Am looking at purchasing myself a Digital SLR in the next few weeks and am drawn towards the Panasonic Lumix G1 as the slightly smaller size appeals to the wife but is it any good. Anyone had any experience with this model ? or should i be looking more at Canon or Nikon ? Budget is £500
Any help is greatly appreciated.
MArk
Probably worth dropping into the Digital Photography sub forum whaere one of the members will be able to help.Originally Posted by mixienewland
If it were me I would steer you towards either a Nikon or Canaon and buy the wife a cheap point and shoot :wink: :D
Loads of great advice in the photography section of this forum
Cheers
paul
I bought the cannon 1000d from Tescos 9 months ago and picked it up with a lens for 280 quid which was a bargain. It is a cracking camera and if you look in mags like T4 and Stuff you can see it listed. Those guy's always have the best stuff reviewed. Alternatively get a one off report from Which online on tests for SLR cameras. Their tests are very thorough and informative.
Try and handle a few camera bodies to find out which feels right for you. Don't be put off by size, I have smallish hands and ended up with a Canon 40D. Also consider what you want to photograph and what focal length lenses you may need. Having a good long read over at TALKPHOTOGRAPHY will be instructive.
F.T.F.A.
Which? marks the G1 as a Best Buy with a score of 77% compared to #1 Canon 1000D's 81%.
Best thing to do is go into a local jessop's or similar and try them all for size etc. I find the smaller 450d just too small for me.
Then decide what you want the camera for, no point having a big dslr if its too inconvenient to take out all the time. If you want to get serious then id say go for the canon 40d or nikon equivalent. Gives you great potential to upgrade lenses and kit for the future too!
Looks like a trip to Jessops then but will definately take the time to visit the talkphotography forum and see what they all have to say.
It is encouraging to hear the G1 was a Which report Best Buy though and will pick up a copy of Stuff or T3 as well.
I'll put in a vote for the Lumix, but for a VERY strange reason. :shock:
Wedded (as I am) to The Canon FD System, the Lumix is the only body which will accept my old lenses (with an adaptor).
The only alternative is Nikon, which has retained compatibility with its older lens mount, allowing you to use Nikon (& compatible) lenses from the 1970's on.
Mike.
Have you considered the Sony Alpha Series?
I bought a Sony A300 in January, and i love it.
I especially like the fact that you can use the old Minolta lenses, which means you can get a stunning lense at a fraction of the price of a new one with the same specs..
I have to admit that i dont like the feel of the new version (230, 330 and 380), like there is something wrong with the grip :-(
Snap, I've got an A300 too :D Have you also noticed the kit lens supplied with the new models have changed too, from 18-70mm to 18-50mm
Ended up with a Canon 500d myself, so can recommend the Canon range. It has been fantastic to learn with, very easy to use and lets you take one step at a time with the manual modes. I haven't tried anything else to be honest because the Canon just felt, 'right'.
Enjoy testing them out and making your decision! :D
In my experience both Nikon and Canon are top notch. Rather go cheap on the housing and spend more on lenses.
M
I bought a Nikon D60 recently as my first DSLR and have been very pleased with it, and the results
I've got an older Nikon D70 and love it. The newer Nikons seem smaller in size which might suit some folks.
Trip to Jessops if definitely the way to go, then find a deal on the interweb.
Canon or Nikon, you'll find die hards in both camps but I don't think there is much between them.
Hello
As with so many things, it's a personal decision based on so many factors. Virtually all of the cameras produced and sold now have amazing features, you can turn them all on and click away or turn them all off and put a little more effort in, as long as you are happy with what you produce then you are on to a winner!
I believe that digital photography is one of the most amazing inventions of recent times, it's brought the ability to record images to the masses and as media storage gets cheaper you have more and more opportunity to experiment, if you don't like the result then click delete!
A lot of people have mentioned going to a camera shop and trying a few, excellent advice in my opinion, what works for me may not for you so pick any, Sony Nikon, Canon, whatever you can get your hands on, play around and pick whatever feels comfortable in your hand, they will all produce great results if you point them at something nice!
Enjoy.
Mat
I'd opt for a Nikon any day for that budget. Amazon often do good prices or when you next on holiday duty free very good value too!
I've got a Sony A700, which are at nice prices right now.
Can't recommend it enough!
Chris
I'd suggest reading some thorough tests of the cameras you may be interested in, and then some others as well. Good websites to start with are DPReview (http://www.dpreview.com/) and Digital Camera Resource (http://www.dcresource.com).
The 'big boys' Canon and Nikon are not the only good brands around. Personally I like Olympus - had a bag full of their gear in the film days (still have it actually), and now have two of their DSLRs; very recently I got my second one, which is an E-620. See the review at http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/olympus/e620-review.
Like the Panasonic, the Olympus system can accept a lot of existing lenses using adapters, as the distance from lens flange to the sensor is smaller that that of most 'full-size' or classic film series. One can make an adapter to fill the space, but obviously not cut out a part of the camera to fit lenses that need to be closer to the sensor/film surface. Which is why in principle a 4/3 series camera like the Olympus or Panasonic (or Leica) can accept a Canon lens but not the other way around.
Of course if you don't have any old lenses lying around that is no issue. However, an SLR camera (digital or classic) is no more than the 'back office', the light box that carries the sensor to capture the light coming through the lens. The latter being interchangeable, it is the quality and range of the brand's optics that count in the long run. Which is one of the reasons I use Olympus, as their glass is second to none. Including Leica. It is well known amongst older camera idiot savants that Leica has never been worried about any other brand except Olympus as serious competition. Oly glass is as good as or better than that of for instance Canon, at half the price (when one looks at the really big optics like superteles and extreme wide angle, with large apertures - i.e. fast and high-end). For the beginner it is good to know that the Oly kit zoom lenses are considered (by testers, read the reviews) to be better than those of most competitors, including Canon and Nikon.
So: start with considering the (future) glass, then decide on the body.
I'm quite happy with my 620. Good resolution (12 MP, not as important as many think but it helps cropping), good dynamic range, totally adaptable, good ergonomics. It has live view, a rotating/tilting screen which as extremely useful (otherwise, in an SLR a live view system where you use the screen to compose and focus is hardly of any use as the SLR viewfinder will be better) and in-body image stabilisation (meaning it works with any lens, the optics do not need internal stabilisation). And the best anti-dust system on the market by far (SLR means you change lenses, thus dust can get in).
Anyway, read the reviews, consider the long term investment in optics and accessories of which the 500 pounds will only be the beginning (it will cut deep into your budget for watches!), try things out and buy whatever you feel comfortable with.
If, however, you do NOT intend to build up a system of lenses and other stuff but just want one good allround camera, get a really good bridge model or a Canon G-series. You'll be happier then.
Have a canon eos 450d and would recommend it highly.
My dad was a pro snapper (and if you look though some of my sales post you'll notice the bug never really rubbed off ;)) and his advice was twofold:
a) You have to get the camera that feels best to you, as it's how you use the camera that produces the best pics. But...
b) He always chose Nikon over Canon. :D
Nearly went for that as I was coming out of a Konica Minolta 5D but bit the bullet and went for a D300 in the end. Very pleased with it although it's far more capable that I currently am.
Depends a bit on whether you see this really developing (sorry..).
If you think you might get really keen I'd go for one of the two big players, Nikon or Canon. I use Canon full-frame (cheaper bodies than Nikon because Canon make their own sensors and Nikon buy from Sony I think), and the lenses are great, but Nikon cameras tend to be nicer ergonomically. Both have huge systems.
However, Sony are fighting hard to break into the market, so their bodies look very competitive price-wise, and many have built in image stabilisation. But their lenses are expensive at present, especially at the pro end, although you can buy Minolta AF lenses s/h and the indies (Sigma and Tamron are both good) make Sony mount lenses too I think.
So if you're just after a camera and kit lens I'd suggest the best Sony you can afford, but if you're building a system I'd try the Canon and Nikon models and choose whichever you prefer.
I'm not drawn to the 4/3rds cameras, because I like the full frame sensor and don't even own any crop DSLRs now, but others seem to love them.
In the end photographers make pictures though...
Hope that helps.
Best
Richard
Amateur Photographer magazine this week has a supplement listing all available DSLRs and MFT cameras - it should give you a few pointers in the right direction. Nikon users on this forum will tell you buy Nikon - Canon users will advise Canon - Olympus users will say their bit too. There are very few really poor cameras so whatever you buy you'll be pleased with. I also bought a Micro Four Thirds Panasonic G1 because it is adaptable for use with so many other lenses including 1950 vintage Contarex - I found a Contarex adaptor for mine in Italy - and a Canon FD adaptor in Poland - and a Leica adaptor in China. I would offer to send you my copy of the AP DSLR supplement but there is a postal strike. Check the Digital Photography Forum and scroll through it for more recommendations and see what other members have been buying recently.
Cheers
dunk
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
I'd echo what others have said, you can't go too wrong with Canon or Nikon. IMHO Canon do a better small budget camera (450D), but if you are looking for a few more features (and a bigger body) without spending big money then the Nikon D90 is a good bet. I found that the 450D just didn't feel right with a big lens on it and went for the Nikon D80 (old version of D90) and am very happy.
Well worth heading to Jessops or somewhere to handle them all, preferably with the type of lens you plan to get).
Luminix GF1
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