Digital SLR Recommendations

bod1467

I had a quick look for an MSE Photography forum but couldn't see one, so I'm posting here.

DD2 desires a good quality camera to aid her art work. (She takes photos of scenes, people etc., and uses those on which to base her art). Now I know a good camera is as much (if not more) to do about the lens and mechanics as to do with the CCD pixel resolution, and also with the usability of the camera.

DD2 has used her friend's Canon and liked it, but I don't know the model number.

Looking at a budget of around £300, what would people recommend?

Strider590

It's nothing to do with pixels at all, unless your taking photos to be used on road side bill boards.

If she's going to use a DSLR properly (and not just shoving it in "Auto" all the time), then you want a mid range DSLR and that's about £700-£1000.

Then you'll probably need at least one lens straight away, a 35mm or 50mm prime (£100-£200), you'll definitely need a TTL speedlight (flash) for the "people" side, because the onboard flash is always too inflexible/harsh (£50-£150 for a TTL speedlight).
A good sturdy tripod is essential for long exposures (£150+)

As you can see, it's not a cheap hobby.


But, if it's going to get used in "Auto" then a bridge camera will be more than sufficient.

As for brand, I use Nikon, but you need to pick a brand carefully because lenses are not compatible across makes.
It's also important to get into a shop and hold the camera before spending silly money.
Try to avoid cameras/lenses that have plastic lens mounts, these only need a slight knock and they'll shear off.

For me, if I were starting over again, I think i'd buy a used Canon 20d (6.8mp, from around 2005). They were really popular with the "have a go" photographers, who gave up the hobby and kept the camera in storage. You'd probably pay £200 for a nearly new camera, a lens, a bag, some extras and maybe a flash and the images that thing produces can be amazing.

victor2

For £300, a bridge camera is the obvious choice. Something like the Fujifilm HS50EXR. I just used that as an example because I have an older (about 5 years old) Fujifilm bridge camera and have been very happy with it.
That type of camera is relatively small and light, you don't have to carry or change lenses and the built-in image stabilisation makes the huge zoom usable. By the time you've added an extra battery, memory card and case to the price, you'll be close to your budget.
You can use such cameras in fully automatic, semi-automatic or manual mode, which gives you loads of options and room to experiment.

althas

It is generally considered that for people, landscapes etc that Nikon has the edge over Canon in quality. If she is going to be taking pictures of more moving objects (wildlife, sports, people running etc) then Canon is the one to go for

Each manufacturer does an entry level model that comes with a kit lens to get your started (usually 18mm-55mm). Then from there the world (and the bank balance) is the limit

The thing to remember with a DSLR is that you are not just buying a camera as such, you are buying a system. The lenses you buy extra on top of the main body, will be used for MANY years to come and what will be updated is the body of the camera. So if you buy a Nikon now, a few lenses, a flashgun etc, you could not change to a Canon in the future and use the same things. You would need to go out and buy Canon compatible things

Pixels on a DSLR at this level are not the be all and end. Any of the entry level models is more than sufficient so I would not really worry on that

The Nikon D3200 is generally reviewed as the best entry level DSLR, and if you shop around you could well pick a new kit for the £300 (will include a battery, the 18-55mm kit lens and a carry strap). You will need a GOOD SD card (do NOT scrimp on the quality of these), something like a Sandisk Ultra class 10. 8gb or 16gb will be fine and that will get her going now. After that, my top 5 priorities would be

1. Spare Battery + good carry bag/backpack for DSLRs
2. UV filter for the kit lens (this protects the glass on the lens. if the filter gets scratched then £30 for a replacement. The lens itself gets scratched then it's ruined)
3. Flash Gun (for the reason Strider said)
4. 50mm f/1.8 prime lens - this is one of the best "starter" lenses you can get and DD2 will learn SO much by using one of these. Usually retail around £100 (also one of the cheapest lenses you can get)
5. Tripod

After this the equipment will become more specialised for the exact type of photography DD2 will do

I will echo what Strider has said on this, and say it is the MUST DO before you buy. Go and have a go in a shop that knows what they are talking about. All the models are different, and something could be great on paper but unusable in the hand. Too heavy, too big, bad button layout etc. A good camera shop will guide and advise. Yes you may pay a few £s more than buying on the internet, but trust me, it is worth every penny for the advise

Sorry this is so long, but there is a lot to consider buying a DSLR. But hopefully it will be the start of a life long passion for her. Good luck and let us know what you decide

bod1467

All excellent and well-received advice guys. Thanks.

jaydeeuk1

Argos were selling the nikon d3200 for £199 yesterday and also £20 cashback from nikon, seems to have gone up to £299 today on site but might be instore still.

InsideInsurance

Canon, Nikon etc are not really better or worse than each other, they are simply slightly different.

I am a Canon man, I like their controls, their lens naming conventions are very simple and so easy to know the difference between the 4 different 50mm lenses that you see for sale etc.

The wife however is a Nikon fan as she prefers the slightly richer colour they produce by default. In fact I would argue that the split between the two brands isnt by what type of photography you are doing but more are you an artist (Nikon) or wanting a factual capture of the image ie a journalist, product photographer etc (Canon).

In dSLR terms £300 is a tiny budget and no matter what you spend on buying your first camera it is the very thin edge of a very wide wedge! http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/Canon/Canon-Digital-SLRs will give you an idea of prices, basically you can just afford the entry level 1200D or get the one step up of the 100D if you add another 30%

I think you would probably be better off buying a secondhand camera as you'll get much more bang for your buck. Unfortunately camera equipment holds their prices fairly well, particularly lenses but bodies drop more due to this being where significant advances are still being made.

Strider590

Just to add, if the price seems a bit much, just remember that before phones had cameras, you were looking at £300 for a bottom of the line "compact" camera.

Camera phones hit the market hard, mostly because they were "free" and I think people now baulk at the idea of spending money on one. The manufacturers had to cut prices on compact cameras or suffer the consequences.

InsideInsurance wrote: »

The wife however is a Nikon fan as she prefers the slightly richer colour they produce by default. In fact I would argue that the split between the two brands isnt by what type of photography you are doing but more are you an artist (Nikon) or wanting a factual capture of the image ie a journalist, product photographer etc (Canon).

I'm inclined to disagree (sort of), because that's all down to PP (post processing) done within the camera, which is all well and good and saves a lot of messing about afterwards.

But I prefer to shoot RAW and then tune the image later in either Photoshop or Nikons CaptureNX, it means I don't have to mess about with white balance metering and the software gives me 2 stops of exposure compensation

Disadvantage is I only get 700 photos to a 16GB memory card, instead of nearly 4000 in jpg mode.

ukcarper

There is very little difference between Nikon and Canon the only thing I would add is that it is well worth going into a good shop and picking them up to find which feels the most comfortable.

Big_Graeme

My recommendation is go into Calumet, there is one in Glasgow and Edinburgh, have a chat to them and see what they can do for you , great service and done by people who know what they are talking about, some of the prices mentioned here are quite honestly ridiculous, £150 for a tripod? £1000 for a camera? Jeeze...

Herzlos

Unless she's doing anything particularly fancy she'll be able to get by with pretty much any DSLR made + a standard lens (canon have an 18-50mm). You can buy the lens for £60 or it'll come in kits with most bodies. The base Canon 1100D is well within budget with a lens, I've got one and it's fine.

It's also worth looking for a used one, resolution wise it doesn't really matter, but you can go all the way back to a 300D (6.3MP - enough for A2 prints) for well under £100 now.

The only drawback to the mini-body cannons (1xxxD series) is that some of the settings are only available via menus, so if she's going to be using manual settings she may prefer one with a thumbwheel on the back, which requires going to a series with 2 digits. Again you can buy used 10/20/30/40D's in budget, and get a better camera for it.

If it has to be new, then go for a 1100D with lens from Argos - £249.99 with a £10 voucher, and a 16Gb SD card.

If it can be used, have a look on gumtree and any cameras shops locally for any digital SLR body + lens within budget.

She can then add extra bits as she needs (most likely a tripod or flashgun if she's taking photos in low light).