DSLR for around £1200 - kit would be nice.

colinuk

colinuk

colinuk

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No longer have my Fuji Kit, so have to build from scratch once more.

Im not interested in the movie side of some of the DSLR's ive seen, just the photography side.

I have nothing, no lenses, bodys, flash, bags, nothing at all.

So, with about £1200 to spend to get somethign that will take indoor pictures, shops and pubs, to outdoor photos, BBQ's and the like, what options would people here recomend.

Im checking out sites like dpreview for reviews ect, but still not sure.

Any ideas? Any good kits, body + lens + bag out there i should check out. Looking mostly at Canon and Nikon at the moment.

Colin
 
You've asked a big open question. No one can give you on true answer.

It sounds like you got a big budget to fill. How experienced are you with photography? Do you need all of that necessary kit to do your task?
 
Im used to studio and weddings with the Fuji. I had canon film cameras before that so have moved around the makes a little.

I know my way around a camera, but no expert, more a happy amature.

Im looking more at the 550D, but to be honest i dont care about video, so i wonder if im paying a lot extra for something i wont use, at least i have never needed it to date.

As for kit. I have nothing left. Not even a bag :( So will need bag, lenses, body at the least. Flash and tripod to come later.
 
colinuk said:
Im looking more at the 550D, but to be honest i dont care about video, so i wonder if im paying a lot extra for something i wont use, at least i have never needed it to date.
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Pretty much all DSLRs now will feature video (at least on the Canon side, I know nothing about Nikon, Sony, etc.). I wouldn't say you'd be paying any extra for video, it's just part of the package now.

Have you considered going second hand? I know it's getting a bit like the Motors forum now (where everyone recommends 2nd hand Mondeos), but a second hand Canon 40D would be great value for money, leaving plenty spare for a decent lens and accessories.
 
Well, as SS have said, for that budget, a trusty 40D + a second hand 17-55mm f2.8 should do the job to cover most of your needs (£350 + £550), with spares to get a bag, CF cards and even upgrade the strap to something comfortable (see Black Rapid).

The Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS maybe too big and you'd like longer reach, then go for the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 (non-VC version) - around £250, and grab either a faster Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 or a Canon 70-200mm non-IS f4.0 telephoto lens to match at around £350 - £400. All within your budget with money to spare on bags and stuff.

Go read up on reviews and handle them in store, the f2.8 lenses will cover your needs for indoors. A flashgun might help too but that can come in later with from the £200 budget left over.

IMHO, more money for glass than body will go a longer way with your budget.
 
Rojin might have some insight to the different between 40D and 50D as he did use them both for a period of time to test which is better for his sport photography.
 
If your looking at sports photography you may want to look at the translucent mirror Sony's? The a33 has 7fps continuous shooting and the a55 has 10fps, which is way higher than anything else at each price point, though you'll want to try out the electronic viewfinder in person as I can't imagine they're to everyone's taste :)
 
Mr Jones said:
Rojin might have some insight to the different between 40D and 50D as he did use them both for a period of time to test which is better for his sport photography.
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In general there is not a lot to choose between them. I did prefer the 50D in the end as the Servo AF seemed a little better at tracking, the screen is better and it has micro adjust for lenses (my 70-200 front focuses slightly). The buffer also cleared quicker on the 50D when shooting max FPS (UDMA CF support). The noise on the 40D is cleaner, but detail retained is slightly better on the 50D. For general shooting I would happily use either, for sports the 50D edged it for me. We're not talking a massive difference here though!

Since getting a 7D again I've sold the 50D and the 40D is for sale... ;)
 
Yes yes yes! Rojin has a 40D at a very good price!

And I didn't know the 50D has micro adjust, now that's a god sent for third party lens owners.
 
I know theres a bit of coughing going on, but the 50D is the better camera and withe the budget of the OP it would be a waste to buy a 40D, which is good but not as good.
 
Honestly though, apart from the high resolution, the macro adjustment, the 40D is no different from the 50D. If reviews are anything to believe, the pictures shows that higher ISO, the 40D trumps. But if the OP sees that the extra £100 to £150 is a good spend, then go for it, majority of us are just suggesting to give OP an informed decision :)
 
7D (which I have) is awesome but a) it's an arse to carry round (I er backpacked for 3 weeks with it) and b) leaves you only £200 for lenses. I half-wish I got a 40D/50D and better glass instead but viewed it as a long-term thing and the 7D has been fantastic for me so far, if a little overkill but then it's built like a tank so I don't need to worry about the odd bit of rain, etc.
 
Stag said:
Nikon D7000.
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Indeed, however the kit lens isn't particularly strong (not bad but not superb either), it's his entire budget gone and you'll struggle to actually get hold of one at the moment unless you've pre-ordered.

Lovely camera though but it needs to be paired with a pro grade lens to make the most of it, I'd be tempted by the new 24-120 f/4 VR if it was possible to get one yet, and it's £800-900 on it's own of course.
 
ScarySquirrel said:
Phate linked me to a place that has some 5D Mk1's for £500 2nd hand. Bloody bargain!!!
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Wouldn't mind that link, see what else they have...

Also, what about a Pentax K5? It is getting good reviews and the image sensor is meant to be very good.
£120 cashback deal as well
Just thought Id throw in something different...

Ducks down and waits for the stones to fly :-)
 
Its the same old story really - horses for courses and go have a fiddle to pick the opne you like after you've looked at a few reviews to get a flavour fo the good/bad bits of different models.

Pentax make a fine camera, and there are millions of examples of great old glass out there that can be had for cheap.

For me they're too small in my hands for comfort so I don't have one, but then I am a giant.

For the budget I'd buy new to have the comfort that provides and then accumulate glass.
 
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