Beginners DSLR

funky_monkies

funky_monkies

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Briony
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Hello all,

I am looking to purchase my first DSLR and would like some recommendations from yourselves!

My budget is no more than £350-400. I will mainly be taking portrait/close up pictures of people

I would be happy to buy second hand too, so if anyone knows of any good websites to look at too buy second hand cameras that would be great!

Ta :love:
 
Hmmm tricky ..

Personally id jump straight into the XX series so for £350 - £400 id look for a used 40D with a low shutter count .. ive seen them sold on here with less than 3000 actuations for less than £400 .. and then get yourself a cheap kit lens (18-55 or 50mm 1.8 for about £50 used) .. that should set you back between £375 and £425 for the pair :)

The XX series has a top LCD which can be very useful for macro work or akward angles .. i dont even look at my rear LCD any more as the top one if far more useful.

Also if its your first DSLR dont buy into the megapixel crap ..

less is more than often more ;)
 
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First of all you should go to your local camera shop and hold a camera to find one that fits you (you might buy a canon 30D and find a Nikon body suits you), then look for a body within your price range, weather Canon, Nikon, Sony etc..
 
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Good place to buy second hand - check out the classifieds on here, if you want a shop which also give you a guarantee then I believe misfuds and ffordes are well regarded.
The lens can be as, if not more important than the camera (and more expensive). The feel of the camera is also important, a Canon xxd will be bigger than a xxxd camera, and have a different layout. Same with NIKON, Sony etc.
I only have limited knowledge of the Canon side, and would suggest a 20d or 30d. For a lens the 85 mm f1.8 is well regarded for what you want to take, but may be out of budget. You therefore considerthe 50 mm f1.8 and use what you have left overt a tripod / bag / flash. You might alternatively be able to find a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 second hand just in budget which will give a greater zoom range.
Good luck and enjoy!
Al
 
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No brands are really better than others, it's all a matter of personal preference.

Go to a shop and have a look at some cameras. Some will feel better in your hands than others, buy whatever brand this is because you'll enjoy using it more.

A 50mm prime is a great lens for portraits on a crop body, or a 55-250 type of zoom for close ups. One thing to mention is that the otherwise excellent cheap nikkor 50mm f/1.8 doesn't have a focus motor, so it's manual focus only on the entry level nikon bodies. Sometime to steer clear of if you're not comfortable with manual focus.

If you can fit it in your budget, a used 85mm f/1.8 would be even better than a 50mm for close portraits.

Go used and you'll be able to afford more/better lenses. If I were you, I would be looking at an old body, like a canon 350D/nikon D40/sony A200 used, so you can get more lenses.
 
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funky_monkies said:
My budget is no more than £350-400. I will mainly be taking portrait/close up pictures of people,
Click to expand...

I've never owned one - nearly did though - but there are lotsa statements on here about how the Fuji S5 Pro is THE ONE for people/portraits

give Graham [FITP] a PM for his ideas - he once told me he would NEVER sell his..!
 
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You can get a used 450D with the kit lens for around £300, and then the 50mm f/1.8 for about £60 for a cheap portrait lens.
 
matt b said:
A bit off topic but how does the top lcd help with macro?
Click to expand...

when the camera in an awkward position and your looking down on it rather than behind it as your focusing on something low down in a wierd space

its impracticle to adjust the camera to be able to see the screen so the top screen is a god send
 
But your already low down looking through the view finder to focus. I've done a fair bit of macro and can say I've never felt I'm missing out not having a top lcd.
 
I'd say a used Canon 30d or 40d for sure!
 
Working backwards, a 50mm f/1.8 is £60-£75. So, that leaves you £325 for a body.

A beginners Nikon is D3000/D5000 - but they are quite limited.

As it happens, there is a D3000 + 18-55mm VR lens in the Classified section now.

You're not going to get great ISO performance out of anything less than a NIkon D90 (£450 body only), but if you have the 50mm f/1.8 and good light, you won't need it.

Are you going to be shooting indoors or outdoors mostly?
 
Wow, thanks for all the replies! Think I will be spending most of the evening doing some research! I've been to have a play with some at the shops and I generally like the feel of Canons, plus my dad also uses canon so we can share equipment!

Think its pretty even with regards to shooting more indoors or outdoors. I want to start off by doing family/baby photos but would also like to dable in wedding photography once I know what i'm doing!
 
If it were me. I'd go for a Used 20/30d, maybe a 40d. And try and get a Used Short Tele- 17-50/28-90 or whatever at f/2.8. Spend more on the Len's than the body. Len's last, and bodys get old! If you know people that also shoot canon then you can nick their stuff its even better!

Shooting indoors, you just want a fast len's so a Nifty Fifty might be a good bet! Around 80 quid new i think :)
 
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