Recommendations for starter Digi SLR
Discussion
Hi, as the title suggests I am looking to 'upgrade a little' from my old Pentax manual SLR.
Ive been told that Sony have just entered the market to rival the Canon / Nikon cameras that seemed to dominate this area of the market.
Im looking for specific camera recommendations AND where to get them for the best deals.
Wish list:
Easy to use.
Decent Battery Life.
Availability (and cost) of additional lenses etc.
Thanks in advance.
Ive been told that Sony have just entered the market to rival the Canon / Nikon cameras that seemed to dominate this area of the market.
Im looking for specific camera recommendations AND where to get them for the best deals.
Wish list:
Easy to use.
Decent Battery Life.
Availability (and cost) of additional lenses etc.
Thanks in advance.
I'm pretty sure a camera from any of Olympus, Sony, Nikon, Canon, Pentax etc. would be suitable. Some might have a small advantage in one area, but overall they are all very competitive. I don't think there's a lot to choose between these manufacturers when it comes to ease of use and battery life.
Regarding availability of lenses and accessories, most of the manufacturers have a good selection of 'ordinary' kit. However, Nikon and Canon have the biggest market share, especially with professionals, and have the best selection of specialist kit; there is also better availability of second-hand and third-party equipment for these two. For this reason, if there's a possibility you might seriously get into it, I'd recommend Nikon or Canon.
Regarding availability of lenses and accessories, most of the manufacturers have a good selection of 'ordinary' kit. However, Nikon and Canon have the biggest market share, especially with professionals, and have the best selection of specialist kit; there is also better availability of second-hand and third-party equipment for these two. For this reason, if there's a possibility you might seriously get into it, I'd recommend Nikon or Canon.
I'm quite happy with my Canon 400D (now superceeded by the 450) although I reckon the basic auto modes are actually better on the Nikons I've encountered. I am empthatically not a photography expert, but I find even I can do a better job on the (partly) manual settings than the Canon does on full auto usually.
That's the only complaint though - aside from that it's brilliant and very widely supported. Seems to be almost the benchmark starter SLR.
That's the only complaint though - aside from that it's brilliant and very widely supported. Seems to be almost the benchmark starter SLR.
I have the Olympus E-410 which has now been superceeded by the 510 and 620 which have in body stabilisation.
The biggest problem I have found with the four thirds system is the availability of lenses. You get Olympus Zukio and Sigma and not much else. I think Panasonic may start producing lenses as they have micro four thirds body now. Don't get me wrong, you can still get them but mainly online rather than at the likes of Jessops or LCE.
The big plus for the 410 is that it is a really small camera and because of the crop factor you get good range with a compact body and lens. This was a requirement for the missus...
The biggest problem I have found with the four thirds system is the availability of lenses. You get Olympus Zukio and Sigma and not much else. I think Panasonic may start producing lenses as they have micro four thirds body now. Don't get me wrong, you can still get them but mainly online rather than at the likes of Jessops or LCE.
The big plus for the 410 is that it is a really small camera and because of the crop factor you get good range with a compact body and lens. This was a requirement for the missus...
Have you got many lenses for your Film Pentax Slr?
The Pentax Digital SLR's are pretty good.
By far the best advice is to get into a Camera shop and try some different ones out. They all handle differently, all vary in size etc.
Shortlist the ones that feel best and you like the handling of, then check the reviews etc.
The Pentax Digital SLR's are pretty good.
By far the best advice is to get into a Camera shop and try some different ones out. They all handle differently, all vary in size etc.
Shortlist the ones that feel best and you like the handling of, then check the reviews etc.
Hi and thanks for the responses...
I have 3 lenses for the Pentax at the moment. Im not sure of the exact spec for these but basically I have the choice of a very basic short lense with little zoom, a mid sized lense which has small scope for zoom but again a good general use lense, and a longer lens with much greater zoom capability... All of which Ive used with varying success, but Ive come up with some decent quality results with a bit of trial and error...
I am able to ensure the right level of light is getting in to get a picture out of the camera, and would like to be able to do a similar thing with the digi slr. So far Ive managed to capture everything from Formula 1 moving shots to close up family pics of the kids, and I'd like that sort of flexibility from my new digi slr.
Im going to have a shop around and see what sort of body and lense I can get for the fairly limited budget I have and then see where that takes us.
I am still very interested in recommendations and advice as to which camera and where to get it from.... I note that no-one has mentioned the new selection of Sonys which seem to be undercutting the Canons and Nikons etc!?
I have 3 lenses for the Pentax at the moment. Im not sure of the exact spec for these but basically I have the choice of a very basic short lense with little zoom, a mid sized lense which has small scope for zoom but again a good general use lense, and a longer lens with much greater zoom capability... All of which Ive used with varying success, but Ive come up with some decent quality results with a bit of trial and error...
I am able to ensure the right level of light is getting in to get a picture out of the camera, and would like to be able to do a similar thing with the digi slr. So far Ive managed to capture everything from Formula 1 moving shots to close up family pics of the kids, and I'd like that sort of flexibility from my new digi slr.
Im going to have a shop around and see what sort of body and lense I can get for the fairly limited budget I have and then see where that takes us.
I am still very interested in recommendations and advice as to which camera and where to get it from.... I note that no-one has mentioned the new selection of Sonys which seem to be undercutting the Canons and Nikons etc!?
Coming from a Minolta Film background, I have a couple of Sony Digital SLR's.
The reason I didn't mention them earlier is that you really should try as many different models to see which fit you best in terms of size, handling etc.
The Sony's are great value, and throughout the price range the Sony's are more than capable of keeping up with (or exceeding sometimes) the Jones' (Canon/Nikon).
On this forum (and most others) you will find the majority of recommendations will be for Canon or Nikon, I've even seen some posts suggesting that Sony should be discounted as the "newbies".
Stupid really when you consider firstly, that Sony acquired Minolta so has a vast depth of experience there and secondly that Sony have been making the majority of Nikons sensors for them for years!
The reason I didn't mention them earlier is that you really should try as many different models to see which fit you best in terms of size, handling etc.
The Sony's are great value, and throughout the price range the Sony's are more than capable of keeping up with (or exceeding sometimes) the Jones' (Canon/Nikon).
On this forum (and most others) you will find the majority of recommendations will be for Canon or Nikon, I've even seen some posts suggesting that Sony should be discounted as the "newbies".
Stupid really when you consider firstly, that Sony acquired Minolta so has a vast depth of experience there and secondly that Sony have been making the majority of Nikons sensors for them for years!
Edited by sgrimshaw on Wednesday 13th May 08:47
Regarding your Pentax lenses, I don't know if they are the same mount as current Pentax cameras use, but if they are manual focus, manual aperture lenses you'll probably not want to use them anyway.
Re. Sonys: I don't have any experience of them but from what I've read they are very competitive and I'm sure there is one that would meet your needs. I think they are undercutting Canon and Nikon on the price of the bodies, but the lenses and accessories (which can easily make up the majority of the cost of the whole 'system') seem similarly priced to me. The one reason that I'd recommend Nikon and Canon ahead of any other manufacturer is because of the availability of the extra bits that go with the cameras.
This is a good website to compare prices:
http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/index.html
Re. Sonys: I don't have any experience of them but from what I've read they are very competitive and I'm sure there is one that would meet your needs. I think they are undercutting Canon and Nikon on the price of the bodies, but the lenses and accessories (which can easily make up the majority of the cost of the whole 'system') seem similarly priced to me. The one reason that I'd recommend Nikon and Canon ahead of any other manufacturer is because of the availability of the extra bits that go with the cameras.
This is a good website to compare prices:
http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/index.html
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