To DSLR or not to DSLR

J1234 · 31 Mar 2007 at 11:16

Scuzi said:
IIRC the Sony Alpha 100 has Image Stabilisation built into the camera so you get IS regardless of what lens you use. It's something to consider.

Yeah it does, my granddad bought one a few weeks ago and I had a play with it, I quite like it, it's bigger than the 400d, has built in IS and comes with a 18-70mm kit lens. I still wouldn't have bought it over the 400d though as I prefer Canon gear personally.

Berserker · 2 Apr 2007 at 22:44

Many thanks for all the advice. I would be willing to spend up to £1000 for the right camera plus lens(es), but the comments regarding lenses are fair and valid.

The D40 is out because of it's AF limitations as others pointed out (I found out about those from reading around). Thanks for the suggestions though.

However, despite the willingness to spend the money, I suspect that in some cases I'm going to want or need to go beyond the 200mm zoom and at that point there's a good chance of not seeing change from £1k for the lens alone, and that's without all the weight those lenses add. Both would put me off. This is probably the biggest thing that means a DSLR isn't for me.

SteveOBHave, you mentioned the DSC-H9. That was my favourite choice, but it's out a month too late. I need the camera in three weeks and even in the US SonyStyle are quoting availability on May 11th. If I could wait until then, I'd not have started this thread.

So, given that my favourite isn't available, I need to find something else that I'll not regret buying. The problem I have is that every time I read a review of bridge cameras (on dpreview mostly), they get compared with DSLR for image quality and thus inevitably get slated for it. That puts me off wanting one.

So, the best I can do is go on recommendation, and that's where you come in. Any recommendations appreciated.

Combat squirrel · 2 Apr 2007 at 23:40

yes DSLR all the way, if your unsure to DSLR or not a damned good cheap one that's still awesome would suit you great, 350D I believe on MM looks great

SteveOBHave · 3 Apr 2007 at 09:22

Berserker said:
So, the best I can do is go on recommendation, and that's where you come in. Any recommendations appreciated.

If you have £1000 to spend then I'd seriously consider a D80 with the 18-70mm kit lens then spend the extra £320 on the Nikon AF-S 70-300mm VR. If you have a good look around you can find the Kit for £670. The D80 is a brilliantly capable camera and the 18-70mm a great lens with a surprisingly good wide angle and remains sharp through it's entire focal range. The 70-300mm VR is also a really good lens and has had good reviews (if you ignore Ken Rockwell who seems to spend more time talking about his other lenses rather than sticking to the subject matter) and has the same 67mm thread as the 18-70mm so you will only have to buy one set of UV and CP filters.

OR

Get a D80 body only £504 and then the Nikon AF-S DX VR 18-200mm 3.5-5.6G IF-ED lens which is simply the bees knees for £475 - I know you said you wanted outside of 200mm but as you mentioned to get a decent quality lens you will be dishing out a fair amount of dosh.

I can't really speak for Canon as I have very limited experience so I am sure that one of the Canon guys here can give you similar advice or one of the more experienced Nikon guys might have better ideas.

Berserker · 3 Apr 2007 at 11:16

I think I've pretty much been put off DSLR from discussions elsewhere. The thing that pretty much did for it was the point that in cases where you are just trying to take casual shots (e.g. on holiday, which is one of my primary intended uses) a DSLR tends to be a lot more obtrusive than a compact/bridge just because of it's sheer size. I know I notice DSLR cameras a lot more because of that.

I did price up the D80 + kit lens + 70-300 VR option last night and found it to be close to the desired budget. However, I get the feeling that it would probably be wasted on me for the amount of photography I do (which, let's be honest, isn't a lot compared to some people here).

shifty_uk · 3 Apr 2007 at 11:26

Berserker said:
I think I've pretty much been put off DSLR from discussions elsewhere. The thing that pretty much did for it was the point that in cases where you are just trying to take casual shots (e.g. on holiday, which is one of my primary intended uses) a DSLR tends to be a lot more obtrusive than a compact/bridge just because of it's sheer size. I know I notice DSLR cameras a lot more because of that.

The DSLR is a professionals camera in my opinion. As previously mentioned it is a very expensive hobby, and not one I'd like to take up at present. The only way I'd consider it, is if I was totally serious about photography, as perhaps a profession.

After shopping around a while back, I found the best option for me was the Fuji s9500. A bridge camera with a lot of capabilities, so far I've found it a very recomendable camera. Of course it has it's drawbacks, for example the lenses aren't changable, but I like it

SteveOBHave · 3 Apr 2007 at 11:37

Berserker said:
I think I've pretty much been put off DSLR from discussions elsewhere. The thing that pretty much did for it was the point that in cases where you are just trying to take casual shots (e.g. on holiday, which is one of my primary intended uses) a DSLR tends to be a lot more obtrusive than a compact/bridge just because of it's sheer size. I know I notice DSLR cameras a lot more because of that.

I did price up the D80 + kit lens + 70-300 VR option last night and found it to be close to the desired budget. However, I get the feeling that it would probably be wasted on me for the amount of photography I do (which, let's be honest, isn't a lot compared to some people here).

I recently took my D80 to Rome and kept it in my backpack (a Rover AWII by Loweproas it doubles as a day pack) and really didn't struggle at all - the only downer is that everyone thinks your a decent photographer and trustworthy so you end up taking photos for every tourist in a 10m radius LOL. Honestly I just carry it around in a satchel most of the time with a spare filter and my Gorillapod. I find it less intrusive than my 717 because I used to carry that around in a Cybershot soft case.

I see your perspective tho perhaps something the like Powershot S3 IS is your next best choice?

Berserker · 3 Apr 2007 at 14:58

I was thinking more obtrusive by people's reactions than because of the size/weight. At 1.5-2kg with the body and two lenses it's not that bad (and most of the time it'd just be the body and one lens).