recommend an slr camera for me

scotty1971

i want to purchase a new slr camera,i have between £400 and £500 to spend,there is so much choice just wondering if people could give me there recommendations.

thanks

scott

googler

Too vague

Do you want an SLR body - i.e. you have lens(es) already?

Do you want to buy a body with one lens, or do you want a selection of lenses to go with the body?

Give us the detail of what you want to achieve, and we can help you better.....

ostaragirl

I've just ordered from Amazon a Canon EOS 600D with a standard 18-55 mm lense kit for £512. I tok the lense kit as it was only about £30 more than buying the camera itself but I intend to buy another 1.8 II lense for about £75 when I get going with it all.
I spent a good few weeks researching cameras and prices and the only cheaper ones were from sites coming from Hong Kong with some ropey looking reviews.
From all the reviews this camera seems to come out consistently good with between 4 and 5 stars so I'm pretty confident its going to be a good camera.

scotty1971

googler wrote: »

Too vague

Do you want an SLR body - i.e. you have lens(es) already?

Do you want to buy a body with one lens, or do you want a selection of lenses to go with the body?

Give us the detail of what you want to achieve, and we can help you better.....

i have no lenses, to be honest i'm not sure what i want to achieve,just looking to buy a good beginners slr camera.

googler

Your subject matter will dictate the choice of lenses. What do you want to photograph?

General family scenes?
Landscapes?
Wildlife?
Birds?
Closeup flora and fauna?
Concerts or Dramatic Events?

scotty1971

googler wrote: »

Your subject matter will dictate the choice of lenses. What do you want to photograph?

General family scenes?
Landscapes?
Wildlife?
Birds?
Closeup flora and fauna?
Concerts or Dramatic Events?

lol,in an ideal world all of the above,but most probably family scenes,wildlife and close ups.

yangptangkipperbang

Go to a good camera shop and handle various makes. It is amazing how different how they can feel. When it comes to performance of the cameras there isn't really a great deal between them.

If you intend buying a number of additional lenses in future, I would suggest that you go for either a Nikon or Canon. These two makes have the widest range of 3rd party (cheaper !) lenses available.

buglawton

The opening question implies that OP does not know why an SLR is better than other digital options. In which case, would a true SLR really fit the bill?

If you are not a camera techy/enthusiast but just want nice pictures with many SLR-type benefits; I'd recommend a nice point'n'shoot 'bridge camera' instead.

Try Googling 'best bridge cameras'.

Recently I bought a Sony one, it has GPS tagging so I will forever know where on the globe each pic was taken, plus it has a viewfinder (like an SLR) if needed. No need to carry extra lenses as it has a wide range zoom one built in too.

scotty1971

buglawton wrote: »

The opening question implies that OP does not know why an SLR is better than other digital options. In which case, would a true SLR really fit the bill?

If you are not a camera techy/enthusiast but just want nice pictures with many SLR-type benefits; I'd recommend a nice point'n'shoot 'bridge camera' instead.

Try Googling 'best bridge cameras'.

Recently I bought a Sony one, it has GPS tagging so I will forever know where on the globe each pic was taken, plus it has a viewfinder (like an SLR) if needed. No need to carry extra lenses as it has a wide range zoom one built in too.

i admit i do not know much about slr cameras,i already have a point and shoot.i would like to become more advanced regarding picture taking,if that makes sense

toastydave

have a look at http://www.dpreview.com/

really good site showing lots of cameras and gives a buying guide

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Guides/dslr_buying_guide_01.htm

Dave

A._Badger

scotty1971 wrote: »

i admit i do not know much about slr cameras,i already have a point and shoot.i would like to become more advanced regarding picture taking,if that makes sense

The big advantage of an SLR is that it lets the user change lenses. In fairness, there are alternatives now that let you do the same but in general terms the highest quality pictures will be got from a quality SLR with decent lenses.

This is why it matters which company's SLR you choose. Many of them are much of a muchness quality wise but if you decide to take photography seriously, you'll want to keep your lenses, add to them now and then, and still be able to use them in a few years time when you buy a new camera body. In reality, that means sticking with a major brand that doesn't abandon its previous customers and is likely to remain in business. And that means, in effect, Nikon or Canon.

Have a look at this site and read the reviews there http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/ it's pretty reliable. Then try the two or three you put on a shortlist to see which feels best in tour hands.