Spec me a DSLR

Alphington · 30 Oct 2011 at 23:42

I have only had experience with my Dads Nikon D40

I now want to get my own. I don't no why, but I like Nikon

any suggestions?

I really want to get a bundle if possible.

Budget is around £600

thanks

Raikiri · 30 Oct 2011 at 23:47

D5100 seems the obvious choice if buying new, same sensor as the D7000 and many of the same features. It's not quite as quick, well made or ergonomic but it's still great.

Very in depth review here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond5100/

Alphington · 30 Oct 2011 at 23:53

Thanks, where is best to buy?

Raikiri · 30 Oct 2011 at 23:59

Camera price buster is the best place to look, it'll have the cheapest price listed on there.

Alphington · 31 Oct 2011 at 00:03

Thanks again.

There are other things I need to buy aswel, bag, memory card. Anything else?

Raikiri · 31 Oct 2011 at 00:12

You'll definitely need a memory card, I personally use Transcend Class 10 cards as they're quick and relatively cheap. Sandisk Extreme are also very good if a bit pricey.

Bag wise I would look at Crumpler, maybe Tamrac or Kata. Although at the moment I'm just using a messenger bag with a padded insert.

Depending on the type of photography you're doing you may want a tripod, landscapes in particular. Manfrotto, Gitzo, Redsnapper and velbon all make good ones. If you want to spend as little as possible the Hama traveller mini pro is only £13 from Tesco and is perfectly usable.

I wouldn't bother with filters unless you want to do long exposure shots or again landscapes, in which case a neutral density (ND8 most likely) and a graduated NG filter would be worth buying. As would a remote release, just get a cheap one form eBay as they all do much the same.

You might want a proper flashgun, but you'll have to spend about £100 to get something decent. The Nissin Di622 is worth looking at.

Alphington · 31 Oct 2011 at 00:22

Thanks again.

I probably will go for the D5100

& prob get it with the 18-55mm VR Lens Kit

All in all, I am prob looking around £700 for that camera with 18-55mm VR Lens Kit, bag, memory card and tri-pod............?

Raikiri · 31 Oct 2011 at 00:28

Depends on which bag and tripod you buy, but around that. You can get the memory cards I mentioned for £9 each (8gb). Don't buy them instore, they're always hugely overpriced.

Alphington · 31 Oct 2011 at 00:31

Amazon seems best place to get the camera from

D.P. · 31 Oct 2011 at 08:07

Alphington said:
Thanks again.

I probably will go for the D5100

& prob get it with the 18-55mm VR Lens Kit

All in all, I am prob looking around £700 for that camera with 18-55mm VR Lens Kit, bag, memory card and tri-pod............?

Don't buy a cheap tripod, waste of money. Save until you can buy a tripod that has some hope of supporting a camera and lens, otherwise they are worse than useless.

Alphington · 6 Nov 2011 at 00:27

yeah

whats a good tri pod then?

Raikiri · 6 Nov 2011 at 04:15

The cheapest you could consider 'good' is probably a Redsnapper, which is what I use. The RS-284 and RSH-24 3-way head for just under £60 is a bargain.

The cheaper ones I mentioned are perfectly usable though, for the odd occasion.

D.P. · 6 Nov 2011 at 08:21

Alphington said:
yeah

whats a good tri pod then?

I use a Gitzo.

A good read here:
http://www.bythom.com/support.htm

Alphington · 6 Nov 2011 at 10:28

thanks guys

BaNksY IV · 7 Nov 2011 at 10:11

Hello,

If HD video is not important to you then the Nikon D90 can be had for a real bargain now.
It is getting on abit now though so the 5100 is also a great choice, its nice to see good advice being given!

What sort of photography are you interested in?
As depending on what you are looking at doing it may be worth going Body only and buying a better lense for the job.