SLR camera for beginners

Demios

Hi, im looking to start photography as a hobby at the weekend (beats gaming and watching footy all weekend) but i don't exactly want to dive in and buy a camera that's overpriced and overwhelming for a new user.

Any suggestions/advice on where to begin, whats a good entry-level camera and most importantly deals you've seen round recently would be greatly appreciated! (Im living in Cork btw) Thanks in advance!

muireann =]

hi the canon eos 1000D I Got one for christmas! I love it! its not extremely expensive I got mine on the net for cheap but they dont have it on the website i got it on anymore but here is one in argos uk not sure if they have it in the irish argos or not? really good starter camera! im looking to do photography in college so thats why i got one! And my aunty is a professional photographer and she recommended it!

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&referredURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.argos.co.uk%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fstores%2Fservlet%2FArgosCreateReferral%3FstoreId%3D10001%26langId%3D-1%26referrer%3DCOJUN%26cmpid%3DCOJUN%26params%3Dadref%253DDigital+camera+packages%26referredURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.argos.co.uk%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fstores%2Fservlet%2FProductDisplay%253FstoreId%253D10001%2526catalogId%253D1500001801%2526productId%253D1500583307%2526langId%253D-1&jspStoreDir=argos&referrer=COJUN&cmpid=COJUN&productId=1500583307&langId=-1&catalogId=1500001801

Demios

thanks for the advice, i think ill have a look at it then!

MrAbc

Almost any DSLR can make good photos... but one often overlooked feature is the much greater emphasis placed on the use of the viewfinder. It's the essential difference between SLR's (digital or otherwise) and compact cameras.

The size of the image you see is then crucial. A bigger image allows you to appreciate what your photo will look like, seeing when it's focused and framed right and when it's not and by how much, sometimes that's what you might want... a certain amount of out-of-focus etc etc etc

Anyway, on a scale of viewfinder image sizes, the higher up the scale you can possibly manage the better... IMO even if that means buying a higher-end used DSLR and, in any case, used can sometimes be the best value-for-money if there's some good kit included.

See viewfinder list here. (USA camera names! ...Rebel v's EOS)
EG put a photo in an image editor and zoom it to 63.3% versus 50.6%, say, it's a very significant difference!

General blurb on camera models here. (again USA & not comprehensive but somewhere to start )

I'd stick with Nikon, Pentax, Canon or Sony, personally, (and in that order too, for me, although that's more a matter of taste).

I'm just learning aswell. Put my name down to do a photography course last night, actually.

I bought an Olympus E-420 off Argos;

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5593086/Trail/searchtext%3EOLYMPUS.htm


There's a DPReview of it here, where it's average score is 8 (out of 10).

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse420/page30.asp



As I say though, I'm a beginner myself, so I can't really give great advice on different cameras as this is the only DSLR that I've ever owned, but from my on personal opinion, I think it's a great little camera.

There's probably a million better DSLRs out there, but I'm happy with what I ended up with.

MURDO

Have a look at the Sony A200K, Got mine last year from Amazon. Got it at a bargain withe the exchange rate was a £1 to the Euro so landed a good deal.

Find it very good, however it does not have have live view which is a draw back at first, but takes superb pics apart from that, Attached a few for you to have a squizz at.

Personally i find looking through the lens more professional looking as opposed to looking at the screen at the back, handy though.

ps. you never see the pro's using the live view.. got mine from Amazon with the 18-70mm lens for 260 sterling.. worked out at 270 euro total last year at the time which included 30 cashback from Sony.

Hope this helps you some bit, as the other posts state, any DSLR camera takes good pics, its a big jump from your standard run of the mill camera.

good luck anyway.
A

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lizzyd66

I've had my Canon EOS 450d now for over a year and am delighted with it. I would actually see if there is a local camera club in your area and drop in to one of their meetings. I did a course in my local community college and the tutor was a member of the local club . I haven't been myself yet but he says everyone is really friendly and would love to give advice etc.

The canon I bought comes with a lens that goes from 18-55 . 55 is the same as the human eye can see . I found the lens a bit limited at first as compared to my compact couldn't zoom in as much as I would like. Realised afterwards that often the quality of the picture is good so you can crop down etc after in Picasso. But I have recently bought a second lens which goes from 55-250. This cost an extra £160 (on Amazon). Some of the other people on the course had entry level cameras that had a wider range zoom on the basis model camera (think may have been Nikon but can't remember). On reflection I would probably have been better getting one of those cameras rather than paying the extra for the second lens. That said I am delighted with my canon and would highly recommend it.

There is a good photography board on boards.ie and there may even be a sticky about good starter cameras.

markpauldunne

Got My wife the Cannon 450D last Xmas a brilliant Camera, I ordered on pixmania-pro.com good deals but you need a VAT number.

dinneenp

Digital camera essentials did a best beginners slr article recently. nikond3000 is dslr clear winner 20/20. Categories are ease of use, features, image qual and value for money.
It won in every single category!

MrAbc

Thinking back on this and poking around eBay I see the likes of these Nikon D80 kits:

>> Nikon D80 + 18-135mm lens (equiv to 28-200 in 35mm terms)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-D80-Kit_W0QQitemZ190364726746QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN?hash=item2c529f35da

>> same as above but with nice extras(camera bag,extension tubes,etc)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-D80-Digital-Camera-with-18-135mm-Lens-extras_W0QQitemZ150404902218QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN?hash=item2304d4ad4a

>> Nikon D80 + 18-135mm + 50mm (for low light/portraits)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-D80-Body-Only-Digital-Camera_W0QQitemZ250560841058QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN?hash=item3a56970562

Even for those not listing postage for Irelnd, enquiring about insured P&P for Ireland often gets UK sellers to accept Irish bids, though not always, then a tester bid to ensure everything is working and those kits seem to go for <£400 (or maybe €450 with P&P, possibly €500 for the kit with the 50mm, if lucky and/or can wait for optimum deal)

The D80 has sophistication to grow into as well as "scene" type modes for the beginner.
The 18-135mm is a nice range to cover lots of subjects, better lenses would specialize on a tighter range but you could budget for those later (if needed).
A Pentax K10d is a similar price and better featured again but there's less hand-holding with scene modes.

...just to point out a few attractive possibilites.

HappyHarry

Canon 450D or 500D with 18-55 IS kit lens

buy it from www.computeruniverse.net
i have used them several times and they are great, pay by PayPal, shipping should be about €20.

run_Forrest_run

whatever camera you get you can't go wrong learning the basics of Exposure with this book

dinneenp

If you're just getting into photography why get an SLR?
I've posted this message below before, not saying don't get an SLR but why not consider a bridge camera?

I was in the same boat as you- was thinking of buying a DSLR but in the end I went for a bridge/super zoom compact camera. It’s in between a compact and a DSLR camera.
My logic was it's easier to carry around, quicker to use (no changing lense), not as bulky and very versatile. I can always sell it (for more or less the same price) and buy a DSLR if I want in a while.

This is the one I bought-


It has a 18X zoom, macro lens all built in so I don’t have to splash out extra. It’s a lot easier as you don’t have to carry around a few lens or have to change them and might miss the shot. It’s also cheaper, especially if you remember that zoom lens for an slr can cost mega bucks.


I got it for about €220 from camerabox . It costs about €350 or so it town.
They also have a B grade/clearance section here. Some people say camerabox is dodgy so do some searches if going to buy from them...

Regardless of what type of camera you go for have a look at these links-

http://www.cameralabs.com/ is very good for reviews- they have top rated section, video tours of each camera.

Www.dpreview.com is also good but more advanced.

Cheers,
Pa

Demios

Thanks for all the advice lads, greatly appreciated. There seems to be plenty of people into their cameras on boards so its making my choices alot easier!

byte

I also got the Lumix FZ28 that dinneenp mentioned above.

While I've never owned a proper SLR, so can't compare how good it is personally, I think it's a fantastic piece of kit for the price. There are filters etc available for it, though I've not done so yet.

old boy

i got a fugi fine pic dslr of the bay for 80 euro delivered, does everything, plus it has a lot of fetures that makes you work a bit, lots of different ways to shoot every kind of a shot.

Ur[s]uS

I'd recommend the Nikon D40. *It's where I started. It has been
replaced by the D3000. *That is supposed to have menus that are designed
for first time users and other useful stuff for beginners. *On the down
side, Ken Rockwell says it's not as good.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3000.htm *I'm not sure how much his
criticisms would really bother you.

The story on price in Dublin is interesting: *Con's Cameras (behind BT)
price the body and kit lens at €549, with €25 for a bag and 4GB SD card
(total €574). *You get the same bundle for €500 in the Camera Exchange
(now George's Street) - actually, it's €539, with €30 rebate (possibly
mail-in), but the guy in the store says €500 (total). *These are
pre-haggle prices. *It's about £379.99 for the body and kit lens from
Amazon.co.uk. *Another £10 gets you an 8GB card. *Use a rucksack for the
bag and you'd have change from €450 (even after postage). I don't know the shops in Cork so cannot help there.

The alternative is to pick up D40 second hand - like
http://adverts.ie/107798 or
http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/57/51553657.html. *Just watch out for
marks on lens or worse still on the internal mirror. *Apart from visual
check, take a picture with aperture as small as possible (high numbered
f-stop) - thereby forcing the light through a smaller hole and then take
picture of grey sky or plain blank wall (move and take another picture)
- examine the picture on computer for marks that are in the same place.
These might be dust on the mirror etc. (easily blown off with right
equipment) or scratch.