Starter Digital SLR?.......

Hi guys,

Now I'm sure this is not the first time you've read a thread like this but I know that when it comes to technology, what's fresh one day is old news in less than 6 months.

Basically I've been using the same compact digital camera for the past 4 years or so now (when I'm not using my *cough* camera phone *cough* ) and I feel that it's time that I finally take the leap into the world of DSLR's.

With the show season in full flow, a trip to the Lake District planned next month and some other sites and events coming up I really want to get into some decent photography.

Now I've never properly got into photography so please bare with me as I'm going to be working my way up from ground level.

So what I require is a starter DSLR (something that a beginner can pick up and work their way around without too many issues) with a sub £300 price tag.

It needs to be able to take good all round pictures straight out of the box with the supplied lens but also have plenty of scope for equipment upgrade.

Compatability is a big must as I know people can easily spend 10x the cost of the camera on accessories.

Battery life and storage capabilities are also quite important.

Thats about where I'm at with this so anything else that you guys would expect from an entry level DSLR add them below.

So guys, all comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Si

I don't know much about bridge camera's except lense compatibility can be of great issue, I have a bridge camera (basically looks like an SLR but has a fixed lense with an adapter at the end for further lenses/filters).

Have you given those any consideration?

Kayl0rz know her stuff about cameras, she should be able to give a bit of advice.. tbh ive been looking at a few.. but not up to that 300 quid mark.. more 150-200 seen a few nice fuji bridge cameras but i dont really know what they are like...

I have a Fuji FinePix S9600 Bridge, fully recommend it, especially now the price has come down since I bought it!

I would see if you can find yourself a D70 or D70s kit. Nice and cheap but the kit lens is quite good.

www.dpreview.com is the best site for reviews

Nikon D50/D40/D60.

D50 is discontinued but a very good camera still. The D40 was the camera to repalce the D50 but was almost a step back in some respects. The new D60 seems to be a very good camera but may be a little out of your price range.

D50 probs the one to go for unless you want new, in which case I would get the D40, unless you can afford the D60. I owned a D50 as my last camera and found it excellent. Good quality and easy to use. Auto mode for out of the box fun. only 6mp though so may be a problem if you plan on printing big prints from the photos.

Loads of room for upgrade if you want but all come with reasonable kit lenses. Shop around for second hand kits being sold on. Can get some excellent deals with multiple lenses and other accessories for cheap as chips.

Olympus E500.

Replaced by the E510 (I just bought one ) but a great camera offering 8mp. Great quality and as easy to use as the Nikon range. Massive screen with the menu system makes altering settings simple but also has the handy Auto mode for out of the box fun. Feels better built than the D50 to me and more modern.

Room for upgrade but olympus lenses can be expencive. Again, can get some excellent second hand deals or even new kits with multiple lenses within your budget.

Go for the 510 if you can stretch another £80-100 as its 10mp and completly updated.

Samsung GX-10

Dont know a great deal about this camera but its basically a Pentax K10D in a cheaper branded guise. Heard good stuff about them but cant comment as Ive never used one. Can be bought within your budget in second hand kit form or poss even new.



Dont forget that you could always go for a bridge camera but there isnt alot of scope for upgrades should you want to as the lens is fixed. Usualy they are a compromise to get as much out of a single lens as possible but can be very good cameras, especially the fuji range and the Samsung 815pro (ive owned one) is also excellent, just a little limited as far as F-stops and ISO adjustments go but then if all you want is "out of the box" goodness, you cant go wrong!

http://www.dpreview.com is your best mate

Or give me a shout on MSN/facebook

as bushboy says.

+1 on the olympus e500/e510. the e500 is the most user friendly dslr I've ever used, and would buy one myself if it weren't for the multiplier.
the lense that comes wih the olympus's aren't kit lenses, they are just their normal run of the mill lense, unless canon and nikon who offload cheap plastic 'it'll make it work, but not great' type lense.

+1 on the samsung/pentax aswell, at a later date you are more limited by what lenses you can buy, but the normal 3rd party companies (sigma, tokina, tamron) supply all their lenses in pentax/samsung mounts so you should be OK


if you can get hold of a d70/d70s going cheaply, go for that out of the nikon range, or a d50, personally don't think much of the new breed of budget nikons (d40/d60).

canon, 400d can be had for under £300 now, although I hate the kit lense (plastic fantastic) and the whole menu system is a knightmare!!

in agreement here with bushboy / faster 4 tec.

i shoot using a d50. i begun using a compact, then bought a bridge (s5600) then the d50. i had the s5600 for very little time at all, and only really bought it to play with whilst in spain at the F1. this thread kinda follows it. if you want something with expansion in mind then a bridge camera is not what you want.

Cheers for all of your replies guys, really appreciate your input

Expansion is definately what I've got in mind, along with something that will play nicely in auto mode while I learn my way around things but then allow for fine tuning when I get a bit more adventurous.

Ideally I want to go new so the D40 is currently swinging my vote however if a new D50 (ex-stock or something like that) comes up within my price range it might sway my decision.

Will keep you all posted

Get a new E-500/510 instead. As said above, the d40 isnt up to much. I would buy a used D50 over a new d40 anyday. D40 is limited to what lenses you can use where as the D50 can take any nikon lens.

i wouldn't say the lack of motor in the d40/d40x is a problem, i prefer the d50 over it because the size of it. it is handy having the focus motor, but the only lenses i've got or considered buying so far have their own motors anyway.

i would look at the 400d as well, it's a good camera for what you can get them for. remember canon do cashback offers. but has already been said, the menu system is..odd. i don't like the layout on them, or the controls and much prefer nikon kit.

i wouldn't buy an olympus because of the crop factor..

I bought a D50 a couple of years back when I was in your position and haven't looked back. On top of the camera cost, remember to budget for some storage as the card they supply is tiny, a bag so you can carry/store it without it getting damaged and a lens cleaner.

When I bought mine I opted for the 18-70 kit lens which came standard on the D100 and use this for the majority of shooting. I also bought a 70-300mm telephoto lens to give me a bit more range which is ideal for taking pictures of cars on track.

My advice would be to go to a camera shop and try out a few. I was sold on the Canon 300d as on paper the specs were very impressive, but when I tried it out it just didn't feel right in my hands.

Chris

Thanks again guys

I've been comparing prices and reviews on the following cameras:
Nikon D40 (and D40X)
Nikon D50 (new and used)
Nikon D60
Canon 400D

Ticking all of the boxes for me still seems to be the D40 - Except for the len compatability due to the motor being in the lens rather than the body.

The D50 and D60 are both showing up well out of my price range. The 400D can be had for a little over my price range and if I deemed it worth the extra money I would be leaning that way but all reviews that I've read on it praise the camera body but seriously knock the kit lens which to rectify would instantly put me well over my price range.

Reviews of the D40 show a very capable camera body matched up well with a kit lens that seems to receive very good reviews - ok not the best lens available but more than capable of keeping me happy for a few months while I get myself going with photography. After that I'm sure I could spare a little bit more money to upgrade the lens if I find myself trying to exceed the lens' capabilities.

So it looks like a great starter DSLR with a decent enough kit lens and a few accessories that can be had for less than £250.

I'm going to make my way into town at the weekend to take a look around the camera shops as I'd be stupid to lay our this much of my money without having a play with the product.

Am I talking sense do you think? The D40 in the spec that I'm after comes in at well under £100 cheaper than any of the other DSLR's that you guys ave mentioned.

both olympus + pentax/samsung do dslrs around the £225-300 range if you know where to look, hell, my local private camera shop was selling pentax k100d for £250, and £225 for the super (hasn't got anti shake).


if it were my money, I'd buy the pentax or the olympus, if it was my first, PROBABLY the olympus, because they are so damn easy to use

Just to throw a little something extra into the mix.. have a look around for the Sony Alpha A100. Discontinued around Christmas last year, (when I bought mine) but a very nice piece of kit. There may still be some in the marketplace.

My main reason for buying the Sony was that my 35mm equipment was all Minolta, hence I could re-use my old lenses (Sony bought Konica Minolta's DSLR product line and rebranded it), but it stands as a valid choice on its own merits - 10.2 MP sensor (actually made by Sony, and rumoured to be the same one used by Nikon in the D40X), plus the in-body image stabilisation and the sub £400 price.. that was enough to sell it to me.

The 18-70mm kit lens has surprised me - I wasn't expecting great things, but it's actually pretty good. From the weight of it, you can tell there's not much glass in there - but it makes the whole package nicely balanced and easy to handle - useful if you're not familiar with an SLR.

Secondhand lenses are freely available on eBay and in the better kind of camera shops, and will probably work out cheaper than the Nikon/Canon equivalents, due to the more limited demand. Of course, they won't come up as often, but if you're prepared to be patient..

Cheers,

Plug