SLR cameras

[P.D.]

Anyone into photography on here? Looking to get an SLR but not sure which one to get. Would prefer a Canon as my dad has one so can borrow his lenses. I've been told not to worry too much about the body as that's the thing people upgrade anyway and really the money should be spent on the lenses. If so would I be better of getting one of the cheapest models or is it better to spend a bit more. Could probably spend £6-700 for package including basic lense.

I've seen a new 700D that has just come out this week and is £700 but is it really better than say the 600D which although a couple of years old is only £439.

I don't really know much about photography but I want to get something that will last a good few years.

 

[Danners9]

I like taking pictures, and I like editing and the post-production side as well. I have a Fuji Finepix F200EXR right now, had it for about 4yrs and it's been all over the world with me. Good enough for a point and click. It's a discontinued model now: http://www.fujifilm.com/support/digital_cameras/specifications/f/finepix_f200exr/

Looking at a new one now. Thinking about this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-J1-Co...=UTF8&qid=1368172298&sr=1-3&keywords=nikon+j1

It will come with all the lenses as well. I can get it a bit cheaper than the list price above. My friend has one and it's very good for the price/my level of expertise and interest.

 

[Baleforce]

i'm still using a Nikon D40 which i've had for about 5 years, there are a couple more lenses I covet but i've not felt the need to upgrade the body yet, I went for that as it was reasonably cheap at the time and I wasn't sure how much value I would get out of it, if your dad has available lenses you can borrow i'd say get the best body you can for your budget now and see how you go

 

[P.D.]

Thanks, I did look at those compact things like the j1 but as you'd still need separate lenses they still wouldn't fit into a pocket so thought may as well go the full hog.

 

[Lily White]

I'm into photgraphy but don't actually own a DSLR. My interest is wildlife photography but didn't want to spend out just in case it was just a flash in the pan so I bought a bridge camera (between a compact and DSLR). I have a panasonic lumix FZ38 and its been fantastic especially for macro photography. As I am still really into my nature photography I shall be upgrading to a DSLR in the next few years.



This is a picture of a brown hairstreak butterfly I took last year (very rare butterfly that landed in my garden!). Its not as crystal clear as a good DSLR but its pretty damn good for what is essentially a point and shoot.

If you have the budget and you can borrow lenses then get a good canon as its the lenses that you spend most on in the long run. Do some research and check out photography forums. I got advice on a butterfly forum on the best compact for my budget to get detailed insect pictures. it does depend on what sort of photography you want to do.

 

[P.D.]

Thanks - really it's just general photography at the moment for when I go away etc but there are also some nice things to snap around London and would be nice to have a new hobby for a bit.

Sounds like more of a mid range will be sufficient for now and upgrade in a few years if I like it more.

 

[Boonie]

Get a decent hotshoe flash too, the built in ones are crap. I have a Canon 40D which is a fair few years old now but still serves me well. I would also advise investing in one of the camera model specific guide books, really helped me understand the more complex functions. I too have added lenses and accessories over the years

 

[inkpenspur]

I have a Canon EOS 1100D and I am VERY happy with it. Simple, easy to use as a fully automatic camera, but also good and creative in manual modes. I did buy an additional lense though as the standard lens that came with it did not have much of a zoom. Came with an 18mm - 55mm lens, and I have subsequently bought a 75mm - 300mm zoom. I find the Canon editing software to be easy to use too. Bought mine in Schiphol Duty free all in for less than €500 including second lens

PS I knew eff all about photography when I bought it, and I have surprised myself with some of the results. I guess you would call the 1100D the entry level Canon SLR

 

[Boonie]

I would suggest adding an f/1.8 or f/1.4 lens to your kit. Great for portraits and low light shots.

 

[grasshopper]

I'm into photgraphy but don't actually own a DSLR. My interest is wildlife photography but didn't want to spend out just in case it was just a flash in the pan so I bought a bridge camera (between a compact and DSLR). I have a panasonic lumix FZ38 and its been fantastic especially for macro photography. As I am still really into my nature photography I shall be upgrading to a DSLR in the next few years.

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This is a picture of a brown hairstreak butterfly I took last year (very rare butterfly that landed in my garden!). Its not as crystal clear as a good DSLR but its pretty damn good for what is essentially a point and shoot.

If you have the budget and you can borrow lenses then get a good canon as its the lenses that you spend most on in the long run. Do some research and check out photography forums. I got advice on a butterfly forum on the best compact for my budget to get detailed insect pictures. it does depend on what sort of photography you want to do.

I too love nature photography, especially macro stuff. I was going to get a DSLR but realized that for hiking and nature strolls I really didn't want to be lugging a big camera and multiple lenses around. I ended up getting a Panasonic Lumix DMC LX5 and I am very happy with it. I need to learn a lot more about cameras before getting into a DSLR.

 

[funster]

I've got an EOS600D. Had it about two years now, and it was pretty much new to the market when I got it. No intention of upgrading the body - yet! Not when the next upgrade would be to a 5D.

Haven't really kept track of what the updates are that Canon have pushed into the 650D and 700D. The things I liked from the headlines of the 650D - which I assume have been retained, and maybe improved for the 700D - were in-camera lens correction, and taking continuous shooting up to 5fps rather than the 3.7fps the 600D had - something I'd have found very useful given I almost always use burst mode now to get photos of the kids! I think there was meant to be an improvement in video AF, but it got a lukewarm response. I almost never use the 600D for video because it can't alter AF once you're shooting movies!

My sister has an EOS1000D and I can tell you, the move up in build quality and picture performance to the 600D is very significant.

I ditched the lens package and bought myself a Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8, and then added Canon's own EF-S 55-250m f/4.0-5.6. For the money, that Canon telephoto is exceptional and well worth having. (I got some cracking shots at the beach volleyball at the Olympics last year with it. )

 

[SpursLodge]

To be honest, if you're coming from a point-and-shoot camera then you'll love any DSLR that you get. I have a Nikon D5100 and I love it, the quality of the pictures is unbelievable when compared to any camera I've had in the past.

My limited understanding of digital photography is that the sensor size is what makes the images better quality so if you can get a full frame DSLR then you'll be laughing.

This website is great to help you compare cameras and see what features each has or hasn't got. http://snapsort.com/compare

 

[markysimmo]

I want to buy a wifi camera to take to Oz for the Ashes, would look to spend upto say £300

Any advice as to which one would be greatly appreciated

 

[P.D.]

I've got an EOS600D. Had it about two years now, and it was pretty much new to the market when I got it. No intention of upgrading the body - yet! Not when the next upgrade would be to a 5D.

Haven't really kept track of what the updates are that Canon have pushed into the 650D and 700D. The things I liked from the headlines of the 650D - which I assume have been retained, and maybe improved for the 700D - were in-camera lens correction, and taking continuous shooting up to 5fps rather than the 3.7fps the 600D had - something I'd have found very useful given I almost always use burst mode now to get photos of the kids! I think there was meant to be an improvement in video AF, but it got a lukewarm response. I almost never use the 600D for video because it can't alter AF once you're shooting movies!

My sister has an EOS1000D and I can tell you, the move up in build quality and picture performance to the 600D is very significant.

I ditched the lens package and bought myself a Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8, and then added Canon's own EF-S 55-250m f/4.0-5.6. For the money, that Canon telephoto is exceptional and well worth having. (I got some cracking shots at the beach volleyball at the Olympics last year with it. )

I have been very tempted by the 600D but saw that it's now 2 years old which is a lot in tech world although cameras haven't moved as far forward as other technology has but I'm still reluctant buy something that old.

From what I have seen the 700D is just a small incremental improvement on the 650D, nothing ground breaking but a few tweaks to make things better.

Do you mean the new 1000D - that is supposed to be the worlds smallest SLR and does look good though its more or less the same price as the 700D. I'm not sure of the benefit of a smaller SLR as you still can't carry it in your pocket but your review sounds promising. Being lighter probably more likely to carry it around.

Hoping they may come down in price a little bit, real driver is a wedding in July that I'd like one for.

 

[funster]

I have been very tempted by the 600D but saw that it's now 2 years old which is a lot in tech world although cameras haven't moved as far forward as other technology has but I'm still reluctant buy something that old.

From what I have seen the 700D is just a small incremental improvement on the 650D, nothing ground breaking but a few tweaks to make things better.

Do you mean the new 1000D - that is supposed to be the worlds smallest SLR and does look good though its more or less the same price as the 700D. I'm not sure of the benefit of a smaller SLR as you still can't carry it in your pocket but your review sounds promising. Being lighter probably more likely to carry it around.

Hoping they may come down in price a little bit, real driver is a wedding in July that I'd like one for.

I think Canon's new "mini" SLR is the 100D? I meant the predecessor to the 1100D, which is the 1000D, so what I meant was that the comparison between the truly entry-level Canon and the next step up (the 1000D to the 600D, or 1100D to 700D now) is actually quite large - especially in terms of build quality.

When I got my 600D I had to make a similar choice. Go for the 550D, which was a hundred quid or more less, or opt for the 600D. It didn't make sense to me to go for the older model.

I think the 650D is being discontinued now, isn't it? Too close in spec to the 700D, but the 600D continues?

If you're wanting it for a wedding you really should look at a fast prime and something wider angle for group shots. That'll soon add up though so you'd better be sure you're going to get into photography in at least a semi frequent way! The compromise is something like my Sigma, or the Canon equivalent, fixed at f/2.8 throughout the zoom range. The problem with those is that wide open, corner sharpness suffers. Nowadays I leave my Sigma set at f/4.0 because corner sharpness is miles better and it's still fast enough to get plenty of light in. Not a problem I think you'd have with a fast prime, like a 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8.

 

[P.D.]

Thats for the tips. I did mean the 100D yes (get confused with all the numbers). From what I've read the 650D will be phased out over the next few months yeah so will probably end up with either the 100D or 700D. 600D is still continuing - like you say I might as well spend an extra £100/£150 to get the latest model, worthwhile when it's something you will hopefully be using for years.

I'm not wanting it for wedding pics particularly just that I have a wedding coming up that I'm going to so would be nice to have something in time for that. If I don't set myself a target date I'll be umming and ahhing over what model this time next year too

Can't say those lense figures mean much to me but I'm wanting a new hobby to pick up, I've seen that you also get decent books for the Canons on how to use them (600D one is http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-EOS-R...?ie=UTF8&qid=1368745566&sr=8-13&keywords=600d). You probably get them for all models nowadays but will do a bit of research around what I can do once I get one. Guess half the fun is the learning process.

Will try and post up my results sometime.

 

[thfcsteff]

Thanks - really it's just general photography at the moment for when I go away etc but there are also some nice things to snap around London and would be nice to have a new hobby for a bit.

Sounds like more of a mid range will be sufficient for now and upgrade in a few years if I like it more.

I would like to heartily, heartily suggest in that case that you avoid a bulky SLR and buy a Leica d-lux 5 or 6. You can shoot RAW files if u like, it has excellent pre-sets and filters if need be, a superb wide-angle, and excellent ISO on manual if you wanna muck around. It is a phenomenal camera, I actually do a lot of work with it because it allows you to get great shots without being obvious (and sometimes people play up too much in the photos)...in short, it performs in many, many ways like an SLR but clearly isn't PLUS it's easy to carry around and is superbly made/produces great quality...

Thx

Steff

 

[thfcsteff]

To be honest, if you're coming from a point-and-shoot camera then you'll love any DSLR that you get. I have a Nikon D5100 and I love it, the quality of the pictures is unbelievable when compared to any camera I've had in the past.

My limited understanding of digital photography is that the sensor size is what makes the images better quality so if you can get a full frame DSLR then you'll be laughing.

This website is great to help you compare cameras and see what features each has or hasn't got. http://snapsort.com/compare

This correct (sensor size)...I'm telling you, go and check out the Leica d-lux 5 or 6. Research it. Wonderful little camera...with a LOT under the hood!

 

[funster]

Thats for the tips. I did mean the 100D yes (get confused with all the numbers). From what I've read the 650D will be phased out over the next few months yeah so will probably end up with either the 100D or 700D. 600D is still continuing - like you say I might as well spend an extra £100/£150 to get the latest model, worthwhile when it's something you will hopefully be using for years.

I'm not wanting it for wedding pics particularly just that I have a wedding coming up that I'm going to so would be nice to have something in time for that. If I don't set myself a target date I'll be umming and ahhing over what model this time next year too

Can't say those lense figures mean much to me but I'm wanting a new hobby to pick up, I've seen that you also get decent books for the Canons on how to use them (600D one is http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-EOS-R...?ie=UTF8&qid=1368745566&sr=8-13&keywords=600d). You probably get them for all models nowadays but will do a bit of research around what I can do once I get one. Guess half the fun is the learning process.

Will try and post up my results sometime.

Good luck with the search, whichever way you choose to go in the end!

I never bought any of the reference books, but I did take out a subscription to EOS Magazine - only because it was on special offer. I think it's like £24.99 for a year? That's been more useful for me because I don't have the time - or inclination - to really immerse myself in a book. The magazine provides a nicer balance with some very good tutorial-type articles. Might be worth thinking about. I'd probably never have realised the difference between first and second curtain flash had I not read the article about it.

 

[P.D.]

I would like to heartily, heartily suggest in that case that you avoid a bulky SLR and buy a Leica d-lux 5 or 6. You can shoot RAW files if u like, it has excellent pre-sets and filters if need be, a superb wide-angle, and excellent ISO on manual if you wanna muck around. It is a phenomenal camera, I actually do a lot of work with it because it allows you to get great shots without being obvious (and sometimes people play up too much in the photos)...in short, it performs in many, many ways like an SLR but clearly isn't PLUS it's easy to carry around and is superbly made/produces great quality...

Thx

Steff

Trouble with those is that you can't change around the lenses and stuff so not sure I'd have as much fun to be honest. They are also quite expensive (although I presume they are quite a high end camera brand) but you can get Panasonic which are pretty much 95% the same for half the price.

Are you a photographer then? What else would you recommend?