DSLR advice total noob with max £500 to spend

[Chewitt]

Cannon or Nikon (like the feel of the nikon slightly more)

and....d3100 or d5000 - very close in price and spec sort of bamboozles me at the moment

or should I save a few ££'s and get myself a EOS 1000D and a 2nd lens? or should I be looking at an EOS 500D

I think I can adapt to either


any help very much appreciated

[Major Bloodnok]

If you're going to be serious about it, then you're going to be handling the camera a lot, so don't underestimate the importance of how it feels. Personally, I find Nikons (well, the D200, which is a bit larger than some of the other Nikons) to be more comfortable in my hand than, say, a 5DII, and the control layout seems more intuitive to me (but that may just be familiarity). YMMV. If your camera's uncomfortable, you'll be less likely to pick it up and use it - that's why I love my 'Blad so much: it's such a sensuous thing to hold and use.

Beyond that - no-one ever made a mistake buying either Canon or Nikon.

[Ollerton57]

If you prefer the hold of Canon, then you are better getting the 500d over the 1000d.

I had the choice myself as well, but I was also contemplating the 550d, the newest xxxd model. For the addition money though, I couldn't really see what extra it added over the 500d if you're not using video.

All just my opinion of course