Digital SLR - Prices & Where To Buy

[P20]

Looking to buy my first digital SLR.
I've narrowed it down to the Nikon D80 with either the 18-135mm or 18-70mm lens. I'll probably buy a 55-200mm VR (possibly 300mm if i get the 135mm)later unless there's a good package.
I've looked on various sites including ebay and basically my heads a bit battered :?
My prefered options are:
http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/products/digital.html (D80 + 18-135mm £669)

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/?/p...RD=nikon d80&gclid=CPSH4sSMqZECFQ6ZQwode2GheQ (D80 + 18-135mm £667 posted)
Jessops are £679 and i do like the fact of being able to walk into a shop when the price start getting up. Wouldn't be too bothered by losing £20-30 for the convenience.

Thanks in advance

 

[Augustus]

Warehouseexpress.com.

They are very good and usually the cheapest for the bodies and lenses. Good service and you have the bonus of it not having been played with by someone in a shop for months. Good with returns too.

Memory cards though are cheapest here (that i can find) by a fair margin. Good service. I buy all my memory here.

www.picstop.co.uk

Grays are old school good. Dealt with them a fair bit in the late eighties/ early nineties. Possibly not as cheap as Warehouse express, but a different kind of transaction. That said, warehouse express aren't at all a fly by night web operation like so many that pop up cheap as ebay shops selling grey imports cheap.

Hope this helps.

 

[Augustus]

p.s...

as said before here and there, everyone has a good/ bad deal story about every shop, but...bloody Jessops...!!!!!! I'm sick of them.

I've taken expensive lenses back to Jessops with scratches on the elements straight out of the box an dthey've not even looked at them and put them back on the shelf. Great for me as next time I will replace the lens with a brick and hock it on ebay to teach them a lesson and make some cash. But not so great for teh next people to buy it! :shock:

Good pretty much no q's asked returns policy, but that means to me that what i am buying may well have been used already and in my experience abused too.

I know one guy that has bought gear there, done a job with it over the w/e and retuened in as 'unwanted' on monday and they haven't even bothered to check it out properly before refunding him.

I'd stick wit the Grays/ warehouse express option if i were you mate.

 

[JeRkY]

Ive always found jessops very good as far as highstreet camera shops go. Usually able to price match (or get close) good returns policy, and unlike any one else selling digital cameras on the highstreet, they have an idea about the products they sell.

 

[P20]

Cheers for the replies.
Just discovered that WE will price match any online shop by 125%. Google price runner has just found one at £580!! :twisted:

 

[P20]

Cheers Wu, those cards are cheap. What size would you recommend? Take it it makes more sense to have 2 x 2gb cards than 1 x 4gb?

 

[Augustus]

Cheers Wu, those cards are cheap. What size would you recommend? Take it it makes more sense to have 2 x 2gb cards than 1 x 4gb?

There were issues with the first wave of bigger cards like 4gb and 8gb. But I think that's all in the past now.

I use 2gb's. Swings and roundabouts. More 2's is safer (as in you only loose some images if you loose one) or more hassle (you have to change more often) - whichever way you look at it.

I wouldn't underestimate the write speed either. Depending on how fast your camera writes data and how long it will buffer as it writes/ shoots, slower cards can hold you up at crucial moments. And play back is faster too so checking befor eyou shoot again is quicker.

That said, the latest 266x cards are so fast, for anything but the fastest of slr's and shooting opportunities, I think they are perhaps overkill.

Sandisk Extreme III's are good. Never had any problems and are bloody quick. And Kingston are good too and tend to be cheaper. I use these (Extreme III's). But got some kingston in compact cameras too.

Think the Sandisk Extreme III's are cheaper respetcively at the mo though as the Extreme IV has come out.