HELP CHOSING CAMERA NEEDED!!!

mja'81

mja'81

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Mark
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Hi,

I used to frequent the site a year or so ago and at the time had an olympus e420 with various lenses and gear, but there cam a time to choose between drumming and photography (i chose drumming and sold my gear which turned out to be a big mistake as band screwed me over etc.....).

I have decided to reverse the decision and take up photography again and need to buy a camera. I have a budget of around £200 and have found the following but I cannot decide on what to go for.

Olympus E-PM1 or E-PL1 (I quite like the fact they have built in art filters and the idea of a compact sized camera with interchangable lenses but dislike the fact they have no built in viewfinder)

Lumix D2 (I like the fact it has more of a dslr look about it and a swivel LCD as well as a viewfinder but it seems more basic than the olympus)

Canon EOS D400 (My grandad used to use a canon 35mm when he was alive, plus the lenses and accessories seem to be more available and cheaper)

Olympus E420 (used to have one and loved it but do I go backwards???)

The sort of photography I am interested in aiming for is dramatic landscapes, long exposure, arty stuff (poss some portrature thrown in the mix).

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can you give me some advice as my head is spinning trying to decide.

I have even considered buying an E-PM1 to use as I save up for either an E420 or D400 but do I do it the other way round???

Confused much! lol.
 
My 1st thought would be do you know anyone else who has similar gear that you can use/swap at least then you exchange gear or test…

most cameras do the same thing....light, aperture, shutter, blah blah...so it would be then down to either the above anyone you know with similar kit or just personnel preference...do you like the feel, the look, the features...the choice is yours...

Dan.
 
Would have thought £200 was a bit of a low budget in reality. May be worth saving a bit more for a more capable dslr, whether new or secondhand. :shrug:
 
£200 is fine. Example - Canon 20D, 18-55 and 50 1.8 to cover your listed requirements.

The decision on whether you want an SLR or a compact m4/3 style of camera is yours and not sure anyone else can make that decision for you.
 
You have to handle the goods to make an informed decision.
 
mja'81 said:
Hi,

Canon EOS D400 (My grandad used to use a canon 35mm when he was alive, plus the lenses and accessories seem to be more available and cheaper)

Confused much! lol.
Click to expand...

Hi Mark

Do you still have any of your Granddads kit ? If so, then it's a no brainer for me - you need to get a Canon body and go from there...

If not, then you are starting from scratch, you have a few other options available - Nikon, Sony, Pentax as well as Canon. They'll all serve you well.

For your £200 budget, you'll be looking at an older 2nd hand body as you know, you might be able to pick up a Canon 450D, you'd certainly be able to pick up a slightly older model in your budget, but you also need to think about lenses and possibly a tripod and remote release if you are wanting to undertake landscapes...
 
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Have a look at a site called "The Photographer's Bag" via Google.

Canon 20d at £105.
Canon 28-80 at £39

Add on £15 for a couple of cf cards, £10 for a bag (7dayshop), two or three quid for a cheap filter, fiver for a spare battery and I reckon you are up and running with £20 change.

Nice:)
 
Get a canon 20d and a 18-55! Winner handsdown IMO
 
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