Camera Advice for a keen amateur new to DSLR

giantwolf

giantwolf

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Richard
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Hi,

Newbie here. I have been keen on photography for a while however as yet haven't advanced past a normal digital camera. I am now looking to make to step up to a DSLR. I know ultimately I have to go with a camera that feels right to me when I hold it, however I'd like people recommendations if possible. I have been looking at camera's between £400-£600 and been taken in by the Canon 450D, however I have also been looking at Nikon and Sony.

What are the pro's and cons of each make? Would I be better off spending that little bit more and going for Canon 500D or maybe the Nikon D5000?

Would anyone recommend anything other than a Canon, Sony or Nikon that would represent better value for money?

Thanks all in advance, I look forward to becoming an active member.

GW.
 
god. thats a few questions.
canon and mikon both have a strong following.
theres little to chose between them.
if your going dslr, the big two are probably your best bet.
would you be better spending more on a higher spec camera?
depnds on how serious you want to get.
the 450d is a good camera . but the higher spec ones are better performance wise.
the 450 is quite acceptable as an ametuer camera.
better than some pro cameras of a few years ago.
i,m sure more people will offer opinions shortyl.

oh, and welcome to the funny farm.
mark.
 
Welcome to the forum! It's a great place to learn.

You'll probably do well with any camera on the market now. The best advice is to try them out in store & remember that glass (new lenses) will make a bigger difference than getting the latest & greatest new model. If you can save money on the camera and save towards a new lens, that is what I would do.

Mike
 
Hi and welcome :wave:

it's a personal choice when it comes to buying a new Camera. Best advice is to go to a decent camera shop and try a few different manufactorers and also different models they do, out, see which feels most comfortable and most natural to use.

If you like a couple, you could then see which you can get the best deal on :thumbs:
 
hi and welcome another option would be to buy a higher end camera body and get a good quality secondhand lens as opposed to a kit lens which most people replace very shortly after buying a new camera hope that helps not biased by the way but nikon or nothing:nikon:
 
Taking another angle, one that should save you money.

Follow the buy/sell forum and try to pick up a camera that has a low shutter count. You will find that it is often 70% of the new price. For example, you will see a number of Canon 40d for sale at your budget.

John
 
All the main cameras appear to be capable of taking good pictures, especially if you are just starting out. Some will be slightly better than others, some will have Image Stabilisation included, anti-dust etc.

As you and others have said try them out in your hands, however if they all feel good then ask yourself if there is anything you will particularly be looking to do i.e do you want more frames per second (eg for sports etc) better ISO handling (for low light etc), live view, etc etc. The typr of photography you are interest in will help you determine this.

I think the 450 and 500 are the same size (not 100%) whilst the 40d is larger. I went from a 400d to a 40d mainly for the size difference and extra frames per second.

There are lots of features on most DSLRs nowdays but I wonder how make best use of most of them. For example I have live view but I've not found the need to use it, some people though may have upgrade just to get that.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for all your help so far, much appreciated. I might get myself down a shop this weekend and try some out.

Anyone other comments will be most welcome.

In response to AKR, at the moment I'm very much a landscape person and that will primarily be what I will stick to I would imagine. However, I'm sure as I get more used to the camera and more into photogrpahy then I will delve into other areas.

Quick question (in addition to all those above!), do all DSLR cameras have the ability to shoot in RAW or not? I hear it talked about a lot but its not obvious from the spec's I've seen.

Many thanks,

GW
 
RAW - yes.

I'd say have a look at the cost of lenses and other accessories like flashes that might ultimately interest you first as I think there can be some difference between brands (for example Nikon lack a 70-200 f4 at the price of the canon, and I'm sure there are examples where Nikon will be better).

Then it comes down to format (crop of full-frame), frame rate, and noise performance at high ISOs.

HTH
 
I recently made the move to a DSLR with a Cannon 450D - great camera to kick off with and I'm delghted with the results. As others have mentioned, you need to try them in your hand, 450D is quite compact, smaller and lighter than the 40D ............ but the real investment / cost is in the lenses.
 
button-moon said:
i ordered a 500D...im a total beginner...and ive heard that the 500D is alot more user friendly as it has pre set setting on for portrait, landscape, sport etc, but also has a manual setting for when u feel more confident in changing the settings.

try checking out the reviews on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1A3wwePJXA
Click to expand...

I think most DSLRs in your range will have those features. When I was just starting out I'd take one on the standard eg landscape setting, then experiment with the TV and AV modes. I founf my pictures were worse than in those modes than when I took them with a compact, but then you slowly realise what you are doing wrng and the results can be terrific.

Re the landscape side of things, if that is your main aim I'd imagine all the cameras would be suitable, however keep in mind that a lot of people end up going to full frame cameras (eg canon 5d), however they will be out of your price range at present. The reason I mention it is that when buying lenses you may want to consider lenses that will fit on a full frame as some will only work on a crop sensor camera such as the 450d. It will mean that if you eventually go fullframe you would not have to upgrade all your lenses.

Good Luck!

al
 
Consider something like a used Canon 20D or 400D for circa the £200 mark. That'll free up some cash for lenses and accesories. For landscapes you won't notice much benefit from the later bodies in the same series, and you'd be a lot closer financially to buying a 10-20mm lens or suchlike.
 
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