D40 or Olympus E410SE

paul8811

paul8811

paul8811

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Very close to getting my first DSLR, was about go with the Nikon d40 (about £290 after discounts)but then saw the Olympus E410SE for about £310 with £50 cashback & discounts codes. The E410SE comes with a ED 17.5-45mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens.

Any advice for a complete newbie to a SLR?
 
Im sure some Oly users will come along and disagree with me, but heres my take on it; When you buy an SLR you are not only buying a camera, you are also choosing the 'system' to buy into. as time goes on you are likely to want new lenses, flash, battery grip etc etc. While almost all DSLRs are very good and would be good purchases, there are two sytems that stand out in terms of support and product range; Canon and Nikon. I would therefore very much consider these two systems over any other. My dad uses an Olympus, and finds it hard to find cheaper thiord party products etc.

So for a 'complete newbie to a SLR', I would suggest looking at the Canon 350D/400D and the Nikon D40/D40X. Both the Canon and Nikon are very closely matched, but plus and minus points for both. If I was you i'd go down your local camera shop and try both out. :)
 
I'd definitely agree with what mk said. Where you really do notice the difference is in the number of lenses available to each of the different systems.

Going to try them out is good advice - don't buy one without seeing how it feels first. It might be great on paper and cheaper than another one, but if you'd found that you prefer using the other one, then it's a silly purchase.
 
Thanks & make sense as I can see this being a very expensive pastime once me & wife catch the bug. Haven't really considered the 350d, wanted to keep the intial expense down & the from reading up the 40d comes with a much better lense.
 
Darn now I have found a 400d 2nd hand for £370 with spare battery & kit lense. Would it worth the extra £70 over the 40d?
 
I wouldn't say that the Nikon kit lens was necessarily better than the Canon's - they're neither brilliant, but will both take some decent pictures with the right settings and conditions.

On paper, there has always been little to choose between the 350D and the D40, but I would say that the 400D definitely takes the edge. However, get what you feel comfortable with - go to a well known highstreet chain and pretend that you're going to buy from them and they will bend over backwards for you. Decide what you want and come and find it on the internet for a lot less ;)
 
Just came back from well known high street store, they didn't have a 350d had a feel of the D40 & felt good. I was all set to buy but they wouldn't budge on the price or chuck in anything to make me buy from them. The salesman said that the management is being very tight atm.
 
i had a feel (cor blimey guv'ner) of both the 350d and d40 and felt that the d40 was a nicer feel, and better built. it may not be mind, as others have said they are very closely matched, but to me it felt right.. i lub my d40 now <hugs camera bag with d40 in>
 
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