Digital SLR - any recommendations

neilj203

I am thinking of getting a Digital SLR camera. I am looking for entry to mid level, with a budget of up to £550.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I would welcome any tips/advice.

photodgm

Try looking here. http://www.dpreview.com
or here http://www.photographyblog.com
Try to think about the features that are most important to you. Ease of use, quality of photo, (do you want to blow up to A3 or is a 6x4 fine?) If you buy a DSLR you are buying into a system Nikon, Canon, Sony etc with many potential lenses and other bits to buy as time goes on. Do you want/need video? Weight, low light ability, frames per second, speed of auto focus and a whole host of other things. If you can specify the type of photos you want to take perhaps people here can be more helpful.

paddyrg

£550 budget - how about a Canon 550D ;-) Actually, it's a smashing camera, in the right price range, and also shoots video at 1080/25p so doubles in some circumstances as a top-end video camera (especially for drama)

redped

While agreeing with the previous posters (I'm a Canon man), I'd recommend going in to a local photo shop and getting a feel for several cameras in your price range - as it's a physical device you'll be holding a lot, you want to make sure you buy one that feels comfortable.

clangnuts

When buying memory card for said Camera, don't do what I did and go for large, cheap but slow card.

Buy a Sandisk Extreme Pro one. I got this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-Extreme-Pro-SDHC-Card/dp/B005LFT3GG/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1333839740&sr=8-14

I didn't realise, but SDHC cards are speed rated. Slower ones are not great for DSLR, as burst shooting and Video is compromised by slower cards.

I stupidly bought a larger, much slower card at first. It was useless.

marlot

I'd recommend canon or nikon. People will debate forever which is better, but they're much of a muchness.

This seems a pretty good deal: http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/nikon-d3100-digital-slr-camera-with-18-55mm-zoom-lens-379-95-349-95-currys-pcworld-1188637

neilj203

Thanks to everyone who has offered advice so far.

photodgm wrote: »

Try looking here. http://www.dpreview.com
or here http://www.photographyblog.com
Try to think about the features that are most important to you. Ease of use, quality of photo, (do you want to blow up to A3 or is a 6x4 fine?) If you buy a DSLR you are buying into a system Nikon, Canon, Sony etc with many potential lenses and other bits to buy as time goes on. Do you want/need video? Weight, low light ability, frames per second, speed of auto focus and a whole host of other things. If you can specify the type of photos you want to take perhaps people here can be more helpful.

Re the above. We want easy of use, autofocus, plus ability to override using different settings and other lenses. Frames per second is a given. Video not a priority but a bonus.
Want to be able to blow up to beyond 6x 4 to a bit more.

Above all we want ease of use. Still not sure what system to buy into though.

redped

Canon and Nikon are the two main systems and have the largest selection of lenses available, which is one of the reasons a lot of people buy in to them.

I know a few people who have bought into other systems, and then found themselves limited in the lenses they can upgrade to; hence I would recommend either Canon or Nikon - as marlot says, there's not much to differentiate between them, which is why I suggest trying them at a local shop if possible.

You should also have a look at http://camerapricebuster.co.uk/ for prices, available lenses, accessories, etc.

paddyrg

Per the other commenters above, choose either Canon or Nikon and dive in! Don't bother with the other makes - or you will end up with much narrower options for lenses, whereas there are many makers of Canon or Nikon-fit lenses, accessories (eg external flashgun) and controllers (eg remote control/timelapse units).

How about popping into Jessops and having a play with a few Canons and Nikons, see which feels right to you. Any current SLR will do several modes of autofocus, allow a host of lenses, have a fully auto mode, around 3fps for rapid shooting, more manual override modes than you can shake a stick at, some kind of video capability, and all will blow up well beyond 6x4 and still look terriffic, so it comes down to taste and comfort.

As mentioned above, get fast SDHC cards - class 6 or higher.

vax2002

They are only as good as the lens and kit lenses suck !
Bang for buck, nothing gets anywhere close to the sony range.

Whiteknight

I would agree with Redped, you want to go and pick up and hold the potential cameras - I ended up with a Nikon as I found the Cannon in the same price range to not be as comfortable while holding.