Recommendations for a good digital SLR Camera

Hello Camera type people, could you please recommend a good digital SLR package. Main use will be outdoorsy stuff, motor racing etc so needs to be pretty good quality. I know feck all about photography so please don't blind me with science. I just want to be able to get some decent pics for once. I'd like a selection of kit recommending (lenses, flash etc etc.), not just the body. I'm thinking of doing photography night classes too- is this a good idea?

Cheers
Si

Si,

Basically you can't really go wrong with either Canon or Nikon. Sony and Pentax are also fine. Best go and get a feel of them in your hands as it were. If you think you'll get into it and start a kit collection, might be worth going for the big guns (Canon and Nikon).

Two of the best places for new gear are:

www.warehouseexpress.com The chain reaction of the camera world)

or

http://www.parkcameras.com/ ( a local Sussex shop that actually know what they are talking about and manage to give the big players a run for their money on price and are good for service)


don't discount 2nd hand though. The dig market's obsession with 'upgrading' means a healthy 2nd hand market.

www.ffordes.co.uk are a very safe bet for 2nd hand and a good barometer for pricing of gear 2nd hand.



And don't get carried away with talk of Mega Pixels. Bigger no's are not always better. In fact they can be a burden creating little extra resolution but more 'noise' (fluffy blurs of rgb).

Pega Mixel envy is a modern disease. Don't fall for it. ;-)

I've been using the entry level Nikon D3000 since the summer and people have been commenting on how good the pictures are turning out.

Interchangeable lenses for the paparazzi moments.

here's some pics from autumn:

What's your (rough) budget, both now & what you're willing to spend on bits you find yourself 'needing' in the future?

What are your priorities as to size/weight vs durability (more 'professional' stuff is hefty to lug around!)? Do you want something that will 'last' a long time or do you envisage yourself upgrading?

I'd definitely agree with the above Nikon or Canon recommendation - it's just personal preference between the two though. & ditto on the megapixel guff!

Used to work in Jessops for seven years part time & vacation when a student, B4 they became a PLC and went for volume etc.

Try to handle as many cameras as reasonably practical - all will feel a little different - one will feel more right than the others.

If you feel more comfortable using it you'll use it more & get more familiar with it and hence take better pics etc.

Most of the big makes will give decent kit, got nothing against Sony cameras per se but Sony may choose to leave the D-SLR market, where Nikon / Canon etc will not - so if building a wide range of kit is possible then stick to those two.

Will agree about Pixel envy - 8 / 10 / 12 Mp should be fine for anything, other than pro work requireing billboard size enlargements.

Most will have a mode selection for sports / action / landscape / portraits etc so you can use in "dummy" mode until you're more used to handling it / using manual / advanced functions.

As to a course - it depends - some are good but quality varies as the teacher varies - look for a reccomendation from current / previous pupils.

Local camera clubs usually do courses which won't cost the earth.

As I said above - handle the cameras - maybe borrow a friends - if the butttons fall correctly under YOUR fingers then that will potentially be a better buy than chasing MP or fancy functions....

M.

I dont know what megapixel my camera is....

'Live' view is supposedly handy to have but takes alot of processing/ power to do.

The ability to take many pics a second is good and was what tripped up old DSLRs as the CCD cant keep up.

I tested alot of cameras before I chose the Nikon

The Sony I tested was just too complicated for quick use and probably would dat very quickly

The Canon EOS something or other just didnt feel right for the price.

I chose the Nikon on weight alone - I could live with this for a while.

If you're going to be a 'pro' and need to twat your kit into things and still be able to use it, gotta go Nikon and Canon, but the others are good too.

I think it's a bit sad that the other manufacturers are falling by the wayside because of the big two and if you don't need a pro system then it's no bad thing to go for Pentax etc as it spreads the wealth as it were. Keeps the smaller guys going still and they can be just as good to an extent.

The internals of one of my EOS 1's is the same as the 'My First Canon' EOS 350D and you really can't see much in it for quality (yet the price difference is shocking). The difference is that you can stop Hugh Grant or similar chucking a bin at you with the EOS 1 and still take a picture of him afterwards...;-) (that is based on a Paparazzi Scum Friend's experiences - not mine I might add )

Thanks for the help guys. A few thoughts....

Weight has been mentioned a few times- not really bothered tbh. I won't be taking it out on the bikes as i have a decent enough compact digi for that. I do like something well built though- I don't like plastic-y stuff and can be a little clumsy- I want something well built and robust.

Pricewise, again its not my main priority. I don't want to go too mad but don't mind spending a little more if it has the requirement above and its doesn't become limited as my interest/ability grows. I don't want to be wishing it had this feature or that feature in a years time and have to buy again.

Beyond the camera body itself, I want to have a basic starter kit that will have enough kit and features to be able to learn with and be able to expand upon. I like motor racing and want to be able to get some good shots from behind the fencing and sometimes in low light. Last summer at Le Mans I was handed my friends bag of kit (as he couldn't be arsed to leave the campsite). I presume it was very expensive as he was very keen to check it all over when I got back, but sadly I cannot remember what it was. I played around with it all day and got some pretty good shots even though I was limited to the dummy settings and the little knowledge that I have regarding shutter speeds etc. Something that gets similar results without causing a brain explosion is just what I need.

Si

Si

focal lengths of lenses is something to be aware of.

It all depends on your sensor size.

A smaller sensor will mean an increase in magnification of a focal length.

eg; a 16-35mm lens on a full frame sensor (costly) will equate to a 16-35mm lens.

on a 1.3 sensor, it will become a 21-45mm lens.

and on a 1.6x sensor it will become a 26 - 56mm lens.


this can be a disadvantage if you're into the wider angled stuff as it gets costly to replicate the true length of even the cheap 18-55mm lenses, but at the telephoto end it becomes quite an advantage, magnifying them and giving you effectively longer lenses (v. useful for motorsport).

Most cheaper end SLR's will be 1.6x and a few 1.3x sensors. This is just worth bearing in mind while choosing lenses as the box will say 18-55mm but as pointed out above, it won't actually have that angle of view.

Sounds like the Nikon/Canons made for 'normal people' will do the job just fine then - mine has certainly withstood plenty of abuse. Most of that kind of stuff is plastic though - but well made plastic.

Budget wise, give us a rough idea? Are we talking sub £500 for everything or is £1000+ for just the body reasonable? I'm firmly in the poor-people category, but if you've got the money...

As for working out how to use it all, I'd have to recommend reading a couple of books then just having a play! I've never done a course (I'm sure I'd learn plenty though), but the science behind it isn't complicated... & I doubt there's anything more effective than practise.