DSLR numpty help

[Exige77]

I am afraid to say I am a complete photo numpty but need some help.

My wife needs a new camera. At the recent Goodwood Supercar Sunday my wifes old Sony just took too long between shots and as soon as she was ready to shoot a gaggle of people got it the way.

She would like a proper camera and not a compact.

So which one ? It is just for fun photography, mainly cars and some scenery.

Would like the option to change lenses. A big one and a small one (technical term !)

Maybe something like a Nikon, Canon, Pentax etc etc.

Any suggestions welcome.

No budget exactly but don't want to spend £1000's

Thanks

Ex77

[Mr E Driver]

http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/prod636.html

[covboy]

The worlds your lobster !!

You will get all sorts of suggestions from this forum – Everyone has their own favourites. (can’t beat a Canon though !!)
Little to choose between entry level Cameras as far as features are concerned
Take a trip to your local emporium and explain your needs. Handle as many Cameras as you can till you feel comfortable with one.

[itsnotarace]

Go into a camera shop and choose one that feels most natural to hold and use, there is really no difference between the main brands. Buy cheaper online if you must

[Exige77]

Mrs going to ahve a look at Cannon EOS 450 D.

jessops have it at £499. They also have a package at £549 with extra longer lense (70~300)

Does that sound a good choice if the Mrs likes the feel of it ?

Also they have other models at +£50 +£100 +£150 etc. What extra do you get for the higher model ?

Is it better to spend another £xxx and get some special feature or are they features only a enthusiast would appreciate ?

Thanks

Ex77

[Mr E Driver]

With lenses you have to make a choice that is based on size - how do you feel about carrying it around all day against focal length wide to zoom and the maximum aperture 2.8 being better than 4.5 etc but the bigger aperture costs more........there is the cost element and then what will you use it for most?
The body combo I suggested is an excellent VFM starting point.
You could always save up for a 70 - 200 F4 usually quite reasonable now on Fleecebay

Edited by Mr E Driver on Tuesday 8th June 16:52

[R2FU]

Exige77 said:

Mrs going to ahve a look at Cannon EOS 450 D.

jessops have it at £499. They also have a package at £549 with extra longer lense (70~300)

Does that sound a good choice if the Mrs likes the feel of it ?

Also they have other models at +£50 +£100 +£150 etc. What extra do you get for the higher model ?

Is it better to spend another £xxx and get some special feature or are they features only a enthusiast would appreciate ?

Thanks

Ex77

Recently been through exactly the same investigation as you and settled on the 450D and am very pleased with it so far. The only limit now is my skill in composing pics - which I am working on!

With respect to other Canon models, I'm guessing you have looked at the 500D and 550D. The key difference as far as I could tell is they support HD Video which for me was not important. Otherwise you got a few extra megapixels, fractionally more frames per second, higher max ISO as you spend more money. All nice to have I'm sure but the 450D is so good that personally I can't see myself ever missing them.

This is all from my perspective as a DSLR newbie, but sounds like you're in a similar place so thought I'd chip in!

[Simpo Two]

The body is up to you but for lenses, I'd suggest choosing two that between them cover 18-300mm. Don't worry about 'f2.8' yet.

[CardShark]

Got a 450D myself 18 months or so ago, it's my 1st DLSR and I've been impressed with it so far. Used it quite a bit but I'm still to get the most out of it. Maybe if I was starting again I might go up a model, if only for the HD video, but as far as photos are concerned the 450D should do you fine, and anything else around that price point should be OK as well. There's also a Canon dedicated magazine on the shelves of most supermarkets/WH Smiths (can't remember the name of it) which I've learnt quite a lot from, they also review other brands of lenses, printers etc.

One thing that I would deffinately recommend though is to spend some time in shops handling different models, talking to different people, looking up reviews on the net and maybe even buying the odd monthly photography mag but, most importantly, choose your camera based on what photos you think you'll be taking.

[CardShark]

One other thing - the longer lense that you've seen (70-300) would be great for most zoom shots but not so good if you want to fit a lot in your picture (the smaller the first number, the wider the frame therefore the wider the field of view), dependant on the type of photos you'll be taking you may find that the kit 18-55 may be a little more practical if you're going to stick with one lense. And did the longer lense have built in image stabilization (IS)? If it didn't it will restrict you to taking relatively fast exposure times only to help reduce blur at the longer end of the zoom.

Edited by CardShark on Tuesday 8th June 20:07

[Exige77]

Thanks All !!

Taking the Mrs camera handling at the weekend.

Ex77

[Exige77]

Got a Cannon 550D this weekend for the Mrs. Thanks for everyones advice.

Ex77

[RobDickinson]

Good one, just the kit lens>?

Get out and take lots of pics!