New to photography and needs advice

C

crawty

Messages
5
Edit My Images
No
Hello there i have been thinking about purchasing a digital SLR camera for a while now... I just wanted some advice on what to look for when buying the camera... I am mainly into sports photography so i know things like shutter lag etc are important but can any one highlight the main things i should look for.

Thanks in advance.

Charlie.
 
How much are you willing to spend? Budget is a pretty dictating factor.
:(
 
Well I'm sure most people will either say

Canon EOS 400D (ca. £450 with kit lens)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-400D-...6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1190135116&sr=8-1

or Nikon D40/x (ca. £340/£400 with kit lens)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D40-D...6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1190135234&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D40X-...6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1190135303&sr=1-1

These are generally considered to be the best entry level DSLRs. I however am no expert but you will probably end up getting one of those 2.
 
wgdbradley said:
Well I'm sure most people will either say

Canon EOS 400D (ca. £450 with kit lens)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-400D-...6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1190135116&sr=8-1

or Nikon D40/x (ca. £340/£400 with kit lens)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D40-D...6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1190135234&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D40X-...6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1190135303&sr=1-1

These are generally considered to be the best entry level DSLRs. I however am no expert but you will probably end up getting one of those 2.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the links and advice. Does any one have any views on these cameras?
 
I can't speak for the Nikon but I'm sure the Canon 400D will do what you want. Please be aware that for sports photography you should be factoring in about 350 quid for a decent lens.

I would advise you to keep an eye out in the sales forum here for a secondhand 400D. Most if not all members are reputable and keep their kit in excellent condition and this would save you about 100 on the body leaving you a little bit extra for a good lens.

Bob
 
For sports photography you will need to up your budget a fair bit to get a decent zoom lens I'm afraid, unless your sport is tiddlywinks or chess I guess
 
One of the important things too check for is how does it feel to hold, is it comfy do the buttons feel in the right place? etc.... for things like this is it important to pop to a shop such as Jessops and have a feel and test them out, remember you don't have to buy from them if you find it cheeper.
 
I'd second that - there are differences between the different brands in terms of megapixels etc - but the most important thing is how does it feel

Are the buttons easily placed
How comfortably can you hold it
Is it easy to use the viewfinder

This will all depend on your preferences, but also on simple things like how big your hands are, which eye do you use to look through the viewfinder (most use right, but some use left), do you have big nose that's uncomfortable pressed against the back of the camera

The only way to find out is to play with some. I bought a 300d when it came out, and never updated at the 350d and 400d are a lot smaller. I've got big hands and just couldn't get on with them

Jessops is a great place to try them out, but they are expensive. Do your homework first and find out how much you could get them for online. In the past I've done this and Jessops have matched the price. A good place to look is warehouse express and see what they're charging. Be aware though that Jessops have had massive financial problems this year and may not be as accomodating. If this is the case - go somewhere else
 
Thanks much for all the advice it is highly appreciated :) I have always enjoyed photography and I've been using a 5.3 mp digital camera for the last year :thumbsdown: and it has got me by for just having a bit of fun mucking around with things etc... few examples:





I will sure to be posting back with some new pictures soon and thanks again to everyone!!
 
I think its all been said above, try a few out for feel etc.,

If you ask the question here which is better - Canon/Nikon you'll get the usual half and half debate/banter so its all down to what you like.

Have a look at a few mags ie Digital Photo etc., as they always have reviews. I was in the same boat a couple of years ago, I did the feel test, then checked out the right ups in mags (around 8 mags) would have been cheaper to just get a camera first off :LOL:.

Then armed with all your new found knowledge post back up on here saying I'm now gonna buy XXXX, does anyone know of any deals and hopefully you will bombarded with all the nice TPF folk saying where you can get the most for ya money.

Regarding your sport shooting, you might find that you may be better going for a buy now pay later deal that will give you a bit of breathing space with your money ie
Camera and kit lens say £450 + £300-500 for a decent quick zoom, total £750-1000 but you don't fork out for a year which will give you time to start snapping right away, but in the mean time you've got 11 months to save the rest. HTH (y)
 
crawty said:
Thanks for the links and advice. Does any one have any views on these cameras?
Click to expand...


There are quite a few 400D owners on here ( inc me) and I haven't heard a bad word said about them except that they are / feel a little small in large hands
I have fairly large hands and have no problem with the size issue, but that can be got around by adding a grip ( I didn't) if it becomes an issue
 
Cobra said:
There are quite a few 400D owners on here ( inc me) and I haven't heard a bad word said about them except that they are / feel a little small in large hands
I have fairly large hands and have no problem with the size issue, but that can be got around by adding a grip ( I didn't) if it becomes an issue
Click to expand...

Thanks for that advice! Just saying thanks again you all have been extremely helpful!!!!
 
Olympus do an E400 kit for around £450 which comes with both a standard and telephoto zoom lens. The latter is 40-150mm which is an equivalent field of view of a 80-300mm on 35mm frame camera.

No experience to be able to recommend it personally, but probably the cheapest option as with a Canon or Nikon you would need to add a telephoto lens. The cheapest of which would be the Sigma 70-300 APO for around £130 and comes highly recommend for its price.

Because of the smaller sensor size, you get less depth of field with the Olympus which may be an issue with isolating your subject. Also for the really wide angle stuff it works out more expensive but you will not need this for sports.

Michael.
 
I have also seen the Olympus E-410 for similar prices to this. E-410 has live view and USB2.0 as standard over above that of the E-400.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top