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Hi

I am currently hoping to upgrade and get a proper camera. I have never used anything like this, hense my current camera is an ixus i5, so am def blind. Basically have my firsy baby on its way and i want to capture everything and i want it to be captured well.

My budget is around £300. I've had a look around and i quite like (out of my range) the Nikon D50. Can you use a camera like this without a lens until i can afford one - or is there no point. Can you reccomend any cameras or tell me which ones to avoid. I'm not brand specific or anything like that. Not sure if someone like me should even be looking at camera with lenses seeming i have no idea how to use them. Also i wouldn't want any massive lenses as such if you know what i mean. Any help, knowledge is really appreciated.

Suzie xx
 
For a DSLR you must have a lens, usually the kit lenses will not be the best in terms of quality, but for price they are usually a bargain unless you already have lenses available.

For the Digital SLRs brands like Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Olympus, and Pentax tend to be the leading brands with prices varying from about £400+.

Check here for a few prices, CameraPriceBuster They have a Nikon D50 with 18-55mm kit lens for £397.00 at WarehouseExpress.com .

Then for the DSLR like cameras most people give Fuji high praise for features and quality.
 
Anyone who gets into photography will want a digital SLR eventually, it's inevitable - an SLR is simply the most flexible photographic tool known to man... or woman. ;) The beauty of it is that if you choose wisely, then that outlay on the initial body becomes the basis of a whole system of lenses and accessories which you can add as and when you can afford it.

Just a word of caution... find out a bit more about the course you're going on. A lot of courses prefer you to start out with a film camera and cover conventional processing before they move on to digital photography. If that's the case, then if you check out e-bay, there are some ridiculous bargains to be had on 2nd hand film kit since digital photography has caused nearly everyone to swop over. You can often buy complete kits... cameras with several lenses, flashgun etc. all of which will also fulfill your baby pic requirements.

As far as digital SLRs go though, have a look at a 2nd hand Canon 300D, which you may be able to pick up within your budget or not too much more.

If you hang around here your interest in photography wil grow and GROW so don't limit yourself in the first instance. :shrug:
 
Hi Suzie - I agree with everything CT said but I will throw a spanner in the works. Me thinks, forgive me if I'm wrong, you may not want to get into the world of DSLR yet and it is the road to penury when you start to buy lenses, filters, flashguns etc. I would suggest you consider a high-end prosumer camera which will, probably, do everything you want and within a decent budget. OK - you don't get the freedom that SLR gives you but you can still have a good lens, zoom, macro and manual capabilities plus the bonus of video.

Within your budget I would suggest you look at the Fuji S7000 at £284 or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 at £299. I may be totally off base here and you may want a DSLR but if you do need everything in one camera, without all the baggage that SLR requires then a prosumer might be an answer. Hope I haven't confused you more.

regards
 
CT said:
Just a word of caution... find out a bit more about the course you're going on. A lot of courses prefer you to start out with a film camera and cover conventional processing before they move on to digital photography.

Seconded - I'm lending one of my old film cameras to a soon-to-be student up North (as soon as I crate the damn' thing up and confirm the MoD Post will cover the insurance, that is...).

Oh and by the way - Welcome Suzie. Glad you could join us.
 
The first 'proper' camera I bought was my Nikon D70. Prior to this, I only ever owned a 'point n shoot' compact camera. I must say it's been a very steep learning curve, and I still haven't got a clue what I'm doing half the time!

As others have said, if you are thinking of doing a photography course, you may be better off getting a cheapish film SLR and learning the solid basics of photography (I so wish I had done this) before you go onto digital.
 
You can get D50 for £398 at Currys online...if you use code NHS192 you get 5 % off making it £378 & if you have an Egg credit card & follow link to currys from their website you get an extra 5% off making it roughly £360 :)

Alternatively there is a Canon 350D on the classifieds of this forum for £350. Both cracking cameras & you'll lose hardly any money on them at that price.
 
Thanks for your comments guys i think i need to do a little bit of reseach into all of this before i make any decisions - don't want to wish i did it different. I'll look into the courses in detail first. Looked at a few of the cameras mentioned and they are all def what i'd like to get into, it is posiblility tho to go for DSLR first and get used to some basics. I'll have an investigation and let you all know.

Thank you again

Suzie xx
 
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