First dslr - what to choose?

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tomsgalaxys

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Tom
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hi! :help:
I am planning to buy my first dslr.
Budget around £600.
After many hours of compering got 3 to choose from.
What is the best for me?
£400 Nikon D3100 with 18-55mm VR Lens
£470 Canon EOS 1100D in Grey with 18-55mm IS Lens
£580 Canon EOS 500D + 18-55mm + 75-300mm Twin Lens Kit

personally i think choice 1 or 2 is better cause they are IS lenses and leave me some money to buy extra lens (i need good zoom lens - i like to shoot sport)
Don't know how important (sensitive) is IS. got tripod but im mostly shooting by hand. is it worth paying extra for lens with IS (VR) ?


Please help me?
Thank you for any comments.
 
Hi welcome to TP:)
The first 2 options don't approach your budget limit
Don't be to worried about IS/VR, on shorter lenses the benefit is not always that great, particularly if you learn how to hold and stand with the camera.

Now about your choices:

Buy the one that feels most comfortable in your hands, after all you will be holding it.
It will be the camera you find has the most intuitive button layout and control menu.
The price will be suited to your budget.

Don't forget to include in the budget a memory card and a bag if not included in a package.

Remember all the cameras can take good picture's, it is you however that make them great.

Never buy on the basis of other people saying "this one is great". It may be for them but not always for you. Buying a camera is a very personal choice.
 
How important IS/VR is will depend very much on what you are shooting, and how you are shooting it.

There is a basic 'rule of thumb' that you should always aim to have a shutter speed faster than 1/focal length - so a 50mm lens you want to shoot at 1/50 s or faster, a 300mm lens 1/300 s or faster - this is to minimise camera shake (which is more of an issue with longer lenses).

Image stabilisation helps by allowing you to shoot 2-4 'stops' slow than this, where a 'stop' is a halving (or doubling) of shutter speed.

So a 50mm IS lens should be OK for 1/15 s, for example (and a 300mm IS OK at 1/60s).

So if you have plenty of light, IS will give little benefit (as you will easily have a fast enough shutter not to worry about camera shake), and if there's too little light even IS won't allow handheld - but in the middle ground (which we often have in the UK) it can help.
 
Problem I think will be the tele/zoom lens... It'll blow your budget :D

I personally don't like the entry model nikons (no motor) so I'd be looking at the d90 - probably second hand. Lens wise, perhaps the 35mm nikon f1.8 (portrait stuff) and zoom wise, ah well quandry there.

I don't think 300mm is long enough but if you've never had one then the entry 70-300 / 75-300 would be good to see whether it gets you far enough.

I'd be looking for a 80-400 nikon (or equivalent) maybe a 100-400 or 200-400.
Alternatively as I have expensive ish taste, the 50-500 sigma gets some really good reviews. but is around 700-800 ukp second hand.

The cheaper 70-300 should be available second hand for around 100ukp ish (?) and you could combo it on to see how it feels / does it give the range you want.


As to the cameras, you need to go give em a feel. Don't stick to just the main stream, handle as many as you can up to a semi pro level (d300s on nikons range) as if you get the upgrade bug, you will probably want to keep using your lenses. Note down the ones that feel good to you. Reasrch the prices (second hand / offers).

Jessops might still do interest free buying (as long as you pay in a year) which might sway you to newer kit...


**** Note that this is just my opinion and you should really try as many as you can before hand.

You could also check out rental prices... lenses especially. Alternatively turn up at a TP meet and see whether people will let you handle the cameras.
 
Thank you for the replies! All very helpful.

Bit confused about IS and shutter speed - don't have experience - but well explained thanks

Still not decided but will go to store to try them in hand.


is Tamron 70-300mm F4/5.6 DI LD Macro any good (for sport, action) ? is macro specially for close-up flowers photos, etc.
which zoom lens would u recommend for action photos (£100 - £300)?
 
in your budget Tom, the canon 55-250 looks a decent option if you go down the canon route. Decent lens for under £150
 
stockwell said:
in your budget Tom, the canon 55-250 looks a decent option if you go down the canon route. Decent lens for under £150
Click to expand...

i have found Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom AF Lens for 150
Should i pair it with 1100d (£620) or should i collect some more money and buy better body?
 
Looking at the spec, the 1100D is significantly better than the 1000D.
 
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