Looking to get a DSLR.
Discussion
As the title suggests, in the next few months im looking at getting my first SLR. Ive only ever had 1 compact camera (Fujifilm Finepix Z) that my aunt bought for a birthday many moons ago. Its not the best of cameras and im really looking to get into some 'better quality' photography. Things im likely to be shooting are sports (ice hockey) from inside, landscapes from the top of munros, stars, cars etc. Maybe a bit of wildlife.
Ive asked my parents for a dSLR as my 21st birthday present and my parents are getting on a bit in life and id ideally like to help them choose which one to get me. So the question of budget i cannot answer, but im guessing it wont be sky high and somewhere between 3-400 at a first reckon.
I have absolutely no idea what make/lense etc as a beginner to get, so my im opening up the table to you trusty people. Does anybody have any advice?
Thanks,
-Allan
Ive asked my parents for a dSLR as my 21st birthday present and my parents are getting on a bit in life and id ideally like to help them choose which one to get me. So the question of budget i cannot answer, but im guessing it wont be sky high and somewhere between 3-400 at a first reckon.
I have absolutely no idea what make/lense etc as a beginner to get, so my im opening up the table to you trusty people. Does anybody have any advice?
Thanks,
-Allan
Edited by Comacchio on Friday 17th December 12:06
andy-xr said:
They'll probably go into Jessops and get sold a Sony. Ask 'em for the receipt and we'll start again Dec 26th 
(Seriously, they're all good in terms of image quality, it'll come down to ease of use and upgradeability)
Its not an xmas present (Seriously, they're all good in terms of image quality, it'll come down to ease of use and upgradeability)
Its for my 21st in April, so im thinking ahead of times here.-Allan
All of them are going to be able to produce excellent pictures. If you see yourself becoming a professional sports photographer you should buy a Canon or Nikon due to the availability of fast, long range glass (in the £5k+ per lens price category), otherwise it doesn't matter. Cheap Chinese knock-off accessories are more widely available for Canon and Nikon as well.
For landscapes, cars (static), star trials (if that's what you mean by "stars") then the 18-55 range of the "kit" lens supplied as a combo with many entry level camera bodies is going to be about right. For sports you will be looking for something longer, typically up to 200mm in the first instance. Quite a few manufacturers are doing cheap zooms in the 55-200 range.
If buying new you may struggle to get body plus two lenses for £400. I will tell you about Sony as that's what I shoot and what I know.
Currys have the A230 + 18-55 lens for £239, this is an entry level camera which uses a CCD sensor meaning it is very sharp at low ISO but the image quality degrades quickly past ISO400 (this will affect its abilities in low light with no flash). The same is true of all CCD cameras, which are generally the entry level models. This would leave money to buy a 55-200 (£130 from RGB Photo) to complement it.
Park Cameras have the A500 + 18-55 lens for £399 at present, which is not an entry level camera but a step up - CMOS sensor and much better handling of low light situations (this generation has impressive low light capability, although people will still say "oh, Sony, bad in low light" because they are living in 2007 ), more frames per second (5 or 7 vs 3) which is usefull for sports. But you won't have money for a longer lens to start with.
Check http://www.camerapricebuster.com for prices. It's a useful resource but doesn't always list the absolute cheapest.
Some of the cheapest mail-order retailers are "grey importers", which means the goods are not UK stock and the manufacturer may not honour the warranty. If thinking about buying from a name that's not known to you, it is as well to research or ask here.
For landscapes, cars (static), star trials (if that's what you mean by "stars") then the 18-55 range of the "kit" lens supplied as a combo with many entry level camera bodies is going to be about right. For sports you will be looking for something longer, typically up to 200mm in the first instance. Quite a few manufacturers are doing cheap zooms in the 55-200 range.
If buying new you may struggle to get body plus two lenses for £400. I will tell you about Sony as that's what I shoot and what I know.
Currys have the A230 + 18-55 lens for £239, this is an entry level camera which uses a CCD sensor meaning it is very sharp at low ISO but the image quality degrades quickly past ISO400 (this will affect its abilities in low light with no flash). The same is true of all CCD cameras, which are generally the entry level models. This would leave money to buy a 55-200 (£130 from RGB Photo) to complement it.
Park Cameras have the A500 + 18-55 lens for £399 at present, which is not an entry level camera but a step up - CMOS sensor and much better handling of low light situations (this generation has impressive low light capability, although people will still say "oh, Sony, bad in low light" because they are living in 2007
), more frames per second (5 or 7 vs 3) which is usefull for sports. But you won't have money for a longer lens to start with.Check http://www.camerapricebuster.com for prices. It's a useful resource but doesn't always list the absolute cheapest.
Some of the cheapest mail-order retailers are "grey importers", which means the goods are not UK stock and the manufacturer may not honour the warranty. If thinking about buying from a name that's not known to you, it is as well to research or ask here.
Comacchio said:
I have absolutely no idea what make/lense etc as a beginner to get, so my im opening up the table to you trusty people. Does anybody have any advice?
If you were to look at Canon, then the 1000D is a good starting point. You can still find 450D around new as well, which is a small (but significant) step up from the 1000D. For some reason the 450D has became a very venerable camera for Canon. Ebay and Argos are the places to hang around for the 450D starter kits.Kit lens 18-55 is always an excellent start as well, so don't think about anything too fancy. Then decide where you want to take your photography before buying your next lens.
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