Dilemma - what camera?

[Piddy]

Hi all,

Bit of a newbie here.

I've got about £500 of birthday money to spend on my first DSLR.
I've played with the Canon EOS450 and a Nikon D60 but keep returning to the Sony A350 - or at least the A300 in my local Jessops as they don't have an A350 - and an Olympus E520.
Having spent the last few days looking at reviews of each of them, I am thoroughly bemused as each has its detractors and and fans - with the exception of the Olympus, which is hardly mentioned on these forums - have I missed something there as I quite liked it?

The Canon felt OK but I have read comments on some deficiencies with the standard lens - how true that is, I have no idea but someone said it.... The Nikon has a great name but (in common with the Canon) the additional lenses tend to be more expensive compared to the A350 and as the bulk of my photo taking will be point and shoot, I don't intend to keep spending in the future. I spend a lot of my time on boats so would hope to get a reasonable zoom lens when I buy and have seen a number of camera/lens packages on Amazon for just about every make within (or near) my budget.

I have a friend with an A300 that has just returned from a safari with some spectacular shots and has been filling me with all kinds of clever features on the Sony, which is fine but I still have this nagging doubt about it in the back of my mind.

I class myself as an enthusiastic photographer having had a number of Olympus compacts over the years but now have an opportunity to take a step forward - the only problem is - what do I buy?

I have spent sometime reading other similar posts as I hate repeated questions but I really do need some other opinions.

Many thanks in advance.

Piddy

 

[mastertrinity]

i was the same as you and i was gonna get the d60 originally then i ended up with wanting the canon 450d (i wanted the olympus but i was also put off with its popularity) and i ended up with a sony alpha 300 twin lens kit for £490 from jessops. so you should get the a300 but try and get body only or single lens kit because you can buy the 18-70 lens on ebay for around £60 so you should have enough left for memory card bag etc.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Hi Piddy, to TP

It looks as if you've done all the research and taken the advice to go and try each of the cameras in your shortlist, so let's see what we can do about helping you make that final leap....

In general the standard or kit lenses supplied with these cameras will just be so-so optically, regardless of which manufacturer you opt for, but that's just the way it is, the manufacturers want you to spend more money with them and upgrade.

Don't let this put you off though, plenty of people get great shots with the kit lenses and any of them will still produce images far better than any point and shoot camera is capable of.

As you've said you won't be looking to buy more lenses at a later date my suggestion would be to buy one of the package deals on offer (I believe Jessops do some too) for the camera that feels right in your hands, as ultimately regardless of what features a camera has, if you don't feel comfortable handling it then it'll just end up not getting used.

If the Sony is the one that ticks the most boxes for you, then my advice would be that it's the one to go for, but in the end you'll be the one who has to live with the camera, so don't be talkied into buying one you're not happy with.

HTH (a bit )

 

[MJ Stebbings]

Well, if your not looking to invest in a branded system and end up like one of us, then the cost of additional lenses shouldnt factor into the decision. However, there are 3 very good brands that supply lenses for Canon and Nikon, and are more limited with regards to Sony but they do still do some. These are a lot cheaper then the Canon and Nikon brand lenses, and some of them are very popular as the quality is very good.

Anyway, enough about lenses. Maybe if your friend has a Sony, then go with that IF you like the camera. Its always nice to go out photographing with a friend who has the same brand as you can swap lenses etc.

As Flash said, look at the kits that you can get and get a twin lens kit to give you a good range across your lenses

Mike

 

[Uneducated_Rick]

the bulk of my photo taking will be point and shoot, I don't intend to keep spending in the future. I spend a lot of my time on boats so would hope to get a reasonable zoom lens when I buy and have seen a number of camera/lens packages on Amazon for just about every make within (or near) my budget.

If you are going to use the camera as a point and shoot buy a point and shoot :bonk:

An SLR gives you more control over your photos (which can both help and hinder), but if you're not going to use the extra control why bother paying for it?

 

[esmeslater]

Hey newbie here too!! Am also looking to buy a camera and as Piddy said i also quite like the look of the Olympus E510 Evolt. However it doesn't appear to be very popular on here, but the canon 450D does and seems to be the favourite.
Ive read some reviews on both cameras and there seems to be are more pros than cons for the olympus.
Can anyone help me with my decision??
Thanks

 

[towershot]

Basically I would not tell someone what car to drive,as each has different tastes.
Research , feel and try, and get a mag that marks up points and tests cameras, most of the cameras of today will meet the criteria we set

So it comes down to personal choice...........but the Olympus does have a smaller sensor.:razz:

PS Canon looks good

 

[pete.rush]

As the bulk of my photo taking will be point and shoot, I don't intend to keep spending in the future. I spend a lot of my time on boats so would hope to get a reasonable zoom lens when I buy
Piddy

I would have to agree with Uneducated_Rick, if all you are doing is P&S photography and don't intend to expand the range of lenses beyond 2, wide to zoom, then a SLR would really not be the bag for you. Have a look at something like the Panasonic TZ5, Canon SX10 or something similar and save some money.

The Olympus, Sony, Pentax.....camera's are good starter camera's, but you are very much limited with accessories (lenses etc) and Olympus lenses are very expensive, that's why Nikon and Canon are always recommended, not only good camera's but better choice and cheaper options from the third party manufacturers.

The canon 450D is a great camera, would avoid the Nikon D60 (no inbuilt focus motor in body), because your are currently limited on choice of lenses and go for the D80, but I would think a P&S would suit you better.

Peter

 

[heidfirst]

The Olympus, Sony, Pentax.....camera's are good starter camera's, but you are very much limited with accessories (lenses etc) and Olympus lenses are very expensive, that's why Nikon and Canon are always recommended, not only good camera's but better choice and cheaper options from the third party manufacturers.

At least for Sony that's really not true except for the 5% or so that the "exotics" represent in CaNikon & I would imagine that it's pretty much the same for Pentax.
4/3 is certainly more limited in terms of lens choice as Sigma are the only 3rd party manufacturer that I'm aware of making lenses in that mount & even then a fairly limited range iirc. Having said that Oly kit lenses are very good for what they are & imo reasonably priced.

 

[hashcake]

The 450D 18-55mm IS kit lens is a vast improvement on earlier versions.
I can't speak for other makes of DSLR but even the 40D's 17-85mm IS kit lens has received some criticism but this doesn’t mean it’s useless and I actually find it a good outdoor lens on bright days.
The choice for general walkabout lens will be a personal choice.
Some people are happy to stick with the kit lens while others decide they require a bit more focal length.
Perhaps you need to think about the type of photos you want to take before making a decision.

 

[Dave Stone]

If most of your shooting will be point and shoot but you want a good zoom why not consider a bridge camera. £500 will be more than enough.