Best Digital SLR for Portraits....

melbster

melbster

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Hi all,:wave:

My first posting so bear with me..... After a few years of using my trusty digital Canon Ixus II i've decided i want to take the next step up the ladder and purchase a digital slr.
I want to focus on the portrait side of photography (mainly to try and capture my two gorgeous kids growing up, but also possibly earn a bit of cash on the side doing something i enjoy) and thought i would ask you guys your recomendations regarding cameras etc that would best suit this purpose.
At the moment i have a maximum budget of £400-£450 for the camera and have been pointed in the direction (by my resident office photo guru at work) of the Canon 40d or the Nikon d40x.
I'm not adverse to buying second hand equipment so is there 'used' kit which would do an acceptable job for less money.
Thanks in advance and I look forward to your comments...
 
I'd go for the Nikon, and the D40x is available from purelygadgets.co.uk for £365 and a free 18 month ext warranty.
 
I would go with the Canon 40d then if you dont like it sell it to me!
 
The two cameras are no where near each other in terms of quality, the 40D's nearest Nikon competition would be the D80 but both of them are quite far above your budget. To be honest though it doesn't matter what camera you buy your solution lies in the lens(es) you get to go with it.
 
There is no best DSLR for portraits really. Theres a best lens though. And Steep is right. The 40D is very different to the D40x. Its closer to the D80. If you're just after photos of your kids get a bridge camera. Large zoom, decent results. I'm guessing from your question that you don't really understand what a DSLR actually is so a bridge camera would be best. A bridge camera is one that looks like a DSLR but its got a fixed lens. DSLR's allow you to swap lenses, which is why I said theres a best portrait lens not a best portrait DSLR.
 
...and spending 400 quid on a camera doesn't automatically make you a good enough photographer to have any portraits worth selling!
 
maybe consider looking out for a secondhand nikon d50 if you can find one . it ll come with an 18 -55 kit lens most likely , but you should have enough left over for a nifty fifty
( a 50 mm f1:8 lens ) very cheap but very good none the less . also with a d50 if you decide to add older secondhand lenses later they will work ,unlike on a d40 (x) as mentioned above if you use a bad lens you will get a bad quality picture.
 
Personally I'd find a refurbished Nikon D70 with the 18-70 kit lens. That lens is fantatsic and the camera is great too.
 
petemc said:
There is no best DSLR for portraits really. Theres a best lens though. And Steep is right. The 40D is very different to the D40x. Its closer to the D80. If you're just after photos of your kids get a bridge camera. Large zoom, decent results. I'm guessing from your question that you don't really understand what a DSLR actually is so a bridge camera would be best. A bridge camera is one that looks like a DSLR but its got a fixed lens. DSLR's allow you to swap lenses, which is why I said theres a best portrait lens not a best portrait DSLR.
Click to expand...

I think a Nikon D3 with 85/1.4 is the perfect portrait setup... But then were talking 10x the asked budget :nuts:
 
melbster said:
Hi all,:wave:

My first posting so bear with me..... After a few years of using my trusty digital Canon Ixus II i've decided i want to take the next step up the ladder and purchase a digital slr.
I want to focus on the portrait side of photography (mainly to try and capture my two gorgeous kids growing up, but also possibly earn a bit of cash on the side doing something i enjoy) and thought i would ask you guys your recomendations regarding cameras etc that would best suit this purpose.
At the moment i have a maximum budget of £400-£450 for the camera and have been pointed in the direction (by my resident office photo guru at work) of the Canon 40d or the Nikon d40x.
I'm not adverse to buying second hand equipment so is there 'used' kit which would do an acceptable job for less money.
Thanks in advance and I look forward to your comments...
Click to expand...
Hi melbster

You could also take a look at the Olympus E-410, or... if your budget would stretch a little more, the E-510. Have to say they are both excellent DSLR's for beginners and those new to it (like me) and are both simply streets ahead of the Nikon D40 and D40x. I don't know enough about the Canon 40D to comment or give a comparison. The lower end Nikon DSLR's all felt very cheap and flimsy to me, however, once you start going up the range, then as with Canon camera, they shine.

Have a look at the portraits section on my site (in sig) to see the sort of images that can be captured with kit Olympus lenses.

Good luck with whatever you choose.
 
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