and kit lens for starters, you can always add better lenses as you progress.

Taken with my 450D and 18-55IS kit lens

Edited by Killwilly on Sunday 10th October 07:39

I don't think that's doing the 450D any justice - it's a nice shot but it looks like a massive amount of compression has been applied and the image quality has been lost.

Thanks for your comment.

[Gad-Westy]

Was in a similar predicament a few weeks back and ended up going for a nikon d5000. Typing this on my phone so I'll not waffle on about but it's well worth looking it up.

[Killwilly]

Gad-Westy said:

Was in a similar predicament a few weeks back and ended up going for a nikon d5000. Typing this on my phone so I'll not waffle on about but it's well worth looking it up.

A side-by-side comparison at the site below.


[url]http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp[url]

[Sixpackpert]

Just picked up one of these the other week.

Very impressed with it so far!

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-pentax-k-x-dig...

[Mojocvh]

Canon n1000D and then spend on the glass

Mo.

[Elderly]

Sixpackpert said:

Just picked up one of these the other week.

Very impressed with it so far!

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-pentax-k-x-dig...

It looks a nice little DSLR but ..... the deal breaker for ME (according to the reviews ) is that there are no visible AF points in viewfinder.

[Mojocvh]

Elderly said:

Sixpackpert said:

Just picked up one of these the other week.

Very impressed with it so far!

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-pentax-k-x-dig...

It looks a nice little DSLR but ..... the deal breaker for ME (according to the reviews ) is that there are no visible AF points in viewfinder.

I found moving from both film (and compact digi) the selection of your AF points/patterns can be one of the easily "assumed" factors in making a real mess of things when learning to use a dslr, one of those skills you learn during the vertical learning curve.

I'm getting the hang of it though (I think) LOL.
The Astro stuff is however a completely different game focus wise.

[andyroo]

I have a 500d (I upgraded to a 5d) body with two 8gb sd cards and a spare battery for sale at £370 if you're interested?

Example pics taken from it:

[dtmpower]

A 500D is in budget (can't stretch to 5D or 7D)

Is there any comparable camera from Sony/Nikon to the 500D ?

I don't have any lenses - complete SLR novice.

[andyroo]

dtmpower said:

A 500D is in budget (can't stretch to 5D or 7D)

Is there any comparable camera from Sony/Nikon to the 500D ?

I don't have any lenses - complete SLR novice.

Comparatively, Nikon is usually more expensive for the same spec. It's like the Jap four superbikes - you can't go wrong whatever you choose.

I chose the 500d because I like white lenses

Let me know if you would like to buy mine.

[RobDickinson]

There isnt a huge amount in it between brands now at the entry level , nikon still have a black mark for no body motor so older screw drive lenses wont autofocus, but theres so many nice new ones out there that do its nto that big a deal.


IMO historicaly canons have (for the money) been better sports cameras than any other, not sure thats 100% true anymore, sony seem to be poor on the whole sport shooting side of things (slower af slower fps longer blackouts etc).

[zcacogp]

FWIW, I was in exactly the same boat when I went on holiday a couple of months ago, and ended up buying a second-hand NIkon D80. It came with a (I think) 18-135 lens, and I paid a smidge over £400 for it on eBay.

I'm delighted with it, and would heartily recommend it.


Oli.

[onomatopoeia]

dtmpower said:

A 500D is in budget (can't stretch to 5D or 7D)

Is there any comparable camera from Sony/Nikon to the 500D ?

The 500D does video. Sony only offer video on their SLT cameras (a33, a55) and not the SLRs as yet so no direct equivalent. Do you want video?

Video aside, the Sony a450/500/550 seem to be broadly similar. Advantages - you get image stabilisation in the body, so all lenses the camera can detect will be stabilised; in addition to Sony's own lenses and the 3rd parties (Sigma, Tamron, Tokina) you can get lovely autofocus Zeiss lenses (not available on Canon or Nikon); much s/h Minolta glass is available which works as it is the same mount, some of it is excellent (sony bought the DSLR business from Minolta).
Disadvantages - you can't get the £5k+ behemoths of lenses that you can for Canikon - 400/2.8, 200/2 etc - I point this out as people often say "no glass" for Sony and those are the lenses you can't get in that mount, there are fewer Chinese knock-off copy accessories available for Sony than there are for Canon or Nikon, the hotshoe mount is different, meaning you would need to buy a £8 adapter on ebay to use the 'traditional' hotshoe flashes that can be fitted to Canon & Nikon bodies rather than flashes designed to fit the Sony mount.

[pmanson]

I have a 1000D which I purchased back in Feb with a 18-55 'kit' lens and a Tamron 70-300.

I took this at the weekend with the 18-55:



I'd really like to get some better and more flexible lens at some point but I can't justify the outlay!