[1mag1n3]

Hi guys..
Firstly im a newbie to DSLR cameras, so far i have owned only compacts, so this will be a large learning curve for me.

I have a budget of around £300 to buy a DSLR camera.
I am open to all suggestions regarding cameras.

I could push the budget up to about £350 however that would be in an extreme situation!

Thanks guys, any help is appreciated.

[Dabhand16]

As you are starting with a clean sheet, the best thing to do is to first see what cameras are going to be in your price bracket, then see if you can handle them either in a camera shop that sells used gear, or if you know anyone who will let you handle their camera.

All of the main makes will give good results, but they do differ in the way the settings and functions are selected and adjusted. It is important that you get a camera that feels good in your hands. Also, once you have made your choice, you are locking yourself into that system, so a peep into your crystal ball to try to anticipate what you might want to do in the future might have an influence too.

For £300 you can expect to get a Nikon D70/D70s with an 18-70mm lens, or a Canon 350D with the 18-55mm lens. Pentax, Olympus and others should be considered too.

How about a bridge camera? They have almost all of the functionality of a dSLR and are a very good way to get into more serious photography. You get a lot of bang for your bucks. Check out the Fuji s9600 which can now be got new for around £200 with the new model now being released. Panasonic also make bridge cameras, as do Canon and the other makers.

[Dave]

Within budget :- Amazon.co.uk: Nikon D40 Digital SLR Camera - Black (18-55mm Lens Kit): Nikon: Electronics & Photo

For a bit more :- Nikon D60 + AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G Lens - Jessops


Canon EOS 400D + EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 (unboxed) lens - Only £379.99 - Park Cameras Online

Or secondhand route :- http://www.pixalo.com/community/clas...ons-25485.html

[1mag1n3]

Thanks for the replies guys!

And yes i am starting with a clean sheet, i have just owned compact cameras, and i have used my dads bridge camera now and again, which is a Sony H9.

As far as DSLR's are concerned, i have no experience with them at all, yet i do want to learn about them and get good once i have snapped one up. I.E. Not leave the "auto" mode on!

Im currently looking at online sites, and basically seeing whats in my price bracket then ill move on to the shops and have a feel of the cameras.
What do you think of getting one off ebay?

I think any camera i do buy i will be impressed by since so far my knowledge is limited.

So far i am looking at the Canon 350D and 400D, and the Nikon D40, D60 and D70.

I reckon it will be about a month until i get paid from my new job however i like to know what i am going to buy and be prepared!

[1mag1n3]

Thanks for the replies guys

As far as starting clean, i have had no experience with dSLR cameras, so obviously my knowledge on them is lacking...

I have been having a look around the shops and on ebay on the net, and i seem to be liking the D40 and the 350D since you can get them with a lens for around £300.

The 400D and D40x and other cameras seem to be swaying above my price margin.

So, my question now is going to be D40 or 350D, but obviously other suggestions are welcome!

Thanks

[Dabhand16]

You have to make some decisions regarding the Nikons. The D40 has the advantage that you can buy new, but I think you ought to look at the specifications to see what has been stripped out to bring the price down. For instance, there is no AF motor in the body, so you have to buy lenses with motors. this is not such an issue as it used to be, but something to be aware of. The D40 has 3 focus points, the D70 has 5, the D70/D70s has spot metering - don't know about the D40.

The Canon 350D is out of production, but I don't know if you can still get new ones or not.

The other thing to consider is that if you get a new camera and lens for around £300, the lens will be the basic kit lens. Buying used will enable you to get a better lens. The Nikon 18-70 is a really nice lens and can be had for about £100 used. Pair that up with a D70/D70s body in the £200 bracket, and you have a very good starting point (if you like the feel of the Nikon). All in all, for me, a decent D70/D70s is a better bet than a D40. however, I realise that does mean no warranty.

I'd still consider a bridge camera too.

[Dabhand16]

Seen this?

[silkstone]

Unfortunately I'm not on commission here but IMO the best option by far is to buy Dave's or muscle's D70 kit. The D70 is better than either the D40 or the 350D, and Dave's is practically new.

[1mag1n3]

Well sadly i have not got the £300 yet, my wage comes through in about a month or so
Sorry, i should have mentioned this earlier!
I like to be prepared on what im going to buy, so this is why im asking now, so sorry about this confusion...

I have to say going second hand is most probably the best option here for me, since you get a better camera for essentially the same money, albeit a little bit used.

Lets hope some people want to sell their D70's or equivalent in a month!

[1mag1n3]

Sorry that i am back before anyone has had a chance to reply, however i think ive narrowed my choices down to a few cameras.

Canon 350D, possibly the 400D.
Nikon D40(x), possibly the D70 as a second hand option.
Olympus E-410 and E-510 (I do like the look of both these, current favorite)
Pentax K100D Super.

I think at the moment i am swaying to the Olympus models as their reviews on several different websites show that they are very good cameras.

[hoffy]

I would go and buy the Digital Photo magazine for August.
They have done a great review for the budget lines and you may be shocked on the result.
Sony Alpha 200 wins by miles and the price with lens is under £300 new.

[ds00kg]

I picked up a 400D with 18-55 for £300. Second hand but perfect condition, couldn't tell it was used at all. London Camera Exchange in Manchester, highly recommended!

[Rob Barron]

My personal opinion would be to NOT go for the Olympus cameras as you will be limiting yourself for the future to lenses with the 4/3rds mount. Also, unless you have tiny hands the Olympus series will feel fiddly. I have fairly large but not giant hands and cannot use the Olympus cameras at all, they are way too small for me.

Yes they give good pictures but then so do ALL the cameras you're looking at so, frankly speaking, picture quality is not really the issue here.

Yes, the Sony cameras get good reviews too and I have no reason to speak them down other than I personally am a bit of a purest and for me Sony are a good general electronics manufacturer, not a camera company. I know they bought Konica-Minolta and the cameras are good but I am just stuck in the mindset that says a company that has decades of experience of designing and building cameras and lenses has the lead over a company that makes TVs, radios, hi-fis and the rest! As I said, that is entirely my own, admittedly biased, viewpoint!

For me you will be setting yourself up for the future much better if you go for either a Canon or Nikon simply because neither of them make ANY bad cameras. They make some with less facilities than others but even their entry level cameras are going to give you excellent pictures and enough versatility to get you going with the world of dSLRs and you can move up to a higher end camera if and when you want to in the future simply by buying a new body, selling the one you have and using the same lenses that by then you will be comfortable with.

I am personally a Canon man through and through BUT I would more than happily recommend a Nikon to anyone and if you want value for money and a certain guarantee that a second-hand camera has been well looked after, I would wholeheartedly recommend buying from Dave. He looks after his cameras extremely carefully and I have bought a camera from him that despite having been used for a few months looked like it had just arrived from the shop!

I wish you well in your purchase and don't forget the memebrs here on pixalo will always be glad to help you with advice and instruction when you get going so don't be afraid to ask. The great thing is that none of us have any reason to push one camera over another so you can get advice that isn't trying to sell you something :o)

Cheers,
Rob

[chrisa]

I would also suggest that you ask what you are interested in photographing.

Eg Is it sports/action, flowers, portraits etc ? You can then work out what type of len(s) you'll need to pursue this, or want to add later on. At the end of the day the lens is the most critical aspect of your gear - not the camera body.

I'd back Robs comments up on the Canon/Nikon lens range over the Olympus, especially if your into anything that you will later want better lens for.