£500

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as its my first DSLR im going to set my budget of about £500, i know im going to get basic entry level stuff if i buy new but what kind of camera could i expect to get if i bought one second hand or reconditioned, ive not got the posts or time on here to browse through the classifieds to give me some kind of idea

ive had a look on ebay but most DSLR's seem to be sold by dealers so that dosnt really give you a true feeling

funny enough i bought what digital camera today and they had a sub £500 test that gave top spot to the pentax K-R over the cannon 1100D and the nikon D3100, looked good on paper but im always skeptical over magazines as they obviously get a lot of revenue from advertising so may not want to bite the hand that feeds them, my other hobby is fishing, (well i say hobby its more of an obsession) and ive never saw a bad product review in any fishing mag

im a bit of a tackle tart and i believe in buy cheap buy twice but cash is a bit tight but my credit card is burning a hole in my arse pocket and ive spent the whole weekend poring over cameras desperate to spend some dosh so i want to buty the best i can for my money
 
mpb photographic, cracking second hand kit at great prices, dependson what you shoot in regards to choosing lenses. ive got canon 20d and 55-250 which came in about £340 for both then about £400 for spare battery bag, tripod, 2 memory cards. I mainly use main for motorsport

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If I were you I would check second hand market. I can recomend apertureuk.com and mifsuds.com. I've bought from them and they were great. Sometimes you have to be patient to get the best deal as they fly as they arrive.

As for the camera I would recomend Canon or Nikon. These are the 2 brands people use the most, so it will be easier to get second hand gear for the future too.
 
i'd go for a 20/30d, i switched from an entry level sony to a 30d and the difference in quality is evident when you feel a metal bodied 'enthusiast' camera. i added a sigma 24-70 f/2.8, canon 50 f/1.8 and it's cost me the grand total of about £550. i'm not saying this is what you should buy but it works for me at the minute and gives me the foundation to build a system which suits my needs without costing the earth.

check online stores like mbp and ffordes, both are reliable and offer 6 months warrenty.
 
I can 2nd MPB Photographic. I have bought a few bits from them and have always been satisfied. Mifsuds is also good but can be quite expensive IMO.
 
If the camera suits you shooting style you could puck up a 1d mk2 for that sort of money, fantastic camera for £500 ish. I have a 5dmk2 as my main camera and I had a 40d but changed it to the 1d mk2 and the difference with regards to speed and auto focus is amazing never mind the fact you couldn't break it if you wanted to
 
You can get a new Nikon D3100 with 18-55mm VC lens kit for £399 so you will have enough left over for a memory card, a decent bag and a Mars Bar!
 
AndyWest said:
You can get a new Nikon D3100 with 18-55mm VC lens kit for £399 so you will have enough left over for a memory card, a decent bag and a Mars Bar!

And you will have bought a great little camera. If you buy a second hand bag off eBay go Lowepro, they make fantastic bags. Maybe pop into jessops/ London camera Exchange and see which bag Suits you, shoulder, rucksack etc.

You should have change to take the Mrs out too... A good start for when you buy new gear! Ps... Change your delivery address to work on all internet shops that sell camera gear now... Saves you hastle in the long run!
 
Personally i would go used on the first DSLR. I should of done that when i bought my first camera .......
 
I'm in the same boat.

Looking at the 450D but then realise they no longer sell it so looking around on forums and see if I can find one in decent nick
 
bigave said:
bought myself a 450D with a 18-55 mm is lens

cant wait for friday now when its here

The 450d was my first dslr and I loved it still use it now. I'm sure in time u will want to upgrade your kit lens tho enjoy using it this weekend
 
im a bit of a tackle tart and i believe in buy cheap buy twice but cash is a bit tight but my credit card is burning a hole in my arse pocket and ive spent the whole weekend poring over cameras desperate to spend some dosh so i want to buty the best i can for my money

You might want to consider holding back some money for the lens aswell then, you can pickup the Canon 18-55 IS used for £50 and it will give pretty sharp pictures but the build quality, focusing and appature might grate with you quickly.

What about the Canon 500D? you can pick that up used for £370 from MPB most of the time, 15 megapixels is more than enough unless your going to crop alot or make massive prints. That would leave you enought o pickup a decent used lens aswell if you were willing to push a bit beyond £500.

The Tamron 17-50 2.8 at £200 used(or £250 new) for example is very sharp, has a large appature(good for shooting people in low light) and also allows you to use a polarizer for landscape pics. It doesnt have image stabalsation but at that range its really not essential, you could pickup the Canon 55-250 IS for £150 when you have the money and cover a very long range in good quality.
 
You can't go to far wrong with the 450D its a great camera and can be had for a decent price now. Enjoy!
 
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