Camera Recommendations - dSLR or Regular

[WLC-1989]

Hey Guys,
I've got a fairly nice camera at the moment, but its of the conventional kind. I'd like to dabble in some digital photography, and was looking at dSLRs. As this would be my first camera, I'm looking for the cheapest I could get - overly professional features aren't my concern. Can anybody recommend the cheapest dSLR around; I'm fine with buying second hand.

Although a dSLR is on my wish-list, a good quality conventional digital camera with decent optical zoom would also be suitable. Can anybody recommend some relatively cheap cameras which fit this bill?

Thanks for any help you can give.

[Bobster]

budget?

[Hans Voralberg]

D40 ? That's about as cheap as it gets. But that thing is diminutive

[Dark Horse]

Fiju s9500 has 28-300 equivalent zoom and close to dslr picture quaility for about £250.

[Lee H]

I have the 9500 and it's a good camera overall.

Some weak points like using XD memory and a few other's which I expect Bobster would point out, but overal it's an ideal stepping stone to play with for a year or 2 to learn about all the settings before embrassing the world of D-SLR.

Well, that's my theory and one I'm sticking too

[5lab]

i'd get a canon is-s3. unless you're really looking at swapping lenses, the additional cost and bulk of a dslr isnt really worth it imo - the is-s3 is actually lots more flexible as you can use the screen as a viewfinder, get decent videos and so on without any additional costs. A dslr with kit lens normally only has the equivilent of about 4x zoom - to get decent range you'd need to get a telephoto lens as well - budget ~£150..

[WLC-1989]

Thanks for the replies so far, I'll research the cameras you've suggested.

In addition to this, I wonder if you could suggest a few other things for some relatives of mine:

- The best normal digital camera for less than £120, perhaps a little higher if it really surpasses the competition.

- The best digital camcorder for around the same price range.

[Hans Voralberg]

Thanks for the replies so far, I'll research the cameras you've suggested.

In addition to this, I wonder if you could suggest a few other things for some relatives of mine:

- The best normal digital camera for less than £120, perhaps a little higher if it really surpasses the competition.

- The best digital camcorder for around the same price range.

Check this out
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.h...cId=1000035513

[Splash]

Fuji S5600. Do it. Refurb available from http://www.fujifilm.co.uk/shop/refurb/detail.php?id=89 for £117.30. 10x optical zoom, and a pretty decent noise profile (excellent for the price). I had one before I got my D70s, and I still occasionally use it rather than the D70s where I need a decent telephoto. It's also ideal for someone making the transition from a traditional point & click to something a little more complex. Kaos_Engine just bought one, and I know Elmo has used one in the past and seemed pretty happy with it.

[Elessar_VPR]

If you like wide angle, the Kodak P880 is worth consideration. Had mine for nearly 6 months now and have been very happy with it. It has pretty much all the manual controls a DSLR has (including a manual zoom!), so would be pretty good bridge between what you have now and a DSLR. If you search around you should be able to find it for less than £200.

I found dpreview a very useful site for comparing models, getting user experiences and seeing sample pics from the various cameras.

[Kaos_Engine]

Yup, agree with Splash on the Fuji S5600, the price was about right and I don't count myself ready to leap into the world of DSLR, or the price point for that matter. I borrowed his to get a feel and the features are very nice and the optical zoom is rather good. Its a nice mid point between a standard "point & poke" digital camera and the more complex DSLR fodder.

[SpriteFeedback]

Pentax have a new k100d for £350 or there abouts which looks like a great buy and it is compatible with most of their lenses which can be got very cheap. The cheap end of DSLR has never been more heavily populated. Not sure you could go wrong with many of them.

A second hand canon 10D should also be very cheap these days and it is a fine camera. 300D is still a decent machine and if someone is still selling off stock the 350D should be cheap too. I am sure it is the same with the older nikons but i shoot canon and not really that familiar with other ranges.

sf