No arguments please! Simple question inside…

nothing in it to be honest, intro cams are pretty similar, if it was me i would buy a D70 and save a few quid and put it towards a nice lens, the glass is much ore inportant than the camera, or at least as important, but then i would say that i use a D200, mamiya 645 pro and a leica :shrug:
 
Thanks for the updates everyone, I am itching to get into town and feel up new cameras :D
 
just top throw my tuppence into the mix......

As has been said before....try the different makes and see what suits you best. I wouldn't, however, be getting a dSLR in the mid-range (d200 or 30/40D etc) You will end up saving for longer and you're infinately better off having an entry level dSLR than your fuji. You will be learning rather than saving and the jump between the d40 and d200 is less than the jump between the fuji and the d200. If that makes sense?

Cheaper camera means you can spend more money on lenses and they are most important as you wll tend to keep good glass a lot longer than you keep your body!

I hate to say it, but canon have a wider range of lenses and cameras and they tend to be marginaly cheaper than the equivalent Nikon offerings, especially the pro level lenses.

Don't forget to factor in costs like memory cards (your Xd's wont work in and Dslr) batteries, tripod, filters, cable release etc. Sometimes a it can pay to buy second hand and with the current round of model changes going on with both nikon and canon there are some definate bargains out there.

hth?
 
The initial camera is probably pretty unimportant, (I have both the 350D and 400D and am working towards a different body again, have been waiting to see what they replace the 5D with) as you will probably be looking to upgrade within a couple of years or less

What is important is your choice of lenses, these should last you for your lifetime of photography so get the best you can afford, and if you cannot afford the best today then wait and save until you can :)

JMO

Christine
 
My personal take on this is that the lens is every bit as important as the body, perhaps even more so. If money is restricted (was with me) then consider the lens you would really need early on in your decisions.
I bought a Nikon D40 (very good value but 6 megapixels rather than 10 of the 40x) and I have already saved enough to buy a Sigma 30mm f/1.4.
Don't over look the D40 if you don't need so high a pixel count.
 
if it was me I would be looking at a good second hand one you can save a fair bit and spend the money saved on glass again second hand. there are loads about look on here, POTN, and EOS. both my cameras and 1/2 my lens's have been second hand and have been all in great nick the 5D is still under warranty!
 
Sounds to me that you're going to outgrow an entry level DSLR pretty quickly, especially as you remarked that you wanted to make a career out of photography.

Look at the 'prosumer' level bodies, also check out second hand bodies, there are some great bargains around this time of year.
 
It's not been mentioned yet, but if you're mainly doing portaiture then you must also consider the Fuji S5 Pro. Possibly the best skin tone reproduction in it's class and also favoured by some in wedding photography for the high dynamic range sensor (which can cope with the grooms black suit and the brides white dress in one exposure!
There's one or two portraits in my S5 Pro Gallery here:
http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f206/laser_jock99/Fuji S5 Pro/

Also on the plus side it takes Nikon lenses.
 
Thanks for that, another to add to the list :D

I havent had chance to go play with them yet, but I might be selling my Fuji sooner rather than later, so my money is creeping up ;)
 
Right, I am weedling them down one by one, now I have some questions about... the 400D ;)

Will it shoot in JPEG, or is it just RAW?

Does it really not have a macro mode? (this is quite offputting)

Does it take custom made batteries or AA's?

There are more questions, but Ive left my comparison spreadsheet at home :D
 
Regarding the above, am I right in thinking no SLR comes with a macro mode? You have to buy the macro lens for it? :bonk: :D
 
Betty said:
Right, I am weedling them down one by one, now I have some questions about... the 400D ;)

Will it shoot in JPEG, or is it just RAW?
Click to expand...

Both or either.

Does it really not have a macro mode? (this is quite offputting)
Click to expand...

No. You have to buy a macro lens. Sigma 105 for example.

Does it take custom made batteries or AA's?
Click to expand...

Custom. But if you buy a battery grip you can use AA's. Batteries can be had for £10 tho.
 
You are right indeed.

They use custom batteries too.. but these can be bought from 7dayshop at a good price and last longer than the canon originals.

If you buy a battery grip (which holds 2) there is also a cartridge to hold AA's as well if you get caught short!! :D
 
Thanks Pete, I think I am getting there! Some reviews are not very clear and so I am not 100% sure on what I would be getting :)

Janice said:
If you buy a battery grip (which holds 2) there is also a cartridge to hold AA's as well if you get caught short!! :D
Click to expand...

Ill be getting one of those too :D
 
I'll just reiterate what others have said - all entry cameras are effectively equal but you are buying in to a system which aren't equal so look at what options (kit porn :lol:) there are for each. Also look at what your friends / family are using as the benefits of "borrowing" are huge. If these two alone don't define the camera then go and "cop a feel" ;) and pick which one feels right.

Money saving? tip - if you go for the Nikon system take another look at the standard D40 rather than the D40x the only difference is the Megapixel count and that doesn't make much of a difference to the photo but the prices you can find the D40 + 18-55 are quite amazing. If nothing else you can then have some spare cash to spend on extras like more lenses (55-200VR), batteries, memory cards, tripods etc. Yes the D40 & D40x can't autofocus on non-AFS / HSM lenses but the only one of these you're likely to want is the 50mm f1.8 and manually focusing on that one is easy.
 
Betty said:
Right, I am weedling them down one by one, now I have some questions about... the 400D ;)

Will it shoot in JPEG, or is it just RAW?

Does it really not have a macro mode? (this is quite offputting)

Does it take custom made batteries or AA's?

There are more questions, but Ive left my comparison spreadsheet at home :D
Click to expand...

The 350D has a macro mode, i wouldve thought that the 400D does..obviously its rather a basic mode though and macro lenses are your best bet :)
 
HanC said:
The 350D has a macro mode, i wouldve thought that the 400D does..obviously its rather a basic mode though and macro lenses are your best bet :)
Click to expand...

Its not really a macro mode. It just alters the camera settings to make things easier. It has no effect what so ever on what the lens does. Its not like a compact.
 
Betty said:
That seems too good to be true :shrug:
Click to expand...

yes very good price if in any doubt email and ask to do cash on collection, what have you got to lose. not everyone are scammers but you do have to be careful, if its off a camera forum then its easy to check if they have just joined , sold kit before ect
 
I have actually found some pretty good deals on eBay, including memory cards, bags etc. And in Nottingham so I wont have far to go to collect it, saves me £20 delivery :)

But is it wise? Buying from the bay? Always worries me :(
 
Depends how big your boyfriend/dad/brother is, I'd always do cash on collection on stuff like camera gear, and make sure that it's fully working. Obviously it's a bit different if the seller is like kerso, one stop digital or the like, but for one off sales, I'd definately do cash on collection :thumbs:

There are some good deals to be had on the bay, but you've got to always be thinking "am I getting ripped off" etc.
 
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