Affordable DSLR camera

cord123

Hi all!

I would like to get Mr C a camera for his 30th birthday.... what I know about these things can be written on a postage stamp so all help will be greatly recieved....

It will mainly be used for holiday, family and the odd landscape etc when he is out shooting....

I am on a budget (ideally dont want to spend more than £300) But am thinking that I can ask his family etc to buy extras for it ie. lenses, bag, memory card etc to make it a better camera...

Has anyone got any reccomendations. I want it to be new and not used as well...

Thanks in advance

InsideInsurance

Does he have any kit at all? If so, which brand is it? Whilst there are third party manufactures that make items for different brands like Sigma you are generally buying into a brand like Canon or Nikon.

Given your price you are going to be very limited as to options, only the entry levels are going to be close to your budget. Whilst these can be good cameras and a big step up from the point and shoot cameras they do tend to be fairly small with a lot of controls which for men with larger hands can be a challenge. My wife uses an older 350D and I a 40D but her camera is uncomfortable in my hands and she finds mine too big.

cord123

He does have an old Nikon I think (couldnt tell you make etc until I get home tonight.....) mmmm what sort of price bracket will get me a half decent camera -- thinking I could maybe joint it with his crimbo present... x

jaydeeuk1

Jessops often do the Sony Alpha a500 for £299.

Or the nikon D3000 and lens kit for just over £300 on amazon, which is great for the price

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002J9GIAQ/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

InsideInsurance

If he has old kit but it has the current mount type then it may be worth sticking to the same brand so he can reuse any old lenses. If you post the model of the camera someone will be able to check for you.

If it is Nikon then there is a slight caveat to it; traditionally the motor to focus the lens is in the camera body however it has become increasingly common for the lens itself to have the motor in it. One thing that Nikon did start doing recently on their lower level model cameras is stop putting a focusing motor in it thus any lens which doesnt have a motor in it becomes manual focus only. If his old kit is Nikon it may be that they are motorless and whilst still very usable would become manual focus on a lower Nikon body.

cord123

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

Jessops often do the Sony Alpha a500 for £299.

Or the nikon D3000 and lens kit for just over £300 on amazon, which is great for the price

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002J9GIAQ/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

Thanks very much I will have a look....

I know his dad got him his old camera and he died 8 years ago and was ill before that so it is atleast 10 years old....

billybluehat_2

for your budget the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 scored highest on Which? 84% "The Lumix DMC-G10 is Panasonic's first entry-level micro four-thirds (MFT) camera, offering users an affordable and compact alternative to a digital SLR. We tested this MFT camera using its packed 14-42mm kit lens to see it offers superb performance despite its lower price tag." best price Jessops £299.95 http://www.whichonehowmuch.co.uk/pr-2602832/pc-29/search/panasonic-lumix-dmc-g10-black-14-42mm-lens-kit#tabs-2

Alternatively you could go for the Nikon D3000 scores 68% at Which. "The D3000 has been described by Nikon as the 'simplest and most accessible DSLR to date' and the company has certainly pulled out all the stops in trying to make this 10Mp camera as appealing to newcomers as possible. We tested this DSLR camera with its 18-55mm VR (vibration reduction) kit lens to see how well it fared in such a competitive market." best price £299.99 Argos
http://www.whichonehowmuch.co.uk/pr-1257816/pc-29/search/nikon-d3000-18-55mm-vr-lens-kit#tabs-2

lawrie28

Get him a Fuji HS20.

It looks and acts like a DSLR, but you don't swap lenses, it has one lens that covers most situations.

It is a great way to get into taking great photos, without feeling like you need to spend a small fortune on lenses to do so.

You also get loads of extra features you won't on a cheap DSLR (HD video for example).

THere is a small loss in quality, but that is more than made up for by the flexibility of the camera.

globalds

I'm going to jump into this thread as I am looking for a DSLR for work ...Mostly taking photographs of components and component damage.( so no fancy zoom lenses needed)

I think my budget will be about £300 so any information would be much appreciated.

andygb

There is a Sony Alpha 200 on EBAY NOW with about an hour to run, and the price is only around £200 at the moment.
It would be ideal if you fancy taking a punt. Nearly tempted myself as a second, back up camera.

ukcarper

If you want a dslr buy a dslr I have used many cameras but none are as responsive as a dslr.