Best entry level DSLR ..

take photos ..

Jokes aside .. I intend on mainly photographing nature, landscapes and architecture/cityscapes.
erm, I'd like a good low-light performance for night shots. High F numbers.

No preferred size, make/model.
It needs an SD card slot but thats usually on most.

price range £300-£600.
 
For that price it will be quite hard to get what you need.. buying body is one question other is how much are you willing to spend on Glass cause that is most important thing.

Try to read a few reviews on different brand dslr especially ISO performance but if you will photograph only what you mentioned then some sharp glass and tripod will be your best bet.
 
BrandonDouglas said:
take photos ..

Jokes aside .. I intend on mainly photographing nature, landscapes and architecture/cityscapes.
erm, I'd like a good low-light performance for night shots. High F numbers.

No preferred size, make/model.
It needs an SD card slot but thats usually on most.

price range £300-£600.
Click to expand...

Thats the lens, not the body.
There is a massive range to choose from. Get to a camera shop and try out every single one they have in your budget.
remember a good lens on a lower spec body is better than a top of the range body with crap glass.
 
BrandonDouglas said:
take photos ..

Jokes aside .. I intend on mainly photographing nature, landscapes and architecture/cityscapes.
erm, I'd like a good low-light performance for night shots. High F numbers.

No preferred size, make/model.
It needs an SD card slot but thats usually on most.

price range £300-£600.
Click to expand...

Any make really will do .. Its all down to personal taste really... Canon & Nikon are the main two really but I dont think it makes much difference what you get...

" I have a 30D with nifty 50 lens and spare batterys for sale if it interest's you.!"


MD:thumbs:
 
TCR4x4 said:
Thats the lens, not the body.
There is a massive range to choose from. Get to a camera shop and try out every single one they have in your budget.
remember a good lens on a lower spec body is better than a top of the range body with crap glass.
Click to expand...

thats aa great tip, thanks I will remember that!
 
Okay, well instead of asking what camera you guys think, how about I suggest a camera and you tell me whether or not it is actually as good as it may seem.

I believe the Canon EOS 550D Looks great and should suit my needs. Full HD Video, but if I get that, I'm leaving myself limited money for atleast a half descent lens.
 
There really isnt such a thing as a bad DSLR. Some do things better than others, but they will all take great photos in the right hands.
 
I started with an Olympus E420 which was a good little camera but lacking the low light capability I wanted - so I've upgraded to another high-low end camera, the Nikon D3100. It's good value for money, and has a whole range of features including full auto focused 1080p video recording.


DSC_1296.jpg

^ This was taken in very low light.

DSC_1230.jpg

^ Again, it was a dull day and under the cover of trees and yet I still didn't require flash.

DSC_0597.jpg

^ A nice close up, again, naturally lit.
 
Btw, the kit lens on the d3100 is rather good, and also the whole package is cheaper than the 550d.
 
BrandonDouglas said:
I'm leaving myself limited money for atleast a half descent lens.
Click to expand...

The thing is, you probably won't know exactly what you want from a lens until you've had the camera a while. If you get a three digit Canon body (or Nikon's equivalent) and the 18-55mm (or whatever) kits lens you can spend some time working out what you need from a lens and be in a better position to spend your money. You'll be able to save some more money over that time too.
 
I have just bought A refurbished D3100 with 18-55 kit lens for £329. There were only 200 shutter actuation's on on it and it was refurbished by Nikon.
 
Yeah that is the thing I'm worried about, for a young amature photographer I'll be taking alot of photographs trying to get certain things right and practicing etc. and I don't have the money to be constantly fixing the shutter thingy. even 75,000 shutter actuations isn't really that much as take 400-500 in a days work. That means my DSLR would last me 1/3rd of a year if I were to use it day-to-day. I suppose that is the con of improved quality.

Such an expensive hobby :/
 
You really dont need to worry about breaking the shutter. It wont happen unless you are very unlucky. You wont shoot 500 pictures every day, I can guarentee you that.
 
pentax K-r would be a good start on that budget.

BrandonDouglas said:
take photos ..

Jokes aside .. I intend on mainly photographing nature, landscapes and architecture/cityscapes.
erm, I'd like a good low-light performance for night shots. High F numbers.

No preferred size, make/model.
It needs an SD card slot but thats usually on most.

price range £300-£600.
Click to expand...
 
Any old DSLR will get you started, I started on a Nikon D40 as it was a good deal, realised now much I disliked about ut and got an Olympus E520, much better but lacking in low light and I really wanted to use Manual focus lenses, so swapped again for the current GH1 nearly a year ago, and haven't looked back.

Any of those will do you, and will all come in your budget.
 
If you really are taking 500 pics a day...

I have a friend who told me he'd blown the shutter twice on a 1Ds mk3, i was kind of shocked when he told me that until he mentioned he shot 300,000 images a year (so would have been 8-900k when the 2nd went)

So yeh, thats 1250 images/day every day monday-friday. I suggest if you are shooting these sorts of volumes then an entry level dslr isn't really what you need :D I'd be looking to join CPS or NPS as well
 
BrandonDouglas said:
Trust me, I can and have.
Click to expand...

So you shoot 500 shots every day? Really? If you're worried about shutter life, then I suggest you start thinking about why you shoot 500 a day.

You'll learn a lot more by switching to manual mode and taking time to setup and compose shots, than just snapping everything for the sake of it.

You need to be considering if you have the computer hardware/software to manage that kind of volume, particulary if you start using RAW with a DSLR.
 
mid_gen said:
So you shoot 500 shots every day?
Click to expand...

Assuming an 8 hour day, thats a shot every minute! I thought I was trigger happy.

Back to your original question, I have a 550D and so far am very please with it, it's certainly more capable than me, and the kit lens is actually pretty sharp (they can be bought really cheap second hand if you get the body only).

One thing to be warned about though, you will very shortly be overcome by 'lens lust'. You'll be able to spot a red stripe on a lens from a mile away and be ready to sell your first born for a 85mm f/1.2L :lol:
 
500 shots a day suggests to me that you don't really know what to shoot. Even when I go out knowing exactly where I am going and for what purpose I will rarely, if ever shoot over 200 frames and I can't remember if I ever have!

Andy
 
I did mention that I am not professional, just an amature who is learning.
Therefore I take alot of pictures to test things that I am learning and to see what makes a good picture etc.
I didn't mean to say I take 500 Everyday, but I meant I have done that before without realising (When up London once) and I take shots of one thing from various angles to make sure I've definitely got a good one.
Recently I have become more familiar with my camera and probably would only take around 200-300 on an outing
 
The shutter could fail on the first shot you take with a camera that's brand new or it might never fail in the time you own the camera, don't worry about it too much.
 
In nikon, I would recommend the D3100 body with a 18-105 AF-S Vr lens. I've used the 18-55 VR kit and this one blows it out of the water. Or you can go for a D90 with the same lens (iirc it's the D90s kit lens)
 
All the modern DSLRs - and most of the older ones - are good. Canon and Nikon are the most popular and probably have the widest choice of OEM and third party lenses and accessories, if this is important to you.

I wouldn't worry about blowing the shutter. The 75,000 actuations is just the warranty limit, lots of shutters go on long after reaching it. OTOH, they can fail sooner. It's not a big deal really. The manufacturer will make good if its under warranty, otherwise get it replaced or buy another camera if that's a better option for you.

Why don't you stick around for a month and make 100 posts (ask questions, comment and so on) then you will get access to the classifieds? You will probably find something you like at a decent price there, and it's a fairly safe way to buy.
 
I would avoid buying the Canon 1100D though, it's a good camera but it's D3100 competitor is just so much better when it comes to the £ - it's just too expensive for what it is, if you do go the Canon route then look at a second hand 500D/550D as they cost the same and are far superior.
 
500 everyday to 200 every few days is quite a difference!

I probably take 200 on most outings, as I tend to bracket 3 or 5 shots incase I want to do HDR later on but thats only every few days.
I bought my camera with 4,000 clicks, its now on 14,000 and Ive owned it since November last year.

Dont worry about the shutter, as I said, you wont break it, unless you are unlucky.
 
MartynK said:
All the modern DSLRs - and most of the older ones - are good. Canon and Nikon are the most popular and probably have the widest choice of OEM and third party lenses and accessories, if this is important to you.

I wouldn't worry about blowing the shutter. The 75,000 actuations is just the warranty limit, lots of shutters go on long after reaching it. OTOH, they can fail sooner. It's not a big deal really. The manufacturer will make good if its under warranty, otherwise get it replaced or buy another camera if that's a better option for you.

Why don't you stick around for a month and make 100 posts (ask questions, comment and so on) then you will get access to the classifieds? You will probably find something you like at a decent price there, and it's a fairly safe way to buy.
Click to expand...

What's that ?
 
BrandonDouglas said:
Oh I see, cool.
Click to expand...
You'll need 100 posts and to be a member for 30 days to get access though, FYI.

For an entry level camera, you could do a lot worse than the Canon 550D and kit lens, maybe coupled with the 50mm F1.8. It's a great camera with plenty of scope to improve as you do, as you eventually afford to buy better glass. I love mine and think it's an awesome entry level camera.
 
Canon is one of the leading companies and I do see many professionals who choose Canon. So it is obviously a trust worthy company and I don't see how you could go wrong with buying one of their cameras.

Even if I were to get an old EOS version (450D Maybe) I'm sure it would give me great quality ! I think i may get the 550D with standard lens and the go on to purchase newer lenses. If not I may get the 500D So I have more money to purchase a longer zoom range lens with it.

I would certainly miss the 14.3 optical zoom on my S200 EXR And a lens that could do that I'm sure would be big bulky and expensive for a DSLR but that is the sacrifice for a better quality camera.

any hoo ... What I've learnt is Nikon or canon are the best companies, and I should worry more about the lens I'm using.

What is the battery life like on the 550D ?
 
The battery life is good, I've shot several hundred pictures in a day with no problems. Spare batteries are fairly cheap though so you could always pick up another one if you feel you may run into issues.

Regarding the zoom lens, while it's initially outside your budget, the Canon 55-250mm IS lens is a great budget zoom lens, can be had new for around £160, and is pretty small and light. I own it and think it performs really well, especially considering the relatively cheap price compared to some of the top end glass.
 
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