Spec me a nice digital SLR please [Budget £500]

Whappers

Whappers

Whappers

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Joined
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Belfast, Northern Ireland
As title really. I'm sick of low quality images from my Sony Cybershot P-7 which I bought a number of years ago. It's a 3.2 Megapixel and has done me rightly for the past few years. But I think it's time I moved onto a "proper camera". I've heard a lot about these Nikon Digital SLR cameras and was wondering what you could reccomend me? I'd like to get one with a proper lens. So far, I've seen a Canon EOS 400D Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens Kit (Black) for £499.99 off a famous online retailer.

Thanks.

Whappers.
 
Although replaced by the 400D, the Canon 350D is still an excellent option worth considering and you can grab this + kit lens for £373.35 at the moment

A new Nikon D50 with its respective kit lens is also available at a similar price.

Comparisons between the 350D/D50 are widespread and the general consensus was that they were mostly on par in a lot of tests but the D50 was widely regarded as having superior handling. This of course is entirely subjective as I've got rather small hands and have no issues with either camera.

Remember though, you are buying into a system. You will lust after new lenses and can either be conservative or spend a fortune on glass and accessories.

Bear in mind that you will need a memory card, will probably want a bag at some point, then there's a tripod, then possibly a filter, lens cloth, rocket blower, card reader etc etc.... It all adds up!

Personally, for £500 I'd go for a 350D at the price above with the kit lens then spend a wee bit extra on a memory card & bag and then put the remaining budget towards another lens like the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro if you feel you'll be shooting sports/wildlife etc.
 
iGiDK said:
Personally, for £500 I'd go for a 350D at the price above with the kit lens then spend a wee bit extra on a memory card & bag and then put the remaining budget towards another lens like the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro if you feel you'll be shooting sports/wildlife etc.
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Yeah this sounds like a plan, although realistically, its going to cost a lot more than £500. Probably more like £600.
Camera: £373
Lens: About £130-140 as far as i can see
MC + Bag: £60-70

And if you were going to invest in a decent tripod, your looking at about £680-£700
 
robmiller said:
I'd go for a D70s, you can get 'em with the 18-70 kit for ~£450, loads better value than the 400D.
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like he said.
Apart from little noise difference and mega pixel, the D70s is on par with the Canon 20D/30D.

For £450 you get. (compared to Canon 350/400D)

Super handling
Super functionality
Well built body
Superior metering
Superior built in flash
Extra wheel dial
Uber kit lens

Disadvantages:
ISO 200
6mp
Noisy @ ISO 1600
Lot of hate from Canon users! ;)

Buying into lens system is so ancient now.
I could buy Nikon/Canon and still have A+ quality 3rd party lens like the Sigma 120-300 f2.8/70-200/100-300, Tamron 17-50/28-75, Tokina 12-24.
 
I have a Nikon D50 and kit lense which I may be selling soon (depending on when the D70s I bought due to it being a bargain turns up). Keep an eye out on the sticky thread - its only a month old and I'll probably be asking in the region of £300.
 
You can also get the Sony A100 & 18-70 Lens Kit for under £450 & that's very good vfm in terms of features for the price.
Get to a decent camera shop & handle them all.
 
BUFF said:
Something about Sony making a camera.....:D
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Who invited the freak? :D

Only joking, his advice is good. Even if you plan to buy second hand, go to a camera shop, and try before you buy. The feel of the camera is rather important, as the more you like handling it physically, the more likely you are to be holding it when you need it.....

Me? I went for the D50 over the 350D initially, mainly on the handling (big hands!!). I now love a D80, and assorted lenses.....
 
Just noticed a very nice little Nikon D40 Silver + 18-55mm + 55-200mm Lens for £489.99. Do you think it's a good deal? This may be the one I end up going for...
 
Whappers said:
Just noticed a very nice little Nikon D40 Silver + 18-55mm + 55-200mm Lens for £489.99. Do you think it's a good deal? This may be the one I end up going for...
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You can import that pack for £395 + delivery (so £445), so that's a pretty good price for a domestic seller—you're essentially paying £45 for a warranty, I guess, which is very much worth it :)
 
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robmiller said:
You can import that pack for £395 + delivery (so £445), so that's a pretty good price for a domestic seller—you're essentially paying £45 for a warranty, I guess, which is very much worth it :)
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Good stuff. I may well get this in a couple of weeks time, if not the summer. Three questions though.
1. Can it capture video (I don't really mind but would like to know anyway)
2. Is a case for carrying the camera supplied?
3. Is there any limit as to the size of SD Mmeory Card that can be used?

Thanks guys. I'm really beginning to like this section of the forum. So many friendly people here willing to help :D I may upload a few of my own pictures that I have taken just to let you see what I consider to be my best photographs yet. However, they're nothing in comparison to some of the stuff I've seen here though :eek: :p

Whappers.
 
1) No. There are no current DSLRs which can capture video due to the nature of an SLR's optical system. The only ones that might have been able to were the old Olympus E-10/E-20.

2) No

3) No idea, there should be some detail on dpreview.com though
 
rpstewart said:
1) No. There are no current DSLRs which can capture video due to the nature of an SLR's optical system. The only ones that might have been able to were the old Olympus E-10/E-20.

2) No

3) No idea, there should be some detail on dpreview.com though
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Thanks for the quick reply. That's a shame about no case being supplied :o . Any ideas as to the best place to get one for the camera and lenses online would be?

Thanks again.

Whappers.
 
Whappers said:
Thanks for the quick reply. That's a shame about no case being supplied :o . Any ideas as to the best place to get one for the camera and lenses online would be?

Thanks again.

Whappers.
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Everyone buy their own camera bags, which is just as well as within a week any camera case will be out grown. They don't supply with one because

1 - Hard to know what lens you have on.
2 - It'll be no good just to store the body only
3 - You'll need more room pretty quickly.

Don't skim on the bag either, get a half decent one with good padding and enough room for some growth.
 
Whappers said:
3. Is there any limit as to the size of SD Mmeory Card that can be used?
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The D40 supports SDHC, which means it can support cards up to 32GB in size, current max I've seen for sale is 8GB, only time though :)
 
paddy said:
The D40 supports SDHC, which means it can support cards up to 32GB in size, current max I've seen for sale is 8GB, only time though :)
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I don't thnk I would ever use 8GB to be honest. I was just wondering if there was a limit or not as I know some devices have a maximum memory limit supported. But thanks anyway. Do you think this would be suitable?

Mods feel free please to remove link if neccessary due to competitor etc.

Whappers.
 
Whappers said:
I don't thnk I would ever use 8GB to be honest. I was just wondering if there was a limit or not as I know some devices have a maximum memory limit supported. But thanks anyway. Do you think this would be suitable?

Mods feel free please to remove link if neccessary due to competitor etc.

Whappers.
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I highly recommend staying clear of SD cards from ebay...its full of fakes.
 
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