Discussion
Looking to (finally) buy my first DSLR, considered buying something second hand to get into it but have decided it would be worth buying a new one. Now the question is what do you all think is the camera to go for?
I have some OM4 lenses which made me vaguely interested in an E-series Olympus but then I am worried that it would not match up to a Canon/Nikon and I don't mind not using these and buying something that is new and better in the long run, it is just that they are there.
Of Canon/Nikon I don't know which would be better to go for, have briefly seen a friend's (and heard about here and elsewhere) 450D which seems to be highly recommended but never seen a Nikon.
I think I will be doing a lot of reading up on dpreview and think it might be worth a trip down to Jessops to have a look and a play with some.
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks in advance.
Let the Canon/Nikon arguement commence...
I have some OM4 lenses which made me vaguely interested in an E-series Olympus but then I am worried that it would not match up to a Canon/Nikon and I don't mind not using these and buying something that is new and better in the long run, it is just that they are there.
Of Canon/Nikon I don't know which would be better to go for, have briefly seen a friend's (and heard about here and elsewhere) 450D which seems to be highly recommended but never seen a Nikon.
I think I will be doing a lot of reading up on dpreview and think it might be worth a trip down to Jessops to have a look and a play with some.
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks in advance.
Let the Canon/Nikon arguement commence...
I'd go for Canon / Nikon 
Based on the wide range of lenses / accessories available for both systems (plus, for me, the smaller sensor size of the 'four thirds' system would steer me away from some of the other options)
If your planning on using your camera for stuff like landscapes, motorsport, etc.. then either Canon or Nikon would be great Both systems have a multitudes of lenses available.
(Only major differences tend to be specialist (normally expensive!) lenses that are only available on one particular system (e.g. Some crazy macro lenses. Ask 4hero !
)
Check the camera reviews on sites like - http://www.dpreview.com/
A Canon 450D would be a great first DSLR (I'd try and budget for some nice lenses as well if possible)
You may want to consider the Canon 50D / Nikon D90 ranges also. (actually, with the recent release of the Canon 50D it might be a good time to find a deal on a 40D).
Cheers.
Based on the wide range of lenses / accessories available for both systems (plus, for me, the smaller sensor size of the 'four thirds' system would steer me away from some of the other options)If your planning on using your camera for stuff like landscapes, motorsport, etc.. then either Canon or Nikon would be great
Both systems have a multitudes of lenses available.(Only major differences tend to be specialist (normally expensive!) lenses that are only available on one particular system (e.g. Some crazy macro lenses. Ask 4hero !
)Check the camera reviews on sites like - http://www.dpreview.com/
A Canon 450D would be a great first DSLR
(I'd try and budget for some nice lenses as well if possible)You may want to consider the Canon 50D / Nikon D90 ranges also. (actually, with the recent release of the Canon 50D it might be a good time to find a deal on a 40D).
Cheers.
Edited by flat-planedCrank on Monday 8th September 06:25
Have just been in the same situation of looking to get my first DSLR.
After weiging up the options in my price range I ended up deciding on the 450D with 18-55mm lens.
I bought one last week from Jessops, who have a £50 cashback offer on it untill the end of this month, which makes it a good buy IMO.
So far I'm very impressed with it.
After weiging up the options in my price range I ended up deciding on the 450D with 18-55mm lens.
I bought one last week from Jessops, who have a £50 cashback offer on it untill the end of this month, which makes it a good buy IMO.
So far I'm very impressed with it.
Just been to Jessops to have a look at them, the guy said Canon is the market-leader and very good, Nikon not as much and playing catch up and he rated the Sony alphas and said they have the money behind them. In terms of cameras he recommended the Sony A300 over the 450D, he said the features are as good as the Canon and in some areas better. Also price is better on the sonys even with the Canon cashback offer.
The other bit of information someone has told me is to buy body only and not to bother with a kit lens and buy something decent.
Thoughts on that?
Thanks
The other bit of information someone has told me is to buy body only and not to bother with a kit lens and buy something decent.
Thoughts on that?
Thanks
The world is full of opinions. The hard part is knowing when to take them and when to ignore them.
But that's just my opinion!
I think Canon do sell more DSLRs than Nikon but from my recent experiences seeing what wedding guests have round their necks, the Nikon/Canon/Other ratio is 3:1:1 it seems. As for 'playing catch-up', Man-In-Jessops obviously hasn't heard of the D3 or D700.
What depresses me is that he didn't try to match your needs to his products, merely tell you what HE thought was best. What is best for him may not be best for you. You also have to bear in mind that salesmen can be incentivised to sell Product A over Product B, which rather blows any impartiality out of the window. Re kit lens vs body only, he's ultimately correct but it doesn't mean that you won't find the kit lens perfect for your current needs.
But that's just my opinion!
I think Canon do sell more DSLRs than Nikon but from my recent experiences seeing what wedding guests have round their necks, the Nikon/Canon/Other ratio is 3:1:1 it seems. As for 'playing catch-up', Man-In-Jessops obviously hasn't heard of the D3 or D700.
What depresses me is that he didn't try to match your needs to his products, merely tell you what HE thought was best. What is best for him may not be best for you. You also have to bear in mind that salesmen can be incentivised to sell Product A over Product B, which rather blows any impartiality out of the window. Re kit lens vs body only, he's ultimately correct but it doesn't mean that you won't find the kit lens perfect for your current needs.
Simpo Two said:
The world is full of opinions. The hard part is knowing when to take them and when to ignore them.
But that's just my opinion!
I think Canon do sell more DSLRs than Nikon but from my recent experiences seeing what wedding guests have round their necks, the Nikon/Canon/Other ratio is 3:1:1 it seems. As for 'playing catch-up', Man-In-Jessops obviously hasn't heard of the D3 or D700.
What depresses me is that he didn't try to match your needs to his products, merely tell you what HE thought was best. What is best for him may not be best for you. You also have to bear in mind that salesmen can be incentivised to sell Product A over Product B, which rather blows any impartiality out of the window. Re kit lens vs body only, he's ultimately correct but it doesn't mean that you won't find the kit lens perfect for your current needs.
I am well aware of the sell one thing over the other and looking at the catalogue the A300 is a Jessops exclusive so that may well be part of the sell! I definately won't be taking a salesman's word as law, just some things to consider.But that's just my opinion!
I think Canon do sell more DSLRs than Nikon but from my recent experiences seeing what wedding guests have round their necks, the Nikon/Canon/Other ratio is 3:1:1 it seems. As for 'playing catch-up', Man-In-Jessops obviously hasn't heard of the D3 or D700.
What depresses me is that he didn't try to match your needs to his products, merely tell you what HE thought was best. What is best for him may not be best for you. You also have to bear in mind that salesmen can be incentivised to sell Product A over Product B, which rather blows any impartiality out of the window. Re kit lens vs body only, he's ultimately correct but it doesn't mean that you won't find the kit lens perfect for your current needs.
It wasn't the Jessops man re the kit lens etc, anyway I am wondering whether to go for the body only option with a lens that perhaps has some of the range of a kit (which would more likely be useful in the long run) but on the other hand the kit prices seem very good.
So much to think about...
Honest question is what is the lens mount for the Sony?
Remember either Nikon or Canon have simply masses of good quality lenses available for their cameras and tons available used when you want to add to your options, and if you like photgraphy, you certainly will be buying more lenses at some point in the future
I'd add one counter to the saleman's spiel, what about repairs / replacement / accessories? If you're on a holiday break in a big city it's pretty easy to find a camera store stocking Nikon or Canon. Or if you're on a trip e.g. safari it's likely you can borrow a piece of kit off another traveller which will be either Nikon or Canon.
On the flip side I'd not be so ready to dismiss Olympus and the 4/3rds. It all depends what you want to photograph. The 4/3rds format is not meant to be so good for low light stuff and the AF may not be as good as the Canon / Nikon alternative in terms of speed but it is a more compact body, most / all of them have images stabilisation built into the body itself and the lenses are generally smaller and lighter than their Nikon / Canon counterparts. If you are a travel photogrpaher then they may be just the ticket. However see the point earlier about spares / borrowing as it is a more restricted market.
Looking round the web I see some great images from all three brands.
Chris
Remember either Nikon or Canon have simply masses of good quality lenses available for their cameras and tons available used when you want to add to your options, and if you like photgraphy, you certainly will be buying more lenses at some point in the future
I'd add one counter to the saleman's spiel, what about repairs / replacement / accessories? If you're on a holiday break in a big city it's pretty easy to find a camera store stocking Nikon or Canon. Or if you're on a trip e.g. safari it's likely you can borrow a piece of kit off another traveller which will be either Nikon or Canon.
On the flip side I'd not be so ready to dismiss Olympus and the 4/3rds. It all depends what you want to photograph. The 4/3rds format is not meant to be so good for low light stuff and the AF may not be as good as the Canon / Nikon alternative in terms of speed but it is a more compact body, most / all of them have images stabilisation built into the body itself and the lenses are generally smaller and lighter than their Nikon / Canon counterparts. If you are a travel photogrpaher then they may be just the ticket. However see the point earlier about spares / borrowing as it is a more restricted market.
Looking round the web I see some great images from all three brands.
Chris
CVP said:
Honest question is what is the lens mount for the Sony?
I think it is the old Minolta AF mount, rebranded as 'Sony alpha'.ETA: I'd probably go for a kit lens to start with, unless you know exactly what you want instead. For the lower-range cameras, the kit prices are generally close enough to the body-only prices that it's hardly worth not getting the kit lens.
Edited by rustyspit on Monday 8th September 14:11
rustyspit said:
CVP said:
Honest question is what is the lens mount for the Sony?
I think it is the old Minolta AF mount, rebranded as 'Sony alpha'.ETA: I'd probably go for a kit lens to start with, unless you know exactly what you want instead. For the lower-range cameras, the kit prices are generally close enough to the body-only prices that it's hardly worth not getting the kit lens.
Edited by rustyspit on Monday 8th September 14:11
Bought my 40D (first DSLR ) from this place -
http://www.ajpurdy.co.uk/
The best deal I could find on the net or in store.
Great to deal with and very prompt delivery as well!
) from this place - http://www.ajpurdy.co.uk/
The best deal I could find on the net or in store.
Great to deal with and very prompt delivery as well!
are nikon still doing 40 quid cash back on the d40? if so amazon have got them on at 255. plus your 40 quid back from nikon gives you a dslr for 215.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D40-Digital-SLR-Came...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D40-Digital-SLR-Came...
dan1981 said:
are nikon still doing 40 quid cash back on the d40? if so amazon have got them on at 255. plus your 40 quid back from nikon gives you a dslr for 215.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D40-Digital-SLR-Came...
Unfortunately not - I think that offer expired at the end of last month.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D40-Digital-SLR-Came...
http://www.nikon.co.uk/sites/cashback/summer2008_b...
arej said:
I am well aware of the sell one thing over the other and looking at the catalogue the A300 is a Jessops exclusive so that may well be part of the sell! I definately won't be taking a salesman's word as law, just some things to consider.
It wasn't the Jessops man re the kit lens etc, anyway I am wondering whether to go for the body only option with a lens that perhaps has some of the range of a kit (which would more likely be useful in the long run) but on the other hand the kit prices seem very good.
So much to think about...
In many cases kit-lenses work out as a very cheap way to buy a lens...It wasn't the Jessops man re the kit lens etc, anyway I am wondering whether to go for the body only option with a lens that perhaps has some of the range of a kit (which would more likely be useful in the long run) but on the other hand the kit prices seem very good.
So much to think about...
(On warehouse express)
450D with 18-55mm IS lens = £449
450D body only = £414
So the kit lens is effectively costing you £35 - not many lenses available for that sort of money
As with any lens, take a look at some review sites like photozone.de to see how it performs.
That new 18-55mm IS lens available with the 450D looks ok actually, its stabilised, pretty decent resolution figures, not perfect, but for £35 i'd pick one up
(Note that earlier Canon cameras like the 400D have the previous version of the 18-55mm lens - its not branded 'IS')
If you have room in the budget for extra lenses then obviously you may wish to put your money into that, but i'd not automatically discount the kit lens as a bad starting point
(I believe some of the Nikon kit lenses are good as well
)Cheers.
I'm not sure about the 18-55 IS but when I bought my 400D, the 18-55 kit lens had a pretty bad reputation and the recommendation was not to bother with it.
As far as the original question goes, as other posters have said, choose Canon or Nikon and you won;t be disappointed. The Sony is good too, they bought Konica/Minolta so it's a good heritage and I believe they're investing. Like for like, Canon tend to be slightly cheaper than Nikon, both for cameras and lenses.
My suggestion would be to fix your budget, decide what features are important to what sort of photography you want to do, read the reviews, handle the cameras and then decide.
As far as the original question goes, as other posters have said, choose Canon or Nikon and you won;t be disappointed. The Sony is good too, they bought Konica/Minolta so it's a good heritage and I believe they're investing. Like for like, Canon tend to be slightly cheaper than Nikon, both for cameras and lenses.
My suggestion would be to fix your budget, decide what features are important to what sort of photography you want to do, read the reviews, handle the cameras and then decide.
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