Do I want an SLR or a bridge camera?
- Thread starter Bes
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Ok just got back from Bath:
I played with a 30D, a 40D, a D80, and a 400D.
First the ones I don't want:
40D
Nice camera but far too big and heavy (and expensive!) so instant no from me.
400D
This felt like a toy after playing with the 30D and D80, and I don't think the build quality is up to much compared to the others.
Now the two I liked:
30D
It was nice, but was bigger and heavier than the Nikon. I also didn't like the menu at all.
D80
By far my favourite: Lovely menu system, dead easy to use, felt great in my hand, and was just the right size/ weight.
I talked extensively with various camera shop bods and the consensus seemed to be that the 400D was fine, but pictures would be rather soft in comparison to the others, and buying a 400D body and a good lens (costing the same as a 30D/ D80 anyway for similar results was never really going to work due to the inferoior body.
They seemed to say the 20D/30D/D80 would be a good choice (Unless they were just saying this to get a sale?), so I think I am definately going to take one of these.
**One place** had the D80 with the Nikon 18-135mm lens for £630, and some independent shop had a D80 body only for £400 (but I got the impression that pairing this up with a decent lens would cost just as much as getting it as a package anyway).
**Another store** could do me the Nikon 18-135mm & D80 with a 2GB card for £669 (Seems too much to me).
What should I do? Is it worth me looking S/H and trying to spend a but more to get the 18-200mm VR lens S/H? (No chance new as it was about a grand!!)
I'm pretty certain I want the D80 whatever I do now- it's just whether I really splash the cash and get a 18-200VR lens S/H or get a lesser one S/H really.
**Please leave out competitors names, JG**
I played with a 30D, a 40D, a D80, and a 400D.
First the ones I don't want:
40D
Nice camera but far too big and heavy (and expensive!) so instant no from me.
400D
This felt like a toy after playing with the 30D and D80, and I don't think the build quality is up to much compared to the others.
Now the two I liked:
30D
It was nice, but was bigger and heavier than the Nikon. I also didn't like the menu at all.
D80
By far my favourite: Lovely menu system, dead easy to use, felt great in my hand, and was just the right size/ weight.
I talked extensively with various camera shop bods and the consensus seemed to be that the 400D was fine, but pictures would be rather soft in comparison to the others, and buying a 400D body and a good lens (costing the same as a 30D/ D80 anyway for similar results was never really going to work due to the inferoior body.
They seemed to say the 20D/30D/D80 would be a good choice (Unless they were just saying this to get a sale?), so I think I am definately going to take one of these.
**One place** had the D80 with the Nikon 18-135mm lens for £630, and some independent shop had a D80 body only for £400 (but I got the impression that pairing this up with a decent lens would cost just as much as getting it as a package anyway).
**Another store** could do me the Nikon 18-135mm & D80 with a 2GB card for £669 (Seems too much to me).
What should I do? Is it worth me looking S/H and trying to spend a but more to get the 18-200mm VR lens S/H? (No chance new as it was about a grand!!)
I'm pretty certain I want the D80 whatever I do now- it's just whether I really splash the cash and get a 18-200VR lens S/H or get a lesser one S/H really.
**Please leave out competitors names, JG**
Image quality isn't affected hugely by bodies. It is in some respects (the way the sensor handles noise, for example, plus resolution), but with those bodies you mentioned you're going to be lens-limited rather than body-limited unless you spend lots on glass.
The 18-200 VR is £500, btw.
The 18-200 VR is £500, btw.
Ok so what are you suggesting rm? Should I go for a 400D and some expensive glass?
Having hunted around, the 18-200 is just too much at the moment I feel. However, having looked around, I THINK I can get the D80 with the 18-135mm lens for £529.00 online... How does that sound?
Feeling rather stuck.
Having hunted around, the 18-200 is just too much at the moment I feel. However, having looked around, I THINK I can get the D80 with the 18-135mm lens for £529.00 online... How does that sound?
Feeling rather stuck.
I'd rather have the D80, which is why I bought one. I should imagine there are lots of people that would rather have a 400D, though, and at the end of the day there will never be an objective justification of one over the other.
Well having handled both (I also played with a mate's 400D a few months ago), I would take the D80 every time, easily.
How do you think the above deal stacks up? (not sure if I can get another £50 off with Nikon's apparent cashback offer...)
How do you think the above deal stacks up? (not sure if I can get another £50 off with Nikon's apparent cashback offer...)
Soldato
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£539 for the D80 and 18-135 is very, very good. It's cheap even by Hong Kong prices.
Not sure if it reaches your threshold for "suspiciously cheap", but at £80 less than HK prices and £130 less than UK ones it does for me. I'd avoid unless you really know you can trust wherever it's from.
Not sure if it reaches your threshold for "suspiciously cheap", but at £80 less than HK prices and £130 less than UK ones it does for me. I'd avoid unless you really know you can trust wherever it's from.
Well I am delighted to say I picked up a D80 and a 18-135mm Nikon Lens (The same package all the stores are doing) for £535 delivered 
It's not an import, and in perfect condition (it was basically opened- box goods so could technically not be sold as new and it arrived yesterday!) and I THINK I can still claim £50 cashback VERY happy with this
OK now for the other bits I need... I'm thinking of getting:
-Polarisation filter (Any more filters I should add?)
-Spare 2 GB card (so I have 4GB of storage to carry around- is this enough for a day's shooting? I'm guessing 6GB might be better if shooting RAW?)
-Spare battery (Or would I be better off getting the battery grip?)
-Bag (Not sure which yet)
-Already have a tripod at home so will assess the quality of it before looking at buying one.
It's not an import, and in perfect condition (it was basically opened- box goods so could technically not be sold as new and it arrived yesterday!) and I THINK I can still claim £50 cashback VERY happy with this OK now for the other bits I need... I'm thinking of getting:
-Polarisation filter (Any more filters I should add?)
-Spare 2 GB card (so I have 4GB of storage to carry around- is this enough for a day's shooting? I'm guessing 6GB might be better if shooting RAW?)
-Spare battery (Or would I be better off getting the battery grip?)
-Bag (Not sure which yet)
-Already have a tripod at home so will assess the quality of it before looking at buying one.
-Polarisers: Kenko or Hoya Pro1D are regarded as being pretty good. Scout around for priced on the auction site. Also perhaps a UV filter for Haze reduction and to protect the front lens element?
-4GB od cards is enough for most folk for a day. I have, on occasion, filled more like 16GB, but I usually carry 12GB and use about 4GB.
-Spare battery is a certainty; a complete sod if you miss a cracking shot because you have one dead battery. Hahnel make decent generics. Battery grip is all personal preference around egonomics. Have pondered one for my 30D but not felt an urgent need for one yet.
-Op/Tech strap. Fantastically comfy neckstrap.
That should see you up and running for a bit. Then worry about dust removal as and when it becomes an issue. With just the one lens on all the time, you might be able to staveoff that task for a while to come, until you start swapping lenses on breezy days.....
Ok:
1x Polariser & 1x UV (say £80 for the two?)
2x 2GB top-notch branded 2GB cards (£30 for the pair)
Spare Battery (£35ish from what I've seen)
Strap (Not looked into it yet- £?)
Bag (Allowing up to around £60 say)
So I'm probably looking at around another £230 before I chuck in something to clean dust off the optics...
Total spend will be around £760- whoops just a touch over budget!
Still- at least I made a decent saving on the camera!
1x Polariser & 1x UV (say £80 for the two?)
2x 2GB top-notch branded 2GB cards (£30 for the pair)
Spare Battery (£35ish from what I've seen)
Strap (Not looked into it yet- £?)
Bag (Allowing up to around £60 say)
So I'm probably looking at around another £230 before I chuck in something to clean dust off the optics...
Total spend will be around £760- whoops just a touch over budget!
Still- at least I made a decent saving on the camera!
Strap about a tenner, filters prob about £60 so not far off.
Bags vary so much, anywhere form 30-60 should get you something, depending what style you want.
As for budgets.......don't even go there. I'm presently just a mere 2.4x over my original estimated budget.........just don't tell the missus
Bags vary so much, anywhere form 30-60 should get you something, depending what style you want.
As for budgets.......don't even go there. I'm presently just a mere 2.4x over my original estimated budget.........just don't tell the missus
Soldato
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Id reccomend B&W F-Pro UV filters. Ive picked mine up from HK for about £10-£20 each.
Soldato
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that's an amasing bargain! are you allowed to say where from?
Soldato
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Nope. Other than its the place you would get most stuff from Hong Kong from.
It's a uk cameracannot say where it came from but suffice to say i was lucky to get it at that price and i paid that little as it was returned goods- nothing to do with hong kong.
MK was talking about his filters.
