Spec me a DSLR

Tripnologist

Tripnologist

Tripnologist

Soldato
Joined
12 May 2007
Posts
3,895
Location
Bristol
My soon to be wife will be buying me a DSLR camera for my birthday but I'm kind of lost as to what to get. My budget is £400 and then I'll look at better lenses after I've used it a bit and gotten an idea of what I want to take pictures of.

I think I just need a good all around camera. However, I really like taking club photography so being able to take decent shots in low light would be important. I'm currently just using a compact p&s (Casio Z1000) and I can get some really nice shots considering the camera but it's just not good at all unless the lighting is perfect.

Can anyone suggest a couple cameras I could look into?
 
i'm no camera expert by any means i've just bought my first DSLR i was looking at the like of nikon d40x and canon 400d both of which are available on your budget, i nearly drove myself mad over the last few weeks trying to decide some people prefer canons some nikon ,in the end i've bought a canon 400d with standard 18-55 kit lens not a great lens i've heard but you gotta start somewhere, if you are interested in a canon have a look on ebay i just got mine from the canon outlet shop, £310 inc a years warranty :)
i'm sure someone will be along soon and go a bit more in depth about your choices.
 
Dave is that 400D for £310 with the kit lens?

If you want low light I would recommend the above with a 50mm f/1.8 lens. If the deal above is with the kit lens then that's a bonus as it will give you a bit of focal length flexibility but if not don't worry. Get the 50mm and the body and get a different lens at a later date.

I'm a Nikon man but I can't really advise the D40 if you're after a low light lens on that budget because the D40 can't auto focus with the 50mm.

You could always go for a second hand D50 mind.

Panzer
 
Panzerbjorn said:
Dave is that 400D for £310 with the kit lens?
Click to expand...

I'd like to know that too please, if it is with the kit lens, I really need to think hard about what camera to get.

(Well, maybe not that hard, the 400D would be well worth he extra £30 at that price. :p)
 
yes that price was including the kit lens, is the 50mm f/1.8 lens you are talking about the one everyone is calling the nifty fifty if it is it seems very cheap at around £50.00.
i'm not sure what i'm going to be taking pics of but will mainly be outdoor stuff landscapes and wildlife when i can afford a bigger lens :)

i did look at a second hand nikon d70 but as i don't really have a clue i decided to go for something with a decent warranty.
 
Yeah the 50mm is the 'nifty fifty' and it's a steal at arond £50.
The recommendation was really for Tripnologist due to him wanting a low light lens, sorry for the confusion. It's a good lens to have but it wont be very useful for Landscapes or Wildlife.

Panzer
 
It's also worth considering cameras with in-body IS (e.g. Olympus, Pentax, Sony etc.) for low light as they will allow you to handhold usually ~3 stops slower than non-IS (in lens IS would have course similarly be worth considering except that you probably wouldn't get a body & an IS lens for your budget & also those that are available tend to have smaller apertures).
Neither type of IS will help with subject motion though.
 
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