Want a new DSLR, but which one?

BalSanghera

BalSanghera

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Bal Sanghera
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Ok I have had my Sony DSC-P10 pretty much since the first week it came out and it takes nice pictures but I want something better!

I have always had Sony when it comes to cameras but from what I have read I might be better off going with Nikon or Canon?

What are the best options, I have been looking at the:
Sony DSLR A200
Canon EOS 40D
Nikon D40

I dont know which of the above would be best for me, and having a read I dont quite get all jargon and know the difference between all the different type of bodies and lenses.

What would be the best choice for a complete novice, apprantly the Sony doesnt come with a wide range of lens etc where as the Canon and Nikon has interchangeable 3rd party lenses is that right? The max I want to spend is £500 including extras. If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations please let me know as I would like to purchase the camera by the weekend.

I only really ever take pictures at family weddings, parties etc but with a new dslr hopefully I can start taking decent pics as a hobby!
 
All makes take good shots.

What is important is what feels right when you hold it.

Go and try the different models and see what you like then
 
Nikon D40, just be aware that this camera (aswell as the D60) doesn't have an internal motor for lens's so any lens you buy must have a motor in it. This will put the price of the lens's up a bit.

A Nikon D80 might fall into your budget (not sure on the price of these at the moment though).

Another option is the Canon 400D, seems to be a very poplular camera and a good price.

Best advice is to head down to your local camera shop and have a play with all 3 brands and see which feels best for you. This is far more important than any specs of the cameras.

Good luck.
 
Thanks for the advice might have to pop down to jessops and see whats right for me
 
Don't let the "rumours" of lack of lenses for the Sony put you off...
Tamrom and Sigma (the biggest 3rd party manufacturers) offer most (if not all) of their lenses in Sony fit.
PLUS the range of Minolta AF lenses will also fit the Alpha range of cameras.
These lenses have been around for a while and can obviously only be purchased second hand now, but there are some lenses in that range that are fantastic pieces of glass and can be bought for next to nothing in comparison with brand new prices.
I'm not saying the Sony is the best....far from it.
But I've got an A200 and have had no problems whatsoever finding enough lenses to blow my money on.
As others have said, go to a decent shop and try different models out in the flesh.
One (or maybe two) will instantly feel "right".....(usually the one that's £250.00 over your budget :lol:)
Rob
 
What do I need to know about lenses? To start off with I only need something basic and maybe a wide angle lens then later I can experiment with different lenses once I figure out how to use the camera properly.
 
A few weeks ago I was in exactly the same dilemma, with exactly the same list of cameras you published.

Last week I took the plunge and went for a Nikon D60 (which was not on my list??)

I am thrilled with the results and have no regrets at all. However, I suspect I would be saying the same whichever one I chose.

Reading up on all the reviews of the Nikon D40 was what inspired me to get into photography. (A good bonus at work nudged me to the D60).

I have decided not to get involved in the lens market just yet. I want to get to grips with the camera first. The kit lens is fine for that.
 
bally12345 said:
What are the best options, I have been looking at the:
Sony DSLR A200
Canon EOS 40D
Nikon D40
Click to expand...


Well all I can say is: Whatever you buy make it quick, because a few weeks ago the one to have was the 40D, yesterday it was the 50D. Today it's the 5D MkII and tomorrow it'll be something else.
 
Looking at the three you have listed, you won't find a 40D with a kit lens for £500 unless you find one second hand that someone is desperate to sell and they need the money quickly.
The 450D with kit lens can be bought new within your budget.
 
andrewc said:
You can get refurb 40Ds for £ 499 (Jessops Norwich have two in their display case) and a kit lens can usually be bought from Ebay for £ 30ish
Click to expand...

I stand corrected :)
 
I assume you meant 400D not 40D as you are also looking at the Nikon D40 and the Alpha 200.

May I make suggestion about another one to consider? The Olympus E420, comes in between the D40 and the 400D price-wise.
 
It's the lens that comes with the package if you are not just buying the body.
 
I see... whats the difference between a 18-70 lens and 18-200 lens?
 
It's the difference in focal length
The 18-70 is a short zoom only going out to 70mm, not a bad range for portraits

The 18-200 is a medium length zoom with a 200mm max focal length allowing you to take better pictures of things further away.

However for most sports/animal /birds something like a 70-300 would be better(not perfect) and would complement a 18-70 nicely to give you coverage from 18-300 in only 2 lenses.
 
130mm.

Basically the longer the length the more magnification and less field of view.
The two lenses here cover the focal length 18mm to 70mm and 18mm to 200mm, so the second has a much greater range. But you also need to consider aperture when choosing lenses. The 18-200mm may have a different maximum aperture. That means the 18-70 may be more useful in low light while the 18-200mm may be more use for that extra zoom. Depends what you want to use them for..... hence...

My advice would be to pop into a good bookshop and buy a guide to photography before shelling out your hard earned on a camera. It will only take a weekend of reading to aquire the basic knowledge you need to make a somewhat better informed decision.
 
To add to the confusion:)

An 18-200mm lens is a great everyday lens - it has a wide end(18mm), and zooms all the way in to 200mm. The other option is go with the kit lens (usually an 18-55mm), and an 2nd lens, either a 55-200mm, or a 70-300mm.

As to what brand you buy, they are all as good as each other these days...too much hype, not enough people taking pictures!!!

Have a look at various peoples signatures, a lot of people list their kit, let's you see who uses what.
 
Go into Jessops and try a few different cameras out, but don't buy anything until you've come back here so we can have a Canon v Nikon v Sony v Olympus arguement :lol:
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Go into Jessops and try a few different cameras out, but don't buy anything until you've come back here so we can have a Canon v Nikon v Sony v Olympus arguement :lol:
Click to expand...

:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs: Sony = :1st:
 
Thanks for all the advice and tips, I think the my best bet is to pop into jessops on the weekend and see what feels good and which camera is best value for money without compromising on features.

One other thing does it matter what type of memory card the camera uses? 8gb Sandisk MemoryStick is around £32.99 on play.com
 
They usually use Compact Flash or SD, my Olympus can use CF and XD, I believe the Sony SLR's use CF (perhaps they also take MS as well?) Canon and Nikon use CF or SD.
 
bally12345 said:
Thanks for all the advice and tips, I think the my best bet is to pop into jessops on the weekend and see what feels good and which camera is best value for money without compromising on features.

One other thing does it matter what type of memory card the camera uses? 8gb Sandisk MemoryStick is around £32.99 on play.com
Click to expand...

Feeling Good = Nikon :thumbs:
 
I recently splashed out £389 on a nikon D60 which I love to bits. I was going to go for the Nixon d40 or sony a300 but looking into it I went for Nikon over sony because I felt that nikon look more like a camera where as sony looked abit cheaply made (no offense meant to sony users) also Nikon felt 10 times better. I went for D60 over d40 because d60 have a few more features which I thought was worth the extra £70 for example higher pixel. Best thing to do is go to your camera store feel the difference and then order from Amazon. Even paying the NEXT DAY DELIVERY CHARGE of £8 or same day if you order before 11am and live within the M25 or within Birmingahm (NO I do not work for amazon.) But no many people know they offer same day delivery now.

Don't buy your camera overseas (outside the EU) if you do and dont declare it and get caught you will be in trouble they can track by serial number where it was bought apparently.
 
In the light of, er, recent events, here's your chance to impress the socks off all the lens-heads on the board and make them jealous...

Get yourself a 5D mk II and upload some sample pics!

:D

A.
 
I think you have already decided to do so but the best thing is to get a feel of the cameras see which feels best in your hand, and don`t just limit yourself to the 3 original choices, might wan`t to check the second hand market too.
 
I was in a similar position as you (as I'm sure many have been).

I went into Jessops, had a feel of the D60, 400D and 450D (even though it was a bit out of my price range). Straight away I liked the feel of the Nikon (I'd been sure I was going to get the 400D beforehand).

After Nikon cashback I got it via Amazon for £340 delivered which was a billy bargain at the time plus the kit lens has VR.
 
Looking at the flash options and £330 for the flash on the sony camera! Are they just as much for the other brands and is it worth spending the extra amount for a model with live view?
 
i started life with a d40, great camera's the nikon.
however the flash has stopped working, but have been told it can happen on most nikons (check my other threads). thinking of selling up and going for sony with live view, main selling point for me.

but got to agree, the nikon feels better than canon and sony, but the sony features tips it for me
 
Had same budget asyou a couple of weeks ago. Bought a 30D 2nd hand for £300 and bought a new sigma 17-70 to go with it (seemed best lens for money at the £200 price point from days of reading). Really happy with it, although I've since bought a 430ex flash, wanted a zoom so have bought a 70-200f4l, still don't have a bag or tripod and have spent £1k which was twice my original budget :(

ooh. went to the coast and decided I needed a polarising filter as well, bought 2 books (understanding exposure is a great buy).

I still don't have the 300mm lens I wanted for airshows which is half the reason I bought the camera in the first place. ARGHAFGFGSDFGAS
 
could sell you this at half the price, all boxed as new
Nikon D40 (flash not working! but can get a flash gun) -Nikon AF-S 18-55mm DX F3.5-5.6G IF-ED Zoom Lens -Nikon AF-S 55-200mm F4-5.6 G ED Lens -Hoya Super HMC Pro 1 UV Filter 52mm
 
Been doing alot of reading and research and have been impressed by the Sony A350, still need to go into the shops and hold some of these cameras but im seriously considering getting the Sony!

Price wise, body cost £350, I have found the camera with 18-70 + 55-200 lens for just under £550 or £400 for camera just with 18-70 lens.

Not sure if these are good price so any comments would be highly appreciated :thumbs:
 
I have the Sony a200 after moving over from a C*N*N 400D. The Sony for me was just what I wanted in a camera although the other one felt better to hold. For me the Sony sold it on the in-built Steady Shot which meant I did not have to worry about buying more expensive lens with IS VR etc. I have had the a200 for about 4 months now and find it much better to get on with and I am really happy with the results. My next move will probably be the a300/350 as I like the idea of live view. Each to their own and whatever you buy, have fun with it.
 
Ok so I have had a chance to go to a fe retailers and checked out the cameras and have decided to get a Sony A350 but now just need to find the best deal.

So far this looks to be the best deal from purelygadgets.co.uk
Sony DSLR-A350X With SAL 18-70mm + SAL 55-200mm Twin Lens Kit £524.95 but have never used this site before... any used them in the past?
 
last week I purchased a Sony A200 (first dSLR camera (well first SLR full stop)) with the kit lens from amazon for £250 delivered. I'm dead chuffed with it, its brilliant. So easy for a noob like me to pick up and start taking some nice shots with - I've just asked the missus for a couple of books on how to use it properly for christmas ;)
I went into jessops and held the A200 and the 450D, the 450D is lighter certainly, but the Sony just felt like a nice camera plus the features and the price had me sold. I've just bought a mint condition 35-105mm minolta lens from ebay for £35 delivered, seems to be highly rated on Dyxum:
http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/detail.asp?IDLens=44
so yes as smiffy said, finding lenses for the A200 isn't a problem (plenty of 'beercans' on ebay)

if you're looking at the Canons and keen for a deal, Sainsburys instore are currently knocking out the 400D with 18-55mm kit lens for £299.99, I think its only Sainsburys' with photographic departments - my one certainly has them in stock.

edit: sorry didn't realise you had settled on the A350 (nice choice). buyacamera.co.uk has the twin lens for £520:
http://www.buyacamera.co.uk/xsearch.asp?RecId=SONCA887&pt=f

not sure how good they are though.
How about buying the single lens kit and then buying a Sigma or a Tamron? the Sigma 70-300mm APO Macro DG is meant to be a gooden (or get a minolta lens from ebay, have a look for 70-210mm F/4 'beercan')
 
I think your right and should just get the single lens to begin with, once I know what I am doing then I can look at getting addtional lenses
 
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