pinkelephant

Dee Catterall, about 1 year ago

Hi Pinkelephant, I use a Nikon D50 with different lenses, its an SLR, as yet I haven’t got the best out of it as I was quite intimidated by it at first, but feel I can still go a long way with this particular model.

One piece of advice is make a list of all the things you want to do with your camera, also ask heaps of questions when going to the shop and lastly, use your gut feeling, it is the only true indicator as to what you really should be heading for.

Good luck

Dee

peter, about 1 year ago

Two choices – Canon or Nikon. Both make good DSLRs – at the moment I’d have a look at the D40X as a good entry level DSLR. If your budget can stretch I’d invest the extra money in a good lens rather than a better DSLR – this is my favourite lens

Mark Snelson, about 1 year ago

I agree with Peter – go with a Canon or Nikon DSLR and get a good lens rather than spending big bucks on the camera body. I use the entry level Canon 350d and tend to get as good a result as others I know with much more expensive camera bodies. Sure the more expensive ones doe have some technical advantages and better housing etc but you can always upgrade to one of these later and still use any of the lenses you have purchased in the meantime.

Elaine van Dyk, about 1 year ago

Canon or Nikon DSLR with good lenses.

Matt Mawson, about 1 year ago

I agree with Peter. The D40 is a less complicated version of my camera, the D80, which is my favourite so far. I also use the lens Peter recommends and it’s a beauty, with a wide range for most shots. For macros, though, I’d investigate a dedicated macro lens. I’ve also used Canon DSLRs and they’re neck-and-neck with Nikon for quality, in my opinion, but it was the 18-200 lens that pushed me towards Nikon.

Elaine van Dyk, about 1 year ago

Sorry, I didn’t finish what I meant to say. Just seen Matt Mawson’s comment above – I agree with him and Peter re the 18-200 Nikon lens. That is my favourite lens too because of it’s great range and versatility.

pinkelephant, about 1 year ago

thankyou thankyou thankyou!! so many generous advisors :)

Matt Mawson, about 1 year ago

I had a frustrating 3-month wait for my 18-200 lens, apparently because Nikon had underestimated the demand and couldn’t produce them fast enough.

MD81, about 1 year ago

Before I purchased my Canon 30D last year, I look at several constrainst/factor: budget, comfortability on handling the camera, type of shooting (specifically low-light vs day-light; which means ISO performance), line up of lenses, and perhaps one may consider what your friends are into which system (so you can easily borrow lenses that you dont have).

If you can borrow a dSLR for a day or two from your friends (I would try as many as I can, canon, nikon, olympus, pentax, etc), and take it for some test shots, and review them afterwards.
Otherwise, I would go to camera stores, bring my own CF/SD Card, do couple of shots on dSLR that I’m interested in purchasing, and review the shots at home.

I was borrowing my friend’s Nikon D100 and D200 for approx. 2 months. But then I decided to go with Canon; it was a really tough choice. Dilematic experience I suppose. Most of my friends are with Nikon (but then now I met others who uses Canon, so I can borrow lenses and flash unit that I dont have). I luv the grip and the easy shortcut button on Nikon body. For me, it was ISO performance (then) and line up of lenses, and potential growth / upgrade in the future (availability of Full Frame camera) that tip my decision. Now,
ISO performance is not really an issue with recent dSLRs that come out from Nikon.
Line up of lenses is appealing, probably because of the white and red ring (read: L Series) of Canon.
Potential upgrade to FF? Probably not in near future, as now I’m playing with Medium Format films, and having a blast :D

Any system is great, with its strong as well as weak points. The person behind the camera (i.e. yourself), is the one who need to know these pretty well; you need to exploit it strength, and get around its weak points, and visualize ur self of the photographic arts that you want to produce … :)
And yes, I would agree with the other posters; invest in lenses, not in camera body.

All the best. I’m sure you’ll have a great fun and experience with any system that you’d choose ^__

Regards,
Sidqie Djunaedi

Michael Douglass, about 1 year ago

Glad you asked this Pink, got some excellent responses which will help me as well. Have found my 3.2 megapixel camera which for some reason only goes up to 3.1mp a bit of a chore, the only way the zoom works is to turn the resolution down to VGA mode. Maybe my mobile will take better pics.

GCPhoto, about 1 year ago

If you are just starting out and money is an issue I think it’s wise to check out the Pentax range also. They have models in the 6 & 10 megapixel range that are excellent for a hobbyist and could pass for professional in some cases (K10 model) plus they have simple layouts that aren’t daunting to use and just let you get the shot you want.
Wide range of lenses dating back to prime lenses of old with exceptional glass (some of the best I’ve ever used) plus third party Sigma lenses also fit and range from excellent to capable.
The big thing here is the price which is way down on Canon & Nikon and in some cases gives better bang for your buck (K10 has environmental seals like professional models – Canon can’t boast that for same price range – and image shake reduction)

You can check out my gallery – all work has been done with Pentax 6mp *ist DS SLR.

I’ll conceed that all my professional work is done with a Nikon D200 because of it’s ability to capture sport and action but for a excellent and exceptionally affordable entry into SLR’s Pentax is difficult not to take note of.

Besides, unless you plan on going ‘pro’ at some stage, entry level is more than most ever need.
Hope this helped.

James Pierce, about 1 year ago

My advice is pretty much the same as everyone else.

Lenses, lenses, lenses – Lenses make pictures, not cameras – well they do to a degree, now with digital, but even entry level 8Mpix cameras make stunning prints.

I’d strongly suggest Nikon or Canon, you are buying in the biggest systems which makes it easy to buy strange lenses, bororrow and hire bits.

“Photo.net has a great section on buying cameras for different purposes’:http://www.photo.net/equipment/

James Pierce, about 1 year ago

Hmmm stuffed that link up hey ! ...

Photo.net has a great section on buying cameras for different purposes

pinkelephant, about 1 year ago

Thanks so much, guys. Will look into all of your suggestions. I’m so excited!!!

Michael Douglass, about 1 year ago

Pink I bought one on the w/e, Canon EOS 400D, its 10mp and had a twin lens kit, 18-55 & 75-300. Can hardly keep my eyes open this morning cause I was up so late playing with it. Was a bit excited. Seems to work better than the 3mp one I had.

pinkelephant, about 1 year ago

Hey, cool, let me know how it goes, yeah? I’ll probably have to save up for a little while…

Celia Coulter, about 1 year ago

Just wanted to say thanks for this journal entry. I had been thinking about buying a camera myself and after reading what red bubblers had to say here and doing a bit of research on some of the sites recommended, that is exactly what I did.

I didn’t have as large a budget but had enough to get a Pentax k100d which was on special at JB Hi-Fi .

As someone who hasn/’t used an SLR camera before I am getting a feel for the automatic settings. But I like that I can move onto learning more advanced techniques too. But I probably wouldn’t have bought it at all if I hadn’t started here first. So thanks!

Craig Shillington, about 1 year ago

LOL Hell .. .I’ll just go throw a spanner in the works here …. I got an Olympus E-500 .. .and LOVE it!! I looked at the Canon cameras … and they just didn’t feel right. It a full dSLR from Auto to manual and even has a self cleaning system (for dust on the sensor from changing lenses …) and has Noise reduction built in (last resort usually) if you need it for those darker shots or close ups. A good entry lever sorta dSLR would be a Panasonic DMC-FZ10. You just don’t get the option of being able to change lenses on that one. At the end of the day …. go to the shops and actually handle the camera. It makes a huge difference too, feeling it, seeing if the buttons are in the right place for you etc. Plus … see how balanced it feels for you, that can make such a difference to how much you enjoy taking your photos and will show in the finished results. :)

Michael Cuneo, about 1 year ago

Usually if you wait until Canon changes models, discontinues 350D/400D or Nikon discontinues whatever their current entry level models are… JBHifi ends up with about 4 or 5 left over out the back that they have to eventually reduce. I picked up their last 300D, which I think hit shelves somewhere around $1999 or so originally, for $1100 about 2 days before they received the 350D. So if you can time it well…

Jordan Duff, about 1 year ago

Hey, don’t know if it is too late but I just wanted to say that there is some excellent advice here, especially Dee’s about making a list of all the things you want to do with you camera, it makes narrowing down the choices so much easier! Personally I am a Nikon man (got that one from my dad) and would happily recommend any of their DSLR’s, I have been disapointed with some of their point and shoot (coolpix) cameras though. I’ve noticed that most of the suggestions are for DSLR which is definatly the way to go if you can afford it but if the budget doesn’t streach that far I would recomend having a look at the Olympus SP-55OUSZ, it has it’s problems but if you are going to get a camera where you can’t change the lens you want something with enough versatility and with an 18x zoom (28-504 35 mm equiv) and a great macro mode it’s worth considering. The best place I have found to compare cameras is Dpreview One last thing, looking at your photos I feel that a Holga could suit your style nicely, if you’re willing to step away from digital photography that is. Good luck and enjoy your new camera, I hope it brings you much joy!