OT which DSLR to buy ?

[Chartman69]

I could trawl lots of mags and websites but why do all the footwork when we have some good camera buffs on here.
Brief is I am wanting a DSLR (not had one yet ) budget £6-700 don't want to be carting loads of lenses around, good Macro is a must and a decent zoom, maybe one of these halfway types like an Olympus Pen or Sony NEX ???

New or secondhand ? Not fussed but don't want a dinosaur , any help tips etc very welcome.

Regards

Ian

[deus1066]

With regard to the "halfway types" I'd recommend the Sony NEX-5 (or NEX-3 if you're on a budget). You get the same APS-C sensor as a digital SLR and great performance in a small package. There's limited choice of lenses made especially for it (3 at the moment, but another 7 on the way) but with adapters you can fit anything you like.

Its £399 at Jessops: http://www.jessops.com/online.store/pro ... /show.html

I bought one before Christmas and have been very impressed (standard 18-55 lens):







These were taken with an old Canon FD lens (£20) via an adapter (£18):





It also has an excellent movie mode - shoots full HD with stereo sound and silent autofocus (absent on most DSLR's).

With regard to a proper DSLR, then the Canon 550D (or 500D if you're on a budget) is a good choice. The 60D is also an excellent camera, but probably not worth the extra outlay if you're new to photography.

[Kutusov]

I always had Canons and my DSLR is an old 350D but after handling a few Nikons I would say you can't do better than that (ok, be gentle now!! :mrgreen: )

[tiny73]

I've just sold all my dslr gear and lenses and bought a panasonic gf1. It's about a third of the size and with a 20 mm pancake lens is fast enough for indoor use in low light. I can thoroughly recommend the micro four thirds format, have a look at the Olympus PENs too, saying that, I decided on the gf1 after a lot of research....

[IANAN]

Have a look in the Digital Photography sub-forum, there are already threads running on this subject.

[magirus]

Have a look in the Digital Photography sub-forum, there are already threads running on this subject.

+1 Also you won't go wrong with doug darters offering on SC. The 30D body alone goes for @ £250/70 used, add in those three Sigma lenses and even if you don't take to it or do an upgrade you shouldn't lose much, if at all, should you move the gear on.The 30D has a robust magnesium shell and is a quality bit of kit. Knowing Dougs sales over the years it will be in top condition too.

[W44NNE]

I bought a Canon 550D recently and have been really impressed with it. The image quality is excellent and it's a great camera for a beginner or someone like me who's had a DSLR for a while.

I'm into my cameras and for VFM, the 550D is only rivalled by the Nikon D5000 I think.

[Plake]

I love my Canon 500D which I think is the older version of the 550. Very light, very easy to use, reliable, and does surprisingly good HD video too, despite being a proper DSLR. And an inbuilt flash. After years of agony from my Olympus DSLR it's like a breath of fresh air.

The kit lens is a good allrounder but for really good macro shots you can't beat a proper macro lens. (For this reason I'd advise a proper DSLR as at least then you have a huge range of options to use later on if you want to.) You don't need to spend loads to get an alright third party one either.

[MartynJC (UK)]

If you are buying right now take a serious look at the Nikon D7000. I'd definitely say try the cameras out in your hand not just on spec sheets though. Personally that is why I went the Nikon route.

The D7000 may be a bit outside your budget but it should be good for quite a few years and you have the full complement of Nikon or Sigma/Tamron lenses.

[Tai Mi Shu]

Wrong forum! :lol:

[Broussard]

+1 on the suggestion to have a look in the Digital Photography sub-forum.

Quick question - do you really not want to cart lenses around?

If so, I think you may be out of luck. To my knowledge, there does not exist (yet) the fabled 17-300mm f1.2 Macro - i.e. a lens that covers all your needs in a single body. If weight is the issue - I'd go with the post above, recommending the micro 4/3 bodies/lenses, although there's a lot to be said for the Nikon / Canon setups too.

If you really don't want to change lenses - try one of the "bridge" cameras...

Re: the 30D - it's an excellent camera. Had mine for a while. Performs very well with EFS and EF lenses. Just bought a Speedlite 580EX II to go with it to. Although, again, if weight's an issue, and you have relatively small hands, you may find that the 450 /500 / 550 / 1000 are all just as good. The later versions obviously have slightly larger sensors and shoot HD video too... and expandable ISO beyond 3200... and LiveView. Oh. And sensor cleaning. You can probably find a 550D body with the (newish) Sigma 70-300 Macro for £700 if you shop around?

[tertius]

^ what he said.

If you don't want to carry and change lenses then you are giving up one of the main advantages of the DSLR - the ability to use the right lens for the job - so its probably not worth buying a DSLR and instead look at the in-between types.

However, I would encourage you to reconsider - the flexibility and versatility of a DSLR is immense.

[Taff]

Have a look in the Digital Photography sub-forum, there are already threads running on this subject.

+1 Also you won't go wrong with doug darters offering on SC. The 30D body alone goes for @ £250/70 used, add in those three Sigma lenses and even if you don't take to it or do an upgrade you shouldn't lose much, if at all, should you move the gear on.The 30D has a robust magnesium shell and is a quality bit of kit. Knowing Dougs sales over the years it will be in top condition too.

I was going to say the same thing. That canon package he has for sale is amazing value and a great, virtually deprecation proof way of starting DSLR photography..

[learningtofly]

The other point that I rarely see mentioned in these debates is that of the viewfinder, or lack of. If you want a "proper" TTL viewfinder then so far as I know you need to go DSLR. Those found on other format cameras are not TTL and give parallax errors. Even worse, you might have no viewfinder at all :shock:

Have a look here: http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossar ... der_01.htm

[alan-db]

I juts purchased a bundle new from Jessops 2 days ago, it is a Canon EOS 500D with standard 18-55mm lens and a Tamron 70-300mm lens.
Also came with a memory card, bag, free tripod and a UV filter. Paid £629 with an extra £30 cash back from Canon.

To say i'm delighted is an understatement - camera is excellent, way better than me at present.

Also agree with prevous postsers that doug's bundle is great value for £'s. If I hadn't just bought my bundle I'd have had his lot from him.

Alan...

[aaroncosbey]

450d's are going on the bay for around £250 :shock:

Well - one went this morning for that.

Check http://www.cameralabs.com

I recieved a 2nd hand 15mm prime fisheye this morning for the same money :albino:

[Chartman69]

Well bought the Canon 1000D today , good entry level DSLR, now need a nice budget Macro lens :wink:

[tempfort]

Well bought the Canon 1000D today , good entry level DSLR, now need a nice budget Macro lens :wink:

Have you seen this...viewtopic.php?f=3&t=152308

Works well as a portrait lens as well

[monogroover]

Very happy with my Pentax K100D Super. The kit zoom is unusually good for a bundled lens and it's a very nice camera. It was a no-brainer for me since I had a bunch of Pentax lenses from my Pentax film SLR days.

[Africoz]

I recently purchased a Sony SLT-A55V DSLR with 2 x zoom lens kit. Amazing camera, still working out all the modes and features and currently waiting on a 28mm macro lens to arrive from HK. Purchased the Sony after an exhaustive comparo with the other big name DSLRs on the market and haven't regretted it.

[RobC]

Have you seen this...viewtopic.php?f=3&t=152308

Nice lens but £250...

I prefer the old manual lenses with real glass (!)



Taken by xmas tree light alone and the lens cost me £90 (Camera is a Canon - Nikon menu's are like something out of a Dickens novel "Will ye require an aperture adjustment Mr Darcy?"

[slcy]

If you do not have an existing system, i'd recommend a Nikon or Canon system for 2 basic reasons... first being that both have an extensive range of lenses (old and new formats which are interchageable within limitations) and second being that there is a steady resale market for these 2 brands (you may want to upgrade sooner than you'd imagine :wink: )

You can try a secondhand but it gets tricky if you're not familiar with signs of sensor damage or lens fungus/cleaning marks.

Just my $0.02.