Thread: Recommend me a DSLR

Hi all, I have been after getting into photography for a while as i am not happy with the results i'm getting from my compact , I may be starting a digital photography coarse in september and would need a DSLR. I know i'm fairly new so need something that is easy to use and also not too expensive. I have been looking at the Nikon D40 and the Canon EOS 350D, are these a good choice? any advicewould be great thanks.
Stephen

My mate Bill (who will be with me at Audi in the park) is a photographer for a living,he owns Synergy Studios, and he uses a Canon EOS 350D. He has a 20D as a back up camera. He says that the camera is just a box to hold film, its the lens that matters.
But he does rate the Canon.

Having said that, two of my gun scopes are Nikon.
When I have the spare cash I am getting a Canon myself, they are easy to use and you can get good results with little or no knowledge of photography.
Its perfect for me

We have a 35mm EOS and it produces good pics. We are looking to replace it with a 30D soon as i have seen some very decent pics from my mates one

EOS400D here, great camera and cheap now too as the 450 is out

I have recently gone through the same process and in the end I opted for a Sony Alpha A300 kit from Jessops.

Sony bought Minolta and so it is based on their technology and you can use older Minolta lenses.

Just to throw another brand into the mix.

Paul

The new Sony cameras are great value and very nice.

The only issue that I might have is that the choice of lens is limited compared to the main players like Canon and Nikon. In time there will be more available but at the moment the choice is pretty limited and pretty pricey though.

Nice kit though, very nice.

T

Hi mate i use a Canon 5d mk 2 with a 16-35mm f2.8 and a 70-200mm f2.8 etc. and find canon to be very easy to use and good qulaty. i have used the canno eos 400d and it is very light and a good cheep slr. but also have a look at the new 500d with its 15.1 megapixel and its high ISO range.

Have always had Canon mate. Very user friendly and capable of great results. At the moment have a Canon 40D.

Thanks for the comments guys, i'm kinda swaying towards the canon mainly because there are a lot on ebay going for good prices. next week i will most probably be the proud owner of s DSLR can't wait.

I was recently in the same shoes as you and i bought myself a Canon 350D and was very happy with it! Im not 100% on working everything yet but its great for the money i paid for it

Nikon D40 is a great wee camera and cheap too.. lots of reviews on

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/d200...d40-5d-xti.htm

He rates it better than the dearer Nikons and says its easier to use than a Canon..

Nikon for me! I'd go for the D80/D90. On par, or tad better at colour reproduction that Canon but Canon faor better in other areas but at this level its doesn't really matter.

What does matter 1000x more than features, functions and mega pixels is the glass that goes in front. Nikon kitlenses are so much better than Canon's*so if you do go for Canon get a body only and spend the reamining on a good Canon or Sigma lens. Prob only need a couple of lenses at this point, ie an 18-70 and 70-200/300.

Mate has Canon and was unimpressed when he saw the Ninon kit lens (a few years ago now) I had compared to his Canon kit lens. Still true today by all accounts if you read the reviews.... but don't let that impinge on your view of the Canon cameras.

Also, get some UV filters for the lenses.

Originally Posted by technics100

Nikon D40 is a great wee camera and cheap too.. lots of reviews on

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/d200...d40-5d-xti.htm

He rates it better than the dearer Nikons and says its easier to use than a Canon..

Aye, but D40/D40x/D60 don't have AF motors in the body so to get Auto-Focus you need to buy lenses that have built-in AF motors.

Great for beginners but limiting after a while.

I had a 400D now I have a 50D.

I also have a 70-200 Tamron AF lens if you buy a Canon and need a zoom lens for it.....

Originally Posted by Gti Jazz Blue

I have recently gone through the same process and in the end I opted for a Sony Alpha A300 kit from Jessops.

Sony bought Minolta and so it is based on their technology and you can use older Minolta lenses.

Just to throw another brand into the mix.

Paul

i have a sony a300 which i'm thinking of selling
PM me if interested

Ive got the Sony A200 - which im more than happy with, for for 260 for the kit its a perfect learners tool - and as stated you can bolt all the old minolta A mount lenses onto it, and there are also some lenses such as the Tamron 55-200 for around 60 quid to get you started.

I've got sony alpha 350, love it!

So there are a few of us with Sony Alphas then

Paul

Recently bought a D40. Am just about to buy a 55-200 (VR) lense, as you say with a built in motor.
Hopefully that'll be ok as a general all round lense. Need something with a greater focal length for Le Mans next year!!

I got my first DSLR 2 months back to start with. Opted for the Nikon D3000 and works nicely for me! Love it!

Its not much more than a 350D body but i would seriously consider the 20D. Yea its a old camera (thier onto the 70D very soon) but still it is 8 megapixels (dont get caught up in the pixel race, 8 megapixels will produce cracking A3 photographic prints!) but most of all the 20D is a soild well build camera.

The 350D dont get me wrong is a very nice camera but is small and plasticky, where as the 20D is slightly larger and is made from magnesium alloy, making it very srong and durable.

Lenses are widely avaliable for both these cameras but remember the 1.6x crop factor on both. ie. If you have a 28-100mm zoom, it will atchually be a 36-160mm zoom. So if you want something wide, look at the Canon 18-55mm lenses are they are quite affordable.

Hope this helps

I have a 350d, it's a good camera, battery life is well good.

The lens is the real important thing though.

I have an EF 50mm 1:1.4 lens, and man does it take a cracking good picture!

But you can spend seriously silly money and buy fantastic lenses if you want stunning pictures.

Expensive? http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-...non%20EF%20800

been using nikon for the last 13 years [digital for 6 years],Canon or Nikon, you wont go far wrong, look for a kit with of a couple of lenses, as they can be expensive.Get the best you can, and spend as much as you can, cos you'll wished you had if you dont.
ps. just cos you spend a lot on a camera, dose'nt mean you won't take crap pictures at times.

Great thread. I am about to purchase a dslr. Thanks for your replies.

Jordan.

destin hotels

Hi Jordan

I'm also a Jordan

I just bought a Canon 450D and i love it

talking cameras is like talking about car tuning etc, it's subjective and all down to personal opinion.

Being a photographer myself i'd have to agree with Sidibear in that it's more about the lens than it is the Camera Body, but a great lens can take great photos on an average body. It doesn't work the other way, ie. Crap lens on a Great Body will still give you below average photos.

You can spend countless hours, days, weeks reading reviews and asking opinions on what is the best Camera, but in the end it's best to have a couple in mind, walk into a store and hold it. As soon as you hold the camera, you'll be able to decide pretty quickly. Canon vs Nikon are all fairly on par these days (can't really go wrong either way) much as APR vs GIAC vs REVO etc are all pretty much on par.

If you're starting out, i'd probably suggest in an average camera body and a good lens. If you can afford it, get a good camera body and good lens.

Pentax have really good camera bodies and have superb lenses. If they had a fullframe camera system i'd switch back to them, as their lenses are the same if not better than Nikon and Canon but without the crazy price tags.

P.S i'm a canon user - love it. love all other brands, but already heavily invested in canon lenses.