DSLR Beginner budget £400

peter212693

peter212693

peter212693

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Hi guys,

Im looking at getting a nice DSLR for general use, family shots, scenery shots, etc. Having had a play with my father-in-laws sony DLSR i really want to replace my compact digital with something a bit better. I have around £400 so what would you recommend? Do I need a few fancy lenses too? What about a UV cover?

(Sorry as you can tell im new to this :p )

Many thanks
 
Nikon D3100 with kit (18-55) is £400 in most places, occasionally you find one for less and / or with a £30 cash back deal though so look around.
 
To answer the other 2 questions.
No you don't need 'fancy' lenses, sure its nice but for starters the kit lens is more then enough for most people.

No you don't need any filters on the front to protect the lens as long as you look after them properly, and besides you'l end up replacing the kit lens eventually anyway.. i would only bother with protective filters on more expensive lenses.
 
Thanks guys, whats the zoom quality like on these? Thats one thing I find on the compact is the zoomed pictures are awful

We had a really good compact camera, looking at the image samples online for the D3100 will these be much better than a compact? I know online images are not best to go by buy they dont look brilliant.
 
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Look on places like Flickr & Vimeo for images/video tagged with Nikon D3100, should give you a near endless amount of content created with the camera.
 
'Zoom quality' comes from the lens attached. The 18-55 has a 'zoom range' similar to most compacts, is sharp, good image quality etc

Its also the lens everyone starts off with, so a lot of images online are people simply putting it into auto and snapping at everything.

And yes, if used properly, any DSLR is lightyears ahead of compacts.

Some images taken with the Kit lens (various bodies, some slightly better some slightly worse but nothing major)


Gerbera Daisy by _Brent_S, on Flickr


Northern lights in the Norðfjörður by the_blanz, on Flickr


Macro5 by ronni_paulsen, on Flickr
Although this one might have had some kind of macro filter applied.


Most importantly though, you must learn how to use it to achieve good results.
 
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Well I have taken the plunge... Ive reserved a D3100 from jessops for pickup tomorrow :)

So unless i really dont like the feel of it instore im buying it :)

Thanks for your help guys!
 
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excellent choice, there its no better camera for that money.

The canon 1100d is the same price and while the Image quality is very similar, the cameras itself feels very cheap, and the video on the d3100 is great. I'm a canon fan boy too, as I like high quality video, but I actually much prefer the feel of the nikons, they fit on your hand much better.

Enjoy!!!
 
I have had to charge the battery 3 times already im using it that much! Took it to my cusins 21st party last night which was a bit of a challenge in the limit light but it was good fun. Hopefully today with the nicer weather get some shots from outside :)
 
Good choice Peter!
I've had mine for about a month now and loving it! Spending a fortune on all the accessories to go with it is costing me a fortune!
 
Ive bough a bag and a couple of filters (UV & Polarized). The 18-55 lens it came with is fine for what I need at the moment, although I may invest in bigger and better lens later down the line :)
 
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