Where to start?

voodoo

Hi all,

I hope someone on this site can help me. I would like to get more into Digitial photography - not for commercial use but more personal. I like taking photos but never really had a great camera.

What would be a good camera to start with - DLSR I think but which one?

Also, I have a budget of between 400 and 500 for the whole kit - camera, lens, batteries etc. Would this get me something decent? Should I buy second hand on Adverts.ie or eBay or something?

Thanks in advance

Skittle

For the price range you were talking about there you might get a second hand DSLR. What about a bridge camera instead? The Canon G9/G10 is supposed to be very good and can shoot in RAW format.

melekalikimaka

you'd be able to get a nikon d40... a very competant dlsr... with everything you'd need to get started and the potential to upgrade and reuse lens?

voodoo

HI there,

That sounds good. I have been looking at a Nikon D50, I presume that is a higher grade than the D40?

Zillah

voodoo wrote: »

HI there,

That sounds good. I have been looking at a Nikon D50, I presume that is a higher grade than the D40?

Er no, confusingly the D40 is actually the successor to the D50. If you can afford it the Nikon D60 is a nice first camera.

voodoo

Thanks Zillah,

So I am looking at a D50 for about €425 including kit lens AF-S nikkor 18-55 3.5-5.6G ED DX with HOYA filter and Sigma AF DL 75-300 4-5.6 with HOYA filter

Does this sound good or should I push the boat out for the D60 with the lens you mentioned?

CabanSail

voodoo wrote: »

HI there,

That sounds good. I have been looking at a Nikon D50, I presume that is a higher grade than the D40?

The D50 is an older model than the D40. It was released at the same time as the D70S.

Either would be a good entry level DSLR as would a Canon 1000D

Zillah

I really wouldn't buy a D50 these days, they're not manufactured anymore and were pretty out of date even a year ago. Although that is a perfect set of starter lenses. Not sure about the price though (not saying I doubt it's worth, I mean quite literally I don't know if that's a good price)

Ricky91t

I'd look into a canon 350D or 400D they have inbuilt AF motors and therefore won't lead to issues later on in your hobbie,Where as the D40 or D60 will...

Stephen

The one big plus the D50 has over the 40 is that it has a proper AF motor built in, so it can autofocus with lots of older lenses that the D40 cannot, as the D40 relies on the lenses having their own motors (i.e. Nikon AF-S range, Sigma HSM, etc). Of course, you can still manually focus with any of the older lenses on the D40.

melekalikimaka

Zillah wrote: »

I really wouldn't buy a D50 these days, they're not manufactured anymore and were pretty out of date even a year ago. Although that is a perfect set of starter lenses. Not sure about the price though (not saying I doubt it's worth, I mean quite literally I don't know if that's a good price)

no way... its excellent, better noise than the 200 and has built in motor... d90 is the cheapest current model that has that, defo d50 if ya can, alot better than d40...or d60 for that matter... if you leave out mp count.... which you REALLy should

dinneenp

Hi,
I was in the same boat and choices were a DSLR or bridge. In the end I went for a bridge as it's easier to use, has more features without having to shell out for more(massive zoom etc), is cheaper, more compact.

I reckoned that if I really stick with photography I can always sell my bridge and go for a DSLR- they're better but need more time, learning etc.

I went for a Panasonic FZ28, the Canon have one that is very similar.


Have a look here- Camera labs website, they have a 'best buy' section for compacts, bridge and DSLR cameras.
In the top right hand side there's a 'video tour' section as well.

DP Review website has a very good forum as well- just post your question in the 'open' section.

Finally when going to buy look at-http://www. Camerabox.co.uk
I bought my camera from here. They also have a B grade section in the bottom left hand cornerr of the navigation with very cheap cameras
.good luck Pa

Ricky91t

dinneenp wrote: »

Hi,
I was in the same boat and choices were a DSLR or bridge. In the end I went for a bridge as it's easier to use, has more features without having to shell out for more(massive zoom etc), is cheaper, more compact.

I reckoned that if I really stick with photography I can always sell my bridge and go for a DSLR- they're better but need more time, learning etc.

I went for a Panasonic FZ28, the Canon have one that is very similar.


Have a look here- Camera labs website, they have a 'best buy' section for compacts, bridge and DSLR cameras.
In the top right hand side there's a 'video tour' section as well.

DP Review website has a very good forum as well- just post your question in the 'open' section.

Finally when going to buy look at-http://www. Camerabox.co.uk
I bought my camera from here. They also have a B grade section in the bottom left hand cornerr of the navigation with very cheap cameras
.good luck Pa

Sorry but i'd have to totally disagree with this,The prices of bridge cameras are getting closer to slightly used Slr's but they don't hold their value bridge cameras glass can always be improved with longer zooms or wider zooms but Dslr's can't that's what the lens does

I think you would of been better off getting a 28-300 and a 400D(used) therefore you'd have a bridge type focal range and a far better camera.Then you can upgrade your glass instead of buying a whole new camera.DSLR have auto modes all yuo have to do if half press then full press a button no learning there...

charybdis

I suggest you bypass the bridge/superzoom category as they are no longer significantly cheaper than an entry-level DSLR. The specifications of one of these cameras may seem impressive, their "zoom" in particular, but they have many shortcomings compared to a DSLR that probably won't seem significant until you better understand photography, such as their tiny sensor area.

The Nikon system is excellent and there are many compelling features present in its low-end cameras (1/500 sync speed on the D40, for example) but I think the inability of the Nikon cameras to autofocus many of Nikon's own lenses, particularly the cheaper primes, is a little absurd. The Canon system is similarly excellent and any Canon EOS body is capable of autofocusing any Canon EF lens.

There are many second hand options for lenses/bodies in your price range, but a cursory check of prices on Canon's current entry-level DSLR complete with kit lens, batteries, etc. reveal the price (480 Euro) to also be within your budget. By all accounts, this is an excellent starter camera and introduction to more advanced digital photography. It should also be noted that the lens that comes as part of the kit (EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS) is held in significantly higher regard than the kit lens available with some of the older Canon DSLRs.

I think that the 1000D kit is an ideal choice in this case, and one your are less likely to regret compared to some of the other suggestions set forth in this thread.

(Please note: I am not suggesting Canon is definitively better than Nikon, I'm pointing out a stumbling block that I think many newcomers to the Nikon system are likely to encounter, usually only by the time they have already invested in a body.)

Rb

Would they not be better off finding another 100 and getting the 450d with the same lens?

Dabs have it at 580 at the moment, though I can't really vouch for that site. http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=4YX5&SearchType=1&SearchTerms=450d&PageMode=3&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0

as do pixmania.

Sleepy

I'd second what RB is suggesting... There's such a gap between the 1000d and 450d that I honestly don't understand why the 1000d exists when there's only a price differential of about a hundred euro.

Rb

Indeed, and that is only a e100 difference afterall. The next body upgrade (new) to the 40d is 300/400 of a difference so best off saving an extra 100 for a body that'll last a while than spending 100 less for a body that won't have much resale value when it comes time to upgrade.