Starting/Budget DSLR?

Winky_The_Winking_Turtle · 1 Apr 2014 at 21:53

I know you probably get asked this question a lot, sorry to have to repeat it, but please hear me out

So my friend was showing my some of his photo's he took today, they looked pretty good, so I asked him what he was using, which was a Canon 350D. He recommend that I should pick one up for cheap pre-owned off eBay or the like to get me into photography.

There are some good deals over on eBay for that type of camera. Just wanted to ask if they is any better I could get for a similar price, which is around/sub £200. He said just to get the one with the stock lens as they take generally good photos.

I'd appreciate some advice, thanks in advance.

TJM · 1 Apr 2014 at 23:51

Get a mirrorless system camera instead - you will be thankful for the lack of bulk. Something like the Fuji XM1 or XA1 would do very nicely for a beginner.

CGrieves · 2 Apr 2014 at 00:06

If you go DSLR and want Canon, I'd say get a 40D over a 350D any day.

Winky_The_Winking_Turtle · 2 Apr 2014 at 00:25

CGrieves said:
If you go DSLR and want Canon, I'd say get a 40D over a 350D any day.

It doesn't have to be Canon, my friend just recommended them to me, he also suggested that Nikon are fairly user friendly and have cameras available on a budget. What would some good brands/cameras be compared to Canon's equivalent?

a1ex2001 · 2 Apr 2014 at 11:22

CGrieves said:
If you go DSLR and want Canon, I'd say get a 40D over a 350D any day.

The 40D and kit lens is achievable within budget so that would be my choice as well, a great camera and the IS kit lens is a vast improvement on the non IS that shipped with the 350D.

King4aDay · 2 Apr 2014 at 11:39

Most DSLRs in that sort of budget will be broadly comparable in terms of sensor performance so it comes down to price, handling and features really. I'd definitely go with a 40D over a 350D for the ergonomic improvements. As TJM suggests, mirrorless is also an option here - a Panasonic GX1 (or G5) + kit lens should be well under £200 second hand and will have very similar image quality to the Canons mentioned, with the advantage of a much smaller sized body and HD video recording. The Fuji X system also looks really nice but I'm not terribly knowledgeable about it and unsure you'd get anything within your budget.

Winky_The_Winking_Turtle · 2 Apr 2014 at 17:32

Where should I be looking for per-owned? Is eBay the best bet? I'll look into the 40D for any good deals

Thanks for the help.

King4aDay · 2 Apr 2014 at 18:14

Talkphotography and other such forums are a good place to look, prices generally slightly lower than ebay.

a1ex2001 · 2 Apr 2014 at 18:15

Winky_The_Winking_Turtle said:
Where should I be looking for per-owned? Is eBay the best bet? I'll look into the 40D for any good deals Thanks for the help.

I'd keep my eye in the classifieds here and on other forums like talk photography or av forums often better deals than ebay.

Winky_The_Winking_Turtle · 2 Apr 2014 at 20:07

King4aDay said:
Talkphotography and other such forums are a good place to look, prices generally slightly lower than ebay.

Thanks for the help both of you, Talk Photography requires a 60 day wait until I can receive sufficient privileges though, grr.

Still, it's a pretty good site, thanks for the info.

Also just remember my ol' AV Forums account, will be having a look there.

englishpremier · 2 Apr 2014 at 22:18

You could get an old Nikon D50 with kit lens for about £100.

That would do with learning the basics. Then you could sell the body and move up.

darreny · 2 Apr 2014 at 23:15

Try mbp photographic for pre owned

vanandjuanunited · 2 Apr 2014 at 23:20

Try them and see which fits your hands
Both canon and nikon have suitable models

Winky_The_Winking_Turtle · 23 Jun 2014 at 19:45

Sorry to bump this thread, but I just got reminded via an e-mail through my bank that I have a bunch of points to spend to redeem as vouchers for high-street retail stores such as Curry's, Argos, etc. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity, especially with summer holidays coming up, etc., to pick up a camera. What are some good budget DSLR's that are commonly available at these kinds of stores?