[Flipster]

hi again, here i am as promised to pick someone's brains on what to choose as my 1st Dslr....

ok so after reading literally hundreds and hundreds of reviews on choosing a dslr ive finaly got my choice down to these camera...1st off i'll let you know what i want the camera for..mainly taking photos of my children as they are growing up, at the park, in the garden on the beaches when we fly out for holidays, school plays, partys ect ect....wildlife and scenery, sons football matches and basicaly anything and everything i can point a camera at but most of all i want to learn and become a half decent (at least) photographer...

i have about £600 to spare after getting all the christmas prezzies for the kids and the wife so now that thats out of the way its time to treat myself ...my choices are as follows and ill list what i get for the money if thats ok...

Olympus E-500... includes 17.5-45mm and 40-150MM lenses, olympus PS100 printer, PNY 1GB CF compact flash card, camera bag and battery.

sony alpha... includes 18-70mm lens, stamina battery and charger

Canon 400D...includes 18-55m Lens battery and charger

Canon 350D.. includes 18-55m Lens battery and charger (but im guessing thats a step down from the 400D)

Pentax K100D... includes 18-55mm & 50-200mm batteries and charger

if i save a little more i could also get hold of a Nikon D80 which includes a 18-55mm lens battery and charger.

those are what ive narrowed it down to for my price range but i cant decide its all very confusing they all have good points then again they have there bad ones too..one site says this, one that and one the other please help

thanks in advance

[stepheno]

Ok - here's my twopenneth and remember these are only opinions. Bang for buck I think the 400D is the best in that bunch with the D80 a very close second. That doesn't mean the others are bad cameras, anything but, but when it comes to IQ they don't quite match Canon and Nikon. I would also add these caveats for your consideration.

• The kit lens with the 400D isn't the bees knees. It's not a bad lens, just a bit.......questionable? You might cconsider body only and buy a decent lens separately. Also Canon have a superb range of lenses

• Nikon's build quality is probably the best and they also have a superb range of lenses.

• Olympus has a four thirds sensor system which doesn't have the greatest lens support.

• I am not convinced by automatic sensor (anti-dust) cleaning systems. Although some dust may drop off the sensor it's still inside the chamber somewhere and.....it won't shift stuck on crud.

• In camera Image Stabilisation - I'd rather have IS in my lens. If the camera IS goes bust you'll lose your camera for weeks while it's being fixed. I'd rather just lose one lens while it's being fixed.

The bottom line is, any of your short list is a good camera but remember that the camera is only the half of it. You will be committing to a lens system and ultimately your lenses could cost far more than the camera so do consider which lenses you would be happiest with. HTH.

PS - I just thought that you ought to consider the ergonomics of each camera. Pop down to Jessops or your local shop and try them all first. How the camera feels in your hands is equally important.

[Markulous]

Personally, I'd go for the Olympus or the Pentax. Meets your criteria and gives you all you need now. If you were considering going pro (seems that most people do!) then I might suggest otherwise.

I went dSLR 2 1/2 years ago with kit lenses and get paid to do jobs but don't consider that I've yet reached the position where I need great lenses. Managed to get all the shots I need and, yes, occasionally I have to think around a shot but I've never been prevented in getting the shots! Oh, and when I say 'getting the shot' I include using my mobile phone camera!

But as Stepheno says, only an opinion! Whatever you decide, all the best with it!

[Dave]

Although a Nikon man & the D80 is a cracking camera, so also is the 400D for the money. As stated by others you can't go wrong with any of these cameras. In group tests from Photography magazines the Canon & Nikon always come at the top, so you have to balance that vs costs.

Another option for you is a second hand Nikon D70 ....around £250 mark on EBAY & absolute bargain for that money. That would leave lots more money for lenses, giving you more chance to get all the lenses that you need to cover the diverse shooting you want to do.

[dod]

Originally Posted by Markulous

Personally, I'd go for the Olympus or the Pentax. Meets your criteria and gives you all you need now.

Exactly, especially the olympus. This image quality thing is a bit of a red herring I think. Most people don't print out at much more than A4 and you'll struggle to see any difference whatsoever at that size with todays dSLR's

[Dave]

Originally Posted by dod

Exactly, especially the olympus. This image quality thing is a bit of a red herring I think. Most people don't print out at much more than A4 and you'll struggle to see any difference whatsoever at that size with todays dSLR's

Very true

[Dabhand16]

Lots of good advice here already, but FWIW, I think you should handle all of the cameras to see which one(s) feel the best, and have the control layout you like.

For instance a personal preference for me is to have easy access to functions without having to access menus.

If you are not going to get a body and seperate lens, I'd also want to check out the AF performance.

When I bought mine, it came down to Canon v Nikon. Both would give me what I wanted in terms of performance and I just preferred the feel and handling of the Nikon.

[Rob Barron]

I agree with all the above except I wouldn't go for the Olympus and can't say the Pentax attracts me too much. Why not the Olympus? Well, simpy because of two factors: I tried using one for an afternoon and truly hated the feel of it: It just didn't fit well in my hands at all. I do not have massive hands but they are not small and my fingers are fairly long (I have what is usually called piano player's hands and yes, i do play :o)) and the Olympus just felt awkward. Picture quality is ok, but that is going to be so on any of these, they are all decent cameras in that sense. The fact that the Olympus uses the 4/3rds system which does have considerably less availability than the others also gives you a factor worth considering.

I totally agree with what StephenO said about auto sensor cleaning, pointless if it just blows the dust around inside the camera. At some point, that dust has got to be removed, not simply shifted for it to return again just as easily as the first time it landed on your sensor.

I also don't like in-camera IS for two reasons: one is the problem if it goes wrong as mentioned, the other is that it corrects at the wrong end of the shake. IS lenses correct the shake where it is worst: in the passage of light through to the sensor. I have seen various comparison tests done and the IS lenses win every time.

Ok, so where do you go from there? Well, you don't need telling that Canon and Nikon cameras have superb build quality so that should be considered a big plus point. I can't see the point in getting the 350D if you can get the 400D just as easily. Don't get me wrong, if you were saving a significant amount, enough to leave you money you could spend on antoher lens then I would say go for the 350 as it is a superb camera. However, if you have the chance right now to buy a camera that is going to stay with you for the next few years, it does sort of make sense to go for the latest one now so that it keeps you going longer into the future. There are improvements in the 400D worth having for sure.

Whilst a lot of people don't do bigger than about A4, or at least 12" x 8", some do. I certainly do as I print a lot of pictures as posters at A3+ size. So is the extra resolution worth it? In terms of two pictures being put side by side, one of 8mp and one of 10mp, you'd need a darned good idea to notice much difference, even at A3+ size. However, the one thing that extra pixels gives you is extra room for cropping.

The Nikon D80 would probably go down as the best of the lot but you said you'd need to find a bit of extra cash for that so I don't see much point. You are not going to see any difference in picture quality over the 400D, though the build quality of the D80 would shade it.

So, the choice is yours, go for what feels right after you have tried them out in a shop. What feels great to me might feel awkward in your hands.

One thing is for certain, you won't be getting a rubbish camera whichever one you go for :o)

Happy Christmas... and open yours first so you can take pictures of the kids opening theirs... tell your missus I said so

Cheers,
Rob

[Flipster]

Hi again, thank you all for taking the time to give me some feedback on this issue, its very much appreciated and i cant thank you enough!! i've found a jessops store within a few miles of where i live so ill take you up on the try before you buy comments and get myself off down the shop next weekend..i'm a little busy this weekend (you know what its like with the kids ) so longs as i get it in time for the christmas photos i'll be happy and probably as excited...if not more so than the kids this year of the prospect of taking some quality photos of the family and friends over the festive season.

again a great big thanks for taking time to leave me your points of view.

[cotter]

I would go for Canon or Nikon, because what you want to use the camera for now may change once you get the bug

Steve is spot on it's how the camera feels in your hands, because the quality is "there" with both cameras. Most Canon users will say Canon is better and most Nikon users will say they are better:

I know what your going through coz I took 18 months to make my mind up

anyway I settled for Canon coz they are the best

[Dave]

Originally Posted by cotter

Most Canon users will say Canon is better and most Nikon users will say they are better:

Well I'll admit to prefering the tones & colours from the Canons vs Nikon, but prefer the build quality & handling of the Nikon vs Canon........ oh & I don't like white lenses . All down to personal tastes at the end of the day....for us mere mortals these cameras more than surpass our abilities