New to SLR, what to get on a budget?

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mustang100893

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Hi, new here :wave:. I have posted a few pictures of mine on another thread off my camera which i am not entirely happy with, it is a Fuji Finepix 12mp, which is okay for average everyday snaps but doesn't suit my needs entirely although it is a decent bit of kit. So anyway, i am sure this question gets asked millions of times but here goes, i'm looking for an SLR to kick off my photography addiction further. I am on a budget of around £300-£400. I'm looking for something which gives high quality macro shots as well as long range shots for use in the field when studying wildlife etc which is where my passion lies. I'm guessing this would mean buying more than one lens? In this case whats would my options be? Sorry for the blabbing and thanks. :thumbs:
 
mustang100893 said:
I am on a budget of around £300-£400. I'm looking for something which gives high quality macro shots as well as long range shots for use in the field when studying wildlife etc
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Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you're not going to get a "high quality" macro lens, a telephoto lens and a new dslr for £300-400. Pick one of the three and you're in with a shout,but you can't have them all.....
 
Okay fair enough maybe i was a bit optimistic, so how about the best starter all rounder DSLR if there is one or just the best DSLR i could get for the money?
 
Ughh...

I have to agree. But you can buy lenses later on as you've said wildlife is what you really love, for that you want at least a 300mm reach.

Go 2nd hand for definite... uhhh, you can pick up something like an older D80 I think for around £300 - there's 3 listed on http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/us...l-slr-cameras/used-nikon-digital-slr-cameras/ currently, or there's TP forums, some people use Ebay (I'd not *personally* but plenty do). Or you can go for something lower spec of course, I'm not really aware of best value for money on that, just giving a little idea!

Not sure on D80, but on some cameras, lenses will need to have a motor in to autofocus themselves, a camera that can AF motorless lenses will give you more 2nd hand choice, but are more of an outlay. A D90 went on forums just for I think about £400, they definitely have the motor to use any AF lenses.


There's a sigma Nikon fit 70-300mm on TP classifieds currently for £140. Probably not the best 300mm in the world but to be perfectly honest I think it's a perfectly fine lens really, obviously everyone would love to be able to spend thousands but it's not feasible!


That's just to give an idea of prices though - Canons are just as good (traitor I know :D), it's down to personal preference. As you can see you're going to be tight, but I'd think if you shop around you could get a starting point for not toooo bad.


Macro lenses do tend to be pricier when I've looked though, may need separate saving for that one!
 
Really what you need to do is pop along to the likes of Jessops and try the different cameras in your price bracket, they'll all do the job well enough, just pick the one that feels "right" when you hold it. If you're planning on investing in lenses further down the road then either Nikon or Canon (cue the legions of outraged Sony owners :lol:) would be the best bet though.
 
i think theres a sony a200 with 18-70mm kit lens going in the classifieds for around £200, then you could buy a second hand sony 55-200mm which i highly recommend and im guessing thats around £60 on ebay. also what macro do you want to do, if its product shots or flowers then you could get away with the sony 30mm f2.8 macro however spend twice as much and get a highly rated and unbeatable (for the price) tamron 90mm f2.8 macro!
 
Having just bought my 1st dslr I can 2nd those advising a trip to have a bit of a play with various models.

Within seconds I'd totally ruled out canons and the sony I liked the look of and much preferred the Nikons and Pentax.
 
Macro mainly close up animals and plants shots, long distance would be more birds, mammals etc. Have been having a nosey around and like the look of the Olympus E410 and some are on Ebay for about £40-£100 but that is starting bids with many days left, going to keep an eye on them but not sure about buying something i haven't seen. Whats everyone opinion on this model? Thanks for all the advice and i will probably take it and go have a play around with some models.
 
Non DSLR Fuji HS10 fita the bill.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
If you're planning on investing in lenses further down the road then either Nikon or Canon (cue the legions of outraged Sony owners :lol:) would be the best bet though.
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Sony owner here :lol:. This is true - if you are looking at buying £5000+ lenses in future (400/2.8, 200/2, 600/4, 800/5.6) then you should buy a Nikon or Canon. Also if you want a tilt/shift lens from the body manufacturer.

If however you are looking at ~£1000 lenses then Sony has options to match and sometimes exceed Canikon.
 
Sony a200 and a Raynox DCR-250 clip on macro lens

Sorted!
 
blow the budget!

Seriously I had the choice of a Canon 450 + 18-55 and 55-200 or a D90 with 18-105.

The Canon kit was more versatile but i much prefered the build and facilities of the Nikon D90 and went for that. It meant I had to wait for extra lenses, but it was worth it, one of the benefits of a DSLR outfit is that you can add to it as you progress.

Buy the camera you really want then save up for other lenses and accessories.
 
Been looking at the Fuji Finepix HS10 as someone suggested, what is this camera like quality whise? And how user friendly is it i.e. is it fiddly, lots of buttons etc? Thanks all for your comments. :thumbs:
 
onomatopoeia said:
Sony owner here :lol:. This is true - if you are looking at buying £5000+ lenses in future (400/2.8, 200/2, 600/4, 800/5.6) then you should buy a Nikon or Canon. Also if you want a tilt/shift lens from the body manufacturer.

If however you are looking at ~£1000 lenses then Sony has options to match and sometimes exceed Canikon.
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sometimes exceed? we have the carl ziess range which beats canon and nikon straight out!
 
You can get a good set if you go for 2nd hand for below £400.

£160-£190 Canon 20D or 400D
£60 Canon 18-55mm IS
£120 Canon 55-250mm
£10-£30 a set of extension tubes or a Raynox DCR-150 to get you started with macros until you can afford a macro lens
 
mustang100893 said:
Macro mainly close up animals and plants shots, long distance would be more birds, mammals etc. Have been having a nosey around and like the look of the Olympus E410 and some are on Ebay for about £40-£100 but that is starting bids with many days left, going to keep an eye on them but not sure about buying something i haven't seen. Whats everyone opinion on this model? Thanks for all the advice and i will probably take it and go have a play around with some models.
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Get a used 18-200 VR (Nikkor) which is good for both long and macro work, then get a used SLR like a D40...
 
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