[Euan2008]

Hi there, i am looking for a new digital slr (mabey) and need advice.
I am going to africa for a year after the summer and am looking for a good new camera that will allow me to take some great shots
Im also going to be using it back home so if i describe the kinds of things i will be doing i hope you could help.
I want to be able to take continuous shots 3 to 4 fps for skiing, mountain biking, karting and other sports (mostly outdoors)
I would also like to take long exposure shots ie 30 seconds
For africa it needs to have quite a long battery life and take good quality shots (these things only happen once!)
my budget is around £450-500 so i have not a clue where to start, im an ameture but am wanting a camera that is still quite advanced (i can learn) doesn't hav to be a dslr but i presumed that would be best?
the Exilim Pro EX-F1 looks very tempting as it can also take great videos, but would there be a major difference in quality between it and an slr? I understand it is going to retail for about £500
any help would be greatly appreciated
thanks

ok, i think i am probably going to go for the cannon 400d, or 450d if it comes down in price before i go.
i saw the 400d here 10MP~ CANON XTi EOS 400D SLR CAMERA BODY + 3 BONUS ~BLK on eBay, also, Digital Cameras, Photography (end time 08-Feb-08 14:45:00 GMT)
but i am not sure what lenses i should buy, i would probably want a good zoom for sports, mabey a wide angle lense for group photos and quite a slim lense for traveling.
if anybody has any advice on these then please help!
the other thing is, im probably not going to have power very regularly so does anybody know of a solar panel charger or something i can hook up AA batteries to to charge it?

[AQ]

You could get a DSLR to do what you want but you could also look at something like the Canon S5 IS compact camera. I have the earlier S2 version and like it a lot.

Much smaller and lighter than a DSLR and easier to hide in a pocket if necessary. i have had to do a couple of times in places where cameras were not that welcome.

With a DSLR you will have to look out for dust in Africa but with your budget I guess you are only looking at one lens so not much of a problem.

The spec for the S5 I found on the web

• 12x optical zoom lens with Ultrasonic Motor (USM) and UD lens
• Optical Image Stabilizer
• 8.0 Megapixel CCD
• DIGIC III with advanced Noise Reduction technology and Face Detection for stills and movies
• Red-Eye Correction in playback
• 2.5” high-resolution vari-angle LCD
• Long-play VGA movies with stereo sound and Photo in Movie
• 22 shooting modes including full manual control and 0cm Super Macro
• High ISO 1600 and Auto ISO Shift
• Compatible with Wide/Tele/Close-up converter lenses and Canon EX Speedlite flashes

It uses AA batteries. I know some do not like these but I like them for travel photography. You can get replacements and chargers anywhere. One thing I did not see is a continuous shooting mode. My S2 does not have one. The long zoom and ultra macro focusing more than make up for this.

One possible draw back - my version has a slow shutter lag. You should check that for yourself.

The pictures I have added to my gallery so far were all taken with the S2

[VinnyP]

Lot's of SLRs will do everything you want but you'll struggle to get a body from the main 2 players and lenses to cover what you like to shoot and 3+FPS for your budget. The closest I can think of is the Canon EOS 400D and a twin lens pack but that will still be a little over unless you find a very good deal or go second hand. However the Olympus E410 with a twin lens pack would come in under budget and still leave you a little for memory cards and a case etc. It has the added advantage for travelling of being very light.

I don't know of any compacts or hybrid cams can manage 3+FPS and 30 second exposures. But there are some that come close, the upcoming casio will certainly do the FPS that but other than that it's an unknown quantity as regards your other wishes. I think it could turn the camera world on it's head but I'd wait until after it's tested if I were you as it's pitched as a niche product.

The Fuji FZ18 is very highly regarded and will do 3FPS that's only for 5 frames at it's highest resolution but doesn't really fulfil your desire for quite advanced and is well under your budget. If you can live with 2.5 FPS the Smasung Pro 815 is something else. It handles like a DSLR and is very highly rated but even that has only a 15 second longest shutter speed.

If it were me I'd wait and see what the Casio offers but the safe bet is the Olympus it does everything you ask, takes great shots and has the potential to grow.

[Chris H]

Good deal going in the for sale section that will do everything you want

[Rob Barron]

I would definitely recommend either the 400D or the new 450D when that becomes available as the spec on that is superb though the former is a cracking camera. Now that the 450D has been announced, you should have no trouble finding a 400D with the to kit lenses for within the upper range of your budget and I think you'd be absolutely delighted with the results you'll be able to obtain.

I would normally have recommended going up to a 30D or a 40D but the 40D is a bit over your budget, especially when you add lenses on, and they are considerably bigger than the 400D whch will be better for you to carry on your trip.

I have both a 40D and an S5 IS (well, my wife has the latter ) and as great a camera as it most certainly is, I do not believe you will get the great shots that a dSLR will give you, especially at the spped you want. You are not going to get 3-4fps from it, that's for sure! As you intend doing some long exposure shots, you really should be thinking dSLR only. The levels of noise on a compact will quickly become very noticeable whereas the dSLR copes with that far better. For your sports shots, there is a small but noticeable lag on the compact which isn't there on a dSLR, another worthwhile consideration.

Look around and you'll find the 400D at an excellent price and I am certain you'll be coming back from Africa with gigabytes of photos to show us

Cheers,
Rob

[Whipspeed]

What about a second hand 20D? There are a couple going on ebay, one at £257.00 at the moment, you could also look in the lens section there & see if there is anything else. I've just upgraded to the 40D but have kept my 20D as a back up as it's been such a great camera, especially for sports.