Which Digital SLR?

joe_public_2

If you're set on a D50 then you can get a 'refurbished' D50 kit from Tecno (same company as Jessops) for £289.99; this code (tecnocpb5) will get you another £4 off at the checkout.

http://www.tecno.co.uk/Store/c3391/2001-3390-3391/Home/Refurbished-/Refurbished-Nikon-DSLR/details.aspx

Having owned at one time or another a Canon EOS 300D, 350D, 20D, Nikon D70 and D40 I can honestly say that the D40 is the one that impressed me the most and would be my recommendation. The limiting factor is obviously the choice of lenses as the D40 doesn't have a focus drive (unlike the D50) and therefore you need AF-S lenses for auto focussing. The photos straight out of the camera on the D40 are awesome; it's also well built, small and light but at the same time very tactile.

ollyk

joe_public wrote: »

If you're set on a D50 then you can get a 'refurbished' D50 kit from Tecno (same company as Jessops) for £289.99; this code (tecnocpb5) will get you another £4 off at the checkout.

http://www.tecno.co.uk/Store/c3391/2001-3390-3391/Home/Refurbished-/Refurbished-Nikon-DSLR/details.aspx

Having owned at one time or another a Canon EOS 300D, 350D, 20D, Nikon D70 and D40 I can honestly say that the D40 is the one that impressed me the most and would be my recommendation. The limiting factor is obviously the choice of lenses as the D40 doesn't have a focus drive (unlike the D50) and therefore you need AF-S lenses for auto focussing. The photos straight out of the camera on the D40 are awesome; it's also well built, small and light but at the same time very tactile.

Thanks Joe, I purchased a Canon 350D in the end and love the camera but I think Jessops are having it back to be honest (they say ok if not opened software), although more testing to do yet.
The lens is what you would expect from a fisher price toy and I am not overly confident the camera can focus as quickly or acurately as the D50 anyway, but I will be damned if I am going to put up with this lens to find out whether the camera is capable of acuracy or not until I can afford an upgrade which gives sharp images :mad: I am a little dissapointed because I am very happy with everything else this camera does!
I might be looking at the D50 now at that price!!!

mamasad

hi everyone just went and bought a 400d from jesops and its grate. just want to know what is the best all round lens i should buy iv got about £200 to £250 to spend just need a good one for taking picks of family need some help from you experts out there thanks in advance mam

ollyk

mamasad wrote: »

hi everyone just went and bought a 400d from jesops and its grate. just want to know what is the best all round lens i should buy iv got about £200 to £250 to spend just need a good one for taking picks of family need some help from you experts out there thanks in advance mam

I would say you are asking too simpler question and in the wrong place to be honest, I have just joined a Canon forum which looks like a decent place to read for a while and absorb tips & tricks etc, and when you have read a good few posts and know exactly what kind of a lens you want with the various tradeoffs etc you are prepared to live with then you will probably be ready to ask!
You could also take your camera with a memory card to your local camera shop and try a few lens's (although tell them to put the lens on one of their bodies and reduce the risk of dust getting in !) - compare same shots with your own lens.
I tried a Sigma 17-70 (within your budget) but to be honest I am holding out for a while to see if anything better comes my way!
Are you too finding the supplied lens less than satisfying, by any chance?

ollyk

I would also say you may be able to get much better results out of the kit lens too, just stay away from large apatures although this still doesn't always help!

Rhyburgh

The Gadget Show reviewed Canon and Nikon slr cameras this week

http://gadgetshow.five.tv/jsp/5gsmain.jsp?lnk=401&featureid=325&pageid=-1

ollyk

Rhyburgh wrote: »

The Gadget Show reviewed Canon and Nikon slr cameras this week

http://gadgetshow.five.tv/jsp/5gsmain.jsp?lnk=401&featureid=325&pageid=-1

I saw that and to be honest it was a joke! It was a bit of fun and to be fair I suspect their decision was the correct one (the d80 is a very nice camera that I couldn't afford) but I do hope people don't make decisions based on some of the tests they carried out!

mamasad

ollyk wrote: »

I would say you are asking too simpler question and in the wrong place to be honest, I have just joined a Canon forum which looks like a decent place to read for a while and absorb tips & tricks etc, and when you have read a good few posts and know exactly what kind of a lens you want with the various tradeoffs etc you are prepared to live with then you will probably be ready to ask!
You could also take your camera with a memory card to your local camera shop and try a few lens's (although tell them to put the lens on one of their bodies and reduce the risk of dust getting in !) - compare same shots with your own lens.
I tried a Sigma 17-70 (within your budget) but to be honest I am holding out for a while to see if anything better comes my way!
Are you too finding the supplied lens less than satisfying, by any chance?

hi ollyk thanks for your reply i will go and join a canon forum and improve on my not so good skills as a new photographer hopefully ill get the basics in time for my child birth. and yes i think the lens that you get is not all that so ill keep on looking to see if i can save up some extra cash to get a better lens or two for a variety of different shots thanks for the pointer I'm off to join the forum you suggest thanks again mam

playman

Hi everyone!

I was thinking about dSLR lately and was looking at Canon 400d. Recently i found out that my OH wanted to give it as a present for a coming-up birthday, so in fact i just doubled the budget!

So, with around £900...£1000 to spend on everything (including a case), what shall i go for?

I am considering Canon 30d, but it seems a little old and only 8mp.

Also i may be photoing ice hockey next season, which means no flash allowed.. Whats the best way to spend the budget?

ollyk

playman wrote: »

Hi everyone!

I was thinking about dSLR lately and was looking at Canon 400d. Recently i found out that my OH wanted to give it as a present for a coming-up birthday, so in fact i just doubled the budget!

So, with around £900...£1000 to spend on everything (including a case), what shall i go for?

I am considering Canon 30d, but it seems a little old and only 8mp.

Also i may be photoing ice hockey next season, which means no flash allowed.. Whats the best way to spend the budget?

Hi Playman, ok well proceed carefully here!

If you are in to ice hockey I think you are going to require a good lens, so forget the standard lens you get with the 400d (it really is poor) and forget getting a better camera than the 400d! An ideal lens for ice hockey would cost perhaps £400 new. You see you will need a fast large apature lens due to the poor lighting available in an ice rink. You will quickly realise this is a VERY expensive hobby, and you will only be rewarded by 'Point & shoot' quality pictures if you go cheap on a lens.

Anyway, definately look at the 400d, maybe even a good deal on the 350d will leave you with more money to spend on a lens but the autofocus is not quite as good as the 400d so that is something to consider with sports I guess. Image quality and everything else the same though....
There is also Nikon, which I think produce lovely camera's and I would have gone with them if they had produced a camera I could afford at the time. The D40x and D50 just weren't for me. Now the d70 / d200 are nice camera's!

If you have decided on a canon then go over to http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php and introduce yourself. You will be amazed they might actually advise you to go Nikon if you ask in an Honest way (I saw someone say this recently!), they are not terribly biased toward canon! I think first and foremost, they are photographers.

Oh, and don't forget, the best bit of advice I can give is to read reviews on-line of two or three camera's, and try and mentally work out the simpler operating proceedures, then go to Jessops and hold the camera, and take some shots etc... just play around! I think you will get a good feeling which system / camera suits you best.

Have fun!