SLR
whitstella - 7/4/12 at 05:08 PM
hi
the wife is looking at buying a digital SLR, are there any people in the know whats the best out there for about £500 - £600. we dont know nothing
about them so some advice would be great thanks.
steve
mads - 7/4/12 at 05:23 PM
I can highly recommend the Canon 550d which you can probably get for the budget you have. Definitely worth going into a camera shop and handling
different cameras to see which one is comfortable too.
Alternatively, if she wouldn't mind second hand, for that price you can probably get a really good one.
GRRR - 7/4/12 at 05:53 PM
I'm a Canon fan so I'd recommend the 550D as well but completely biased as I've never used Nikon.
If she might want to develop the hobby stick with Canon and Nikon as there are loads more second hand options available. 2nd hand lenses are usually a
safe bet and typically you can sell them on for what you paid!
The new compact system cameras like Nikon 1 and Olympus Pen etc etc are pretty good but lenses are REALLY expensive and the 3rd party lens makers like
Tamron, Sigma, Tokina don't make cheaper lenses for them like they do with proper Sony, Canon and Nikon DSLRs
Ninehigh - 7/4/12 at 06:11 PM
Missus has a Nikon D60, perfectly fine but with one problem (which might not just be a Nikon thing)
The camera doesn't have the shake control thing in it, and it's in the lens. This means other lenses (which pretty much have to be the
"VR" lenses) are rather expensive and hard to find
Proby - 7/4/12 at 06:21 PM
Stick to one of the big players, either Nikon or Canon. I'm a Nikon man myself, so biased towards Nikons. The cheaper entry level Nikons, such
as the d3100 have no built in autofocus in the camera body, meaning to have autofocus capability, you must buy lenses with the motor built in. These
lenses are dearer than the straight forward lenses, although Tamron & Sigma also make cheaper lenses that will work. I bought my d3100 last
august and love it! I've spent a small fortune since on another couple of lenses (Nikon 300mm telephoto & 35mm 1.8 prime), external flash,
tripod, remote shutter release, filters, bags etc etc. Bought a couple of good books, and feel I've learnt a hell of a lot in 8 months or so. Go
to your local camera shop and have a play and see what you think. There is also a good blog/site by a guy called Ken Rockwell with loads of good info,
give it a google and have a read.
[Edited on 7/4/12 by Proby]
franky - 7/4/12 at 06:23 PM
Get one of the sony alpha range. More than equal to the cannon/nikkon at a lower cost, with about 40 years of used glass for them too.
bassett - 7/4/12 at 06:34 PM
Im a big fan of the sony slr range as they use a lot of new tech in keenly priced camera bodies. Fot instance in camera HDR, panoramic sweeps,
antishake in the slr body and the list goes on. Of the current range the a65 might be in budget. if not a used a580 is what i have and wouldnt swap it
for anything else on the market right now. Check out warehouse express for good bundle deals which seem to come up now and again
Adam
Alfa145 - 7/4/12 at 06:51 PM
Having just got into the SLR world myself. I got a second hand Canon 450D off ebay with 2 lenses and a few extras. Far cheaper than new would have
cost me. Yes its an older model, with no video, but once I have mastered what I'm doing I'll upgrade to a more modern and better quality
Canon 60D, or similar, and flog it on for close to what I paid for it..
twybrow - 7/4/12 at 08:00 PM
quote:
Originally posted by mads
I can highly recommend the Canon 550d which you can probably get for the budget you have. Definitely worth going into a camera shop and handling
different cameras to see which one is comfortable too.
Alternatively, if she wouldn't mind second hand, for that price you can probably get a really good one.
Another vote here. Amazing camera.
franky - 7/4/12 at 08:18 PM
quote:
Originally posted by bassett
Im a big fan of the sony slr range as they use a lot of new tech in keenly priced camera bodies. Fot instance in camera HDR, panoramic sweeps,
antishake in the slr body and the list goes on. Of the current range the a65 might be in budget. if not a used a580 is what i have and wouldnt swap it
for anything else on the market right now. Check out warehouse express for good bundle deals which seem to come up now and again
Adam
Or get a used sony a350 off ebay, see if you do like using a DSLR
As above really. They make some of the best components on the market.
ashg - 7/4/12 at 08:47 PM
For that kind.of money you can go better than a canon 550, you should be able to stretch to the 600 which is basically the newer version. I have a 600
and simply put its a stunning camera.
Andybarbet - 7/4/12 at 08:48 PM
I bought my wife a Nikon D70 from hughpinder on here nearly a year ago.
Its 6 million pixels & takes some amazing shots, she takes it pretty much everywhere with her. When we got it she knew nothing about photography
but Hugh sent a letter with the camera containing some great pointers & my neighbour sat with her for a few hours (He has been into photography
for years) & she was off
The camera was worth every penny & she is now looking for a bigger zoom lense because we are going to South Africa this year & she is taking
it with.
It seems that people are either Nikon or Canon, i couldnt tell you whats best ?? but wife will probably stick with Nikon now just because she is
comfortable with the controls now.
Pick up a lense filter straight away to protect the lense, they are worth every penny.
Good luck, she wont look back 
snapper - 8/4/12 at 06:20 AM
Sony are an also ran in the slr business, re sale value is pants.
Nikon Cannon and your safe for a very long time, sell the body upgrade to a better one keep your lenses.
Here is a Locost version of VR (vibration reduction). Shutter speed should be no longer than lens focal length.
i.e. 50 mm lense 1/50 th of a second minimum ..... 300mm lens 1/300 th second
Also... Breath in, hold breath, press shutter, GENTLY, breath out.
franky - 8/4/12 at 07:10 AM
quote:
Originally posted by snapper
Sony are an also ran in the slr business, re sale value is pants.
Nikon Cannon and your safe for a very long time, sell the body upgrade to a better one keep your lenses.
Here is a Locost version of VR (vibration reduction). Shutter speed should be no longer than lens focal length.
i.e. 50 mm lense 1/50 th of a second minimum ..... 300mm lens 1/300 th second
Also... Breath in, hold breath, press shutter, GENTLY, breath out.
Quite far from an also ran!!! They make the best CCD's around. The only thing going against them is people's perceptions as they're
about 25% cheaper ans people like who use cameras for a living free up using other brands.
flak monkey - 8/4/12 at 07:22 AM
Sony. Why? The cameras are excellent, cheap to pick up and all the Minolta A mount lenses from the last 35+ years will fit and work. Buy one
secondhand and you'll get a great camera, comparable to any of the equivalent Nikon/Canon range for about 2/3 the price and a massive selection
of cheap lenses to play with.
I have an A200 which is a great bit of kit, don't find much time to use it these days though.
[Edited on 8/4/12 by flak monkey]