Help me pick up a camera!

helps

helps

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Hi guys,

I need your help with picking up my new camera. I'm sorry, I'm sure there's many threads like this, but I've been searching through all cameras and still don't know which one would be good....
I'm no professional, but I'm tired of P&S cameras, although I think I managed to take some very nice pics with it, too. It's just not enough anymore. I'm mostly taking pictures of dogs (horses and other animals), nature, traveling etc. I'd like if camera could handle moving objects, too. I want HD vids, but it's not a priority. Just looking for a good quality image. To make it harder, my budget is really low, I can't give out a lot of money.... I'd say not more than 850USD - but the cheaper the better (more or less). It doesn't necessarily need to be DSLR, but I think it's probably the best choice.

Do you think there's a camera that suits my needs? And of course, could you recommend lenses for my need?

PS: sorry for my English :)
 
$850 roughly converts to £550, which could get you a Canon 550D. It's available new with the kit 18-55mm lens for £505 currently, or £425 with no lens.

I'm not entirely sure on the best general lens for £125 if you go this route though, but I think the Sigma 17-70mm is around this price. I'm sure someone can confirm if this is right!
 
Haven't had any direct experience but if you go for the Nikon D90, I've heard really good things. You'll certainly have some change left over for lenses, accessories etc. Think they're going for around £350-400 (sorry, exchange rates aren't my strong point!) used with a kit lens.
 
Thanks for the ideas....
550d looks affordable, i'll think about it (although the price goes up if you consider better lens - I guess 18-55 isnt too good?!). Nikon d90 looks great, but it's somehow quite expensive camera in our country. Its price is around 1000 USD.
Any other ideas are welcomed. :thankyou:
 
I only really know Nikon so I would suggest a D3100 with the kit lens (which is a very capable lens to begin with) it should be well within your budget.
The best thing to do is to go to a camera shop and try out the ones within your budget, it is often the case that it is how the camera feels in your hand that is the deciding factor. Also don't discount the less obvious camera makers such as Sony or Pentax they give a lot of camera for the money.

Cheers

Andy
 
1st my advice would be go to your local camera shop and handle some camera bodies. The reason is the camera's ergonomics. i.e. how comfortable does it feel to hold, main controls in reach and easy to operate. A camera is a personal choice so people on here could make recommendations until the cows come home, but at the end of the day you have to buy and use it.

Personally, I would recommend also considering buying used equipment, you get slightly more for your $$$. I'm not a big fan of eBay for camera gear, but the for sale forums are a good place to start.

Just remember that the DSLR route, there no one lens fits all situations, and unfortunately the better lenses also cost more so don't expect to get everything you want in one go, you would be better off buying a camera body and single lens (walkaround e.g 17-50mm) to start, get use to the camera and the settings before progressing with further purchaces.

Depending and where you are as you mentioned USD other good places to look are

B&H photo video or Adorama in the States or in the UK, camtech, MPB photography, mifsuds, ffordes, park camera's for used equipment.

for new equipment the link below is a good source.
http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/
 
thank you for your great feedback.....

Andy-
thanks a lot for mentioning D3100... I've been thinking about that one, but I'm a bit worried. Do you think it's a good one for a start? How does it compare to let's say D5100? or canon 600D (i know these are totally over my budget, just thinking if it's worth waiting or d3100 is good enough)... I like the idea of D3100, because it's novice friendly - i've never touched DSLR before, so I guess that'd be good for me. Also you mention kit lens - there are actually couple of kit lens out there -18-55 VR, 18-105 VR, 18-55 VR + 55-200 VR.... etc etc. Which one did you mean? I assume 18-105VR? :)

Which Sony camera would you reccommend for my needs? I've heard they don't provide such a good picture quality, but what do i know...

Pete-
thanks! I agree, I'd like to look at the cameras, try them out and figure which one suits me the best... I'm just trying to pick up few tips, some direction as for what cams would be good for me (in general)... but I agree that ergonomy etc. might play big role, too. :thumbs:

As for used stuff, I'm from central Europe. I just mentioned USD, because I thought it'd be way easier for you guys to imagine my budget... :D I'm not aware of many sites with used cameras, plus I think I'd rather buy new one. I'm interested in opinions, if you guys think that it'd be better to wait and save more money, I might consider it, although I still can't give out much more than I already mentioned.

Appreciate all your thoughts, keep them coming please :clap:
 
To be honest, nearly all the entry level camera's are pretty much on par with each other, what you need to do is look at the range of accessories (eg lenses) and see which brand offer you the type(s) of lenses that you want to use.

Nikon and Canon are the major brands, so lenses (brand or 3rd party) are more regularly available. Some of the other brands are just getting started, so lens choice can be limited, on the other hand, the likes of sony that can dip into the old range of Minolta lenses because they are compatable.

As for the image quality of sony, well quite a few TP members have gone to sony from the major brands, so I would dismiss that rumour out of hand.

Personally, I wouldn't dismiss used equipment, especially if you bought from a rep dealer, because you definitely get more camera for your $$ than compared to new.

For used equipment check out websites like camtech, MPB photography, mifsuds, ffordes, park camera's.

At the end of the day, camera bodies get regularly replaced, where as lenses stay with you, so personally I would put more budget into a lens that I would a camera body.

This image was taken on a canon 20D about £200 used (current model 60D) with a 300mm F2.8 + 1.4x and 2x TCs stacked

IMG_6377_copy_1.jpg
 
I would go for the Nikon D3100 or the Canon equivalent and see which feels best to you. Should give you everything you need, and may even leave some change!
 
To be honest, nearly all the entry level camera's are pretty much on par with each other, what you need to do is look at the range of accessories (eg lenses) and see which brand offer you the type(s) of lenses that you want to use.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I was thinking that lenses are more important than body itself. The problem is that I really don't know which lenses would be good start for me?! Which ones would handle fast moving dogs, but also nature etc? Do you think that e.g. 18-105 VR lens with from d3100 would be good enough? {sorry if any of my questions is silly :bonk:}

thanks cambsno, i think that i might really end up w/ d3100 - though, still thinking if d5100 or canon 600d would be worth waiting and paying more?!
 
helps said:
Thanks! I was thinking that lenses are more important than body itself. The problem is that I really don't know which lenses would be good start for me?!!
Click to expand...
For the vast majority of people there are sufficient lenses for Canon, Nikon, Pentax & Sony DSLRs. If you have an unusual need you usually know it & that dictates your choice of lens (usually thousands of dollars for specialist applications) & hence the body to fit that lens.
The Sony Alpha SLT bodies in your price range (A35, A55) are probably better optimised for amateur video than others (e.g. they actually have acceptable AF in video).
The A580 is also within your price range & is a very good all rounder in a more traditional package.
 
Agree with Pete

You need to try the different makes and models for yourself to see which body feels best in your hand and also which menu system / button layout feels most intuative to yourself.

Good luck ...
 
So I guess I made my decision - I'll probably go with d5100 (or maybe d3100), going to wait and pay more than I previously mentioned.

Now I'm thinking about lenses. I'm not sure which ones I should get. I'm looking for some 'cheaper' ones, but still ones that would give me good results... As I mentioned I'd like to use it for portraits, nature and dog agility or occasionally show jumping (=sports, moving animals). Is there something you can recommend?

I most definitely can't afford all those pro expensive telezooms - 70-200 VR looks amazing, I bet it's worth the money, but lenses like these are not an option. Plus someone mentioned I can't expect to get everything i need right away, i need to learn how to use the camera etc first.
Still I'd like to get some resonable quality for the start.
I'm thinking about 55-200 VR - do you think it can handle motion? (of course I dont expect it to work that well in low light) Some people recommended even some prime lenses, but I'm not sure if that'd be a good idea for these sports. :bonk:
 
I'd say go with the Canon. Whilst it is a great camera, it also has the best name (well in the US anyway) EOS T2i Rebel, I wish it was called that over here aswell.
 
Thanks for recommendation, but I think I'll stick w/ Nikon. I have friend with Nikon, so there's possibility of learning and sharing some tips and lenses. Plus I was told cheaper Nikon cameras and lenses are better than cheap Canon cameras + lenses. So generally I think I'll be better off w/ d5100. But I appreciate any feedback, :)
 
I would say look around in the second hand market, you can often pick up a D90 or D80 for a fair amount within your budget and still have some left for a lens, even if you do have a kit lens 18-55mm, they are very good.

looking through my image archive, I went back to June 2009, when I first acquired a DSLR, Nikon D40 6MP with a 18-55mm kit lens, the image below was taken with this combination, the first real field test with a DSLR camera, felt such a berk, due to the fact it was big and I had only been used to compacts (takes time to get confident with it) :)

Anyways I took this whilst visiting the Baytree Owl Centre, only have this one shot as the Peacock flew away a few seconds later.

:)
6750557693_19cc7044bc_z.jpg
 
I started out with a canon 550D and it is a fantastic camera. It's much better than the 1000D/1100D on IQ, AF and all round quality. The sensor is the same as the 7D which is another brilliant camera, so it can't be that bad. The kit lens that comes with it, the 18-55 IS is pretty good for the price, I took loads of good macro shots with it alone. I've since given it to the wife as I bought a 7D and 5D2, but the 550D was far too good to sell on so I kept it in the family.
 
Thanks! I'll think about d90 and 550d, too. :)
Though, now I'm more concerned about lenses, I should be getting.
Ah decisions, decisions..... :bonk:
 
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Starting off with a Nikon D90 and a Nikon 18-105 would be a fine choice as starting kit. When you can afford it, a Nikon 70-300 is also an excellent lens for the money (and has the same filter thread as the 18-105 which is helpful).

Alternatively, a 'bright' mid-range zoom such as the Tamron 18-50 f/2.8 is popular, but it might be beyond your budget with a D90. Also, you may find the zoom range limiting coming straight from a P&S.

I'd recommend buying used if you can - I made the mistake of buying new kit to start with and wasted money as a result. All my subsequent purchases have been 2nd hand and I've yet to have any problems...
 
Few other people have been recommending me d90 over d5100.... I can get d90 + 18-105 VR and d5100 + 18-105 VR for the same price, so it'd really only be about my decision.... I'm just a bit inclined to 5100 because it's "new" camera and d90 seems to be a bit old. And I know this is not logical at all, lol.
Also I was told that d5100 has much worse manual settings options - i mean that it's harder to use d5100 with manual settings. I don't have extra money, so i'd have to go with kit lens 18-105 VR and then maybe get nice and cheap 35mm or 50mm prime lens.... and then in the future some kind of zoom.

Thank you for your tips! :)
 
Are you comparing new prices? There's plenty of 2nd hand D90's around. Unless you need video (D90 was ropey for this) or really high ISO, a D90 will do you fine. I have a D5000 (precursor to the D5100) and if I had my time again I'd get a used D90 and put the extra cash towards some lenses.
 
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