Need advice on buying a camera.

[Talk Wrench]

Hi photogs!

I need some advice on buying a camera and associated accessories.

Basically, I am just a little bit fed up up with the whole point and shoot thing and want to upgrade to a digital SLR.

I have a budget of £500 for the camera body and need a little bit of steering towards the best value for money.

You guys are the ones in the know and your help would be massively appreciated.


TW

 

[pie sandwich]

For £500 you can't go wrong with a Nikon HERE It is body only and jessops are expensive. But I would deffo go with Nikon as they have to be one of if not they best make out there.

Depending on where you go you can get different deals, with lenses and bags filters etc.

 

[MAINJAFAD]

Olympus E-410, Which Magazine gave it 'Must Buy' and my Mum got one (Which I nick off her from time to time) £365 plus twin lens kit (14-45mm and 40-150mm zooms). Took the Vulcan photos with it. The dogs balls of a camera for everday use. Can be set up as point and shoot, or be used as a semi pro camera. Later models cost more, but use same CCD, just have more bells on them.

 

[Ex-Bay]

I came to digital cameras in the wake of a 35mm SLR, so a digital thing of like kind was what I sought.

I'd suggest a Cannon EOS400 (or similar SLR), but you have, I think, to consider a few factors first. How big a sensor is fitted (mine's only 6.1 but you can get up to 12).
Do you really need to plug in several types of lens to do the job you want?
How long does the processor take to get the image stored to the card? (How quickly can you take a second shot?)
And: It's no good pressing the button and missing something because the camera took ages to start taking the picture. (If your chosen camera has a 'sports' mode or can take a short length of movie, you're OK)

I have an EOS300D and two lenses, both Zoom (28-80mm Macro lens with image stab and a 50-135mm) and these meet my requirements (I'm a cr*p photog, anyway).

I rather like the look of the new Fiji or Panasonic Lumix with image stabilisation and up to 10x optical zoom. This will give you the same effect as a 500mm lens.

But Nikon do make a good camera, even if the lenses can cost the earth !.

Good Hunting.
XB

 

[Talk Wrench]

I came to digital cameras in the wake of a 35mm SLR, so a digital thing of like kind was what I sought.

I'd suggest a Cannon EOS400 (or similar SLR), but you have, I think, to consider a few factors first. How big a sensor is fitted (mine's only 6.1 but you can get up to 12).
Do you really need to plug in several types of lens to do the job you want?
How long does the processor take to get the image stored to the card? (How quickly can you take a second shot?)
And: It's no good pressing the button and missing something because the camera took ages to start taking the picture. (If your chosen camera has a 'sports' mode or can take a short length of movie, you're OK)

I have an EOS300D and two lenses, both Zoom (28-80mm Macro lens with image stab and a 50-135mm) and these meet my requirements (I'm a cr*p photog, anyway).

I rather like the look of the new Fiji or Panasonic Lumix with image stabilisation and up to 10x optical zoom. This will give you the same effect as a 500mm lens.

But Nikon do make a good camera, even if the lenses can cost the earth !.

Good Hunting.
XB

I have the opportunity to buy one of these for 449 euro brand new with lens. At the current exch rate of 1.3ish, should I go for it?

Cheers XB,

TW

 

[Ex-Bay]

I have the opportunity to buy one of these for 449 euro brand new with lens. At the current exch rate of 1.3ish, should I go for it?

Cheers XB,

TW

Go for it, mate.
Then save up for a new, bigger, longer, lens. . . . .

 

[Talk Wrench]

Go for it, mate.
Then save up for a new, bigger, longer, lens. . . . .

Think I will go for it then, but the mrs won't like it DT_Xtremez_30:


Thanks again XB.

TW

 

[Tashy_Man]

I rather like the look of the new Fiji or Panasonic Lumix with image stabilisation and up to 10x optical zoom. This will give you the same effect as a 500mm lens.

I bought a Fujfilm S8000 in Feb. 8Mpixels and 18 time Optical zoom with image stab....brilliant bit of kit for the price (just under £200)

Not what you would call a Pro camera as you cannot change lenses but with 18x zoom who needs to !
Crack on................DT_Xtremez_09:

 

[The Stig A.D.I.]

TW, you need one of these!

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/539715/index.html

My brother's a keen snapper & he bought one a couple of months ago. He's extremely impressed with it - it boasts LOADS of features and, due to the huge 18x zoom (with Mega OIS, so no blurring even when using full zoom), there's no need for extra (expensive) lenses!

DT_Xtremez_28:

 

[bigfella]

I got a canon eos 400d. It's great, the sensor has a self cleaning featureas dust is the main problem with digital slrs. Most of them at this sort of budget have built in software that can process out most problems.

I have got some of my images blown up to poster size and can't detect any pixelling.

I had a canon eos 1000 35mm film camera prior to this so all my lenses still fit.

I think you'll be impressed no matter what you get but my money would go on canon every time.

 

[Ex-Bay]

On adding a lens.
Lenses for a normal 35mm camera have a slightly different "presentation" to the image plane (a 35mm film is larger than the digital sensor).
Make sure that the lens is properly compatible for best results.

I'm impressed by the Panasonic Z18. Lenses by Leica ? Oh- nice !

 

[POB]

I was going to recommend an Olympus. I chose one for my travels and have been very happy with its performance. It has been abused all over the place, at different altitudes and temperatures without a hitch. I wanted a camera from a camera manufacturer rather than an electronics company, but now days apart from the lens doubt there is much difference.

 

[flintwich]

As an ex photog, I'd recommend Nikon above everything else. Reputation and lens quality are superb.
There are a lot of good deals on with their digi kits at the moment i.e. D60.
Canon and Olympus are up there with Nikon so you have a big decision to make.
Trust your own mind and get the one YOU want, not the one the bloke in Jessops wants to sell you.
Good Shopping.

 

[The Masked Geek]

Just got a 400D myself and with my new Sigma lens, it's top banana. £373 on Amazon atm for one with a lens but the lens is sh!t. The body only is £400 so it's a bargain anyway.

 

[Prodigal Son]

I had a canon eos 1000 35mm film camera prior to this so all my lenses still fit.

Don't count on it, some of the older Canon compatible Sigma lenses and even Canon EOS lenses can cause error 99 (Battery error) or some such thing! I know this was a backward compatibility thing in the early days of DSLR's and may now have been sorted.

Any Canon or Nikon DSLR will serve you well these days, but just remember the higher the pixel count (6.3Mb, 10Mb, 12Mb etc) the bigger the hard discs you will need and the more computing power to process!!

Jessops the staff tend to be reasonably knowledgeable (certainly better than Dixons, Comet, Currys etc) but they aren't the cheapest shop. Check if they still do price matching, find an advert, take it in and ask them to match it. They used to a couple of years ago.

 

[OneTimeSooty]

IMHO - Get down to Jessops or suchlike and get the cameras in your hands. Look where the controls are, see what will work for you.

Example, Nikon's tend to have the power switch around the shutter release, you can turn the camera on by rotating it with your right index finger - very easy. Canon's are either around the main control dial or on the back of the camera. Bit more complicated, but means you don't accidentaly turn them off!

I've used Nikons, Canons and Fujifilm (D100, D2X, 350D, 5D and S9500) in the past and all of them have pro's and cons. Go for a "proper" DSLR body with a kit lens, then start saving for a decent lens once you know what sort of photography you want to do.

Don't forget to look at accesories such as flashguns etc - the built in ones are fine for snapshots but for decent pictures it's something you'll be wanting in the not too distant future!

 

[MrMasher]

Any photogs, trade or amateur, fancy setting up a thread on hints and tips for photography?
I could do with a few pointers myself........DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[Scaley brat]

I could do with a few pointers myself........DT_Xtremez_30:

Don't post any self portraits. It may be classed as a hate crime ! DT_Xtremez_31:

 

[MrMasher]

Don't post any self portraits. It may be classed as a hate crime ! DT_Xtremez_31:

No worries there mate. I wouldnt post a self portrait, I'm so ugly it might turn you straight! DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[flintwich]

Don't count on it, some of the older Canon compatible Sigma lenses and even Canon EOS lenses can cause error 99 (Battery error) or some such thing! I know this was a backward compatibility thing in the early days of DSLR's and may now have been sorted.

Any Canon or Nikon DSLR will serve you well these days, but just remember the higher the pixel count (6.3Mb, 10Mb, 12Mb etc) the bigger the hard discs you will need and the more computing power to process!!

Jessops the staff tend to be reasonably knowledgeable (certainly better than Dixons, Comet, Currys etc) but they aren't the cheapest shop. Check if they still do price matching, find an advert, take it in and ask them to match it. They used to a couple of years ago.

Using the higher pixel count is great if you are going to produce big prints.
I shoot most stuff at 2.2 as it gives a straight 6"x4" print and is more than enough to look at and zoom on the screen.