View Full Version : Help on DSLR's please??
Well my digital camera has pretty much packed up and sooner or later i'll need a new one so i'm going to put some pennies away.
What i would really like is a digital SLR but i don't know an awful lot about them. I think i'd prefer to start off with a second hand one so i can learn a bit about them and how they work.
So what is good to look out for on the second hand market?? And also what is the best bet for a beginner to digital SLR's??
Any help is much appreciated!!
Thanks,
Esme
Reef bloke
15-05-08, 18:31
Second hand:
Nikon D40,D40x
Canon 300d,350d,400d
New
Nikon D40x,D60
Canon 400d or 450d
They would be my suggestions,keep in mind you are buying into a system.The two manufacturers mentioned offer a great selection of lenses plus there is a good range of 3rd party lenses available for each.
Have a good think before buying into the DLSR market though as if you just want a point n poke camera it may be over kill.
What sort of subjects will you be looking to capture?
Definately want a DSLR, my brother in law has one and i was blown away with the quality of pics he takes. Always had a bit of an interest in photography so now the old point and shoot is on its way out i reckon its time to step it up a bit but i don't want to go head first and spend a fortune straight off.
The main subject is obviously the fish tank but would also living in Devon there's some beautiful scenery around here to be seen!
Reef bloke
15-05-08, 18:48
Sounds like youre well geared up for a DLSR then,whats your ballpark budget?
Hadn't really set a ball park yet. I was going to try and work out how much i could pick up something decent second hand then work out what i've got available and save the extra.
I've got a few bits and bobs hanging round the house that I could do to sell as well!
Canon 450D, just bought one and I'm very impressed with it considering Ive always been a Nikon Man
jimblonduk
15-05-08, 19:29
For the body, you'll probably be better going to a local camera shop like Jessops and trying a few, bearing in mind that you may want to add a battery grip at some stage, try them fitted at the same time. For lenses, that pretty much depends on what you feel you want to take pictures of.
Read, read and read a little more, there are a few good forums on the subject about
Gary
Ahh well..see there's also a flip side to all of what has been said and maybe they are keeping it from you :laugh:
Jim
Agree with Gary's comment above - try a few before jumping in. Although it's not the most fashionable I plumped for a Pentax simply because it is a bit lighter and sits nicely in my hand.
Ahh well..see there's also a flip side to all of what has been said and maybe they are keeping it from you :laugh:
Jim
cha ching!
Definately want a DSLR, my brother in law has one and i was blown away with the quality of pics he takes.
Esmed,
Don't take this personally, but I know a lot of people who have given up on a DSLR simply because they expect the pictures to be perfect first time.
Coming from a P&S or a bridge camera to a DSLR is a huge learning curve but it's worth it. Just keep your expectations realistic to start with and learn in your own time.
Oh and remember, when someone says "Nice camera, I bet it takes nice pictures", simply reply with "Thanks, yes I do!".
i remember when i got my 1st being a 350d i put it on auto,point and shoot and i never seen any problem with any of the shots,the advantage of buying a dslr is once you learn to handle it in auto you can then begin to learn other features and take some cracking shots.
It's like every hobby in life i think you have to be fully committed and want to learn to achieve either good or excellent results,IMO people who go out and buy a DLSR and expect to take 100% top pics first time and then decide to sell the camera just want to look flash,and yes,it's not the camera that takes good pics,it's the person behind it and the quality of lens.
Jim
[QUOTE=Nath;2040775]Esmed,
Don't take this personally, but I know a lot of people who have given up on a DSLR simply because they expect the pictures to be perfect first time.
QUOTE]
No offence taken, considering i'm a reef keeper i'm sure i'll be just fine. After embarking on reef keeping i now consider my patience to be one of my most improved skills!!
Esmed,
Don't take this personally, but I know a lot of people who have given up on a DSLR simply because they expect the pictures to be perfect first time.
Coming from a P&S or a bridge camera to a DSLR is a huge learning curve but it's worth it. Just keep your expectations realistic to start with and learn in your own time.
Oh and remember, when someone says "Nice camera, I bet it takes nice pictures", simply reply with "Thanks, yes I do!".
Well said.
I've found using a DSLR i've had to go WAAAAAYYYY back to basics, fortunately my g/f is doing a fine art degree specialising in photography, so i've been able to tap her for info. She has a Canon 350D, but much prefers her film SLR. My housemate, also into photogrpahy cannot afford a DSLR and just bought a Canon film SLR to practice with in the mean time. I was super fortunate to get a Canon 30D new for £360 with a 18-15mm kit lens, and as my g/f doesn't really use her DSLR i have nabbed her 55-200mm lens as well!
Point and shoot is what is says on the tin, a bridge cam (i.e. for me this bridge was a FujiFinepix S5600) is an awesome intermediate, and I learned ALOT, being able to point and shoot, but also beingable to shoot in RAW/bracket shots and even film in video! (I parted with it for a mere £60, which was a BIG mistake).
With SLR/DSLR, you need to know abit about optics, shutter speed, apeture ect etc. I thought i knew alot when i had my bridge cam, turns out ... i knew squat!
Canon P&S
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/Paulmalsop/Random%20pics/Melbourne/Melbourneartscentre.jpg
Fuji Bridge Cam
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/Paulmalsop/Random%20pics/Canada/DSCF5023.jpg
Canon 30D
http://fc08.deviantart.com/fs27/i/2008/133/a/8/the_boat_by_Paulmalsop.jpg
I "stress" the images have progressed through both an evolution of my camera technology and my camera knowhow, plus an evolution of my 'eye for a photograph'.
A great practical resource is the camera magazines, you can read forums until you are blue in the face, people have huge varieties of advice, and there will ALWAYS be that Nikon vs Canon debate, which just confuses things. A good place to start is What Digital Camera mag.
So am i therefore better starting off with one of these "bridge" camera's?
Can i have a few examples of these as well so i can research online.
devils_advocate
16-05-08, 15:50
I would advise a bridge camera, I have a panasonic FZ8, I did alot of reading and found this to be top on all the reviews at the time, there are lots of site that have comparative reviews for most cameras.
I like you was going to plunge into buying a DSLR, glad I didnt though, as there are so many options on the bridge camera that I am having to get to grips with, I would have been overwhelmed with the DSLR.
Also with bridge cameras the price you see is what you pay, with full on dslrs you have to budget for lenses too. The FZ8 has 12x optical zoom which is the 35mm equiv of 36-432, this lense for a dslr would have prob cost me more than the Fz8 total.
I have also bought a macro attachment and wide screen lense for the FZ8 and are a great buy. Battery life is awesome!!!! The only thing I dont like about the camera is its inability to zoom while shooting a video.
Bridge cam/prosumer cam, call it what you will. You can pick a Fuji Finepix S5600 up for pennies on ebay. Add in a few 'macro rings' and you are sorted. I can only speak from experience, but my finepix was a great little cam for what it was, like i said RAW, bracketing, a 10x optical zoom (beats the pants off most bridge/point and shoots that rely on crap quality digi zoom) full manual capabilities and broadcast quality video.
There are some links in my S5600 for sale thread with regards to its capabilities (it's now sold btw :( ) http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=245186
Also, like i said, go out and by WDC mag, the prosumer/bridge cams are referred to as 'compact superzooms/ compact enthusiast'
http://www.news.com/Wheres-the-SLR-style-compact-camera/2100-1041_3-6197459.html
I agree with Paul, I'm more than happy with my finepix (S9500) and through looking into photography a bit more I still haven't found anything I cant do with it. When I do eventually move up to a full DSLR I'll definately still keep the finepix.
HTH
James
I agree with Paul, I'm more than happy with my finepix (S9500) and through looking into photography a bit more I still haven't found anything I cant do with it. When I do eventually move up to a full DSLR I'll definately still keep the finepix.
HTH
James
does the S9500 have video too?
Yup.
argh, i so miss my video cam :(
Thats why if/when I go for a full DSLR I'll still keep the finepix.
Thats why if/when I go for a full DSLR I'll still keep the finepix.
yeah, that's the best idea, i'm so annoyed i sold mine, it went for £60 with 2Gb XD card and macro rings :mad:
In the past I think that there was a bigger gap between DSLRs and point and shoots but the gap has been closed a little in recent times.
I dont keep track of non-DSLR ech news much but I have heard excellent things about the Canon G9 aswell as the finepix series as already mentioned. I dont know about the finepix range but the G9 does RAW, has a flash hotshoe and can produce excellent results from what I have seen, and has made me start to think twice about why I keep dumping £££ on lenses etc. Anyone got a good argument to lead me back?! :o
Jeff.
EDIT: oh yeah and dont forget that DSLRs are big ol' things so there is a convenience factor too.
yeah, that's the best idea, i'm so annoyed i sold mine, it went for £60 with 2Gb XD card and macro rings :mad:
:( gutted for you mate, I've recently bought some macro rings, a wide angle add on and a telephoto add on, really happy with them.
Has anyone got a finepix for sale?Sorry to jump in.
My only comment with regards to bridge cameras and the intended purpose esmed will be putting it to, is CHECK the shutter lag!
The HUGE advantage a dSLR has over a bridge or P&S is that there is ZERO time lag between pressing the shutter and the shot being taken. There's nothing more annoying than following a fish around waiting for the perfect pose only to have a picture of it half a second past!
Also, the Canon 1000D should be on the market soon which I recon is going to cream the sales of a LOT of bridge cameras!
http://www.photographybay.com/2008/05/21/canon-rebel-xs-1000d-specs-surface/
I wasn't saying don't get a dSLR earlier, I was merely pointing out that a lot of people get VERY disheartened by the first results. Stick with it, it's worth it.
If you're not careful you'll only end up selling the bridge in no time for the dSLR anyway ;)
Hi, Having had experience with most types of cameras and brands, when it comes to DSLR, they all take a very similar picture to most people's eyes. Where preference comes into it is menu system, button layout, weight, and available accessories.
I've owned a Nikon D70, Canon Eos 20d, and now I own a Minolta 5D (now owned by Sony, see Alpha camera range). Why did I change so much? I wanted to be able to shoot in low light with no flash, this meant I had the need for anti-shake. The Minolta and Sony DSLR's have this feature built into the body, hence every lens becomes anti-shake to an extent. You can buy anti-shake lenses for the others, but they're expensive, hence it then comes back down to budget and needs. I'd certainly check out Sony and Pentax before you plump for Nikon and Canon. For one thing, second hand lenses tend to be a little cheaper, but accessories are typically a little more limited. Though Sony has stated that they want to take over the whole market so you should see more.
As for DSLR hybrids like the fuji's, I've had a couple and they were great. Didn't need to worry about changing lens, dust on the sensor. You can typically flip the view finder up for different types of shooting, with a DSLR you need a periscope type attachment. You have live view which not all DSLR's have, and you can take video.
For me the downsides were:
non-interchangeable lens for specialised shots (I use a 50mm F1.7 lens for a lot of low light photography. The hybrids typically only go down to F2.8).
Shutter lag when compared to a DSLR. Can be very frustrating. This also varies on model.
No optical view finder. In low light again, I found it hard to manually focus when compared to a DSLR. This has been improved with the latest hybrids and bigher resolution view finders, but still I prefer an optical view finder.
Poor battery life compared to a DSLR. As you typically use the optical view finder on a DSLR for compostion, you use less power compared to a live view screen or digital view finder.
Fewer accessories, though once again this depends on model. If you are using external studio flash, you'll typically want a PC sync port (not for use with a PC computer), this will limit your choice.There's a great website for all your research. go to Steve's Digicams. They don't sell, just a forum and review site like this.
As the others have said, it comes down to preference, choice and budget. My advice is to not be carried away by mega pixels. I know many pro photographers using old Canon Eos1d's and Nikon D1's with 2.17mega pixels and they're photography beats mine hands down. If you check out the forums over at steve's digicams, they are dedicated to each camera make. You'll get a wealth of opinions there, and you'll be surprised at how the successors in model ranges aren't necessarily adding features or quality improvements that you'll be prepared to pay for.
Lastly (phew), in terms of learning and jumping from P&S, I don't think I agree that a hybrid is easier or more natural than a DSLR. Typically many hybrids will boost saturation slightly for a more impressive image, but this can be replicated easily with a DSLR. Most DSLR's also have shooting modes akin to hybrids and P&S's so they're quite easy. My wife uses my DSLR with great results and she has no interest in photography other than clicking a button. She leaves it all on auto or uses a mode such as sport and gets great results.
Anyway, hope that helps a little. Look before you leap and get some advice on the forums. Take all of it with a little pinch of salt as much of it is opinion and not fact. My advice included!
regards,
Steve
So am i therefore better starting off with one of these "bridge" camera's?
Can i have a few examples of these as well so i can research online.
no not if you intend to go to a dslr after as it will be added exspense that you could have put towards a lens . i made that mistake and then went on to buy a dslr and have never looked back. compacts do offer good depth of field in macro mode though and most dslr,s struggle to get the same dof. take your time and think loads buy once is my advice... len
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