Advice please - good standard digital SLR
Discussion
Basically, I'm after the above. I have had 35mm SLR's before, and have a XD carded Olympus point and shoot.
I am after a camera that can do it all - have a bigish lens on it, do car shots, macro (watch) stuff, action, time lapse, club, and all with good quality.
I'm not snotty about second hand either, so does anyone know of any good deals around? Extra lenses etc? What body is best (easy now!).
Many thanks all...
I am after a camera that can do it all - have a bigish lens on it, do car shots, macro (watch) stuff, action, time lapse, club, and all with good quality.
I'm not snotty about second hand either, so does anyone know of any good deals around? Extra lenses etc? What body is best (easy now!).
Many thanks all...
Im sure this will open the age old battle between Nikon and Canon. I am a Nikon man at the moment with a D1x and everything is incredibly expensive. I have heard great things about the entry level Canon equipment and my father has a Canon which is a great piece of kit. Also the additonal lenses are very affordable too.
Pains me to say but if i were you go for a Canon body.
Pains me to say but if i were you go for a Canon body.
as with above - not sure you can go wrong with either a Canon or Nikon. My mate had the Canon 350D and it was excellent but I chose a Nikon purely because it felt more comfortable in my hands. You say you've had film SLR - do you still have your old lenses? That might dictate which camera you go for (and save you a few bob too)
Don1 said:
Thank you for your honesty! What am I looking at then - any names?
It all depends on your budget. I think as is mentioned above all the modern dslr bodies from canon and nikon will produce brilliant results. So going into a shop and feeling the cameras etc and go with your gut feeling. If they are out of the price range from the shop, look around for second hand gear, there is lots about. Before you purchase the body, think about what 'extras' (lenses, filters etc) you may want to buy and check the price before buying the body. I didn't do this when buying my D1x. To be honest, even though it costs an arm and a leg i still would have gone for it!Id cast a vote for the Canon EOS400. Had mine a few months now and its ace. Sure, its not the most expensive bit of kit but its a great starter DSLR. I've got a few lenses, filters and other bits and bobs and its great!.
Great starting point I think, plus now the 450 is out there are plenty of deals on the 400s.
as has been said though, go and have a play with some, I looked at Nikon and was set on getting one as my dad always had Nikon SLR's when I was growing up, I changed my mind as I preferred the logic of the Canon and it fitted my hands better than the Nikon. I have pretty big hands so I got a battery grip too, brilliant.
Great starting point I think, plus now the 450 is out there are plenty of deals on the 400s.
as has been said though, go and have a play with some, I looked at Nikon and was set on getting one as my dad always had Nikon SLR's when I was growing up, I changed my mind as I preferred the logic of the Canon and it fitted my hands better than the Nikon. I have pretty big hands so I got a battery grip too, brilliant.
As well as the Canon and Nikon DSLRs, I'll add another one into the bargain - Sony.
Sony is now the third biggest manufacturer on the DSLR market, which isn't bad considering their first DSLR, the A100, was only launched a couple of years ago (they bought over Konica Minolta, and their first camera was an evolution of a Konica DSLR). They have a fully fledged range from basic (A100 and 200) up to semi-pro (A700). In most reviews and tests, they seem to be getting very respectable scores - I've had my A200 for a month now and I'm very pleased with it.
All the camera bodies have vibration reducing sensors, so every lens you use effectively has VR. As well as the Sony lenses, any Konica Minolta lenses will fit, and 3rd party makers such as Sigma are now producing lenses with Sony mounts. There's also some excellent Carl Zeiss lenses if you've got the dosh.
The fact that Sony has become so quickly established in the DSLR market and that plenty of 3rd party accessories are coming out for the Alpha series means they are definitely a credible long-term alternative to Canon/Nikon, not just a flash in the pan.
Best advice though? Go to Jessops, try them out, see which you like best, then get it massively cheaper online.
Sony is now the third biggest manufacturer on the DSLR market, which isn't bad considering their first DSLR, the A100, was only launched a couple of years ago (they bought over Konica Minolta, and their first camera was an evolution of a Konica DSLR). They have a fully fledged range from basic (A100 and 200) up to semi-pro (A700). In most reviews and tests, they seem to be getting very respectable scores - I've had my A200 for a month now and I'm very pleased with it.
All the camera bodies have vibration reducing sensors, so every lens you use effectively has VR. As well as the Sony lenses, any Konica Minolta lenses will fit, and 3rd party makers such as Sigma are now producing lenses with Sony mounts. There's also some excellent Carl Zeiss lenses if you've got the dosh.
The fact that Sony has become so quickly established in the DSLR market and that plenty of 3rd party accessories are coming out for the Alpha series means they are definitely a credible long-term alternative to Canon/Nikon, not just a flash in the pan.
Best advice though? Go to Jessops, try them out, see which you like best, then get it massively cheaper online.
Sony have very good optics- they've been leaders in the pro video market for years.
I use a Nikon D40 - was an absolute bargin, and ive taken some great shots with it. Having used more expensive kit, i can see why people spend more, but its a great camera for the money.
Whats your budget?
Like everyone says, get to a shop and try some out.
thats what i did- bought the d40 because it felt good in my hand, had an intuitive display, and was pretty compact for a dslr
Don1 said:
Budget? None really - just want something that is a good price, and will serve us well for the next decade or so!
I will probably have a Canon 400D kit (includes battery grip and 17-85 IS lens) for sale soon if that might interest you - it is great starter camera - I have just upgraded to a 40D myself, be warned this can get to be an expensive hobby pretty quickly!
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