Recommend me a camera?

pottssteve

Hi,

The last SLR camera I bought uses film! I'm thinking of an upgrade to a digital model but the choice is considerable.

I'm looking for recommendations for a basic model that will allow landscape and portrait photos but also decent quality cycling/action shots. Is 350 pounds/400 euros a realistic budget for the body and a reasonable longer lens?

Any tips or suggestions appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

Anonymous

There are 2 main contenders at this price point. Not certain about a 2nd lens. Nikon and Canon being the 1st maufactuers which come to mind. I think you can get the Nikon D3100 for about that if you shop around, but no extras (case, 2nd lens, memory stick) and the Canon EOS 1100D.

Unless you know exactly what you want, you can get a pretty good set of reviews from Amazon, then find a price point, one or two you like the look of, then buy in store (so you can try them out).

I recommend Nikon and Canon as they are pretty much imagining specialists. Sony do a bit of everything, so perhaps aren't QUITE so good (although wildlife photographer of the year had some Sony and Pentax and Olympus shots). I just prefer Nikon as the Rentals had one for years as I grew up, so recently bought Mum a D3100 with lens, bag, memory stick - the lot for 550, from Jessops (UK, obvs) Think its all cheaper now, as this was back in April.

anyway.
1) check out camera shops to see what you can afford
2) see the reviews on amazon to see what you want
3) buy in shop once youve tried!
easy

Hoopdriver

Are you looking for a camera to take on your bicycle? Touring and such? If so, I would look at the Canon G11 or G12 - both brilliant compacts that easily fit in a bar bag. They shoot in Raw and have all the controls you'd expect from a DSLR. Image quality is great too. If you want something smaller still, consider the Canon Powershot S95 or S100.

New on the scene, and slightly larger (and more xpensive) is th Canon G1X. Still a compact but with a sensor six times bigger than that of a G12. It has 14.3 megapixes and fantastic noise reduction, very usuable at ISO3200 It is bigger, slightly than a G12 but will still easily fit n a bar bag.

MattC59

As above really. I like Canon they make excellent lenses.

FInd yourself a few decent camera shops and have a look at Canons and Nikons in your price range. See what the shops have to say about them and have a play around with them, it might be that you like the lay out and interface of one over the other.

adm1

And again - as above....Canon or Nikon (Nikon for me). Play with both to see which you like the feel of more.

If you already have a film SLR - and decent lenses for that, see if your existing lenses will work with the same brand of Digital SLR camera. You may be pleasantly surprised.

One thing to think about with digital photography is that good lenses are forever, whereas bodies are almost disposable. Essentially, you want to chose which lens system you are buying into, then stick with that.

dabber

You list action shots as one of your requirements. Therefore make sure whatever camera you end up with has a proper viewfinder not just a lcd screen to frame your shot.

daviesee

As other have said, it really comes down to Canon and Nikon.
One side will argue against the other but you really can't go wrong with either.

What you have to do, and I strongly emphasise the have, is handle the cameras.
I can pretty much be certain that one will feel right and one won't.
There is no "right" choice, apart from right for you.

pottssteve

Thank you all for your responses. That seems to narrow down the field a lot to Canon and Nikon, so it gives me a fighting chance. I already have a selection of lenses - it hadn't occurred to me that they could be used on a digital SLR, so I will take them along when I go shopping.

Many thanks once again,
Steve

Hoopdriver

The focal length on your old lenses will be different when you use them on a DSLR unless you spend big and go for one with a full-frame sensor. The longer focal length is no bad thing, just something to be aware of. It will really only make a difference to you uf you like to use wide angle lenses ( you mention landscape photography which is why I mention it). Given that the optical physics of a smaller frame sensor gooses up the focal length what used to be your wide angle lense - say, your old 28mm - effectively becomes a bit over 40mm when used on your new DSLR you may be disappointed. Getting a true wide angle for an average (non full frame sensor) DSLR ain't easy.

Canon - as far as I know, but I haven't had cause to check up on this recently - make the only serious wide angle lens for a smaller sensor DSLR: their 10-22mm zoom. It's a beautiful lens. I have one for my old Canon DSLR and used it a lot, but they cost a lot of money. If you want wide angle, or reasonably wide angle, you might do well to consider one of the compacts I mentioned earlier. The G11 and G12 both have effective wides of about 30mm and give you a zoom of up to about 120mm. Image quality is very, very good and you have the added advantage, for a cyclist, of greater portability. The newer, and more expensive, G1X goes wider still, to about 25mm.

Just something to consider if wide angle landscape photography matters.

My website, by the way, contains a lot of photography, most of which is shot with a G11 if you care to see some of what the camera can do. Cheers

daviesee

Hoopdriver wrote:

Canon - as far as I know, but I haven't had cause to check up on this recently - make the only serious wide angle lens for a smaller sensor DSLR:

Ahem.
Tokina - 12-24, 11-16 & 10-17.
Nikon - 12-24 & 10-24.
Sigma - 12-24, 11-16 & 10-17.

Plenty of wide angle choices.

graham.

You say you have a selection of lenses, if you plan to use these, your pretty much stuck with that brand. (What are they?)







Have a snoop around my GigPics ao the link below.

Hoopdriver

daviesee wrote:

Hoopdriver wrote:

Canon - as far as I know, but I haven't had cause to check up on this recently - make the only serious wide angle lens for a smaller sensor DSLR:

Ahem.
Tokina - 12-24, 11-16 & 10-17.
Nikon - 12-24 & 10-24.
Sigma - 12-24, 11-16 & 10-17.

Plenty of wide angle choices.

As I said, quite clearly, I hadn't shopped for that sort of wide angle lens lately having moved on to a full frame sensor myself. The point I was making was that the OP will need to add to his lens collection if he wants a wide angle, something he might not have been aware of, and that such lenses do not come cheap. Have you a problem with that?

daviesee

Hoopdriver wrote:

As I said, quite clearly, I hadn't shopped for that sort of wide angle lens lately having moved on to a full frame sensor myself. The point I was making was that the OP will need to add to his lens collection if he wants a wide angle, something he might not have been aware of, and that such lenses do not come cheap. Have you a problem with that?

Oooo. Argumentative :roll:
The point about needing a wide angle is very valid but as compact sensor wide angle lenses from a multitude of companies have been readilly available for 6 years it is a bit misleading to suggest that only Canon supply such lenses.
I would assume that anyone looking into a DSLR will quickly find out about the cost of lenses.
I don't have a problem but you were being (accidentaly) misleading and thought that should be addressed.

Hoopdriver

daviesee wrote:

Hoopdriver wrote:

As I said, quite clearly, I hadn't shopped for that sort of wide angle lens lately having moved on to a full frame sensor myself. The point I was making was that the OP will need to add to his lens collection if he wants a wide angle, something he might not have been aware of, and that such lenses do not come cheap. Have you a problem with that?

Oooo. Argumentative :roll:
The point about needing a wide angle is very valid but as compact sensor wide angle lenses from a multitude of companies have been readilly available for 6 years it is a bit misleading to suggest that only Canon supply such lenses.
I would assume that anyone looking into a DSLR will quickly find out about the cost of lenses.
I don't have a problem but you were being (accidentaly) misleading and thought that should be addressed.

You start a post with a condescending 'ahem' and I'm being argumentative?

At the time I bought my 10-22mm lens Canon was the only manufacturer to offer such a lens. I had no further need to follow the development of wide angle lenses in that segment of the market, which is why I added the as-far-as-I-know caveat. I might also add that the Canon 10-22mm lens is an extremely well regarded one, so I was hardly giving bad or misleading advice. Writing and photography is my livelihood.

bontie

Any thoughts on the Canon SX40?
Its my better half's birthday soon, she always says she'd really wished she had a good camera. An absolute novice and rookie. Some other cycling forumites said its a good starter...

Hoopdriver

bontie wrote:

Any thoughts on the Canon SX40?
Its my better half's birthday soon, she always says she'd really wished she had a good camera. An absolute novice and rookie. Some other cycling forumites said its a good starter...

Hello

I've not used the CanonSX40 myself so I can't speak to it directly. I have heard good things about it as a starter camera, or for those (birdwatchers spring to mind) who want long zoom capabities.

Here is a fairly comprehensive review of the camera that mayhelp you come to a decision

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon ... t_SX40_HS/

redddraggon

Nikon.

beverick

At that price point, I'd forget DSLR and go with something like the Nikon Coolpix p7100. It has all the features and spec's for a point and shoot camera but you won't break the bank buying glass.

It'll also produce images of sufficient quality to allow you to edit and process them on a PC.

Bob

Hoopdriver

beverick wrote:

At that price point, I'd forget DSLR and go with something like the Nikon Coolpix p7100. It has all the features and spec's for a point and shoot camera but you won't break the bank buying glass.

It'll also produce images of sufficient quality to allow you to edit and process them on a PC.

Bob

I agree. A compact would seem to serve him best - whether it is the Nikon Coolpix you suggest or one of the Canons with which I am more personally familiar and which I suggested in earlier posts. There are some very good compacts these days that come very near DSLR quality in terms of image capture, and for very reasonable money. What's more they are easy to take on a bicycle.

If possible I would go for one that shoots Raw which will allow you to do much better post processing later on your computer.

TheEnglishman

I always have and will recommend you go second hand. The market is full of 'last years model' and there's real bargains to be had. I'd go for established brands and forget about the features this years models have to offer.

London Camera Exchange and a pile of other shops sell a reasonable (and negotiable) prices. I'd say check them out before committing your hard earned cash to something you're not sure about.

I'm still perfectly happy with the Canon D10 I bought with a couple of lenses. It does far more than I'll ever be able to cope with.

Hoopdriver

TheEnglishman wrote:

I always have and will recommend you go second hand. The market is full of 'last years model' and there's real bargains to be had. I'd go for established brands and forget about the features this years models have to offer.

London Camera Exchange and a pile of other shops sell a reasonable (and negotiable) prices. I'd say check them out before committing your hard earned cash to something you're not sure about.

I'm still perfectly happy with the Canon D10 I bought with a couple of lenses. It does far more than I'll ever be able to cope with.

With respect, A Canon 10D is a lot older than just 'last year's model'. It came out in 2003. The advances in technology, noise reduction especially, have been sweeping in that time. Check it out. You'll be amazed. I used to have a 20D (2004 model) and if you shot anything faster than ISO100 you could start to see grain. You can shoot noise free at 800 with the G11 compact and considerably faster still with the new (and concededly more expensive) G1X.

Modern DSLRs do better still, but for the OPs proposed pricce bracket he'd do best with a compact.

TheEnglishman

Sorry but your average amateur photographer will see no difference and will use almost none of the functionality of a modern, full on DSLR, or compact camera.

And I never said buy a DSLR - I just pointed out that an old camera is perfectly functional and also very cheap. Mine came boxed in all the original packaging, with receipts for peanuts. And takes great pictures.

Hoopdriver

TheEnglishman wrote:

Sorry but your average amateur photographer will see no difference and will use almost none of the functionality of a modern, full on DSLR, or compact camera.

And I never said buy a DSLR - I just pointed out that an old camera is perfectly functional and also very cheap. Mine came boxed in all the original packaging, with receipts for peanuts. And takes great pictures.

You have a point of sorts, but the fact is your average amateur seldom has experience with more than one camera at a time. The camera he/she has either works satisfactorily or it doesn't. Were you to see identical photographs one taken with your 10D and another taken with a comparable modern camera you would see the difference straight away. The OP suggest a willingness to pay £300 and for that he can buy a very nice modern camera, under warranty.

I know you didn't say buy a DSLR. I merely made mention of the capability of modern DSLRs as a comparison with modern compacts and the older model cameras such as your 10D and my old 20D.

daviesee

pottssteve wrote:

Hi,

The last SLR camera I bought uses film! I'm thinking of an upgrade to a digital model but the choice is considerable.

I'm looking for recommendations for a basic model that will allow landscape and portrait photos but also decent quality cycling/action shots. Is 350 pounds/400 euros a realistic budget for the body and a reasonable longer lens?

Any tips or suggestions appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

A suggestion.............
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002J9GIAQ/r ... B002J9GIAQ

pottssteve

Thank you to everyone for their replies - I'm looking into it.

Best wishes,
Steve