What to Buy?

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Paul87

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Hello,

I'm new to this forum,

Anyway I have been fiddling around with a friends camera while flying RC planes and i really enjoyed it and have decided to take photography up as a hobby.

But being new to the hobby Im bit of a dunce, if anyone can give me any help as to what to buy i would be extremely grateful.

I'm looking for a Digital SLR camera with:

Interchangeable lenses for different situations
Something that will take a memory card for extended memory.
Extremely quick shutter speed
long life battery
Continuous picture taking (2fps+)
Good quality pictures

I have being looking at a Pentax K10D and a Canon EOS 400D, but like I said I'm new so need some help with this issue so would like some other inputs on what to go for.

Thanks in advance, I look forward to reading your replies.
 
Hello and welcome. :wave:

You've described the basic qualities which any DSLR will have including the two you mention.

It's really down to personal preference. The best thing you can do is visit a camera shop and actually handle as many different cameras as you can, as in the end it just comes down to which feels best to you, and you often know that as soon as you pick it up.
 
Hello,

Are there any good camera options to look out for?

Also is there any i should stay away from?

Thanks.
 
Sticking my neck out - I'd say if it was me I wouldn't consider anything else except Canon or Nikon. These two makers have been supplying the needs of pro photographers for many decades and the feedback they get from pros keeps getting putting back into the cameras, making them just that bit more intuitively usable.

The other thing is that whatever lens or accessory you might want to buy at some stage, Nikon or Canon will have it in the huge system back up they have behind their cameras.

Pentax have a pretty good back up system behind their cameras, but not as big as the other two makers. The Pentax looks like a good camera to be fair, but in a few years time if you're committed to Pentax haviing a few expensive lenses and want a pro body - they don't do one and are unlikely to do one - they've never really got a foothold in the pro market.

It's the lenses you'll keep as you change your body over the years. Also both Canon and Nikon are now offering different sensor size choices in their cameras, which is a serious consideration.
 
Hello,

Thanks for the input guys, staying with the Canon range, what cameras do you recommend?

Thanks
 
You wont really go wrong with any of them, but give us an idea how much you want to spend. Spending money on a better body doesn't get you better pictures, just better build quality and more features.

It's the lenses that take forever to gather around you. ;)
 
Budget wise

id say up to £500 for a body

then lens wise up to £200
 
I'd say go for the 400D. You could save about 40 quid by just getting the body, and the bundled kit lens isn't the best, although it's not as bad as some say, and it is useful. 400 quid (ish) or less if you shop around.

Put the rest towards a decent lens - the choice very much comes down to what you'll mainly be snapping.

I'd still recommend going to Jessops or somewhere though and handling a 400D - some people find it a tad small and often add the battery grip for that reason.
 
A Canon 400D will fall easilly into that group with some change, and you might even be able to stretch to a 70-300 is USM canon lens with the "left overs" ( £300-ish) ( or even one of the Sigma alternitives)
Another £250 will get the "latest" 40D but there is always another spec " just outta reach" as we all know :D
edit Opps CT beat me to it
 
Another vote for the Canon 400D. You should be able to pick it up for around £390, according to Camera Price Buster.

Or, you could save £50 and get the Canon 350D. It's a slightly older model and the main difference is that its autofocus is not quite as fast, but it's still perfectly capable of giving you very decent pictures.

There are a couple of things that are worth bearing in mind. The first is that a DSLR has a long learning curve. It could easily take you many months to really get the hang of it. The next important fact is that the pace of evolution in camera bodies is tremendous. Whatever you buy now, there will be a new model out in 12-18 months time that is better, faster, more feature-packed, etc. On the other hand lenses are real investments; they don't become obsolete and decent lenses hold their value very well if looked after.

So I'd suggest not spending too much on a body just now. Get something cheapish to learn on, and then in say 12 months time if you're enjoying yourself you can decide whether it's worth upgrading. Spend your money on lenses, because you can keep them forever.

Specific lens recommendations are difficult until we know what you'll want to photograph.
 
if you don't mind used, if I were you I'd pick up a 30d for around £400 or a 20d even cheaper. Have a look in the suppliers section under used camera gear, or chance ebay. Add to that a tamron 17-50mm/24-75mm or sigma 17-70mm and you'll have plenty of change for bits and pieces.
 
WARNING - Yet another SimonTALM essay - Sorry ;)

I always try to stay away from saying what is the best actual camera as I believe only you can decide that. What I try to do instead is give guidance of how to make that decision learning from things that I've done and have seen others do both good things and bad.

My first bit of advice for buying your first DSLR is this: Whatever your budget is the cameras that fit that budget will give you same results - any differences aren't noticeable. However, don't rush out and buy the camera that has all the gizmos and gadgets on it quite yet as it is a bit more complex.

My second bit of advice is that whether you realise it now or later when you buy your first DSLR you are making an investment into your photographic future as you are buying in to a system (Nikon/Fuji, Canon, Sony/Minolta, Pentax/Samsung, Olympus). One of the most expensive things you can do in Photography is switch systems, so to save money in the long terms think carefully now about the future. The best way of doing this is to ask yourself "If the photography bug bites you how far am I likely to go? Would I want to be a Pro, Enthusiast, Keen Amateur or would I be happy with keeping what I have now?". Once you have an answer work out what would need for that and then when looking at your available DSLRs now work out how you would get to where you want to be and what the costs might be for that.

E.g. Pentax may offer anti shake built in to the body of the camera for the same price as a Nikon and that may be great to start with. However if at some point in the future you decide you need a Pro quality 70-200 f2.8 lens you will pay nearly £1600 for a Pentax version whilst the Nikon with anti shake built in to the lens is available for only £1100​

My last bit of advice expands on the idea that a camera system is an investment and relates to what is worth spending money on. Spend the biggest proportion of your budget on things that will last you for a long time or things that hold the most money so that should you decide to sell you recoup the most money. Basically I use this as a good guidance:

Good Investments
  • Lenses
    In 2001 Canon released their 70-200 f2.8 IS (anti shake technology) lens, that same lens is available today in 2007 (6 years) and it is showing no signs of being replaced. Not only that it is suitable for use on all Canon DSLRs released since the start of the EF lens mount in 1987 and and will no doubt fit all Canon DSLRs to come for many years. Used on ebay (1day 3hrs to go) for £760​
  • Filters (especially quality square ones - e.g. Lees)
  • Decent Tripods (with separate heads)
Bad Investments
  • Camera Bodies
    In 2003 a Canon 10D body could be bought for £1000 that camera had a 6.3MP sensor, max shutter speed of 1/4000, 3FPS frame rate and a 1.8" LCD on the back. Now in 2007 - 4 years later you have a Nikon D40 entry level DSLR that matches the 10D specs that can be obtained for £300 with lens. If you were to spend a similar as the 10D would have cost you have the new Canon 40D with a 10.1MP sensor, max shutter speed of 1/8000, upto 6.3FPS frame rate and a 3" LCD on the back along with a big improvement in image quality. If you were to buy a used EOS 10D they can be found on ebay (with 2min to go) for £255 with lens and decent accessories pack​
  • Cheap Tripods

I am sure that if you follow my guidance you will decide on the right camera that both meets your needs now and that provides you with a good foundation on which to build your new hobby on regardless of if it is Canon, Nikon, Sony or whoever.

Just show us some pics when you have chosen :D
 
I have just read your comments also and as a newbie on this forum I'd like to say thanks for all your comments which I also will take into account when considering changing over to dslr?

digipix (retired but still learning)
 
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