Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 I've been toying with the idea of getting a bit more serious with my photography again. Since doing my O levels in photography (yes ok I'm that old, and stop sniggering at the back) back in the 80's career led me in a different direction and I went from SLR to a digital point and click. Now looking at the DSLR world my budget is going to be in the region of £400 as a starting point, I know there are hundreds of reviews on the net but I am wondering if there is anyone here with thoughts and preferably actual experience in using a DSLR and what they prefer. I was looking at the Pentax K200D but then I found out it uses 4xAA batteries which is a definate no no for me. This is a bit of a pain as my old lenses I have are a Pentax-K fitting and so I would have been able to use them again rather than spend out hundreds more on additional lenses. Nikon D60/D80 look interesting but as it's the lower end you do get what you pay for so the saying goes. Anyway any ideas or thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ~Rob Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 I'm a canon fanboy. But that's because when I was looking between the 350D and Nikon, the Canon felt right. Your best plan of action is to look at reviews in regards to image quality (with lenses that aren't in the kit) and go to Jessops to get a feel of the cameras. Sites to look at are DPReview and when you decide on the camera look at http://www.camerapricebuster.com/index.html to get the best price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richair Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Nikon D60/D80 look interesting but as it's the lower end you do get what you pay for so the saying goes. Anyway any ideas or thoughts? The D80 is definitely less lower end than the D60. If you are starting out with DSLRs I would not buy a higher class of DSLR (e.g., Nikon D300, Canon 40D) immediately, but stick to the "lower" end and invest in lenses. Mind you, I'm no expert, but I'm in the same position as you (shopping around), and this is the general consensus around the web. Having said that, I think I will not get an entry-level DSLR (e.g.,D60) but a "formerly-known-as-lower-end" class (D80/450D), just to be able to get along for a couple of years as I improve my skills. The difference in price between entry-level and low-end seems to be less that between low-end and middle class (at least subjectively). With entry-level camera's you could miss out on features such as live-view and dust reduction (for what that is worth :D). One note, I am only looking at either Canon or Nikon, that is just a personal preference. The other brands (Pentax, Olympus) seem to be cheaper, so you might get more features for the same money. But I decided to make it not too hard on myself and just stick with the basic two :D. Hope it helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Confucious Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 A friend of mine works for Ghetty Images and until about 2 years ago was using a Canon (I think 350D but I could be wrong), before upgrading to the 1 After 8 months he put his new camera in for a service having taken 39,000 pics so he uses his cameras a bit. I believe he quite likes the Canons - I'll drop him a line and ask for his opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paul (MVP) Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I have a 350D with the USM lens and love it! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tsutton Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I've heard a lot of positive feedback on the 350D. If I had the money, I would get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Confucious Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I've heard a lot of positive feedback on the 350D. If I had the money, I would get it. Isn't it's successor, the 400D better? I think that's the one I'd go for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paul (MVP) Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Well, there's the 400D and 450D actually. A lot of people prefer the 350D because of it's two seperate displays, but of course there are benefits to the newer ones too! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paul (MVP) Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I have a 350D (silver version) with USM lens as I said, however I have a 450D body arriving today! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paul (MVP) Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 (loaner I should point out) P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Confucious Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 The 400D is well within Ash's price range, My old local Camera shop (before I moved) is cheapest at £380 for Canon EOS 400D + EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 (unboxed) lens . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paul (MVP) Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I bought my camcorder (Xacti) from http://www.digitalrev.com. They are HK based, but they are cheap (in my experience) and do they offer great service! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Confucious Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 But at £387.74 and no stock they are more expensive than the UK based Park Cameras (at least for the kit I linked too) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Confucious Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 My mate says: I’d say go for Nikon or Canon EOS range. I use Canon all the way. His budget is too low for anything really decent, but you never know, ther’s plenty of bargains around at the moment… Which is pretty much what I thought. I don't think you can go to far wrong with either Canon or Nikon. I'd go Canon - but I'm not sure if that's just in the hope that my mate would lend me the odd lens.... Then the choice is down to model, the 350 has advantages as Paul pointed out, the 400 is newer as is the 450 - but that is probably a bit pricey. I'm not sure about the latest Nikons but they are probably worth looking at. @Paul - let us know what you think of the 450 @Ash - let us know what you decide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ~Rob Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 The 450 used SD though :D I'm not too sure about LiveView either, sure it's nice, but the view finder is there for a reason. I think Canon are just making SLRs more accessible to Joe Public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richair Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I'm not too sure about LiveView either, sure it's nice, but the view finder is there for a reason. I think Canon are just making SLRs more accessible to Joe Public. I was sceptical at first about live view, but I found out that people like when they are making pictures from difficult positions (for instance, photographing over a crowd while keeping the camera above your head). For run of the mill photos I would use the viewfinder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Canon and Nikon have always been in close competition, and Nikon was initially my first choice until I looked more into things like dust protection and weather seals etc. I am more into macro, wildlife and scenery than photographing people, so weather protection is important to me especially those damp early mornings. Reading different reviews Canon seem to have a mixed bag of results regarding finer image quality depending on model. What I am going to need to do is get my lenses out of storage and see what they are actually like with the Pentax. They are not the most expensive but then again they were not that cheap either 23 years ago. Main thing is to wait until pay day then see exactly what I can afford (fingers crossed) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 To give you an idea of the sort of subjects I like to photograph, here is a young scarse blue damselfly taken with my point and click. This little chap was one of the first visitors to the pond I built recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Confucious Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Did you take that? Wish I could take pics that good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Did you take that? Wish I could take pics that good! Errrm yes. It's all a matter of seeing the moment, and more importantly taking more than one shot. You may only get one shot in a hundred that is good but that one will be the one you are happy with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Confucious Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 It's also about being able to 'see' a good shot. I have no patience and no eye for a good shot and am very jealous of those that do. You are right, you can take hundreds of shots to get the one perfect shot. I have taken thousands odd 'snaps' - nothing to match that one. Forget the Pentax lenses - you would do far better with a canon (or Nikon), things cjhange and I think you would do better with a better camera rather than a worse one with more lenses. Just my 2d's worth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Looby Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 (edited) Most modern digital cameras are good. Different manufactures have there own approach to picture quality and none of the big marques are better than each other it is really down to your own personal taste. To see quality macro nature pictures take a look at the gallery in www.treknature.com. You can see which camera is used by clicking on the picture. I prefer the picture to have very natural colours and to be as close to what you see as possible without artificial processing. Because of this I chose the Olympus E410 which is the smallest DLSR camera on the market, though the E510 may be better for macro as it has anti-shake. I have included a shot I took a couple of days ago with a standard (non-macro) lense. I hope this helps you a little in your search :D Edited July 17, 2008 by Looby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Nice crisp shot, zooming in full size, it's amazing how many bugs can actually be seen. Almost a shame the fly is slightly out of focus but unless you zoom right in you do not notice it. Same with my damselfly, the eyes are slightly out of focus and it's the only thing that ruins it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shadamehr Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 OT: Ash, forgive this if it's old news, as I don't get in here as much now as I used to (been years since I used a WinMo device as a phone itself now), so I use Mobiholics, your sister site more now. But on a personal level, I've just noticed "you're back" with this thread. When did that happen, and welcome back. Does Paul need to watch his Post Count again now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 I've been back for a while now, mainly posting in the older sectinos of the site, but I do more light admin and bits and pieces. than heavy posting. Unfortunately I still use a C550 and can not justify getting a contract with a network just to get a cheap handset so it's not as easy to post in some of the newer areas now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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