glrnet Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Didn't want to hijack LRF4N's thread. But as above, beginner, and I wear glasses, so will this cause big problems, thoughts and guidance welcome, budget up to £600 but wouldn't want to blow it all on the camera if I need an extra lens. Thanks guys Quote
chettle Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 I read around a fair bit before i took the plunge, i ended up with a Nikon D3100, 18-55 lens, 55-200 lens, bag, tripod, spare SD card and 3 years insurance to cover everything! Rolled in at £650 from Jessops, and im REALLY pleased with it so far! Quote
LRF4N Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 wouldn't have minded if you did. Just woulda got very confusing for everyone Quote
Zugara Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Canon, wouldn't buy from jessops, London camera exchange are good. Get one with the highest Mpixel you can, usually circa 18 mp. Also you need a full frame camera. Lens, what you want to shoot? Landscape, macro portrait? A good glass will cost more than the camera, if going Canon route, look at the Red banded lens. These are the flagship lens. Entry level is the silver banded lens. tamron lens is suitable for everyday stuff inc 2:1 macro shots. Basically a macro shot will be half size and not 1:1 scale. Tripod possibly. Tamron, 18/300 lens is ok. Canon 18/55 lens quite restrictive IMO. Also apature on the lens is important, the smaller the f number the better results. Small f = wider opening, however best f number is between 8 & 13, in this area you don't get much vignette. ( a darkening around the outer edges of the picture) Any more info, pm me Quote
glrnet Posted September 17, 2012 Author Posted September 17, 2012 wouldn't have minded if you did. Just woulda got very confusing for everyone And me especially Quote
MITZ@CougarStore Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Graham, a good resource for checking prices - http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/ Quote
choptop Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 The new range of Sony ones are excellent. Have to say bought a mid range Sony SLR at Christmas. How many times have I used it? Once. Why? I have a phone with an 8MP lens, it is small and easy to carry and also does HD video. It is always with me which is key. Don't want to put you off buying one but just speaking from personal experience Quote
dave1221 Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 I bought a Sony A330 a couple of years ago. After reading a lot of reviews it was a good spec etc for the price bracket (circa £400) but the main thing for me is it was (and is) very good for beginners - i presume the newer model sonys are similar. I will probably move on to a higher spec Nikon or Canon when i become a bit more experienced, Ive only recently started to use the Sony properly. The missus has just bought me a new lense to fit it for my birthday Quote
The Bounty Bar Kid Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 You might as well go for Nikon or canon from the word go. Easier to upgrade later on. Canon is easier to use IMHO Quote
SteveRS Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Canon 550D.........18 mp. Enough said Quote
Chris`I Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Graham, if you're ever in the area then theres a Canon 350D doing not a lot in my spare room. Its "only" 8MP, but more than enough to get to know your aperture from your depth-of-field. Need to dig it out and make sure its all working ok, but you can have it on loan to try it out, and if you're happy with it I'm sure we can do a deal Quote
glrnet Posted September 17, 2012 Author Posted September 17, 2012 Graham, if you're ever in the area then theres a Canon 350D doing not a lot in my spare room. Its "only" 8MP, but more than enough to get to know your aperture from your depth-of-field. Need to dig it out and make sure its all working ok, but you can have it on loan to try it out, and if you're happy with it I'm sure we can do a deal Blimey Chris, that's very good of you, I'll do a bit of research then PM you if that's ok Quote
Chris`I Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Graham, if you're ever in the area then theres a Canon 350D doing not a lot in my spare room. Its "only" 8MP, but more than enough to get to know your aperture from your depth-of-field. Need to dig it out and make sure its all working ok, but you can have it on loan to try it out, and if you're happy with it I'm sure we can do a deal Blimey Chris, that's very good of you, I'll do a bit of research then PM you if that's ok No probs bud. Its sat and done nothing for a while now, I use the G1X for most of my shooting. Doesnt have the zoom of the SLR but is smaller and much less assuming when you take it places they wouldnt allow an SLR. The 350D is a bit old tech now, but for cutting your teeth with an SLR its perfect to have a play with to see if its for you. Quote
gangzoom Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Start with something cheap and go from there...to be 100% honest all the SLRs from the big companies are very very good, its important to remember if you buy a Sony camera its likely when it comes to upgrading lens/equipment (assuming you get into the photography stuff) your most likely carry on buying Sony stuff, likewise if you buy a Canon as your start up camera your end up investing in Canon gear. This is because most lens/equipment isn't interchangeable between brands, so you have to commit to one "system". But again all the big companies have a wide array of lens for you to upgrade to so choosing a brand simply comes down to brand preference. I use Canon buy my sister in law uses Nikon, we both take photos of equal quality (as in not all that good ). Don't be afraid to go 2nd hand, camera gear have a very long working life, nearly all my lens and camera bodies are 2nd hand and I have never suffered any equipment failure. If you look on eBay or photo forums (AVforums) your find lots of people selling hardly used cameras simply because alot of people buy DSLRs buy but than can never be bothered to use them due to size or weigh etc.....hence the invention of the Mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC) cameras, which offer the same/similar sensor performance of a DSLR but alot smaller to carry round... Hope your not too confused Quote
soimafreak Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 I'd echo Canon and 600 or similar rage is good, the 350d is good, i only got rid of mine as shooting cars on a track was a bit challenging, doable but challenging... As for glasses, up to you if you want it to be a problem or not, you can wear your glases and use it or, take them off and use the adjuster to make the focus sharp in the view finder. Quote
Chris`I Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Was it something to do with the 350d that made shooting cars on track challenging? Surely its more down to the lens? I found it a lot easier when I got my 70-300IS USM compared to the cheaper non-IS 70-300mm. By the way Graham you can borrow that lens too, but its worth more than the camera, so might be a bit expensive to include in a deal Quote
Ruddles Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Sony is a good bet. Not overpriced for the name, sorry to nikon and canon but alot of their models are equal to sony quality and you pay for the name. Money aside all three makes are top notch and you can't go wrong with any of them! Best advice is to go try them out and make your own choice! Quote
soimafreak Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Was it something to do with the 350d that made shooting cars on track challenging? Surely its more down to the lens? I found it a lot easier when I got my 70-300IS USM compared to the cheaper non-IS 70-300mm. By the way Graham you can borrow that lens too, but its worth more than the camera, so might be a bit expensive to include in a deal buffer size / card write speed, In one lap of Ginetta's I only had enough space to take 15 ish pictures and then it would take a min to write to the card. Granted on Large Jpeg, but compared to a 600d which is taking the same pictures and have written them to card almost instantly. Other than that, it was absolutely fine. Quote
andlid Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 the nikon 660d looks pretty awesome but it's a full frame one keep that in mind! got a D5000 and it's good enough for me, lens is the important thing really housing does matter but lens more important (and know how to operate it!) Quote
rtbiscuit Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 i got the canon 1100D for my 30th, have to say been really impressed. wanted canon as i have a stock SLR which is canon, so the lens are interchangeable between both. but it more than meets my needs for now. i have shoot video on it and its better than my wifes dedicated video camera. quality has been great and met all my needs. treated myself to a good tripod. and some cheap toys. have to say as a basic user its great on auto settings, but i'm weaning my self off as i get used to how the camera works and as i want to achieve more in my photos. Quote
Ewan27 Posted September 18, 2012 Posted September 18, 2012 Hi, I have also been looking into moving into this market and after all my research I am strongly considering this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320943589713? ... 3746wt_952 The 550D was generally considered (along with the Nikon D5100) to be the best DSLR intro a couple of years ago. Again, as others have said, hanging your hat on one of these 2 brands and you can't go wrong really. This 1 comes with the basic 18-55mm lense which will be enough to get you started and familiar with camera, and then you'll be able to decide what sort of lense options you are after. This price should give you enough of your budget left for the important things too Hope this helps Quote
andlid Posted September 18, 2012 Posted September 18, 2012 Just remember lens is the cost! What are you mainly going to shoot? Quote
gangzoom Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 I know quite a few people who have bought SLRs, spent money on lens and than realise they cannot be bothered with the whole carrying around a DSLR so never use their cameras. One of them has more lens than me (though at the moment I only have 3)!! Personally for a beginner I wouldn't bother talking about lens or full frame cameras that cost >£1k for the body alone . The Cannon 550D is a good pick (what am using at moment), in regards to ISO performance the new 650D is hardly any better but costs twice as much. The newer DSLRs are better at video but if you want to shot video why not buy a video camera . Quote
glrnet Posted September 19, 2012 Author Posted September 19, 2012 Thanks guys, lots of useful information and help there for me to base some research on, It's really appreciated, I'm sure there will be follow up questions so bear with me Quote
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