Beginner's Camera?

Mitch.Carter

Mitch.Carter

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Name
Mitch
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I posted this on another forum so sorry if you have seen this before.

Hello All,
This is my first post so please go easy!

Over the last 6 months or so i have been taking photography a lot more seriously. I invested some money in a hald decent P&S Compact Camera (Samsung NV100HD) but now however I am looking into getting a DSLR and starting to focus a lot on Macro shots, Macro and Landscapes. Most of you are probably thinking does he know they are two complete opposites?:confused: ha, well yes I do know that but i enjoy both, and as i go skiing twice/three times a year, or go on holidays to such picturesque places i enjoy doing that as well as the Macro stuff. Macro i like to do when I am fishing mainly, with such a lot of time there it is ideal, as some of you may know. :)
Now this is the dilemna, I know a little bit about using Manual Mode. Also I know about Shutter Speed and ISO ETC. So please no reccomendations of "well I think you should get this compact... I would like DSLR reccomendations only please. :thumbsup:
The next bit.. I don't have a lot of money at the moment, so I was wondering what the best DSLR/Lens combination was for around £400ish? I can get specified Macro lenses and what have you later on, but for use until next time I have some money, which would be the best camera/lens combo for all-round work?
Was thinking maybe a Canon D1000 or an Olympus E-520. Preferably new?

Thanks in advance, here are some pics I have taken with my NV, please enjoy.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

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n1164577287_30346727_6310286.jpg

:smashin: or :thumbsdow
 
some are smashin , some are thumbs down

#1 isn't working at all for me , not sure what i'm supposed to be looking at

struggled with the B and W shot , then i realised it was two shots together , you need some space between your images

the sunset image for me is one of the better ones , some lovely colours there

the caterpillar ones are pretty good , i think the second one would be improved if all of the caterpillar was in focus though

I do like the landscape one though (last picture) , nice bit of foreground interest (roofs) and a nice colour sky , not sure if that first roof , bottom left is a distraction though ??

Anyway i'm still a novice so hopefully someone who knows what they're doing will be along to help
 
I would say that the Canon 1000D would be good or the 450D if you can stretch a little further. 2nd hand can be good too!. My mate has a Sony a200 and he thinks it's great but he not into photography (although i'm working on him!!) Look for what camera body has the functions that you want and then save up for decent lenses later as it's the lenses that make the most difference.
 
I really like the punch in those B&W shots, but they seem to me to be leaning a little.

Anyway, as regards the 'best' DSLR/lens combo, well that's open to an awful lot of debate. I'd suggest that a good starting point might be an entry-level camera (no surprise there) like a D60 or 450D, along with the kit lens that originally came with it and then cast around looking for a macro lens. The kit lens should do perfectly well for landscapes. Macro lenses can start getting pretty hefty pretty quickly, but here is a user review that might be of use.
 
I suppose it is too early before (correct me if im wrong) the 28th august release of the D3000 which retails for £500 new to suggest it?- may see some second hand ones shortly afterwards? It seems crazy but i have known people get things just to see what they are like then sell them straight after.
 
I went for the Sony A300 for my first and its been a fantastic camera.

Just started club photography with it and I have been asked to do the promo pic's for a Pole Jam at the weekend!

It was my first DSLR so maybe a little one-sided!
 
Excellent thanks for all of the replies guys,
The first B&W one, I actually one an award for on a Fishing forum...
Thaks for all the points, they will all help me greatly.
I was also thinking the A200, my friend has one and raves about it constantly in my ear! Have been looking around and have seen it for about £270ish with the standard lens! Which to me seems a bargain?
Then I would eventually look at buying the Tamron Macro lens I like the look of.
Thanks for the replies, any more suggestions welcome though.
Thanks again guys, much appreciated!
 
2nd hand Canon body
Canon 50mm F1.8
PM me your address and I'll send you a set of auto macro tubes FOC. (strangly, they are Canon EF)
 
Personally, I'd go with the A300 over the A350 as the extra pixels don't do anything for me and can cause some of their own problems in their own right.

In fact, if you don't need live view, I'd go (or rather, did go) with an A200 which is the same as the A300 but without the live view.
 
55-200mm is getting into Superzoom territory and although the kit lens won't be very fast (i.e. it doesn't have very low F number) it will be good to have. Whilst 200mm won't let you take close up pictures of little birdies it is a good range for pretty much everything else.

Personally I'd go with the A200 and 2 lenses over the A350. That said, if you got the A3X0 you could always add a lens later - you can't retrofit live view to the A200. Horses for courses really - it's up to you to decide what you think is valuable to you.
 
If you're just starting out and thinking of a DSLR then my advice is to go with either Canon or Nikon (it doesn't matter which). They are undoubtedly the two biggest players and have the best all round systems available.

It's not that Olympus, Sony, Pentax etc are rubbish... they're not. In fact Pentax and Olympus have made superb cameras in the past. Sony is a bit different, more an electronics company that I wouldn't trust to have any long term interest really, despite what they'll tell you.

But if you're serious about it then remember that you're actually buying into a camera system, not just a specific body. It may not seem like it now but if you get hooked on photography you may as well go with the ones that truly have the system backup.
 
Mitch.Carter said:
Ahh I see okay guys, I have the A200 here with the twin lens kit
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/0561408/Trail/searchtext%3ESONY+A200.htm
would I need the twin lens? What situations would the 55-200mm lens be used in?
Click to expand...
the 55-200mm is surprisingly good for it's price - for the extra £60 or so it's adding I would get the 2-lens kit.


Bill Roberts said:
Sony is a bit different, more an electronics company that I wouldn't trust to have any long term interest really, despite what they'll tell you.
Click to expand...
Sony's DSLR division is Minolta in disguise as they bought that from KM.
& increasingly in digital cameras the electronics is getting to be the more important part - that's why KM got out of cameras & why I wouldn't be surprised to see Oly & Pentax do similar at some point.

But if you're serious about it then remember that you're actually buying into a camera system, not just a specific body. It may not seem like it now but if you get hooked on photography you may as well go with the ones that truly have the system backup.
Click to expand...
Unless you are talking about exotic multi-£K lenses like tilt-shifts & ultra teles then all the systems cover the needs of 90%+ of people especially when you consider 3rd party solutions.
 
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