How could I get an SLR?
Discussion
I know this a really odd one.
I don't have a huge amount of money just now but want to get an SLR. Is there any way to go about it? Are there competitions, grants or anything like that to sign up for?
I really enjoy my photography but now I think my camera is letting me down a big - the images are not crisp enough, etc.
Cheers.
No mocking if it is silly question, please!
I don't have a huge amount of money just now but want to get an SLR. Is there any way to go about it? Are there competitions, grants or anything like that to sign up for?
I really enjoy my photography but now I think my camera is letting me down a big - the images are not crisp enough, etc.
Cheers.
No mocking if it is silly question, please!
Hopefully no mocking from anyone but what do you currently use? Why not post some examples of what you perceive to be the problem currently? What sort of images do you what to be able to take? With those answered, you'll probably get a number of possible ways forward. eg, is an SLR necessary; would a bridge camera be a better bet; would a decent P&S be ok? What is your budget (other than the stamp cost for entering a competition?;) )
cirks said:
Hopefully no mocking from anyone but what do you currently use? Why not post some examples of what you perceive to be the problem currently? What sort of images do you what to be able to take? With those answered, you'll probably get a number of possible ways forward. eg, is an SLR necessary; would a bridge camera be a better bet; would a decent P&S be ok? What is your budget (other than the stamp cost for entering a competition?;) )
I currently have a refurbished Kodak Z812 IS, which generally does a pretty good job. But macro and low light shots are pretty awful(better than my last Kodak but still not too good). If you take a wee peak at my flickr you can see I have no particular genre. I just take pictures of whatever I see and like. I'd like to be able to do Macro and it would have to be good for car photography too( My car flickr).
I might end up buying one to take things to a new level, but I'd prefer to win it(wouldn't everyone like to get something for free?);) I would be willing to spend up to £300-350 if that were the case.
jon- said:
Second hand 400d should set you back around £250 with kit lens and is plenty of camera to get started with.
I bought a 400d with kit lens through the Canon outlet on E-bay for not much more than £250. It's classed as recon, but that can mean that it was ex display, returned unused, or the box was bashed. Mine arrived looking as new and they all get a years warranty.Could be worth a shot
If you don't mind putting some work in, the Canon outlet on Ebay occasionally lets some stuff go much cheaper than the mainstream. http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Canon-Outlet__W0QQ_a...
Most stuff goes for more or less highstreet prices, but in the first 500 or so most recent sales, I can see:
Eos 1000D + lens £260
Eos 400D + lens £280
All have full Canon 12 month warranty. They don't have any in at the moment, so that probably means they will list a whole load of SLRs quite soon.
Most stuff goes for more or less highstreet prices, but in the first 500 or so most recent sales, I can see:
Eos 1000D + lens £260
Eos 400D + lens £280
All have full Canon 12 month warranty. They don't have any in at the moment, so that probably means they will list a whole load of SLRs quite soon.
Slightly off-topic - but then again, maybe not..
Your pictures are very good, and the point of my post is to say that the equipment used can be secondary to the eye of the photographer.
My grandfather was a well known amateur in the 1940-1960 period and he used equipment that, at the time was considered to be high quality, but today would probably be found in a skip. He had a lot of his work exhibited at the London Salon and the Royal Photographical Society and some people said "well, it's only because he uses Camera X and Lens Y".
So he bought a Kodak Box Brownie, and submitted prints in a false name - some of them were still competition winners and were accepted into the London Salon and The RPS - After a while, he came clean and told people what he had done !
(Have a look at www.sdjouhar.com for examples of what I am talking about)
Anyway, keep honing your skills with the camera that you have - it is producing fine results !
Regards
Your pictures are very good, and the point of my post is to say that the equipment used can be secondary to the eye of the photographer.
My grandfather was a well known amateur in the 1940-1960 period and he used equipment that, at the time was considered to be high quality, but today would probably be found in a skip. He had a lot of his work exhibited at the London Salon and the Royal Photographical Society and some people said "well, it's only because he uses Camera X and Lens Y".
So he bought a Kodak Box Brownie, and submitted prints in a false name - some of them were still competition winners and were accepted into the London Salon and The RPS - After a while, he came clean and told people what he had done !
(Have a look at www.sdjouhar.com for examples of what I am talking about)
Anyway, keep honing your skills with the camera that you have - it is producing fine results !
Regards
This thread is confusing me. Great, he's getting good shots with his point and shoot but wants to improve further, so why is everyone telling him to keep the Kodak?
It's like someone coming to pistonheads and asking "I can do a 1m 40 around donington in a ford KA which is a good time but I want to go faster, what can I get on this budget" then everyone telling him to stick to the KA.
You get your SLR, especially if you want to take macro. It's a whole new world of fun (and sadly, expense)
It's like someone coming to pistonheads and asking "I can do a 1m 40 around donington in a ford KA which is a good time but I want to go faster, what can I get on this budget" then everyone telling him to stick to the KA.
You get your SLR, especially if you want to take macro. It's a whole new world of fun (and sadly, expense)
I'm not encouraging you to stretch yourself, but I got my 450d from Dixons online on a pricematch with 12 months interest free credit.
I graduated from a Panasonic Lumix FZ18 where I feel I had reached the limit of the camera, and it was a great decision.
If you do go ahead with this, scrutinise the T&Cs as you have to pay the balance by standing order at the end of the period, to avoid interest charges.
I graduated from a Panasonic Lumix FZ18 where I feel I had reached the limit of the camera, and it was a great decision.
If you do go ahead with this, scrutinise the T&Cs as you have to pay the balance by standing order at the end of the period, to avoid interest charges.
jon- said:
This thread is confusing me. Great, he's getting good shots with his point and shoot but wants to improve further, so why is everyone telling him to keep the Kodak?
It's like someone coming to pistonheads and asking "I can do a 1m 40 around donington in a ford KA which is a good time but I want to go faster, what can I get on this budget" then everyone telling him to stick to the KA.
You get your SLR, especially if you want to take macro. It's a whole new world of fun (and sadly, expense)
I'm all for someone improving their shots, but apart from macro, the quality of the shot is more around the person behind the lens rather than anything in the camera.It's like someone coming to pistonheads and asking "I can do a 1m 40 around donington in a ford KA which is a good time but I want to go faster, what can I get on this budget" then everyone telling him to stick to the KA.
You get your SLR, especially if you want to take macro. It's a whole new world of fun (and sadly, expense)
Damn fine shots there, no question about it.
I'd suggest just waiting and saving, and then maybe getting something like a D40 or an A200 on ebay and then start investing in some nice glass.
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