Digital SLR Recommendations

Strider590

Big_Graeme wrote: »

£150 for a tripod? £1000 for a camera? Jeeze...

Show me a sturdy light weight tripod, with decent ball head (else it'll flop around) for less than £100.

Lightweight because if you have a DSLR your already carrying 5+ KG of equipment in your bag. It wants to be aluminium tubing, 4 sections, above head height maximum, with the ability to drop to just a few cm off the floor and with legs that can be positioned and locked independently (because flat surfaces are hard to come by when you need them), the feet need to have a rubber ball + metal spike.

If you don't buy one that fits all these needs, you'll be looking for another one within 6 months.

Mine is a Redsnapper, a new brand under cutting the big boys, it's 2kg, 30cm folded and can hold the weight of the average adult. It also has a hook underneath to hang weight (typically my camera bag) from, to keep it steady in windy conditions.

My old tripod weighed more, didn't fold down as well, didn't open up as high, wasn't as sturdy, the legs were bendy, it was hard to carry and as a result never got used.

£1000 is peanuts for a camera.

http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-hasselblad-h5d-60-digital-camera-body/p1559131?cm_mmc=googlebase-extension-_-cameras-_-medium-format-_-hasselblad-h5d-60-medium-format-digital-camera_1559131&utm_source=googlebase-extension&cm_mmc=google+-+warehouse+cameras+%26+lenses-_-shopping+-+cameras+and+lenses-_-&mkwid=o8l8figs&pcrid=54652585569&gclid=cj0keqiakdajbrcj_7_j6scck7wbeiqappb2i8k3qafgssguq0pppffdz3o4-fxdey7ifv1i3f_c4zoaavmb8p8haq

"The poor man always pays twice"

Big_Graeme

A decent tripod AND head for £60 https://www.calphoto.co.uk/product/calumet-7300-tripod-with-three-way-quick-release-head/CK7316/

You don't have to buy a ball head for it, the one supplied is fine, made by the people that make Manfrotto too.

https://www.calphoto.co.uk/product/canon-eos-1200d-digital-slr-camera-body-18-55mm-is-ii-lens-kit/321-135C/

A decent DSLR that will more than do the job without spending megabucks, if there is more of a budget they are doing some instore promos on the 7D mark 1 at around £699.

The OP wants a starter kit not set up a studio...

daveyjp

Loads of second hand gear. London camera exchange and mpb photographic are two outlets I have used.

You will get what was a £1200 camera body when launched 5-6 years ago for £200-300 depending on use and condition.

Second hand lenses aren't always a bargain. Check used prices against Amazon.

bod1467

Thanks for all the responses - plenty of food for thought.

Babbawah

I really miss my digital SLR set up, but it all began to get stupidly expensive. When you start discussions with the Ministry of Finance (the missus) about spending £4k+ on a lens then you really should think about persuing something else.

Some good advice here so far, especially popping in & having a chat with Calumet.

All I can add is . . . just buy one, buy anything that your budget can afford & take it from there. Photography is all about creativity & you can have just as much satisfaction from a £100 set up as you can from a £10 000 set up.

RichardD1970

I was in the same situation a couple of months ago.

Looking for a starter DSLR for my daughter (I have bolded starter so people understand we don't want, or need to spend £1000's when just starting out! That can come later if she wants (and gets her own job to pay for it )

In the end after lots of research and questioning this forum we went for this Canon EOS 1200 D package, although no memory card when I bought .

Moneymaker

I bought a FinePix S8200. Wonderful, inexpensive, "bridge" camera! One thing that swung it for me was its use of convenient, ubiquitous, AA size rechargeables.

Note: I strongly recommend "Eneloop" batteries.

P.s. I also bought via eBay two additional items. An adapter ring and a polarising filter:

"58MM UV FILTER LENS CAP & STRING ADAPTER RING KIT FOR FUJIFILM Fuji S8200 "

"58mm Double Thread Circular Polarising Filter-CPL UK 58"

RobTang

You might want to consider mirrorless cameras as well, they are smaller then dslrs but can pack the same sensor sizes into the smaller body but still offer the ability to change lenses.

InsideInsurance

Moneymaker wrote: »

One thing that swung it for me was its use of convenient, ubiquitous, AA size rechargeables.

Most would recommend getting a battery grip for a dSLR which screws onto the base of the camera and in part gives you the normal thumb controls when in portrait orientation rather than having to try and reach round to the normal ones.

The second benefits, and reason for its name, is that it allows you to either insert 2 standard batteries doubling the life of the camera or replace the specialist camera batteries with AA ones

Herzlos

DSLRs don't use much battery compared to mirrorless, unless you're using live view or reviewing lots of images, so you'll find having easy access to additional batteries isn't that important. By all means buy a 3rd party spare battery back (maybe £15) but I wouldn't go any further than that; you'll rarely need it.