WTB Digital SLR need input from owners/enthusiasts

So i`m thinking of buying a digital SLR, I don`t really know where to start. I`m new to photography really and would like to take more than your average family photo. I`m interested in the application of filters and messing with shutter speeds. Anyone got any tips what I should be looking for in a camera, the ISO range, the amount of MP, Live viewing, lense compatibility? I don`t have a great deal of money I may add probably £300-400 (£500 at a stretch)

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

If you can stretch the cash, pick up a Nikon D80...you really can't go wrong, even with a kit lense its pretty flexible.

Anything in the Nikon range will do really.

 

Pentax K10D, it's what I have, and the photo's are excellent. Yes, before the Canon/Nikon boys jump in, you can get arguably better photo's with a "better" camera like the EOS 400D or the D80, but the K10D is priced far lower, more in the range of the EOS 350D or the D70.

Also, Pentax use the same lens mount for all cameras, so you can pick up some awesome old lenses as long as you don't mind some of them not being autofocus.

Some photo's I have taken:

http://www.nowloading.co.uk/forum/uploads/1195211131/gallery_1_1_225438.jpg

http://www.nowloading.co.uk/forum/uploads/1195211131/gallery_1_1_358341.jpg

http://www.nowloading.co.uk/forum/uploads/1194269827/gallery_1_1_169221.jpg
(Excuse the stupid border/title)

http://www.nowloading.co.uk/forum/uploads/1191573389/gallery_1_1_9707.jpg

http://www.nowloading.co.uk/forum/uploads/1187804807/gallery_1_1_33947.jpg

http://www.nowloading.co.uk/forum/uploads/1185042250/gallery_1_1_173904.jpg

 

I`m not sure how far i can stretch really this side of selling off my beloved dev hardware :-( The Pentax appears to take very good photos. I especially like your nature shots. It seems like a lot of the cameras have similar functions for the price range and at this stage a lot of the technical terms can be a bit confusing. Then again when I am more competent I don`t want to moan about the camera not having X or Y. AAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

 

I'm a Nikon boy:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chipsterman/2291531647/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chipsterman/2281138833/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chipsterman/2205586664/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chipsterman/2245857252/

Digital is still its infancy. It's not the same as with 35mm film cameras that have been standard for over 20 years, so long story short... buy a cheap body like a Nikon D40 (skip the Nikon D60!) or Canon Rebel XSI and focus on saving up your cash for good lenses. Although the D80 is a REALLY good camera, if you're starting out it might have more features than you need.

The lower-level Canons (XTI, XSI) are more functional than the lower-level Nikons (D40, D60), but I'm only with Nikon because I had Nikon lenses. See what I mean about saving for lenses?

Most entry-level DSLRs all offer the same kind of features when starting out, so maybe determine what kind of things you want to shoot (up-close, far away, macro) and look at the cost of lenses used to achieve that.

Also, unless you really want to print LARGE images don't focus on megapixels as the Nikon D40 (which is what I use) is only 6MP and so can print as large as 11x17".

 

It`s hard to say really, i`m most likey going to be taking landscape and nature photos. Close ups of plants and long shots of whole areas. I really want the highest compatibility with filters and lenses really.

I really have come to a point where I want more control over my pictures without using photoshop (http://dr1983.deviantart.com/gallery/) or the like as you can see here. All of your suggestions are being taken onboard. I`m sure I would be taking night time shots quite frequently so a camera that performs well at night would be a must. I`m definitely going to have to do my homework as far as lenses are concerned.

 

Yeah the MP thing is a complete con, my K10D is 10.1MP which is good up to A3 prints before quality suffers, and seriously, when the hell am I going to take a photo good enough to print that big? I resize most of my photo's to 800x600, the higher MP count is only really good for cropping photo's more.

What you want to look at (other than lenses) is things like ISO noise, now a camera in our sort of price ranges is going to have compromises in some department. The D80 has better high ISO noise control, but the K10D has more control over manual features and stuff like shake reduction and sensor cleaning. Depending on what you want to take photo's of will depend on which camera will suit you better. Try to decide on what it is you will be mostly using the camera for, and it will make your choices a lot easier.

 

EOS's are also very good like you say, but the prices seem to match.

 

What do you have in the way of an SLR at the moment?

If you don't, then maybe you don't want to jump in at the deep end. Try getting a cheap 35mm SLR to play around with, learn the basics. This will greatly help when you go to digital, rather than just whacking it on auto and clicking away. To be honest, if you're going to do this, get a standard or prosumer digicam to start off with. There are some excellent standard digicams (such as the Sony one with the touch screen), and I very much like either Nikon or Fuji prosumers. They should be within your budget, too.

To be brutally honest, when buying a dSLR, you really want to make sure you have both experience in photographic fundamentals (depth of field, metering, ISO etc.), using an SLR and plenty of cash! Buy the best you can. When I got my D70s, I could have got a D40 much cheaper, but the lens was poorer. In hindsight, I should have spent a few hundred more and got the D200.

You want to decide which manufacturer you want to go with, as hopefully you'll stick with them, keep the lenses, and upgrade the body in future. If you already have a Nikon 35mm SLR, go with Nikon, as you can use the old lenses. If you have a Canon, go Canon.

The D80 is a nice entry level camera, although after a while you will be left wanting more. You'll then have to sell your body (at a loss) and cough up the cash for a better body.

If at all possible, find people who'll let you try out their cameras and see how you feel with them, and of course with the results!

Personally, I got a prosumer to make the jump to digital. I kept using my 35mm SLR at the same time, depending on what I was doing.

 

Tell that to my friend. He's a professional photographer, who just sold his 1DS Mk II to buy a 1DS Mk III. That's a 21MP camera. He can (and does) print on his 44" large format printer with crystal clarity. You can also REALLY tell the difference between the two cameras - he took a photo of a fluorescent tube with both. The Mk II gave a good picture, but the light had flare and blended with the white metallic surface. The Mk III, however, showed clear definition of the tube edge.

Twimfy - your pic links don't work.

 

If you have never used an SLR of any kind before then your best bet may be a bridge camera - basically a normal compact with a big lens and the sort of control that an SLR has. I have a Fuji S6500fd, which will let me play with and learn P/A/S/M (you'll soon learn what these are if you don't already!) and gives pretty decent photos at much less than the cost of DSLR, while still teaching you what does what.

 

I never posted any. ???

 

I took that photo with the kit lens from my D40. I haven't felt the need to go gear crazy and spend $1000 on things I don't necessarily need at this point and time. Buy a DSLR kit and go from there. If you find yourself learning toward a certain type of photography, that would be the time to decide on whether you should put down $300-$500 on a lens that would fit your needs the best.

 

Oops! You were quoting Tachikoma, I see now! I guess it was too late to be posting! :lol:

 

Aye, a professional needs the MP, but a MKIIn is, what £3,000? we are talking cameras in the up to £400 price range!

Here's a link to my gallery, the links I posted had a session on them so they timed out after a while, sorry.

http://www.nowloading.co.uk/forum/index.php?automodule=gallery&req=user&user=1&op=view_album&album=1

 

Digital Photography is well out of it's infancy. Is it as far as it will go? Of course not, but it's bringing photography to the masses, and in the proper hands, it cuts post production time to nothing in some instances.

I have a Canon EOS 30D. It's great, I love it. The kit lens is fine, I'm sure, but I kind of suck, and we don't have a lot of light in our house. So, I got a pricey lense ($900 or so). It definitely does help, especially for low light.

I'm sure most DSLRs support RAW, but if by some chance you find one that doesn't, avoid it. Another feature I would recommend is one that has low levels of noise at high ISO. Canon's are apparently the bizomb in this capacity, but I've not studied much else.

 

Yes, prosumer :thumbsup:

Basically, something with a fixed lens but a non-square look, and as you say, more pro-like features e.g.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/S6000/S6000A.HTM

Err, for the 1DS Mk III, try £5000 body only!!! Ouch!

 

Sorry didn't see the other I, yeah a MkIII would stretch toa touch more!

Actually, I have to agree with the prosumer thing, I have a Fuji S5600 (S5200 in the states) and it takes some damn good photo's. You can probably grab one for £50 on eBay. It can be set fully manual, so you can fiddle with all the same settings as with an SLR, but you are just limited by the built in lens and not having an optical viewfinder/better manual focus.

 

Yep, thats exactly mine. I've been very pleased with it so far

 

I`m going to go to my local camera shop and have a look at a few models tomorrow and see which ones i like the feel of.

I can see where you`re coming from Retro about having the relevant experience in photography before making the jump but I feel as the new breed of SLR have auto and manual functions it would accomodate a beginner looking to learn. There is no better way to learn about something than to jump two footed into it and experiement while learning the theory along the way. I`m planning on putting in a lot of time and not just pointing and shooting or I would stick with my compact.

I want to take more exciting images withy greater depth and have more overall control.