dSLR newbie - what to buy?
Discussion
Been looking into getting a dSLR as the prices seems to have become eminently sensible of late.
My brother has a D200 and my dad a D1X, so I'm quite keen on Nikon kit having played with them.
Unfortunately as my Canon S70 has succumbed to the dreaded e18 error I have to budget for a new compact as well so I don't have much to spend on a dSLR - possibly 350-400 including a lens.
The obvious choice is the D40 which does look ideal, but I am put off by the lack of the status LCD and the lack of AF motordrive. Having said that, other than the standard lens in the kit I would probably only be looking for a 70-200mm eventually, not buying a huge number of lenses so maybe it would be OK.
Then there's the Pentax K100D which seems to get a decent writeup, but I am slightly put off by the not Canon or Nikon-ness of it...
And there's the third option of going with a secondhand camera. I don't want to go too old though as I understand that the digital tech moves so fast that today's budget camera may be as good or better than yesterday's rangetopper. So maybe a second hand D80 or D70 - but would the latter be as good as the D40, and would I be able to get either with a lense for under 400 quid?
How about Canon?
Any other suggestions?
My brother has a D200 and my dad a D1X, so I'm quite keen on Nikon kit having played with them.
Unfortunately as my Canon S70 has succumbed to the dreaded e18 error I have to budget for a new compact as well so I don't have much to spend on a dSLR - possibly 350-400 including a lens.
The obvious choice is the D40 which does look ideal, but I am put off by the lack of the status LCD and the lack of AF motordrive. Having said that, other than the standard lens in the kit I would probably only be looking for a 70-200mm eventually, not buying a huge number of lenses so maybe it would be OK.
Then there's the Pentax K100D which seems to get a decent writeup, but I am slightly put off by the not Canon or Nikon-ness of it...
And there's the third option of going with a secondhand camera. I don't want to go too old though as I understand that the digital tech moves so fast that today's budget camera may be as good or better than yesterday's rangetopper. So maybe a second hand D80 or D70 - but would the latter be as good as the D40, and would I be able to get either with a lense for under 400 quid?
How about Canon?
Any other suggestions?
Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Wednesday 17th October 00:06
I've just bought a Sony A100 DSLR from ebuyer for 399 quid with an 18-70mm lens kits. All my photography experience stems from my years using manual film SLRs many years ago and having this shiny piece of kit is very pleasing. It's based on the minolta D5 and is very easy to use and produces very nice results. The other advantage is that you can use all of the old minolta lenses as well as the Sony lenses. I'm very impressed to have got a good quality 10.3 mega pixal DSLR for less than 400 quid. Have a look at the reviews for it. Certainly worth a look.
As the rest of your family are Nikon I'd strongly suggest you stick to Nikon as it'll save a small fortune in duplicate lens purchases.
As for the camera itself a second hand D80 will be far superior to a D40/D40x
Also from what I've been told by a couple of D40 owners the D40 only has 3 AF pints which is a pain in the backside.
If you can't afford a D80 a D70s should do you fine
As for the camera itself a second hand D80 will be far superior to a D40/D40x
Also from what I've been told by a couple of D40 owners the D40 only has 3 AF pints which is a pain in the backside.
If you can't afford a D80 a D70s should do you fine
Go to a shop and handle the contenders, some of them are quite small (compared with film SLRs) and may not suit your hands. Once you have decided which one you like best in your hands, then go for that one.
I wouldn't necessarily rule out buying s/h either, with new models from Nikon and Canon some of last yeras amd the year befores models can be had at good prices.
davidy
I wouldn't necessarily rule out buying s/h either, with new models from Nikon and Canon some of last yeras amd the year befores models can be had at good prices.
davidy
With a new DSLR you son't be using the compact much anyhow, go for the D80...
Seriously though, £100-150 gets you an okay compact, where as you want to spend as much as possible on the DSLR.
Considered a D200 and renewing your mobile phone contract to get a high end camera phone (for free!)?
Also think about Fuji DSLRs, which use Nikon mount.
But try them all in the shop. I know the Sony a100 is amazing value for the price, but I personally don't like the build quality and handling. I think I'm not alone as there's always tons of them SH on ebay.
Seriously though, £100-150 gets you an okay compact, where as you want to spend as much as possible on the DSLR.
Considered a D200 and renewing your mobile phone contract to get a high end camera phone (for free!)?
Also think about Fuji DSLRs, which use Nikon mount.
But try them all in the shop. I know the Sony a100 is amazing value for the price, but I personally don't like the build quality and handling. I think I'm not alone as there's always tons of them SH on ebay.
Get a second hand D70 / D70s if funds are tight. Plenty to choose from on eBay at less than £250 inc lens.
I've been using mine for years & am now considering a change to a D200 / D300, but I'll be keeping the D70 as a backup.
It's great as you can play with the settings as you'd expect, and also put the camera in full auto, and all you have to worry about is not missing peoples heads out of shot - the camera will do everything else.
And, as you realise, all your families lenses will fit (not necessarily the case if you go with a D40, as the lenses need AF motors for that to work correctly)
Hope that helps
Chris
I've been using mine for years & am now considering a change to a D200 / D300, but I'll be keeping the D70 as a backup.
It's great as you can play with the settings as you'd expect, and also put the camera in full auto, and all you have to worry about is not missing peoples heads out of shot - the camera will do everything else.
And, as you realise, all your families lenses will fit (not necessarily the case if you go with a D40, as the lenses need AF motors for that to work correctly)
Hope that helps
Chris
I have no issues with the D70 LCD.
Yes it's a bit smaller than the D40 / D80 etc, but you can still zoom in to check focus, and look at the histogram - that's all I use mine for - if I want to look at the images I'll either hook it to a TV, or download to the PC.
I think that at less than £250 it's stunning value - I paid £600+ for mine with the 18-70 lens (which is the one that you'll be wanting)
All the shots on my site are taken with my D70 (there's a link on my profile, rather than shameless promotion here
)
Highly recommended, as I feel that it's a "deceny sized" camara - I have tried a D40, but it felt too small in my shovel like mitts
Any other q's, please give me a shout / PM
Good luck with the search
Chris
Yes it's a bit smaller than the D40 / D80 etc, but you can still zoom in to check focus, and look at the histogram - that's all I use mine for - if I want to look at the images I'll either hook it to a TV, or download to the PC.
I think that at less than £250 it's stunning value - I paid £600+ for mine with the 18-70 lens (which is the one that you'll be wanting)
All the shots on my site are taken with my D70 (there's a link on my profile, rather than shameless promotion here
)Highly recommended, as I feel that it's a "deceny sized" camara - I have tried a D40, but it felt too small in my shovel like mitts
Any other q's, please give me a shout / PM
Good luck with the search
Chris
Hmmm, I'm seriously considering a D70s (revised version) now, seems to tick all the boxes. What sort of price should I be looking to pay second hand for a D70s kit (with 18-70mm lens)?
Anywhere worth looking other than ebay? Seem to be going around the 400 quid mark, does that sound reasonable? There's one on at 400 quid buy it now with 2 years' warranty left.
Any worries with number of photos taken on a second hand dSLR?
Anywhere worth looking other than ebay? Seem to be going around the 400 quid mark, does that sound reasonable? There's one on at 400 quid buy it now with 2 years' warranty left.
Any worries with number of photos taken on a second hand dSLR?
Just bought a D70s with 18-70mm kit lens on ebay, brand new apparently (just been taken out of the box to test - 4 pics taken apparently). Warranty papers all there waiting to be sent off to register (I'm hoping the warranty will begin when I send off the card).
310 quid plus 19 for delivery - chuffed with that!
310 quid plus 19 for delivery - chuffed with that!
I've had a K100D with the 18-55 kit lens and a Sigma 70-300 APO, for just over a year now. Have a look at my Flickr page for examples of images - I am by no means a good photographer, but the camera really helps.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobdabilda
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobdabilda
bobda said:
I've had a K100D with the 18-55 kit lens and a Sigma 70-300 APO, for just over a year now. Have a look at my Flickr page for examples of images - I am by no means a good photographer, but the camera really helps.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobdabilda
Nice shots. Been tempted by the K10d myself, similar to D80 spec but with D200-equivalent weatherproofing for cheaper than a D80. Will probably have to decided between K10d and D80 once I have the money http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobdabilda
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