Help choose my first digital SLR

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LeeSampson101

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Lee
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Hey boys and girls and those of you who may be in the middle, i'm really wanting to get started in photography and i'm currently using a Kodak DX6490 that i got of my dad when he got a new camera. i'm very new to photography but i would really love to take beautiful photographs.

i'm looking to 'take the plunge' as it were and get my first slr and i'm looking at something fairly cost effective and was hoping to get some advice on the cameras i'm looking at. i'm looking at the Panasonic Lumix G10 (link is below) i've had a friend say this is a very good starter camera.

http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Digital-SL...IC-DMC-G10KEB-K-Digital-SLR-Kits-Bodie/642711

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards
Lee Sampson
 
My initial thought, do you actually want a DSLR? The G10 is not actually a DSLR, but a Compact system camera, while it is pretty good in it's own right, it isn't what you seem to think it is.
 
Comet is telling a porky - that isn't actually a DSLR. It's a mirrorless camera, so it has an electronic viewfinder rather than an optical viewfinder like a DSLR. What's your budget?
 
You need to go into the shop and have a feel around. There simply is no other way.
 
What are looking you for in a camera and what budget are you looking at?

fyi the G10 is cheaper at Jessops.
 
Must confess I love(d) my DX6490. I have only just purchased a DSLR and did look at the G10 but as has already been pointed out it is not a true DSLR and the availability of lenses is limited. We are perhaps all a bit biased as to what DSLR is best.

Look at some of the threads here and see what you think, remember your budget.
 
Maybe look at the Nikon D5000?? I've just started out and that is what I got, I got a deal at Jessops for the D5000 na d 2 lenses for £500 :)
 
The D5000 is a fine camera but the D3100 is arguably better as it has a updated sensor and whatnot. The D5100 isn't that great when you compare what you get and the price difference with the D7000 and the D3100.

It generally depends as to what feels better in your hands. The current entry level cameras (at really staggering value for money) are the Nikon D3100, Canon 1100D and the Sony A33.

I'm actually waiting to see what the new sony med range will be like when it comes out because if it uses and improves on whats in the A33/A55 (fyi the 55 isn't worth the extra money over the 33) then I'm selling my kidney to get one.

don't discount the micro four thirds system as well, they are much smaller but the image quality and what you can do with them are comparable to a DSLR.


Basically at entry level you can't go wrong with the D3100 the 1100D or the A33, there is very little in between them. Go down to the shop and ask to look at each one and the one that feels right is the one you want.
 
There are only 2 things relevant to choosing a DSLR; How it feels to use, and the results in terms of the 'style' of image it produces.

I won't buy Nikon beacuse they are 1) expensive, 2)lacking in features for price 3) Feel horrible to me (size weight etc) and 4) I don't ultimately like the way they handle colours.

Canon as above but I do like the colours

Pentax I do like a lot, but still too big

Sony. nah, big and horrid colour rendition IMO.

Olympus I like a lot, only downsides are size is still pretty damned big. Plus for me the Dynamic range isn't as good as it could be. (You won't be bothered by that coming from a non DSLR, it'll be a massive step up in comparison to our current setup)

Panasonic, well I was initially sceptical about the viewfinder, but the reduced size coupled with the APS comparable IQ sold it to me. The handlingis very nice, and the images it produces from RAW are spot on for my liking. (JPEG not so much, if you want to shoot JPEG don't buy Panasonic).

Lack of lenses is not a drawback - the lenses out there cover a hell of a lot of ground and they are all of incredibly high quality. I exclusively use the 14-45mm that was the original kit lens of the G1, it has never failed to impress.
 
Davo7 said:
You need to go into the shop and have a feel around. There simply is no other way.
Click to expand...
Completely agree. While most of the entry level DSLRs have similar features and are a similar price, they can feel very different in your hands, so you need to pick them up and have a good play with them. It's what I did before I bought my first DSLR, which helped me in my decision to go down the Canon route.
 
i'm not restricted to comet it just seemed like a good camera for the money i would say i have 400 i'm a student you see and very limited for cash.

i've been looking at the nikon it seems like a good camera even thou i have no idea what to look for.

Regards
 
Olympus trip was less than £300 at Jacobs last week, worth looking at to see if you really want to go down the money pit route, otherwise why not pick up a secondhand canon, the 40d with a kit lens would be a great place to start but not sure if you would get it for your budget though.
 
Best bet is to go to a camera shop as others have said. If you wanna go bridge try the Fuji refurb store.
 
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I bought a Canon 450D with 18-55 (cheap cheap lens) second hand from this website for £350 and then bought a 50 mm 1.8 for around £50 also from this website.

I always worried that I wouldn't see the gain from the money spent and that I wouldn't be able to play with the DoF as I wanted to etc.

I have to say this camera even with the pair of bottom of the range lenses has been and continues to be better than any other point and shoot camera I have used. The RAW files coupled with lightroom and photoshop are much better to deal with and the controls on the camera are very intuitive.

If I were you I'd wait, check the trade area of this website (although the new post count restriction does limit those wishing to dip their toe in photography with a second hand purchase) and purchase a second hand DSLR. You'll get more for your money; I got the camera, remote and 2 lenses for your budget.
 
As you can see from the responses here asking what camera you should buy opens the worm can.

Everyone likes there own camera, with it's size and features.

You should go to the shops and play with all the cameras you think you might like.
Then either new or secondhand:

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 your 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.
 
You could always to get a decent second hand DSlr in these forums for £400, that's how my son got his first camera, but you need to have 100 posts before you can access the trade pages
 
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