Cheap SLR camera

[allantheboss]

No fancy gizmo's or lots of numbers and :'s and lens ratios and blah blah, I just want a really basic camera to try out/look artistic with

[fizzwheel]

Moved to IB, Stuff Wanted is for SV bits and pieces only.

[Captain Nemo]

Then do you reAlly need an slr? You won't be getting the best out of it unless you understand the " fancy gizmos and lens ratios" I get the idea you'd be much better off with a good quality compact , they're just ad good as a cheap slr on auto , unless you have a understanding of aparturw, iso, and shutter speed relationships you'll just get frustratingly crap pics with an slr

[allantheboss]

Sound advice! Excellent, thank you! I'll get a good compact then. This thread can be deleted as far as I'm concerned then. Thanks!

(and apologies Fizzmeister, I thought it was for general stuff)

[bris]

Most slr's give you the best of both world's. Put it on auto and they still beat most compacts, then when your ready to start learning, experiment with the settings.

[Reeder]

I'd agree with bris. Get an SLR and use it on auto, it'll be better than a compact. When you're ready then start fiddling with the other bits.

[allantheboss]

Thanks Bris.

Shut up Reeder.

[Reeder]

Dude...

[kaivalagi]

I have a Canon 450d and it's great in auto and Program mode if I just want to take pics...only when I start experimenting and trying to get real arty farty do the settings matter more...

I'd buy a second hand DSLR if I were you, you could pic up a Canon 400/450d fairly cheaply these days as they've been around a few years now and you might even get lucky and get some cool lenses for hardly anything extra for when the arty farty stuff starts to matter ;)

I hope that helps

[allantheboss]

Yeah, that's what I wanted. Maybe I will reconsider getting a compact instead then!

[Reeder]

Yeah I agree with Kai

[kaivalagi]

Yeah, that's what I wanted. Maybe I will reconsider getting a compact instead then!

To be honest there are some cracking compacts out there these days too, some of them have some of the features you'd only expect of DSLRs...but I think if you can justify the baggage space needed for a DSLR then get one! Otherwise maybe look towards the Panasonic Lumix range as they are pretty much the bee's knees of compact(ish) cameras

There are a few brands / models of DSLRs worth considering second hand, I am a Canon owner so rate those but equally up there are Nikon and Sony Alpha DSLR's...any of their offerings in the budget/low end market would do you well...

If you want to know whether what you are looking at is half decent I'd recommend reading reviews at http://www.dpreview.com and http://www.cameralabs.com , both look at all DSLRs and high end compacts

[mikerj]

FWIW, I have a decent compact camera and a DSLR and I use the compact far more often as I hate carrying all the DSLR stuff around with me. Also virtually all compacts will take reasonable quality video, the newer ones will even do HD video, whereas only some DSLRs have this capability. If you get something like a Canon Powershot G10 or G11 then you have full control over the camera if you want to.

[kaivalagi]

FWIW, I have a decent compact camera and a DSLR and I use the compact far more often as I hate carrying all the DSLR stuff around with me. Also virtually all compacts will take reasonable quality video, the newer ones will even do HD video, whereas only some DSLRs have this capability. If you get something like a Canon Powershot G10 or G11 then you have full control over the camera if you want to.
+1, down to what you're willing to carry!
Nothing is ever straight forward aye Allantheboss :lol:

[fizzwheel]

FWIW, I have a decent compact camera and a DSLR and I use the compact far more often as I hate carrying all the DSLR stuff around with me.

I'm the opposite, I never take my compact with me I always take my DSLR, I'd agree about it being a pain in the butt to carry around, but I much prefer to use my DSLR.

Alan, your other option is a bridge camera, sits between the compact and DSLR, will have many of the features of the DSLR, but they are often a lot smaller and more practical, will do video etc and cheaper.

[mikerj]

I was going to mention bridge cameras, but the latest batch of super zoom compacts seem to have reduced their advantages!

[TC3]

I have a bunch of cameras but mostly have my dslr with me. The dynamic range of the larger sensors is just quite a bit better and i prefer better image quality.

[Viney]

I'm the opposite, I never take my compact with me I always take my DSLR, I'd agree about it being a pain in the butt to carry around, but I much prefer to use my DSLR.

Alan, your other option is a bridge camera, sits between the compact and DSLR, will have many of the features of the DSLR, but they are often a lot smaller and more practical, will do video etc and cheaper.I have both a good compact, and the SLR. If im on the bike, or going out after work type thing, then its the compact. The SLR is for proper occasions.

[Jimmy2Feet]

I have had a good ish quality compact for years now, and use it a lot, however i have also wanted to get a DSLR for a long time, my Dad used to have a SLR and i loved playing around with it when i was younger, and i am sure that having a DSLR would be just as much fun, but easier etc with the digital aspect of it.

does anyone have any suggestions on good DSLR's to look at?

[kaivalagi]

does anyone have any suggestions on good DSLR's to look at?

From an earlier post:
I have a Canon 450d and it's great in auto and Program mode if I just want to take pics...only when I start experimenting and trying to get real arty farty do the settings matter more...

I'd buy a second hand DSLR if I were you, you could pic up a Canon 400/450d fairly cheaply these days as they've been around a few years now and you might even get lucky and get some cool lenses for hardly anything extra for when the arty farty stuff starts to matter ;)

I hope that helps

It all comes down to how much you have to spend...Canon, Nikon, Sony Alpha....all good cameras manufacturers. The review sites are your friend, I posted links further up

[mikerj]

Yep, pretty much all the modern DSLRs are very good cameras. However, the one thing that makes or breaks picture quality is the lens and a couple of really good lenses will make the cost of the basic camera almost insignificant. The lens/lenses that come with the lower end DSLRs (known as "kit" lenses) rarely allow you to fully exploit the capabilities of the camera (esp. some of the cheap and nasty Canon lenses IME).

[kaivalagi]

I totally agree, if you want to do things properly you need to spend on lenses.

To put it into perspective I bought a 450d package with 2 kit lenses (18-55 and 55-250mm) and have spent twice as much again on additional lenses over the last couple of years, but I did get by just fine for atleast 6 months until I got the photography bug proper.

I do think the kit lenses are pretty decent though...from the 450d upwards the kit lenses come with image stabilisation as standard which is a nice touch and it means your camera is a lot more forgiving than it would otherwise be. But they are very plasticky and don't work great with lower levels of light (we're being picky here though for those who are very new to this)

I bought a super zoom sigma (150-500mm) and a macro tokina (100mm fixed) as additional lenses, both weren't cheap but will stay with me for a long time to come and handle the majority of situations I like photographing. The macro is great for close ups or portraits and the zoom is excellent for sports shots in general.

[fizzwheel]

Agreed again on the Lens thing. I have the entry level D40, bought with kit 18-55 and 55-200mm lens.

I kept the kit lens, but have a 50mm prime lens and a Nikkor 70-30mm tele lens. The 50mm prime takes awesome pictures but I'm still learning to get to grips with it. the tele lens made a huge difference to the quality of sports . moving pictures I was able to take.

[mikerj]

I totally agree, if you want to do things properly you need to spend on lenses.

To put it into perspective I bought a 450d package with 2 kit lenses (18-55 and 55-250mm) and have spent twice as much again on additional lenses over the last couple of years, but I did get by just fine for atleast 6 months until I got the photography bug proper.


To be fair the kit lens on the newer Canons is not bad. However the 18-55 that came with my 350D is junk, unless you want to have a soft focus effect without having to put Vaseline on the lens :D

[yorkie_chris]

Sorry to be awkward but could some of you apply some pound signs and numbers to what your ideas of "cheap" are? :)

[fizzwheel]

Chris, do you mean what you'd call cheap or cheap for a DSLR ? Something tells me that they arent mutally exclusive :-)

[yorkie_chris]

My idea of cheap is someone pays you to take it away :lol:

Just the figures please... few people above saying "fairly cheap as they're a few years old"... is fairly cheap £50... or is it "fairly cheap" for what it is and that's £500...

[kaivalagi]

Fairly cheap for what it is, the cameras I mentioned are very good so hold their value well...you can pick them up for £300+ depending on the lens that come with them

450d kit with the 18-55mm and 55-250mm lens was at the time around £650 minus £50 cashback from Canon I think (a 500d new with the same kit lenses RRP is £700, probably cheaper if you shop)
The 100mm Tokina macro lens was just under £300 (RRP ~£350) - review: http://www.shutterbug.com/equipmentreviews/lenses/0106tokina/
The Sigma 150 - 500mm super zoom was £700 (RRP ~£750) - review: http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Sigma-150500mm-f5663-DG-HSM-OS-10138

Best looking on ebay for second hand prices if you want "cheap"

[Bluepete]

I may be able to help here.

My Nikon D60 is for sale, including the Nikon 18-55mm VR lens, boxed with everything including a Nikon IR remote and a green Crumpler shoulder case.
It's in very good condition. No SD cards because my new camera uses the same one's.

£275.

Not listed anywhere else yet.

Pete ;)

[kaivalagi]

Nice one Pete, bargain price! What have you got now then?

For those who want a reputable review of Pete's camera it's here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond60/ - it comes highly recommended and to be honest you won't go wrong with a Nikon (says a Canon owner, what has come over me!)

[Woz]

For the OP, have you considered a decent bridge camera? All the ease of use of a compact but with (some of) the more advanced functionality of a DSLR. Pretty much every manufacturer makes at least one. I would still be very happily using my Fuji S6500 if I hadn't been given my D80.