£500 to spend on DSLR...

U

unners911

Messages
47
Name
dave
Edit My Images
Yes
I know this ha probably been asked a thousand times before but i'm really confused.

I like to take a wide range of photographs and would like a good all round camera and accessories if possible.

Having searched the "net" for the best part of the day all i seemed too have achieved is turning my brain to mush:(.

I have seen some "bundles" on Ebay which include lenses and the like but not sure if i would be better off buying a higher quality camera and adding to it in time,or go for a lesser quality camera with more accessories.

Any help would be appreciated...Dave
 
But don't buy from Currys of Jessops straight away. I'm all for supporting high street stores (use 'em or lose 'em) but there's places online that'll make your money go further. Just ask about before choosing an online retailer, there are a few dodgy ones lurking.
 
I'll sell my D40 body for £500 :LOL:
 
Lesser quality camera and a better lens, is the way to go, body can be upgraded later. But with a budget of £500 you may have to go for a used kit and get more for your money.
 
your best bet would be to buy second hand or if you want to buy new i would recommend a sony a200 with a 18-70mm kit and you would have change to go and get a 75-300mm sony lens to go with it.
 
If you are serious about taking decent pictures - Buy a Canon 40D - Should easily be able to get a used one with kit lens for £500 or under.
 
You would certainly get a 40D for under £500 but i doubt you would get a decent lens with it. Maybe the 18-55 is kit lens which to be honest is nothing special. Maybe a cheaper body and better lens. Thats the way i'd go anyway.
 
The camera you buy has to be the one YOU feel most comfortable with. It's a personal thing and what is good for one may and is not good for another.
You must go and handle the bodies and do not fixate on any one brand. Sony, Olympus, Pentax are all capable of taking as good a photo as Canon or Nikon. however it is you that makes the difference.

Sony, have some good twin lens deals around at the moment.
 
Gotta agree on just holding the cameras, I went in currys yesterday and confirmed to myself that Canon was not for me and was chuffed I had a Nikon.
 
For £500 I am assuming you want a decent lens as well. What other accessories do you want/need?

I would stay away from a lot of the eBay bundles, most have some horrible glass and you would be very disappointed with the results.

What type of pics to take most often? Landscape? Motorsport? Portrait? Snapshots? Top 3 subjects...
 
If you are going to buy new you can check camerapricebuster for a rough idea on where is cheaper. They seem to list most of the main shops, although some of the currys deals are not in stock.

I would follow the recommendation about getting into a shop for some hands on testing. I was upgrading my camera and really liked the sound of the new 500d, but hated the feel of it. So bought a used a700 instead with a good lens.
 
About 6 months ago I was in the same position as yourself, I needed an SLR on a tight budget. I've opted to get things second hand to make my money go as far as I could. I was lucky in that I 'get on' with Canons, (my mate has a 10D), so I picked up a 400D (body only) in good condition and saved up and bought lenses as I went along - again mostly second hand. I added a 70-300 Sigma APO Macro, a Canon 1.8 50mm 'nifty fifty' (the only item I bought new, I got it for around £70 from Kerso), and an 18-55 Canon ES IS kit lens. I'm sure I'll want to upgrade my kit as I get more advanced, but as a starter setup, I can't fault it, and the lenses are different enough to let me get most things covered.

HTH

Si
 
About 18months ago I was in a similar position and managed to get a 400d and kit lens...it was enough to get me started until I saved a bit more cash...also gave me time to understand which lenses I wanted.
 
If i had £500 for body and lens i would buy the Canon 450d for £399 at simply electronics and £80 for a nifty 50 (Canon 50mm f1.8 lens) and the change on a SD card and lunch at McDonalds!
 
AndyWest said:
If i had £500 for body and lens i would buy the Canon 450d for £399 at simply electronics and £80 for a nifty 50 (Canon 50mm f1.8 lens) and the change on a SD card and lunch at McDonalds!
Click to expand...

Good advice, except for the McDonalds (y)
 
How can you say no to one of these? :D :D

Yum yum!
qtrcheeseLG.jpg
 
Could always get a D40 with a couple of lenses for that money, easily.
 
Or a 400d used and some nice glass.

Have a look at the Sony a200, supposed to be good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top