DSLR - which price bracket?

[Deleted User]

I don't think i've spent more than 500 on mine, and that would cover my camera, an external flash and 4 lenses. I'm an MSE camera shopper

Whatever you do, factor in the cost of your accessories before you buy. I've found an external flash gun and essential purchase.

ah7386

mrs_baggins wrote: »

Personally I have an entry level sony A200 (now superceded) and its got everything I need apart from maybe live view. I suppose it depends on if you have current lenses you need to support or not

+1 from me - I have the A230 which is the newer version although the specs are pretty much the same. For the price it is a superb camera and widely thought of as one of the top entry level DSLRs.

Again no live view with this model and would be a nice feature but that pushes the price up considerably.

There is a good selection of lenses too, Sigma and Tamron do a good range with the Sony Alpha fit.

jackieblack

ah7386 wrote: »

+1 from me - I have the A230 which is the newer version although the specs are pretty much the same. For the price it is a superb camera and widely thought of as one of the top entry level DSLRs.

Again no live view with this model and would be a nice feature but that pushes the price up considerably.

There is a good selection of lenses too, Sigma and Tamron do a good range with the Sony Alpha fit.

I went for the A330 because it is basically an A230 in an A380 body - so has the live view. It was an extra £50, but I thought it would be worth it and that I would use the live view alot.. TBH though, I've only used the live view a couple of times and then only because it was there, not because I particularly needed it.

ukcarper

I believe minolta lenses work on the sony

peteb23

Canon are releasing their new EOS 550 in few weeks time which will come around £800. This is quite big news as the specs are similar to their £1300 7D (including full HD video).

The good news for people who are not bothered about video is that is could further push down the price of the EOS 450 (no video) and the 500D (not great video) - so it might be worthwhile holding out a bit to see what happens.

gwyne

I would get an entry level SLR (canon or nikon would be easier to buy lenses) and forget the lens kit and upgrade immediately to anything like a 50mm f/1.8 (there are options to get lenses for both) or a zoom lens from a third party, maybe a Sigma 17-70mm or Tamron 24-70mm. Both are great to play around with.

As for the body - it is less important, anything around your price bracket is fine. I got a 400D when I got mine (camera bag, battery, lens kit included) for around £400. The 450D even 350D will be quite competitive price wise now.

I'd get to grips with all the functions fully before getting anything more expensive and at the end of the day, it's the photographer, not the camera that makes the difference.

converse

If you are serious about getting into photography, Canon and Nikon are the only 2 to consider.

Both have models that are equally as good, I'd certainly not agree that Canon are better, nor Nikon better, they are just different. Canon lenses are the holy grail though!!

If a saleman told you Nikon cameras are slower than Canon, or vice versa, then he's just a poor salesman with no knowledge. Some Canon models produce sharper images than Nikon and vice versa, most of the time it's down to optics. New models with very dense sensors, produce inferior images over lesser resolution models.

A poor photographer with a 2 grand camera = a poor photo.

Go to www.camerapricebuster.co.uk

papoosue

Firstly, many thanks to everyone for all the advice you've given me (and the links too, very useful).

I hadn't really thought of buying a camera 'system' as someone said - and that the lenses were just as important (or more so) as the camera body. That has helped me think about what dslr I want in a different way. One thing I really worry about is that it seems that cameras take quite a varying quality of pics, I've had cameras that were supposed to be great and came highly recommended (not dslr, but compact digitals) and took really awful photos. some of my best digital photos came from an old Kodak easyshare that was my first digital camera - they were fantastic. I suppose I worry about spending hundreds of pounds (that has taken me a few years to save!) on a dslr and then finding that the basic photos I take are poor and I've wasted all that money. I know that the photo depends on the photographer, but I'm talking about those everyday shots...

Anyway, I think I need to go and have a look in a Jessops or John Lewis maybe (not really any independent camera shops near me at all) and see how the cameras look/feel and ask the assistants' advice. Sadly, I have found J. Lewis more helpful and informative than Jessops lately - the Jessops staff seem uninterested and I always get the feeling they just want to tell you what you want to hear sort of thing, then sell you what's popular (usually Canon) and get rid of you asap. Might be worth a trip further afield to find somewhere more helpful.

Really, what I want is a camera that will take me from beginner through to serious, an extra lens (zoom) and a bag to keep it all in - all for about £500-600 maximum, preferably less lol. I don't hold out much hope. What happened to all the second hand cameras there used to be...?

Oh, just one more question. Does anyone take out the extended warranties on their cameras?

Thanks again for all the advice, I feel a little more confident to go into the shops and have a look now.:):):)

papoosue

I know I said only one more question but...

Do you need live view?

Do you need video? - surely if you have a camcorder already then it's not necessary.

And then there's the question of how many megapixels.....oh dear, need to do some more research.

I knew this wasn't going to be easy.:eek:

ukcarper

To be honest the more expensive DSLRs don’t do a lot more that the cheaper ones with Nikon the main advantages are the in body focus motor allowing more lenses to be used, the ability to change more camera settings directly without going thought the menu system and a more sophisticated flash system.

This is a good site for seeing the differences http://www.dpreview.com .

Live view can be useful but I haven’t got it on my camera and haven’t really missed it, as for video I suppose that depends on if you think you will use it I wouldn’t but I know people who do and I don’t think a few extra megapixals would make much difference..