Canon or Nikon?

LouiseTopp

LouiseTopp

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I am saving up for a bridge camera as I would like to upgrade from my Fuji Finepix 60 compact. I do landscapes and night shots and I have my eyes on a Canon SX30, its discontinued as there is a new version out.

Everyone keeps telling me to get a DSLR but I can't afford it, and I am having a hard time saving up for this one. Someone mentioned the Nikon P500 but I am drawn to the Canon after handling it. It is very overwhelming choosing a camera and I get mixed reviews that I might give up for a while. :shrug:

I probably will get a dslr one day, but I feel i would be jumping into the deep end at present with too many options I don't know how to use. can you advise me please? I want wide angle and clear pictures. Many thanks.
 
Check out photography blog. They had a good round up of bridge cameras. If I were buying one today I'd probably get a panasonic. The image quality is good and they're often have better features than canon/nikon equivalents. Sony also do a decent one.

I've had an old panasonic bridge for a few years ago and it still takes reasonable images. It's lighter to carry around and you have to have several lenses to cover the zoom range it has.
 
LouiseTopp said:
I am saving up for a bridge camera as I would like to upgrade from my Fuji Finepix 60 compact. I do landscapes and night shots and I have my eyes on a Canon SX30, its discontinued as there is a new version out.

Everyone keeps telling me to get a DSLR but I can't afford it, and I am having a hard time saving up for this one. Someone mentioned the Nikon P500 but I am drawn to the Canon after handling it. It is very overwhelming choosing a camera and I get mixed reviews that I might give up for a while. :shrug:

I probably will get a dslr one day, but I feel i would be jumping into the deep end at present with too many options I don't know how to use. can you advise me please? I want wide angle and clear pictures. Many thanks.
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That's a significant statement. Try to make sure that how the camera feels in your hand is a big factor in your selection.
 
Buy the one that feels 'right' -no use having a camera you're not comfortable using, because you'll end up not wanting to take pics with it.
 
What's your budget, Louise? There are some good bargains on used dSLRs, and they tend to hold their value once they've dropped to a certain level, so if you can get one you could well be able to sell it on for what you paid when you up-grade again. Brideg/compacts tend not to hold value. And with a dSLR even if you start with a basic lens you can add better lenses using the same body - and the lens is far more important than the body when it comes to image quality.

For the cost of an SX30 you could probably get something like a 20D with a decent lens.
 
jon ryan said:
What's your budget, Louise? There are some good bargains on used dSLRs, and they tend to hold their value once they've dropped to a certain level, so if you can get one you could well be able to sell it on for what you paid when you up-grade again. Brideg/compacts tend not to hold value. And with a dSLR even if you start with a basic lens you can add better lenses using the same body - and the lens is far more important than the body when it comes to image quality.

For the cost of an SX30 you could probably get something like a 20D with a decent lens.
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Hi can you recommend a DSLR that's up to £300, I know its not a lot but I would have to save.

I was drawn to the Canon because it felt right in my hands, you can hear the motor when you zoom out.
 
Which canon though, lots of cameras feel different to people.

I've got a 1000d which is way to small and so I use my 40d most of the time.

Second hand there's some bargains to be had on ebay if you know exactly what make your going after and try to find out the shutter actuation I grabbed my 40d for £399 in 09 with on 74 bargain.
 
daza said:
Which canon though, lots of cameras feel different to people.

I've got a 1000d which is way to small and so I use my 40d most of the time.

Second hand there's some bargains to be had on ebay if you know exactly what make your going after and try to find out the shutter actuation I grabbed my 40d for £399 in 09 with on 74 bargain.
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Do you know of any on-line shops which are good for cameras?
 
There's some sellers on ebay which are quite good canon have a refurb store.

Retail wise the first that pops into mind is camera warehouse express which are the cheapest I've found I also use Morris photo (bit more expensive but customer service is off the scale.)
 
daza said:
There's some sellers on ebay which are quite good canon have a refurb store.

Retail wise the first that pops into mind is camera warehouse express which are the cheapest I've found I also use Morris photo (bit more expensive but customer service is off the scale.)
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Is customer service good at camera warehouse express please?
 
I would honestly say I don't have a clue, I've never had anything go wrong nore have I had a reason to contact them.

Every order I've done has been flawless and completely automated and never has anything gone wrong.


If in doubt give them an email see if they get back to you if they value you as a future customer they should get back to you pretty sharp.
 
Warehouse express are good for new stuff.

MPB photographic are very good for second hand stuff.
 
LouiseTopp said:
They have good prices so I have bookmarked them. Are they worth considering?
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I would say so, if they have what you want, you can save a few quid on new prices.

I just swapped some lenses for a 500F4, it was better than the description on the website, a few others have commented on how honest the description is and how the goods are usually better when you get them.

|Should have added that I know nothing about canon cameras so can`t help you with your choice i`m afraid, but a 40D falls into your price range for example.
 
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I'd look for an independent shop near you. If they're any good, they'll be more than happy to offer advice (and people here will give a second opinion). They're likely to have a fair few trade-in cameras arriving over the Christmas period. Tell them what you want, broadly, and how much you want to pay. Offer a bit less than they ask. Don't worry too much about brand - all the main makes are good. Get one that feels right. Make sure you get a battery and charger, lens hood, camera manual, and a strap. These should all be included in the price.

Insist on a warranty; you should get 3-6 months for no extra charge. If they try to sell you an extended warranty, or refuse to give you one, turn around and walk out.

Remember to budget for a card or two, spare battery if possible, and a bag - second hand bags are fine and can be dirt cheap. Get a decent sized one as your collection of gear will expand.

If you plan to do post-production stuff, think about whether you need to buy Photoshop or whatever.

Take your time. Cameras are going to be around for a while yet.
 
jon ryan said:
I'd look for an independent shop near you. If they're any good, they'll be more than happy to offer advice (and people here will give a second opinion). They're likely to have a fair few trade-in cameras arriving over the Christmas period. Tell them what you want, broadly, and how much you want to pay. Offer a bit less than they ask. Don't worry too much about brand - all the main makes are good. Get one that feels right. Make sure you get a battery and charger, lens hood, camera manual, and a strap. These should all be included in the price.

Insist on a warranty; you should get 3-6 months for no extra charge. If they try to sell you an extended warranty, or refuse to give you one, turn around and walk out.

Remember to budget for a card or two, spare battery if possible, and a bag - second hand bags are fine and can be dirt cheap. Get a decent sized one as your collection of gear will expand.

If you plan to do post-production stuff, think about whether you need to buy Photoshop or whatever.

Take your time. Cameras are going to be around for a while yet.
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I went into Jessops and they said the SX30 is discontinued, and the SX40 is now in. The diffrence between these cameras is the 40 has better HD video camera and is better in low light. I use a video camera so i wouldn't be interested in the video side. Jessops said i wouldn't be able to get the 30 in January and said I should get the 40 but its £400 and something. I am waiting until January to see if it drops. The Canon felt right when I held it, you could hear the motor on the zoom. I might try Castle cameras and see what they offer. www.castlecameras.co.uk
 
The chains - such as Jessops - tend to concentrate on the latest models and will have tough sales targets to reach, so you may find a hard sell pointed at you. The independents are usually more laid back and are often run by people who have been there for years. And you never know what they may have buried away at the back of the shop...

What Jessops are telling you about the SX30 sums it up. There must be hundreds, probably thousands, of these still around, but Jessops want to sell you the new one and may well have sold off their remaining stocks of the old model ( I'm guessing here).
 
Louise, £300 will get you a Canon 350D DSLR with 18-55mm and 55-250mm lenses, spare batteries, a decent-sized memory card and a fish and chip supper.
I know because that's exactly what I've recently bought.
Body, battery, charger and 18-55 was in the original box with all the software etc, £150, local free ads paper, the 55-250 was £120 used on ebay, two new spare batteries cost me 8 quid on ebay and a 4Gb card was a tenner from Amazon iirc.
Yes, it's an old model but it's plenty good enough to get you started and you won't lose much if and when you sell it on.
It'll certainly be a step up from your P&S. ;)
 
Don't get sucked into Nikon and Canon argument.Everyone has an opinion but Buy what you feel is right in your hands.
 
renu said:
Don't get sucked into Nikon and Canon argument.Everyone has an opinion but Buy what you feel is right in your hands.
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I like the SX30 but I'm not sure if I should get the SX40 which I prefer, but its so expensive.

:shrug:
 
renu said:
Don't get sucked into Nikon and Canon argument.Everyone has an opinion but Buy what you feel is right in your hands.
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Quite right, and what's right for your pocket. ;)

Just had a very quick skip over the SX40 specs, looks amazing on paper! :cool:
 
Wozzaaah said:
Quite right, and what's right for your pocket. ;)

Just had a very quick skip over the SX40 specs, looks amazing on paper! :cool:
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Thats what I would like, should I get it off Amazon or is there another realiable shop with good customer service that sells it?
 
Personally I think it would be crazy dropping £400 on a bridge camera, that in a year will be next to worthless. You could easilly get a Canon 350D or similar with 2 lenses and a memory card.
Not only will it be better to use and to learn on, it will hold its value and you'll sell it on for pretty much what you paid.

I know bridge cameras look good on paper, and Ive had a fair few myself, but they just dont compare to the usability of a DSLR, even an older one.

After a moment of madness about 2 years ago I sold all my top end gear, I bought a Canon SX1 IS bridge. I used it for about a month and soon realised just how poor it was compared to the DSLR's that I was used too. I soon sold it and bought a used canon 450D plus a lens for less that £350. The difference in quality, speed, ergonomics, fucntionality and handling was just miles apart.

I'd seriously consider your options before spending so much on a bridge camera.
 
Canon 400D, £169

http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/us...d-canon-digital-slr-cameras/canon-eos-400d-2/

18-55 lens: £69

http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/us...-lenses/canon-ef-s-18-55mm-f/3.5-5.6-is-1119/

And if you want a telephoto, there's the 55-200mm for £99

http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/us...-fit-lenses/canon-ef-55-200mm-f/4-5.6-ii-usm/

Or if low light is more your thing, get the 50mm f/1.8 for £74

http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/us...ed-canon-fit-lenses/canon-ef-50mm-f/1.8-ii-3/

There, job done. I'd start with the 400D + 18-55mm for £238 and stick with that for a while, it'll kick the bottom off any bridge camera.
 
Bottom line is that a £400 bridge camera will ultimately be more useful and flexible to someone on a smaller budget than a £400 dslr. You have to spend a lot of money to get the same flexibility and the same zoom range. You can to some extent mitigate the low light problems with careful choice of iso used and remember the bridges max aperture are generally f2.8 at the wide end which is faster than most of the standard kit lens which are f3.5. If you don't want the shallow DOF effects of a DSLR and ultimate absolute sharpness then a bridge is just as good for the job.

Bridge cameras are improving all the time as more people want the speed and image quality of a dslr without having to lug one around.

Ideally you want a shop that has a demo model you can borrow for the weekend and really try it out with what you're actually going to shoot and compare it to a dslr and see which you prefer.
 
srichards said:
Bottom line is that a £400 bridge camera will ultimately be more useful and flexible to someone on a smaller budget than a £400 dslr. You have to spend a lot of money to get the same flexibility and the same zoom range. You can to some extent mitigate the low light problems with careful choice of iso used and remember the bridges max aperture are generally f2.8 at the wide end which is faster than most of the standard kit lens which are f3.5. If you don't want the shallow DOF effects of a DSLR and ultimate absolute sharpness then a bridge is just as good for the job.

Bridge cameras are improving all the time as more people want the speed and image quality of a dslr without having to lug one around.

Ideally you want a shop that has a demo model you can borrow for the weekend and really try it out with what you're actually going to shoot and compare it to a dslr and see which you prefer.
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Can't think of a shop that would let me barrow it for the weekend. be nice though :)
 
If you're going for a bridge camera it could also be any brand? Fuji do some alright ones, I have a s9600 which was good for showing me the ropes. You havn't got to worry about it being a bigger brand like canon/nikon as you don't have to worry about accessories like lens'...

However, if you really like your photography it's inevitable that you will want to upgrade from a bridge to a dslr within a few months.
 
ACW said:
If you're going for a bridge camera it could also be any brand? Fuji do some alright ones, I have a s9600 which was good for showing me the ropes. You havn't got to worry about it being a bigger brand like canon/nikon as you don't have to worry about accessories like lens'...

However, if you really like your photography it's inevitable that you will want to upgrade from a bridge to a dslr within a few months.
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Hi, I know what camera I want now, its a Pentax Kr which I looked at in Jessops and I liked the features on it. :)
 
Hi,
Sounds like you've made your mind up but for what it's worth I can't recommend mpb photographic highly enough. I've just bought my first dslr, a Nikon d90 with the 18-55 vr lens. It came to less than £400 delivered, which is significantly cheaper than they go for on eBay. I also got 6 months free warranty which was the clincher for me personally.
Their service was incredible. They had about 6 d90's I was interested in but none of them had the shutter count listed on the website. I rang them up and told them which ones I was interested in. Literally 15 minutes later I got the email I was promised, which had the shutter counts for the 6 d90's. They'd also taken the time to recommend to me the one in the best condition! It had just 882 actuations (practically brand new!)
I placed the order online at about 2.30pm and it arrived the following morning! What a service! It's literally as new, got everything with it and I've been well chuffed with it since.
I would seriously consider a 2nd hand dslr over a brand new bridge. Don't be put off by the 2nd hand business, these things get looked after. And if you get one with a really low shutter count like mine then for all intents and purposes it is pretty much brand new anyway.
 
The Boz said:
Hi,
Sounds like you've made your mind up but for what it's worth I can't recommend mpb photographic highly enough. I've just bought my first dslr, a Nikon d90 with the 18-55 vr lens. It came to less than £400 delivered, which is significantly cheaper than they go for on eBay. I also got 6 months free warranty which was the clincher for me personally.
Their service was incredible. They had about 6 d90's I was interested in but none of them had the shutter count listed on the website. I rang them up and told them which ones I was interested in. Literally 15 minutes later I got the email I was promised, which had the shutter counts for the 6 d90's. They'd also taken the time to recommend to me the one in the best condition! It had just 882 actuations (practically brand new!)
I placed the order online at about 2.30pm and it arrived the following morning! What a service! It's literally as new, got everything with it and I've been well chuffed with it since.
I would seriously consider a 2nd hand dslr over a brand new bridge. Don't be put off by the 2nd hand business, these things get looked after. And if you get one with a really low shutter count like mine then for all intents and purposes it is pretty much brand new anyway.
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What's their website please?
 
Just to throw a spanner in the works, i recently bought the Nikon P500 and its an awesome camera, i did a lot of comparison with the Canon SX30 because i really wanted the Canon, but the P500 came out better, especially on image quality. I'm really pleased with its capabilities.
 
Just to throw another spanner in the works :) I bought a Nikon P500 too, back in March, after totally dissing the similar Canon SX30. I only used it whilst on holiday, and recently, just for a light trails exercise. The holiday photos were pretty awful - expecially ones shot an night.

Regretting wasting money on a bridge camera and now have to buy again - a DSLR obviously.

If you're really set on getting a SX30, maybe try the Amazon marketplace (2nd hand)

Good luck, which ever option you go for :)
 
Definitely recommend MPB Photographic, I bought a used Nikon D3S from them earlier this year and it was in mint condition and only hardly used. Once of those rare moments when I had an uncommonly generous bonus from the day job and the camera was available at the same time.....result! the service was excellent and very helpful and the camera arrived within about 2 days.

If I was trading in, buying or selling I would go there first!
 
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