Which Digital SLR?

Kezza25_2

i have d50 quality. mate has canon 400, can't see how his could cost 100 quid more. buy the nikon and spend the difference on a lens or memory

joughtib

I bought a D50 last summer, special deal at dixons with body, standard lens, plus 55-200mm lens, and it's an amazing camera. I know you'll struggle to get one now that the D40 and D80 are around, but I can recommend it.

bigbadgoggs

I got a Nikon D50 last year - fantastic camera to hold, use, buy additional bits for. Colour reproduction is stunning and Automatic mode (if you must use it) is very good.

I added an 80-400mm VR zoom lens recently and simply cannot believe the quality of results produced.

Best advice would be go out and actually hold/try the cameras you 're interested in (Jessops are usually quite good for that kind of thing) and then, once you've picked the one for you, look for a good internet deal:0)

Good Luck and happy snapping.

seletar

I bought the Olympus EVolt 500 at Christmas.With the camera deal on ebay
was the addition of a telephoto lens.The camera is great and very easy to use.
It is suitable for point and click but is mainly aimed at the ex users of SLR
film cameras.The only problem that I have found with the camera is that
I cannot get Photoshop CS2 to work with the RAW Olympus orf files.So stuck
with JPG`s but that`s no great hassle.

Spud_2

bigbadgoggs wrote:

Best advice would be go out and actually hold/try the cameras you 're interested in (Jessops are usually quite good for that kind of thing) and then, once you've picked the one for you, look for a good internet deal:0)

Good Luck and happy snapping.

Thanks, yes I do plan to do this, as actually holding each camera may make up my mind quite simply - I am very tempted by the Nikon.

At the end of the day I'm sure I can't go wrong with either Nikon, Canon or Olympus - it's just so difficult to choose! My only gripe is my compact digital (Canon Powershot A70 £200 at the time) suffered the fatal E18 error after only 3 years and although I know this only affects certain models, it has put me off Canon a bit in that I think why should I invest another £X hundred to them.

sunlinesam

Hi there,

I agree with bigbadgoggs.

When i was looking at DSLR's last year i did my research first and narrowed it down to the Nikon D50 and the Canon 350D and i then went to Jessops and had a good look and feel of both cameras.

I much preferred the feel of the Nikon, the quality felt superior. I'd previously had experience of the older model of Canon which gets fab results but is a heavy bulky thing but wasnt as impressed with the feel of the new lighter version.

I also used the info gleaned from Camera magazines in which the Nikon had consistently out performed the Canon.

I therefore plumped for the Nikon, I shopped about online and got a really great deal at the time.

I have to say i couldnt be happier. The results achieved are fantastic and the additional lenses etc are affordable and fantastic quality.

When i do eventually upgrade i'm certain i would opt for another Nikon.

So as bigbadgoggs the best advice is to go to Jessops or wherever and actually have a feel and a try of the cameras, how it feels is just as important as all the other qualities IMHO.

Happy shopping!

Sam x

waterstar

In buying a DSLR you are "buying into a system (Canon, Nikon, etc)", i.e. in time you may well want to buy additional lenses, either (1)to improve the "quality" as the quality of lens which comes with the DSLR is not of the highest quality available, or (2) to extend the range - zoom, wide angel, telephoto etc.

It is likely that your lenses will "outlast" the camera body; technological improvements, wear and tear on the body etc. (For example I am still using with my current DSLR a Canon 50mm lens I bought circa 1986 with a Canon EOS650, and it is still in most reviews rated as "reasonable to good quality" lens - this is now the fifth Canon body I have had it on!) So whatever DSLR brand you buy now you are to a degree committed to in the future.

Hence the point I am making is to take a "long view" and not just the attractiveness of the particular body. Taking a long view should be about considering the range of lenses available and also about the overall views of quality, innovation, longevity of the particular brand/system.

Hope this helps.

Rahoo

and for the cost its excellent, plenty of settings, and cracking quality, I wanted a cross between slr and compact , but the pani is just the right size to carry around , and even the point and click settings are good, has a great function if you have children, so when you take photos it prints there age on them

very very good:T

greatbigkev

I'll add another vote for the Sony Alpha 100. Very good value for money, especially with the anti-shake built in (no need for the expensive image-stabilisation lenses).

I tried this, a Canon 400D and a Nikon D50 but liked the layout and feel of the Sony best. As mentioned before, it's effectively a Sony/Konica-Minolta and has some of the best bits of both companies.

Don't write off Sony just cos they're not a traditional player in this market.

The bottom line is, whichever of these three you go for (or the Olympus even) you'll get an excellent camera which should last you for years.

ollyk

As described elsewere this decision is yours and only yours to make not other peoples! You will notice people who love Nikons generally dislike Canons and Vice versa.
Once you make your choice that is it you are lumbered with that make until the life of the lens's expire, so if you periodically buy a lens that will never happen!
You must read reviews on all the camera models that you are interested in (I really would narrow it down to these two personally) and then try them out in a few shops. e.g. goto one shop compare, try out, walk away think about things then goto a second shop and compare once more, do this until you are happy.
I am sure by this time you will have a gut feeling that will only help to bolster your confidence once you are holding the camera of your choice in your hands and using it as you originally intended.

Good luck!