Bridge or DSLR??

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Hi :wave:I'm hoping to get into photography more as a hobby, and decided to treat myself to a new camera. I have a very old Olympus C3030Z, which in fairnesss does a good job. However, cameras with more resolution and longer zooms etc are relatively cheap and I can afford one in the £200 - 400 range.

I'm not sure what to purchase, main uses would be indoor gig photography, portraits and pet photos.

I have seen the Oly. e510 twin lens kit for £350

Also the Pan. FZ50

Is there anything else I should be looking at in this budget and for the use detailed above?

Thanks in advance
 
You could look at the D60 with cashback. I have seen it with the VR lens at £359 THEN you get £60 cash back to make it £299 !!!

The offer is £90 cash back if you get 2 lenses or a flash too so you could get a bigger bargain

eg2 D60 + 18-55VR + SB600 = £359+139 - 90 = £410


www.buyacamera.co.uk
 
I am not familiar with the Olympus range although the e510 spec does look good. If you are interested in Gig photography think about the max ISO ratings to make the most of available low light. The D60 recommended by cowaski is a full stop faster at ISO 3200, although I do not know what the image quality of the Nikon is at that ISO setting.
 
If you get a D40, D40x or D60 then the nifty fifty will have to be used in manual mode!
 
I have zero experience of either type having literally just placed an order for a Panasonic FZ8 but from what I have read here it sounds as though you would be better off with a DSLR for the indoor gig pics.

Good luck chosing - it's taken me months to make a decision!!
 
The package I mentioned with the decent flash at £410 might be best for the gig pictures as the onboard flash is unlikely to be adequate for that task!
 
Thanks for ther replies.

Flash at gigs, from what I have read unless you are bouncing it is not usually welcome or required.

Just looking into the nifty fifty!
 
if your looking for a budget DSLR then look at a second hand D50 if you like nikon. You'll be a bit annoyed if you buy a D40 or D60 and can't use half the lens's with it.
 
How about the Sony a200. The iso goes to 3200, and it's £300 or less.
 
trigger said:
... main uses would be indoor gig photography, portraits and pet photos.
Click to expand...

Given the budget and the requirements, then my view is that you should be looking at the lens first. You're talking about portraits in low light (gigs) and portraits of things that won't sit still (pets). That means you need a lens that can cope. Its unlikely that any kit lens can do that job well enough.

And you can't rely on flash - not allowed at most gigs.

So the only sensible option within your budget is a 50mm f/1.8.

That means Canon 350D/400D/450D or Nikon D40/D40X/D60 (I think - Nikon users - I'm no expert). And a 50mm lens on top.

The Canon 50mm will autofocus on those cameras. The Nikon version won't autofocus on the quoted Nikons.

In my mind that sells the Canon to me.

A bridge camera most certainly won't cut it for your intended uses.
 
There are a raft of super-cheap lenses you could add to get additional range initially from ebay and then sell them on, probably for what you paid, as time goes by. In my experience the results with such lenses will be about the same as a bridge camera anyway.

So in Canon terms (as it's what I know),

50mm f/1.8 - buy new, only about £55
18-55mm (kit lens) - about £30
24-90mm (35mm kit lens) - about £30
75-300mm or 90-300mm - about £90

Then can go up from there over time. The 'indoor gig shots' will need big apertures and each your cash - 85mm/1.8 (£250) or how about a 70-200mm f2.8L IS for about £1100!! There are other options, Sigmas etc...

Hope that helps.
 
Thanks for all the help

Nifty 50 is at the top of the shopping list then by all accounts!

Looking seriously at an eos350 body to go with it.

Or should I be looking elswhere for a body?
 
trigger said:
Or should I be looking elswhere for a body?
Click to expand...


Not really - that'll do the job.

I was banging on about the lens. And you seem to have taken that on board. So cool.
 
Dal said:
if your looking for a budget DSLR then look at a second hand D50 if you like nikon. You'll be a bit annoyed if you buy a D40 or D60 and can't use half the lens's with it.
Click to expand...


Are the lenses for the d50 and d70 different then?

I've seen some d50's and d70's, should they be considered?

Cheers
 
Just do as I suggested. Nothing wrong with good used equipment that has been cared for. ;)


Kev.
 
I seriously would not buy anything without having held it with a lens on in my own hands.

Size and button layout are a big factor in buying what is best for you.
 
I do some gig work and really try to avoid flash as it washes out the atmosphere of the shot! - high ISO helps but even with a high ISO (my camera max's out at 1600) and fast lenses - you can struggle expecially when the venue decide to dim available light half way through the gig. :annoyed:
 
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