digital slr camera

[Mr Fletcher]

looking for a starter dslr camera don't need a new one just a reliable used one would do .what do you guys use ( and i havn't got 10k for a lens )

thanks

Hattie

[Stuart]

Hattie

Are you using your Dad's login? This could be the first family to post on BP

Whatever you do when asking about camera's. Ignore Ben or Gareth. They both have far too much disposable income.

That is all

[RX7]

Ha ha ha Stu I wish mate, I'd have a nice single turbo FD by now if I did

Hattie you have a number of options, the first being buying new or secondhand. You can get some good stuff secondhand especially lenses. London Camera exchange always have good stuff in one of the shops in Norwich.

I personally wouldnt spend more than about

[Ben]

A second hand Nikon D40 or D50 with an 18-55mm lens would be good to start with.

http://catalog.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-D40-Dig ... 86.c0.m271

[chrislandy]

Nikon all the way, for me anyway.

Try
http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/pro ... ndhand.php

they deal in used (mainly ex demo/display I think) nikon and they give a 12 month warrantee on used stock. I've bought loads of stuff from them in the past and I would class their exc+ as mint to most other places.

For an slr you need to go into a shop and feel them ( even if you're going to buy elsewhere) the nikon is a bit heavier than the canon. Personally, it nikon for me as they feel better built and have more weight to them so when I'm taking photos on the boat or with a telephoto you get a mass dampening effect which reduces vibration

[tandyboy]

Nikon all the way, there are a better selection of non-genuine lenses available.

how much are you looking to spend mate? there are some cracking deals out there at the moment on the new D5000 with 2 lenses, if you do go the route of 2nd hand just make sure to ask how many shots the body has taken, most good used dealers will be able to tell you instantly, obviously less is more when it comes to this bit as DSLR's can get alot of use

and there is also no need to go overboard on the body side of it as the lens actually does a majority of the work and you're far better off buying a reasonable body and a high quality lens than expensive body and cheap lenses, this is a false economy

hope this helps

[Stuart]

I never knew we had so many snappers on here......about time the photography got a bump I think

[AdrianP]

Another vote for Nikon over here

You just have to remember that some models need the autofocus motor built into the lense which makes them a bit more expensive.

Also, rather than a D40, try for the D40x. Basically the same camera but with a higher image resolution...

Guess which one I bought.... Doh...

Mine came with the 18-55 std lense which is fine for fairly close stuff, I then added a 55-200 VR lense but still wanted more So I added a 70-300 Sigma non VR lense.

Just looked and it seems like I've taken just over 20,000 photos since I bought it in October 2008 and it's still working fine

Ady.

[Tonynos]

I'll be the odd one out and say Canon. I have the Canon 350D which is getting on a bit now. It has a slightly smaller body than the Nikons which I like but I've got to admit the build quality of the Nikon body's are slightly better. IMO the picture quality has been slightly better with the Canon when I've compared photos with my dad's Nikon but once you start playing around with setting there isn't much in it.
The Canon seems to be an easier camera to use for beginners.
Unless you are going to be using a tripod I wouldn't bother going for a 70-300mm lense I'd go for the 55-200mm first unless you can afford to get a 70-300 with image stabilizer which is very expensive.

[Bladerider]

I think you need to go out and try a camera body or two before making your mind up.

The most important thing with taking a picture is the fleshy lump looking through the viewfinder - a novice young lady struggling with 10 grands worth of large bodied Canon D1 and heavy L series zoom lens wont take as good a picture as a confident person holding a camera that is the right size for them that they arent woried about dropping.

Personally I am a great believer in the lenses being the key to good pictures, and as such I am a Canon man as they simply make the best glass. Its not cheap, and often is slightly more expensive than even genuine Nikon, but overall I think any canon lens is better than any other same size and spec lens, and the bodies are all much of a muchness depending on budget whereas Canon probably used to have the lead there as well !!

In general terms with Canon, the more numbers the camera has as a model the less good it is, so a 1d is better than a 5d which is better than a 50d which is better than a 450d. With the middle and lower ranges though the "bigger number" usually means newer - so a 450d is newer than a 400d which is much younger than a 350d for example. Presumably because cameras like this in the most part are aimed at men they tend to get slightly physically bigger the more expensive and desirable they are, even more so as the XXXd series of Canons have a distinctly smaller body to appeal to a wider audience as a kind of super duper point and shoot style camera.

I use a 40d myself, and usually keep whats known as the "kit lens" on it for sightseeing as it goes from 18mm for closesups to 85mm for further away zoom stuff and has image stabilization and high quality autofocus built in - its usually good enough to not miss any particular shots I want, unless at a sports event when you tend to be further away from the action and need more length . Its called a "kit lens" as it comes as a bundled option if you buy the camera new and you get a nice discount, and is usually well paired to the camera, but not the ultimate quality as that tends to get expensive fast !!

So perhaps try some camera bodies, and then decide if you prefer a smaller body, in which case a modest budget of