Good starter DSLR?

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bullybaby2011

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Rosie
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HI all,

Looking to get into photography after some absence from it since my heady school days!

Can you make some recommendations of what would be a good starter camera and lens combo?

I think I would prefer Canon as I used them at school so would be nice to have some brand familiarity!

Not sure of budget yet....what can I get for what prices?

Thanks

Rose
 
I'm not really sure about the exact prices in the UK market since I'm portuguese, but any entry level dSLR will probably be good enough.

If you're familiar with the Canon system, the 550D sounds like a good choice. You can get it with the 18-55mm IS or 18-135mm IS kit lenses. Both are ok, but on a higher budget I would suggest one of the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 (with or without image stabilization) or a Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8.
That would make a very nice starter kit for general purpose photography.
 
A canon 1000d 450 d would be a goos starter camera, also kit lens 18-55mm
 
Pentax K-x or the new K-r. The Pentax USP is backwards compatability with every Pentax lens ever made (and many of those made by third parties!).
 
Hi Rose,

I have only just got into photography after enjoying taking many pics with my compact. After many hours , over many weeks of reading and researching I went for the Canon eos 500d and I am extremely pleased with it.

After deciding I was buying this camera I looked on ebay, but most were imports and I did not want to take the risk. I eventually bought from PC World, only last week. I paid £519.99 with a 18-55mm kit lens.

I did try to knock them down on price, which they would not do on the camera. I then started looking at bags and chose one and he threw in a 4gb card worth £15.

I watched e-bay for a few weeks and second hand 500d were going for between £440 & £480. Imports buy it now were going for £520. Same price I paid, but I got peace of mind.

Hope this helps.

Mike
 
There are so many cameras around....I think I may either go one way or the other...super cheap second hand and see how I get on, or super dear new and go for it!
 
If it were me i'd probably grab a cheap second hand body. Perhaps a 20D. Surely these are only £150 ish now. Get one with low shutter count and spend money on the lenses - these are more important than the body.
 
bullybaby2011 said:
HI all,

Looking to get into photography after some absence from it since my heady school days!

Can you make some recommendations of what would be a good starter camera and lens combo?

I think I would prefer Canon as I used them at school so would be nice to have some brand familiarity!

Not sure of budget yet....what can I get for what prices?

Thanks

Rose
Click to expand...


Camerapricebuster.com is a good place to start
 
I have just noticed from your intro post in the new members bit you are from Cambridge. Have you tried Campkins camera's in Rose Crescent in Cambridge as they do some secondhand stuff also out in Cottenham there is a company called Camtech http://www.camtechuk.com/ which also do a range of second hand equipment.
 
Az_GTi said:
If it were me i'd probably grab a cheap second hand body. Perhaps a 20D. Surely these are only £150 ish now. Get one with low shutter count and spend money on the lenses - these are more important than the body.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with this as once you get into photography properly you will start thinking about trading up and you'll save a chunk of cash by buying second hand until you find your feet.
 
Have you any ideas what you want to take pictures of? It makes it easier to reccomend things.
 
Hi Rose, and welcome to TalkPhotography. :)

You indicate that the intent is to take up photography again after a break from it. If those 'heady school days' were more than, say, 10 to 15 years ago then imo you'll find that discounting other brands and going with Canon won't really give you 'brand familiarity'.

As above, I would recommend you buy used as that will be the most cost-effective way to not only do the initial buy, but also be a prudent way to do future step-upgrades too! When you have done your research and when you have a shortlist of gear, then trawl through the Classifieds on this site as well as the likes of eBay (I'm sure you'll recognise genuine sales/ well cared for equipment etc...).

In the meantime, and while you are doing your homework on this, nip to your local camera shop, such as Jessops, and physically try a few DSLRs to see what feels most ergonomic to you, and, check out the menu system to ensure that the Brand you pick doesn't leave you feeling that the software side to it is constantly alien to you.

Finally. Have a squint through this section (Talk Basics) and take a good trawl through the Talk Equipment section. That will no doubt be littered with threads regarding advice on the subject of DSLR bodies and what lenses are the ones to get. I know I'm dancing around the subject brand-wise, but that's quite deliberate and there are many who will push you one way or another. When you find your feet on here and have handled some of the Nikon/ Canon/ Sony gear, you'll no doubt then have a definitive shortlist to get further advice upon. :thumbs:
 
As MScotts said above, if you have been out of the game for a while then a modern Canon will probably not feel so familiar. You'd then have the advantage of being able to choose from a variety of brands before being locked in.
I got interested in photography about 18 months ago and found, on Ebay, a second hand Canon 450D with an 18-55mm and a 55-250mm lens. There was also a bag, filters and memory cards included. I reckon I got a good deal for less than £600. I guess you could say I am a Canon user.
However, my sister got marries a couple of months ago and I set out looking for a camera for her wedding present. I looked at a 1000D, but I'm glad that a kept an open mind and looked at other brands. I decided that the Nikon D3000 was the better camera in that price range. I bought her a new Nikon D3000 with 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses for £480 from an independent retailer. My sister is very happy with the camera and being a beginner, she doesn't have any issues learning with it.
 
+1 for a second hand ##D rather than a new ###D, a 30D or 40D, or maybe even a secondhand 5D mk i if the budget allows.

Any DSLR is a good "starter", so start out with the best you can and go secondhand to allow someone else to cover the initial depreciation.
 
+1 for cheaper second hand body and then spending more on nicer lenses as time goes by and you realise what type of lens you want etc.
 
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