new dslr

Mr_Toad

Also have a look in the specialty photographic shops near you. There are always people who buy stuff because they want it then find they either don't use it or like it so much they quickly upgrade to something better.

cootuk

tbh if you get the standard kit lens, then very quickly you will want a bigger zoom. So around £150 for that. Plus you will need an extra battery or two, and a fast memory card for continuous shoot.

Pinkypants

Then a tripod, off camera flash, filters, oh and lightroom or photoshop, plus a bag to put it all in.

It can get very expensive as I've found out!

Mr_Toad

Pinkypants wrote: »

Then a tripod, off camera flash, filters, oh and lightroom or photoshop, plus a bag to put it all in.

It can get very expensive as I've found out!

Oh yes, photography is definitely a money pit. :eek:

I ended up buying a small Canon G9 for those times when I didn't want to lug the big camera about.

Pinkypants

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh6zr3wKRV0&list=SP7ECB90D96DF59DE5&index=4

Proof that it's not always the equipment, crap camera but £200 plus flash gun.

catoutthebag

Hey guys, just went to currys for a quick play (nikon 5100 and canon 600).

Canon was a little bigger? Nikon felt less 'cheap', perhaps. Canon menu seemed more intuitive, but I would learn quick on a nikon. I think, as mentioned, they're the same at this level. I guess I'm leaning to the nikon 5100 as it's better low-light + inherits the sensor from the superior 7000.

Now, currys have a 5% code, and 1.51% cashback and £40 nikon cashback...taking it 352.99 with kit lens (suprisingly to me, no bag or sd card, and they wouldn't throw that in either.

Anyway, way cheaper than the 600d kit which was 499.99 at currys, and 465 odd on amazon (haven't checked for direct canon cashback).

I think the price is a clincher, as others' said, it's about the lenses too.

I've ignored the 'grey market' stuff without uk serial numbers (which are slightly cheaper, and having investigated, would not touch).


Then, I thought ... what about I get the 5100 body only...I believe at around £349, or £309 with the cashback..and see if I can get a cheap, versatile lens such as 18-135 or 55-200? but saw that they're about £150 each for nikon version new :rotfl:

So unless I could get a cheap versatile len that also incorporates the range of the kit 18-55, I guess the cheapest is the currys £350 odd (excluding bag and memory unfortunately).

catoutthebag

Stopped procastinating and ordered the 5100 :beer:

clangnuts

Buy the fastest SD card you can. I bought a large capacity SD card when I got my DSLR but it was useless for quick shots. Replaced it with a smaller (8GB) but much faster (95mb/s) card, and now I can take bursts of shots at 3.5 a second.

ukcarper

PollyOnAMission wrote: »

I have the D5100 and think it's great, however you really need to hold and play with both some Canons and some Nikons to see which feels right for you.

The ergonomics of the Canons just didn't feel right in my hands, so for me it was the Nikon. Once you've decided on the brand then it's really down to budget.

I had a similar dilemma (second hand D90 or new D5100) but decided on the newer camera, as technology has moved on quite a lot since the D90. Have a look at some reviews to get an idea of the relative merits and features of the ones you are considering (I recommend http://www.dpreview.com/) to see if some stand out to you. I liked the fold out screen on the D5100, for example.

I decided to go D5100 rather than D3100 or D3200 because I figured one more "upper entry level" than "entry level" could potentially keep me going for longer.

As for lenses (I can only speak for Nikon), the 18-55 VR is surprisingly good, and the 55-200 VR is a great bargain (only around £125). I also have the 35mm f1.8 prime lens which is gives fabulous depth of field, and being fixed focal length means you learn a new way to take photos (moving your body to position the camera rather than turning the lens to zoom). The next lens I get will probably be a macro lens, then I'll have pretty much covered all bases to keep me going for a while

I also have a d5100 and would second all of above especially the part about trying both.

catoutthebag

Damn that trigger finger was itchy yesterday
Boy does it feel good

What sd card do I go for? Didn't know they came in differing speeds?