need a Digital SLR camera

[Applespider]

thing is I'm not made of money. i'll have £800 for my student loan to last me a few months, £600 really is my limit. I cant afford new lenses or anything fancy like that for a while
and remember im just starting out too so i don't need the uber pro stuff for a while im really hoping i get into photography. i just had such a fantastic time today getting the lighting right and finding good angles.

Speaking as a v amateur photographer but with my 'have been a student and understant the budget issues' hat on. You've just started this photography course and you're really enjoying it; you need a camera that will give you good results and allow you to get comfortable with using different focal lengths, apertures, shutter speeds, ISOs etc.

Since £600 is a big chunk of a student loan (and you won't have all the lenses) and you don't know how long you're going to keep this level of interest for sure, have you considered some of the DSLR-like cameras, the ones with the 12x zoom etc? Sure, they don't have all the options of a regular DSLR but many of them have optical image stabilisation/ aperture/shutter/ISO options, some have focal rings but crucially they're also only about £400 so you'd have the extra cash to buy a few filters, a wideangle lens and don't forget to add the cash for lots of memory sticks - probably another £100 to get enough storage that you can shoot in TIFF or RAW and not worry too much about deleting lots of pics.

It's probably enough while you're learning the basics and then, when you've graduated, you can afford to buy a better DSRL.

 

[ScubaDuc]

Hi,

I'm a professional photographer so I think I can maybe help you out.


don't buy the Nikon D100... why? lichtmetering is crap, sometimes 0.5 or even 1 stop UNDEREXPOSURE...
Yes I still use one, but I use it in studioconditions with flashes... so I have my external lightmeter there... & it's controlled light...

D50/D70(s) are improved in that way
..
-EDIT-

Dude, if you are a professional photographer you should know that the Nikon D100 purposly underexposes because, as any real old time photographer knows, an image that is underexposed can easily be corrected in the darkroom but NOT so for a picture that is overexposed because then details get burned

I have been using Nikons forever and I swear by them, but that is my opinion. Also, for the lenses, it is important to get optically stabilized lenses

 

[Jo-Kun]

Dude, if you are a professional photographer you should know that the Nikon D100 purposly underexposes because, as any real old time photographer knows, an image that is underexposed can easily be corrected in the darkroom but NOT so for a picture that is overexposed because then details get burned

I have been using Nikons forever and I swear by them, but that is my opinion. Also, for the lenses, it is important to get optically stabilized lenses

well I forgot to mention it allso sometimes overexposures.... there is no rule in when and how it does it...

and 'dude' in a darkroom with color neg, yes... in photoshop you will loose detail in the dark parts to & when makeing it lighter, noise will follow in the dark places...

if you expose right, none of it all will be a problem so just do it right... as all nikon film SLR's do...
but the D100 doesn't, I mean it seems like its random in how it responds... but offcourse in the studio I don't have a problem with that since I don't use the internal meter...
but when I'm shooting at a racetrack... then it gets bad... I really have pictures where a white car passes and shot on 'autoexposure' there is no detail left in it :S and when it passes the next time it's a grey one... if there was a logic in how the meter does its work ther wouldn't be such big differences in shots made from the same spot...

PS: I remember when the Nikon F90X came out a friend had one and I used it and he told me if you use slides (best way to check if exposure is right) 95% of all shots with 'autoexposure' will be perfect, of that 5% 1% will be not so good, the other 4% will be just a little off... so why can't they do that on digital? I've heared they are back on the right track with the D2X...

 

[chadwick]

There is nothing worse than having an opinion and turning to a bunch of people to back up your opinion only to become even more confused.
Canon and Nikon make the best digital SLR's all the way from entry level up to Pro.
The kid wanted to know if the Canon 350 is good and everyone should have agreed. Why would anyone try to pursuade him one way or another. Both cameras being considered have there good points and bad points but certainly they are both excellent choices. Why must Canon users put down Nikon and vise versa. Can't we all just get along.

I assume, just as I once did, that we have all been through some indecisive buying period just like this student. When we finally made our own personal choice we of course were extremely happy with it and from then on we became fans of that particular brand. So now that we have one we think anyone buying the other is crazy. Thats just nonesense. Even someone who has actually owned and used both cannot give an objective opinion. Their opinion may be based on the size of their hands or how much money their in-laws will give them for the holidays or any number of factors. If one of the cameras speaks to him than that is the camera for him. He will not be dissapointed!

 

[budugu]

All EVFs are through the lens!

well...
SLR is: single lens reflex. this is a camera that allows you to view your subject thru the lens. the advantage of this being you see exactly what your camera is seeing. a viewfinder camera has a separate viewfinder that typically, but not always is an approximation of what the camera lens is actually seeing.

The biggest misconception is that the new compact digital cameras are not through the lens. Your 1"-2" screen shows you the exactly what the picture is going to look like 100% (area coverage - best SLR cameras with optical have close to 93-95% coverage 91% being the avg ). Because it reads of the sensor directly! The only problem is that there is a LCD brightness issue as images could appear brighter or little dark. That exists with the optical viewfinders also. Now the problem actually is that the image in the LCD that you see might be a *little* delayed. (depends on the camera)

the advantage of a DSLR is the the sensor that is large. (And ya interchangeable lens). Thus allows you to take good pics in low light or high ISOs. That is pretty much the single biggest advantage. If you are just an *enthusiast* especially budget constrained at that, look at Panasonic FZ30. It has the handling of an SLR with an excellent image stabilized lens. There is still the NOISE issue but a 12x optically stabilized leica lens + complete SLR stlye handling @ 525$ (~300-350pounds?)!! (cnet for pricing) you cannot go wrong. Any digital camera is going to be obsolete in 2 years so i find spending a lot of money on a DSLR (from an enthusiast point of view not a pro mind you) is a waste of money.


http://reviews.cnet.com/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC-FZ30K_-_digital_camera/4505-6501_7-31506408.html

If you still want the DSLR marque ... then it is between D50/350D or Evolt 500, pentax ist *D2 is not bad either.

 

[0098386]

Right! i was talking to my mum about this camera again... my guess is she might go half. especially when half my loan goes towards my course fee's and the camera she said i should get would be MORE than my first loan cheque.

so... im looking at this http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/127977/art/canon/eos-350d-ef-s-18-55-ii-mi.html#fichetechnique
Its the 350D but with a 4GB Microdrive and video bag. i was thinking about getting a cheap little Crumpler camera bag though.

but for £100 less I can get it with a 512MB CF card instead, and a free 256MB card too. 768MB... would that be enough for an 8MP camera? just that 4GB is an awful lot. could even use that for file backups!

 

[alexeismertin]

Shops in the UK

I would get a Nikon D70s over any of the other budget DSLR at the moment & remember its an investment - in the future you can update your lens collection & then upgrade the body in 2+ years & still use those lens. You need to make a choice now and stick with your manufacturer.

Check out the following review sites before deciding:


Megapixel

Digital Camera Resource

Digital Photography Review

Steves Digicams

DC Views

Imaging Resource

Photo.net


Once you have decided, then I can recommend good service / good quality products from these UK online retailers:

Bristol Cameras

Warehouse Express

Park Cameras

The Digital Camera Company

 

[ziwi]

Rumor has it that canon is releasing it's triple rebate program this weekend (15th) so you may want ot wait for that. The D70 is nice too but if I am on a budget then I need to look at the rebates...

Once you are in then you will quickly realize that the camera was the cheap part of the hobby

 

[mcmadhatter]

I bought my EOS 350D 2 months ago , and wow what a brilliant camera!!! it might be worth checking out www.ebuyer.co.uk , I got mine there for £569 with a free tripod, cheaper than everywhere else at the time.

The other people worth looking at is www.warehouseexpress.co.uk I've bought extra lenses and bits form there and their service is very good (ebuyers can be a bit hit and miss)

 

[bousozoku]

There is nothing worse than having an opinion and turning to a bunch of people to back up your opinion only to become even more confused.
Canon and Nikon make the best digital SLR's all the way from entry level up to Pro.
The kid wanted to know if the Canon 350 is good and everyone should have agreed. Why would anyone try to pursuade him one way or another. Both cameras being considered have there good points and bad points but certainly they are both excellent choices. Why must Canon users put down Nikon and vise versa. Can't we all just get along.

I assume, just as I once did, that we have all been through some indecisive buying period just like this student. When we finally made our own personal choice we of course were extremely happy with it and from then on we became fans of that particular brand. So now that we have one we think anyone buying the other is crazy. Thats just nonesense. Even someone who has actually owned and used both cannot give an objective opinion. Their opinion may be based on the size of their hands or how much money their in-laws will give them for the holidays or any number of factors. If one of the cameras speaks to him than that is the camera for him. He will not be dissapointed!

You're right of course about just saying yes or no. Is the 350 a good camera, not really. Is it acceptable? Sure. It's better than the 300 and that says a lot.

 

[jimN]

thing is I'm not made of money. i'll have £800 for my student loan to last me a few months, £600 really is my limit. I cant afford new lenses or anything fancy like that for a while

I suggest... doing a drug trial. You clearly can't afford to buy any camera at the moment (you have money but you also need to support yourself up until january and the next cheque) drug trials are an easy and relatively safe way to get large amounts of money tax-free and quickly. I got about three grand from three trials whilst at uni and would heartily recommend it (but was in london where there seems to be more options for this sort of thing). If you can put up with a ward full of south africans this could solve your cash flow problems.

 

[drake]

I have a Canon 20D. Camera is nice (now that they've worked out the bugs) but skip the "L" lenses, which seem to be plagued by quality control issues.

 

[0098386]

I suggest... doing a drug trial. You clearly can't afford to buy any camera at the moment (you have money but you also need to support yourself up until january and the next cheque) drug trials are an easy and relatively safe way to get large amounts of money tax-free and quickly. I got about three grand from three trials whilst at uni and would heartily recommend it (but was in london where there seems to be more options for this sort of thing). If you can put up with a ward full of south africans this could solve your cash flow problems.

whoa no i wouldn't do anything like that. i dont even have alcohol! body temple and all that.
money has become less of an issue though, my parents are going half with me. besides my loan lasts me forever, the only things i bought last year was my PowerBook, my DS, few DS and GC games, a new iPod so its all disposable i suppose. heh i say this now. just wait for the repayments

You're right of course about just saying yes or no. Is the 350 a good camera, not really. Is it acceptable? Sure. It's better than the 300 and that says a lot.

So its not a good camera then? remember im not going out to be a pro, just something to use for my 2nd year in New Media Design and then my 3rd year in Photography. if i get a job in photography then the first thing i'd do is get a more serious cam

 

[jimN]

Then there's a german site that sells the 350d for a great price (techdirect.de i think). I'm hanging in for the next revision.

 

[bousozoku]

...
So its not a good camera then? remember im not going out to be a pro, just something to use for my 2nd year in New Media Design and then my 3rd year in Photography. if i get a job in photography then the first thing i'd do is get a more serious cam

I sold a lot of cameras at one point in time: Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Fuji, Olympus, etc. Most are well planned but Canon are perenially the compromise company of cameras. They have great parts and technology but they put them together in a way that the final product is less than the sum of its parts.

Buying one brand tends to lead to more purchases in that same brand, so I wouldn't suggest a Canon camera, if you can avoid it.

 

[Orlando Furioso]

I sold a lot of cameras at one point in time: Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Fuji, Olympus, etc. Most are well planned but Canon are perenially the compromise company of cameras. They have great parts and technology but they put them together in a way that the final product is less than the sum of its parts.

Buying one brand tends to lead to more purchases in that same brand, so I wouldn't suggest a Canon camera, if you can avoid it.

can you please elaborate on this? I am planning on purchasing a Canon EOS 20D within a couple of months. From the reviews I have gathered (friends, and some camera comparisons), it consistently gets good if not great remarks/scores. I would like to know more about your experiences before I invest in a camera/lens system.

 

[highres]

Unless you are a professional and are in the prosumer category, IMO from personal experience having owned them both:

The Canon EOS 20D hands down is the best camera for the money (around $1499).

If you can't afford it, the next best is the Canon Digital Rebel XT (around $800).

Many, many reviews back this up. Check MacWorld January 2005

 

[Mr. G4]

Olympus Evolt E-300

It produce great picture but the best part of this camera is the option of cleaning the sensor itseft so you don't to worry about dust on the captor.
plus it come with two lens.

 

[Abstract]

There is nothing worse than having an opinion and turning to a bunch of people to back up your opinion only to become even more confused.
Canon and Nikon make the best digital SLR's all the way from entry level up to Pro.
The kid wanted to know if the Canon 350 is good and everyone should have agreed. Why would anyone try to pursuade him one way or another. Both cameras being considered have there good points and bad points but certainly they are both excellent choices.

Why must Canon users put down Nikon and vise versa. Can't we all just get along.

Sometimes I think that the criticisms on Canon cameras is baseless, and that the people who choose Canon over Nikon also do so for no great reason.
"I own a Canon and it's great. Buy a Canon instead of a Nikon."
"I own a Nikon and it's also great. Buy it instead!"

Can someone tell me what makes one DSLR better than another, assuming that the CCD is not a factor that I need an explanation on? For example, what makes a D70 better than a 350D, or a Canon 350D better than a Canon Digital Rebel (and why does this camera NOT have an alphanumeric name like the rest?)??

 

[0098386]

Righty! my student loan arrived this morning, all £720 of it. so i plan on getting;

Canon EOS 350D + 1gb CF card + Video bag for a cool £618. until im placing the order with my mum because theres buyer protection with credit cards and all that, i only have a debit card. so we're looking and she says "so which one is the best? which would you like the most... be the best for your course?" naturally I said the absolute best would be this pack;

Canon EOS 350D + 4gb Hitachi Microdrive + Video bag + extra battery + 256mb CF card + USB2 card reader which was £775. She said that she'd pay the extra £157 so long as I dont ask for anything else this year shes great like that heh.

So the order is placed! My 350D should be arriving in 3-5 days, though the site says 75% of orders arrive in 48 hours. fingers crossed i suppose!

I got a chance to hold a 350D, had a little play with it. fantastic camera I though. perfect for me, something to easily carry around with me. im probably going to do 50% serious uni photo work 50% snapshots of my mate shooting another mate with a paintball gun.
as you could probably expect im pretty damn excited about this! I can see myself really getting into this.

 

[0098386]

well its finally here! and what a machine it is! love at first sight

BUT! no memory card. my 256mb CF card and my 4gb Microdrive have not arrived! so i cant really do much. oh well!

 

[Garcia]

Congratulations, you have a great system there!

 

[poolin1243]

man o man-

these kids are starting out digital! geeze.

i remember the long nights of coming out of the darkroom lightheaded and wondering where the image of a penguin in my head went!

as far as camera choice...i think he cant go wrong with a 10d. for 800 bucks, you get the body, in good shape, plus probably a battery grip and an extra battery. For male photogs or anybody with large hands, that grip is a lifesaver. I still have one of those 10d's along with my markIIs and what not. But you know what. in the end...theres nothin like a good piece of chrome. remember that.

Gotta love my hassy too.

good luck on your photographic endeavors!!

 

[0098386]

man o man-

these kids are starting out digital! geeze.

i remember the long nights of coming out of the darkroom lightheaded and wondering where the image of a penguin in my head went!...

yup yup don't get me wrong I loved my time in the darkroom but the whole process is too long winded for me. I need to shoot, print, stick in a book, on with the next roll. When I get my own place I will probably build a darkroom, but right now the only room that's 'light tight' is my sisters little walk in wardrobe

maybe its just my uni but our darkroom smells like cheesy Wotsits.

 

[rogerw]

nice one son!