Help choosing the right camera :)

[littlelozz]

Hi
This is my first post here and I was wondering if you could help me?

Im new to photography and after getting a little money put aside I really want to learn more about it.

I love taking photos and want to know how to take them if you see what I mean?

Iv been advised that the Canon D400 is a great camera to start and also the Nikon D40x (these are both in my budget).

Another camera that I have found is the Olympus E410 at PCWorld which include 2 lenses - a 17.5-45mm and a 40-150mm lens. However I havent seen a lot of things about Olympus and just wondered is it worth going for the deal with the 2 lenses or stick to the Canon/Nikon one?

These are all in my budget and after looking at hundreds of website my head is so muddled now I dont know what one to go for!

If some one could advise me that would be great
Thanks very much

Lauren x

 

[Yv]

Sorry, Lauren, not laughing at you...but we have had several threads of the same ilk over the last week.

So to summarise the advice in those - canon and nikon with have a greater variety of accessories available [but th enikon will be limited to lenses that have inbuilt motors for autofocus, so perhaps look at a D50 too] and would both be excellent cameras for you to start with. The oly it seems to be much loved by those that use them, though the E510 is the better camera as I understand it from users.

However, THIS is the important bit - they are all in your budget, so...get yourself off to jessops or similar, and have a really good play with all three of them, see which feels best in your hand, which you like the controls and buttons on, and don't let a salesman talk you into a camera you are not comfortable with. Then, WALK AWAY!! Have a long hard think about which one you prefered, and shop around both in high street stores and on line [warehouse express for example] to see who is doing the best deals at the time. Remember that there is a good chance that once you have selected, you will probably stay with that brand for a long time, so choosing a camera now just because it has 2 lenses with it, might not be a good thing, but then again, it might be just the one for you, only you can decide that, but take your time and think of what you will be doing after the purchase as well as what seems a good idea now.


Good luck, and enjoy which ever you chose, making sure you post some results for us to see


Oh, and welcome to the forum.

 

[littlelozz]

Thanks for your reply and Im sorry for the repetitive post lol
This forum is great it has really helped me in trying to find a camera
Iv been to jessops to have a feel of them and to be honest I think Im heading to the Canon D400 but Im such a pain when buying big purchases - ten minute out the shop and I always worry Iv made the wrong choice!!
Thanks for your reply and Ill post some pics when Iv finally got it

Lauren x

 

[Ian T]

It's 400D, not D400. The Nikon DSLR series are coded Dxxx, whereas the Canon ones are the other way round.

I can't comment on non-Nikon/Canon cameras as I don't really have any experience of them. However, the D40/X does have the limitation of no built-in focus-assist motor, which limits the number of lenses that can be used with autofocus. The 400D is an excellent camera, and you won't be disappointed with it.

 

[DaveHope]

Glad that you've had a play with then in store. My advise would be to get either the Nikon D50 or the Cannon EOS350D.

If you can get the slightly older models, you'll have a bit more money to spend on some additional lens's which is where the money really counts.

 

[SimonTALM]

If you want advice on the Olympus theMusicMan will be along shortly

However, my advice will be similar to LLs go and get a feel of all the cameras in your budget and decide which ones feel best then WALK AWAY

Look at the system you are buying in to be that Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus or Pentax. Research what is available for that system and then workout would you be able to do everything that you might want to do in that system. If you get bitten by the photography bug a wrong choice in your first camera can be expensive if you need to change systems in a few years.

As long as you do those things the camera you choose will be perfect for you and it will set you up nicely for a good future in photography regardless of the system you choose.