What camera to buy ?

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mushy

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Hi all

I'm new to this forum and new to photography. I'm an absolute beginner

I want a camera to take photos of my baby daughter, and of some city landscapes etc. and I'd like to learn how to take a photo properly.

What camera should I get? I have a budget of circa £750 for the camera, lens etc (and maybe able to get others to club together to buy me a tripod for my birthday etc)

What is a good entry level camera please?
 
there isnt really a bad one!!:D

The best thing to do is pop to a camera shop and have a play with a few and see what you like the feel of
 
are you looking at brand new cameras, or are you open to 2nd hand too? The Canon 1000d or 400d/450d are good entry level cameras. A 17-55mm IS lens would serve your purpose with the landscapes and baby photos. I think thats achievable for £750
 
The Talk Photography DSLR Buyers Guide

I would guess that any DSLR would do a good job at what you want to do, but you could probably get a lot for your budget. I would guess you would want to be able to crank up the ISO a bit and have a fast enough lens to be be able to deal with a particularly wriggly baby in poor light conditions.
 
you will probably be guided towards a DSLR & fletch5's right - there isn't a bad current production 1.
1 area where they do vary is in ergonomics & user interface so get to a shop & try a few to find which 1 feels best to you.
 
as said,there really isn't a bad one.best bet is to visit a camera shop like jessops,and try them out to see which you prefer for handling,menus,user interface etc...

also consider how or which direction you may want to take your photography with regards to lens and accessories,as nikon and canon at present have the best list of accessories at the moment..especially in disciplines like macro,tilt and shift lens etc..

also factor in for spare batteries,memory cards,bag etc etc..

hope this helps (y)
 
id recommend, if your comfortable of course, buying second hand.

£750 will get you some good second hand kit, that you will get alot out of, as opposed to a new camera with a middle of the road kit lens.

i did a similar thing to you and ended up with

30D £300
Tamron 17-50mm £250
canon 50mm 1.8 £60

canon 55-250mm £170
or
Canon 430 flash or any other dedicated canon flash.

you will prob find them cheaper, but that totals £770 and is a very capable kit.

up to you, but compare that to a 500D + kit lens for £700 and its a no brainer to me, but thats me, you may want new.
 
Thanks for help. I thikn I want the camera new, but I'm happy to have accessories 2nd hand
 
£700 wont get you that far in terms of new camera, and it will still not be as good as a 3 year old higher model.

but i understand if you want warranty etc etc.

as said stick with canon or nikon as there are a huge range of accessories and alot more available second hand compared to other brands
 
saxk said:
£700 wont get you that far in terms of new camera, and it will still not be as good as a 3 year old higher model.

but i understand if you want warranty etc etc.

as said stick with canon or nikon as there are a huge range of accessories and alot more available second hand compared to other brands
Click to expand...

i never stated to stick with canon or nikon,but merely that they have a better range of specialist accessories.depending on where the OP wishes to take his photography..any of the DSLR manufacturers offer more than capable cameras/accessories.
 
well i didnt read your post properly, sorry.

none the less, go on ebay look at used lenses for canon and nikon and you will find about 1600 and 1400, then do sony and find 7 lol

we are both coming from the same point, dont be swayed by cheap new prices, think about the long run and what you want to do with your camera.
 
saxk said:
well i didnt read your post properly, sorry.

none the less, go on ebay look at used lenses for canon and nikon and you will find about 1600 and 1400, then do sony and find 7 lol

we are both coming from the same point, dont be swayed by cheap new prices, think about the long run and what you want to do with your camera.
Click to expand...

do a search for minolta,and you'll find loads...:p :LOL:
 
i picked up a 2nd hand 40d and the excellent tamron 17-50m F2.8 for £640. I think 2nd hand is very worthwhile if you are starting out in photography.
 
To Fit
Canon (1,823)
Nikon (1,493)
Pentax (613)
Sony (584)
Fuji (484)
Konica Minolta (473)
 
so add Sony & Konica Minolta=1057.
Yes, there are more Canon & Nikon available but also more people looking for them so it evens out.

Going back to something mentioned earlier if you want to do handheld macro where things won't sit still whilst you set up a tripod, rails etc. then on an Olympus, Pentax/Samsung or Sony your Macro lens will be stabilised.
Afaik only Nikon offer 1 Macro lens with VR & iirc that lens is also known for uneveness across the frame due to parking errors with the in-lens mecahnism.
 
Cheap camera, expensive glass. Upgrade the camera when you can.
 
As has been mentioned, go to your local camera shop and try a few to see what feels right in your hands and then come and ask if you need any further advice
 
Thanks

I will go to the camera shop have a look at a few and then come back here.

Really grateful for all the advice. I'm afraid my next question about the lens (or glass in camera speak?) will be rather basic. I'm not sure yet what types of lens I will need. But I've got a book by Scott Kelby so will have a read of that and then ask here

Thanks again
 
actually, I see there are some amazing deals on ebay for "nearly" new cameras.

I'll go to Jessops first
 
see what jessops have, have a good play and get to grips with the one you like the most, then you can come home and decide where to buy it and what condition.
 
I went to Jessops today.

I was shown a range of cameras:

The canon 1000; described to me as entry level (10 mega pixels) and without a stabilization feature on the lens
The canon 450; next one up (12 mega pixel) and with a stabilisation feature on the lens

Nikon D60 - seemed similar to Canon 1000
Nikon D90 - Similar to Canon 450 but more expensive. 12 megapixels and a video facility (that I'd never use)

Sony Alpha 330 - this was the guys favourtie as he said it has image stablisation on the camera itself, meaning that lenses were far cheaper for it than other cameras as I didn't need image stabilising lenses.

I really liked the feel of the Nikon, nice and chunky! But is it really worth the extra money over the Canon 450 (also a very nice camera). And what about the Sony? The Sony seemed to make a lot of sense to me as having the image stabilisation on the camera must save money on lenses? But are there any advantages to having the stabilsiation on the lens itself?

Grateful for advice!

(Incidentally, it was the chap's last day today. He's being made redundant as the company is cutting costs. Probably because people like me go in, take their advice, and then buy their products elsewhere on the web for cheaper. I felt a bit bad about that)
 
I think the 1000D and 450D both come with the same 18-55mm IS lens??

I had a 450D before upgrading to a 50D...image quality wise in most situations there isn't much of a difference, I would certainly recommend it.

I'm not sure about the IS system used in the Sony but it was recently announced that Canon are developing a new hybrid IS system....not sure if that will be worth bearing in mind?
 
If the Nikon felt good to you, my advice would be to go with it, being comfortable with the camera is a big plus point, also with the Nikon you'll have a huge choice of lens to go with it.
So D90 to take away sir :D
 
thanks. my heart is saying "nikon!"; my wallet is saying "Sony!" and my head is saying "Canon" as I think Canon's (and Nikons) are regarded as the best 2 brands and the Canon dies everything the Nikon does 9except the video) but slightly cheaper
 
Hi,

I would take a good look at the D90 as well, I tried one out and it was much nicer to handle than my 450D and more intuitive in terms of control.

Michael.
 
Obviously worth a look but don't forget you will have to manual focus on non afs lens and also it doesn't have the top lcd display and that screen looks like it would be easily broken. Stick with the D90 better all round.
 
Where abouts are you, if local you're welcome to come and have a play with my D90, it's not getting used much atm.
 
Should I get the camera and lens in the package they offer; or should I buy the camera and buy a lens separately?
 
How about this one. When the nipper get's to two, you can share it!
161b.jpg
 
mushy said:
Sony Alpha 330
Click to expand...
do you need LiveView? if you do (& it can be good for taking shots of children as you can keep eye contact with them rather than being hidden behind a camera peering through an optical finder) then the Sony has by far the best LiveView system for moving subjects.
if you don't need/want LiveView & a Sony felt comfortable to you (albeit the A330 is snaller & lighter than the older 3xx series) then save a few £s & get an A200 (~£250-260 incl. kit 18-70mm).
 
saxk said:
To Fit
Canon (1,823)
Nikon (1,493)
Pentax (613)
Sony (584)
Fuji (484)
Konica Minolta (473)
Click to expand...

Just an FYI, Pentax is backwards compatible with older lenses, which means anyone who purchases a new pentax/samsung camera has a choice of over 20,000 lenses. :)

I personally have just got myself a Pentax K20D, you can check my thread for my opinions, but for £600 (with lens), you get a 14mp camera, thats weather sealed, about the same size as a Nikon D90 and had great built quality. I read about 14 DSLR mags last month, and after reading them all, I came to my decision.

So I would say, get a load of mags, spend about 2 weeks reading them on your lunch break, what DSLR was very helpful.

But with your price range you can afford these bodys new (only listing current/recent models)

1. More serious cameras

Nikon D90 (very close to top of your budget with lens)
Pentax K20D
Samsung GX20
Canon 40D (if you shop around im sure you could get it with a lens for £750/£770)
Sony Alpha A700

2. Smaller DSLR's that to me, dont feel as well built / rugged as the ones above, but great value for money when it comes to IQ and features.

Canon 500D
Nikon D500
Sony alpha A380
Canon 450D

3. Older models that will give you great value for money

Nikon D80
Canon 30D
Pentax K10D
Samsung GX10

Feel free to message me if you want pros/cons of them all, cause I have a massive file on my PC hat i did a comparison chart on :D
 
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