First foray into DSLRdom

[Steve B]

Hey folks,
I'm looking for some advice about entering into the dSLR market with the purchase of a new camera.
I'm not really photographically savvy about these things, my budget is probably somewhere around the ~250 mark, possibly stretching to 300. It really depends on how much I can claw back from my current camera, which is a Fujifilm S602 Zoom. (Purchased from these very forums, I might add!)

I reckon I could maybe get ~60 for the camera atm, which would give me a bit more headroom.

As I've already said, I'm not at all camera literate. I dont really know the difference between Canon and Nikon models, lenses and everything.

I'd basically like it to take some good photo's when me and the missus go up nord in March. I'll also be using it at events and stuff. At my birthday, Ade (Agent) was using Neil (Funkstar)'s big camera and we got hundreds of great shots.

Please help
Cheers!
Steve

[BUFF]

Why do you want a DSLR?
You may be served better by something else.

£300 for a new camera/kit lens is going to get you something that is at the bottom of the DSLR range & obsolescent (e.g. Nikon D40, Canon 350D, Pentax K100D, Sony A100)).
You might do better buying something second hand from somebody upgrading.

[Nick F]

Look at second hand Nikon D50's , I've got one and they are fantastic

[Steve B]

Originally Posted by BUFF

Why do you want a DSLR?

I'm not sure. I guess I just wanted a camera with a half decent lens on it, not like these compact cameras which just use digital zoom.
Do you get standard Digicams with half decent lenses?

[Funkstar]

Virtually all compacts have a 3x optical zoom, unless you go for the very bottom of the market.

[Steve B]

Originally Posted by Funkstar

Virtually all compacts have a 3x optical zoom, unless you go for the very bottom of the market.

Are they any good though?

[stroberaver]

Originally Posted by Steve B

Do you get standard Digicams with half decent lenses?

Yes, and from the sounds of it you'd benefit more from a high end prosumer camera rather than a DSLR. At £250-300 you're scraping the bottom of the barrel for a DSLR - and that's just with the standard kit lenses. The main benefit of a DSLR is interchangeable lenses, and the amount of money you can spend on them is just endless.

[Funkstar]

Not a patch on dSLRs

Even an end of line or out of production budget dSLR is going to be better than a compact in my opinion. You just can't beat the feel of a SLR and the instant response from the shutter you get.

Even if you are going to leave it in fully automatic mode, I much prefer them to any compact i've ever used.

[stroberaver]

Originally Posted by Funkstar

Not a patch on dSLRs

True - and I certainly wouldn't sacrifice my DSLR. But I was thinking more in terms of the OP stating what his budget was limited to - and frankly DSLRs are a bloody money pit. Also he mentioned using it when travelling/on holiday, where the compactness of an, err, compact will be a factor. Combined with the admission that he knows nothing about lenses, brands, etc, suggests to me that he has a lot to learn before truly benefitting from a DSLR system, other than the fact that it feels nicer in your hand.

Learning to drive in a Ferrari doesn't make you a better driver than someone who learnt in a Fiesta. I suspect that usually, quite the opposite is true.

[Steve B]

Originally Posted by stroberaver

Learning to drive in a Ferrari doesn't make you a better driver than someone who learnt in a Fiesta. I suspect that usually, quite the opposite is true.

I hear what you're saying. I guess maybe I should expand my search for non-SLRs also, including some of the better models of compact.
Would £250 go far in getting a decent compact?

[BUFF]

If you want a very sophisticated compact then something like a Canon G9 may be your thing.
Fuji, Panasonic et al make good prosumers - though just decide what your needs are & then whittle the list down according to those & then check out reviews at places like dpreviews.

if you want to borrow 1 of my DSLRs for a few days to see if that's really where you want to go lmk.

[Funkstar]

You know whats going to happen if you take BUFF up on that offer don't you Steve?

You will suddently need to spend more than your budget on a camera

[BUFF]

what doesn't the 602Z do for you?
even today it should be quite capable of decent pics.

[IBM]

Comes down to whether you've got the time and inclination for another hobby, 'cause getting into photography can seriously hamper other activities. If you fancy getting into it, and think that you'll be using the camera a lot over the coming years, then stretch to a DSLR. But if you're just going to whip it out for special occasions - as with married people - then go for the compact and save your cash.

It's shocking the number of DSLRs I've seen over the last 12 months just sitting on shelves gathering dust. Saw a 30D the other day....fella says he's only used it a half dozen times.....

[StevenF]

The Camera I have - Nikon D40 - is my first real camera - I love it. I was thinking of getting a bridge camera like a Fuji FinePix 9600 or the 6500, but I decided getting a second hand D40 would be the better option. It all depends on what you want to do.

A bridge camera will be great for an all in one camera. They usually come with decent lenses - the comes with a 28-300mm lens! That will cover nearly everything you're likely to need/use.

DSLRs are great. As I said, I love mine. With SLRs, you're going to have to upgrade or add new lenses to your collection if you want to try something different - wildlife photography for instance. Whereas you could probably get away with using the 300mm of the Fuji 9600.

- Steven

[this_is_gav]

Originally Posted by StevenF

The Camera I have - Nikon D40 - is my first real camera - I love it. I was thinking of getting a bridge camera like a Fuji FinePix 9600 or the 6500, but I decided getting a second hand D40 would be the better option. It all depends on what you want to do.

Exactly, and I'm in the same boat. You can spend ~£300 on an entry level DSLR with a kit lens, and while the images should be on par or better than with any compact, you're extremely limited with what you can do with a 18-55mm, or even 18-70mm kit lens. You at least want the body, 18-55mm and a cheapish 55-200mm lens to cover the basic bases. Of course, that's a good thing as well as a bad thing - when you get into DSLRs it's a completely evolving world where the glass will last as long as you want to use it. You can buy glass, new bodies, accessories, whatever, and as long as you stick to what manufacturer you chose in the first place, for the most part it's all interchangeable. In that respect it's far more flexible than a compact, so if you feel you're likely to want a DSLR in the future, just take the plunge now.

If on the other hand you just want a point-and-shoot, stick with a compact. You can P&S with a DSLR of course, but you're hardly making use of it's strengths then and with a compact you can just stick most in your pocket.

Regarding the D40(x) and D60 specifically, you're limited to AF-S (Nikon) and HSM (Sigma) lenses if you want autofocus (no idea if Tamron or anyone else makes lenses with built-in AF motors for Nikons). There aren't many limiting factors because of that (the main one being the great value 'nifty fifty' is next to useless in most cases) but it's something to consider if you do go down that route. Personally I'd happily buy the D40x again tomorrow.