Newbie needing advice

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Scottish Snapper

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Chris
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Hey folks. Complete newbie to the photography world. Need advice on what camera to purchase as a starting block. Happy to stick to Canon or Nikon but I need a suggestion on models to look at.

Hoping to stick within the £300 bracket but could be flexible I guess.

Cheers

Chris
 
Hi Chris & welcome to TP! :wave:

You'll find everyone here very helpful. I presume you're in Scotland somewhere? Where were you a couple of months ago...I was selling just the camera for you! Don't know anything about Nikon but from what everyone says, Canon & Nikon are both great systems so stick with one or other. I just started last year with a Canon 450D and found it to be a brilliant camera. It came with the kit 18-55IS lens which was actually pretty good too for a basic lens. You'd probably pick one up 2nd hand on here for about £300 if your lucky. (I think I got about £280ish for mines body only - but that was almost 'like new' condition). Best to go to Jessops/Jacobs and just ask to see cameras in your range and get a 'feel' for both the Canon & Nikon equivalent. It's down to personal taste at the end of the day - but you won't go far wrong with a 450D or even a 2nd hand Canon 40D? (doubt if you'd get a 50D for that money - but if you can, even better?)

Good luck anyway and look forward to seeing some of your first shots on the forum.

Cheers :thumbs:

Dougie
 
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Welcome to the forum Chris.

The only way to choose, as many on here will tell you, is to hold a few in your local store and see which feels the most comfortable.

If you're looking at a NEW body there's only really the Canon 1000d with kit lens or the Nikon D3000 with kit lens ( both 18-55 I believe ) around the £300-£350 mark.

You ain't going to get a used Canon 40d for £300 (unless it's a bit ropey) and definately not a 50d. If you were going for a used body then a Canon 400d/450d or Nikon D40/D60 will be within your budget.

Hope this helps.
 
Sorry to cut and paste this but the fondle is most important!

Go to shop, fondle cameras, see how it feels in your hand, can you access the buttons and do you like the menu system. Whichever one you prefer, buy! Simple! Its the only way to decide, otherwise all you end up with is people recommending you the brand they have.
 
No probs Dougie, wasn't having a pop my friend :)

Just wanted to point out the alternatives :thumbs:
 
Well that's me pulling on my trainers. Off to Jessops! Thanks for all advice given. Its very much appreciated. I'm somewhat of a tight b****r when it comes to money so I'm hoping to arm myself with advice/info before making a purchase!
 
Scottish Snapper said:
Well that's me pulling on my trainers. Off to Jessops! Thanks for all advice given. Its very much appreciated. I'm somewhat of a tight b****r when it comes to money so I'm hoping to arm myself with advice/info before making a purchase!
Click to expand...

To be honest, at this level the cameras are pretty much similar. One thing to note is that the nikon 3000 and 5000 do lack an AF motor so lenses purchased will have to have their own. It doesn't seem to stop people here though!
 
It has been done! I've returned home with a D40 started kit. Battery is on charge now!!

I'm excited i must say!
 
I think what flash in the pan means is the D40 (Nikon?) has been out of production for some time and there probably aren't too many new ones about, but if it is I shouldn't worry about it as I bought a new D50 long after it had been discontinued and when the D40 and D60 were available. Admittedly it was from a small independent dealer when most of the big boys had sold out, and I bought it specifically because I wanted the inbuilt motor although I had sold all my Nikon lenses before going digital with a bridge camera ( Panasonic FZ30). I then realized my mistake but when going back into SLRs knew I had to keep my options open for older lenses.
As it happens the lenses I have bought have all been AFS, but I still shouldn't like to be without a motor. I cant afford a D90 and I dont think it would make much sense to go for a D80. Sorry, I seem to have gone off on a tangent, enjoy your D40 or whatever it is, and by the way, welcome to TP
 
I think what Flash in the Pan means is the D40 (Nikon?) has been discontinued and there probably aren't many new ones about. If it is I shouldn't worry about it, I bought a new D50 long after the D40 and D60 were available, admittedly it was from a small independent dealer when most of the big boys had long sold out. I bought it because I wanted the internal motor although I had sold all my Nikon lenses before I went digital with a bridge camera ( Panasonic FZ30) but when I realized my mistake and bought a DSLR I wanted to keep open the possibility of getting older lenses. As it happens the lenses I have bought, apart from the 18-55 kit lens ( 18-135 & 70-300VR) are AFS, but I still wouldn't like to be without the motor, I couldn't afford a D90 and it didn't seem to make much sense to go for a used D80. Anyway, I appear to have gone of on a tangent, enjoy your D40, if that is what it is, and welcome to TP.
Please forgive the duplication, I didn't think the first one had worked
 
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I got a "new" D40 from Merchant City cameras in Glasgow but........

it was correctly sold as "Refurbished by Nikon"

shutter count = 0, and box sealed by Nikon....never had a prob at all
 
Ha ha. Nothing wrong with a good tangent! At least it was still camera related!

I actually got mine from Tesco. Had a donkey load of vouchers so I got it cheaper than a reasonable second hand one. And I'm chuffed. Just wish it'd charge quicker! :D
 
Scottish Snapper said:
. And I'm chuffed. Just wish it'd charge quicker! :D
Click to expand...

jeeez...wait 90mins....:lol:

on start-up, it will ask all the usual time/language/ etc

then when you can work out how to access the settings

set the EV Exposure value to -0.3 it makes the colours a bit better on the D40
also
choose "Fine" for Image Quality
and "Large" for Image Size
and "jpeg".............all to get started ...Shoot and enjoy !!

if you EVER screw up the settings, press the 2 buttons marked with a small green dot, and the D40 will reset to the factory settings......:thumbs:
 
Yardbent said:
jeeez...wait 90mins....:lol:

on start-up, it will ask all the usual time/language/ etc

then when you can work out how to access the settings

set the EV Exposure value to -0.3 it makes the colours a bit better on the D40
also
choose "Fine" for Image Quality
and "Large" for Image Size
and "jpeg".............all to get started ...Shoot and enjoy !!

if you EVER screw up the settings, press the 2 buttons marked with a small green dot, and the D40 will reset to the factory settings......:thumbs:
Click to expand...

The 90 minutes came round eventually!!

Clearly an owner or ex owner? Did you like it?
 
Scottish Snapper said:
Clearly an owner or ex owner? Did you like it?
Click to expand...

ex...!
an excellent camera -- plenty of shots posted here I envy

but a bit of a gadget tramp :D and decided to sell D40 while it was still "mint"

looked at D200 and D90....decided on D5000
weather over here improving - have a good weekend out shooting.....:thumbs:
 
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