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Bucketp

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My daughter has just been accepted on a photography course at uni but has been told she needs a dslr instead of the bridge camera she currently has.
What would be a good reasonably priced camera for her to start with?
 
I would try and find out if this course requires any kind of minimum specification, and also, even though it shouldn't be, whether the course is geared to say Canon, Nikon etc. While normally a course will be brand agnostic, it may well be that items of equipment that the school maintains, such as lenses, will fit one brand of camera, but not others.
 
Slaphead said:
I would try and find out if this course requires any kind of minimum specification, and also, even though it shouldn't be, whether the course is geared to say Canon, Nikon etc. While normally a course will be brand agnostic, it may well be that items of equipment that the school maintains, such as lenses, will fit one brand of camera, but not others.
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Thanks Ill get her too ask.
 
What would you regard as a reasonable price? Does your daughter have to budget for any particular lenses too, just in terms of focal length and aperture? There's lot of choice, and there really aren't any 'poor' DSLRs out there, but this would help to narrow things down.
 
cheap as she can and probaly a canon or nikon as these are the most popular, (thats hard for a Sony user to say).
I would imagine it would be an entry level camera but as Im not familiar with these brands I dont know what to recommend
 
I progressed from a finepix bridge camera to a Canon 1100d, came with a 18-55 kit and a 70-300 telephoto. It also came with 8gb sd, 2 x uv filter and a really nice bag. £500 all in from Jessops. I can thouroughly recommend it, its excellent.
I know some people will say buy a 2nd outfit, but I like guarantees.
 
Do they not have a suggested kit (ie. you need a body plus a short prime, medium zoom, flashgun, remote release etc)?

Also might be worth finding out what camera system the tutors are using - not saying they'd sneer at someone using a different brand but it would be something they're more familiar with and thus able to offer more directed help in tricky situations?
 
Have you had a look at a Canon 550D, it was my first DSLR, I had purchased it with a 18-135mm kit lens. A brilliant camera for a beginner. It is light and packed with some great features. Good luck.
 
If she is on a tight budget canon outlet on ebay are selling Canon EOS 1000D / Rebel XS 10.1 MP - 18-55mm + 75-300 mm Lenses (Refurbished) for £279.99 item number 270933528872.
 
A 2nd hand Canon 20D must be up to scratch for this I would've thought and if still available there was one I saw in the classifieds for £160 including a kit lens and bag IIRC.
 
From a Canon point of view, something like a used 20D, or 30D at best will be suitably adequate. Anything more expensive will be just extravagance.
 
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You could always consider something 2nd hand like a Canon 20d (or Nikon equivalent) with a 50mm f1.8 lens or maybe for more range (and price) Tamron 17-50 f2.8.

Assume a flash might be handy, something like a 430ex - off camera flash triggers I have used young nuo - cheaper than others and seem to work well.
 
I have to agree with Slaphead here - find out what equipment they are using to teach. My University said the same thing to the new students. Most bought Canon gear and the University only had Nikon lenses to hire! If Canon, a 20D is an excellent suggestion.
 
Nikon and Canon have the biggest ranges of OEM and 3rd party lenses and accessories, so it makes sense to buy one or other of them, unless there are any compelling reasons to go with another brand.

I agree with the suggestion to find out what the university is using, and be guided by that. For the actual camera, I'd look at buying a used mid-range body - even an older model - rather than a brand new entry level one. They're still extremely capable, and usually have features the entry level models lack; and you could probably sell it on if your daughter doesn't want to keep it after she finishes her course. You wont lose much, if anything, compared with the depreciation on a new model.
 
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