Advice on an SLR Camera

[jenny_vest1]

Hey.

 

I've been playing around as an amature photographer for a while and I'm maby

thinking of investing in a LSR Camera in the summer if I've still got a few

hundred of my Student Loan left. At the moment I'm useing an OKish Olimpus

Creative Camera but I'm really dissapointed with the picture quality especially

when useing PhotoShop. I want to start takeing some more professional photos.

I use my camera alot when I'm out climbing or at the Stables. So I need

something that I can carry around easily. I'm also starting to take photos of

landscapes and things like that, playing around with a few micra shots aswell.

I also use my camera alot at for family events and would like a camera that

could handle my cousins or my gigs.

 

I would love some advice on which kind of LSR camera to get. I've heard that

Cannor and Nikon are good, but wouldn't know what modles to chose from and if I

should get some extra lesnes and things.

 

Thanks loads for any advice.

 

Jenny xx

[jenny_vest1]

fudge. got my letters mixed up. SLR sorry :)

[daverhaas]

Jenny -

I would recommend either the Nikon D40 or Canon Digital Rebel XTi both are "entry" level DSLR's (Digital SLR's) and are close to your price range. They are both fairly small and lightweight and come with decent kit lenses.

 

Either camera will serve you well ... You'll find an equal number of Canon fans and Nikon fans plus fans of Pentax, Olympus, Sony etc... bottom line - they're all as good as the person using the equipment.

 

Dave

[calarrick]

Canon and Nikon... also Pentax, Sony, Olympus.

 

There is a lot of information on these forums about the various entry-level models... you might want to browse each of the brand/system-specific forums a bit.

 

Depending on how big a "few hundred" is you might want to look at the lower-end Pentax models, which (i think) are currently the lowest end of the 'respectable' market -- the Nikon D40 is also fairly inexpensive, and comes with an optically decent, if somewhat flimsy, kit lens.

[Jochen_S]

I'd suggest a Pentax at the lower end of the budget range, if the middle class like Canon 5D is out of reach. Remembering the darkness in stables I guess you'll like the shake reduction feature (Sony offers that too, the others buid it into some lenses) Pentax are quite light and compact which makes carying them convenient. Other brands are known to offer better and faster AF.

 

Oh and if you make up your mind tomorrow, keep open for changes that might happen until summer. - Until now I missed 3(!) cameras I wanted to get since they were suddenly discontinued or their price was raised out of my reach.

 

When you start liking a certain camera go to a shop where you can touch it and its competitors. Also ask your friends and relatives what they are using - maybe you'll be able to borrow some lenses once in a while.

[mary_smith12]

I would like to recommend the Canon Digital Rebel XTi, this camera got very good reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000I1ZWRC/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/digital_rebel_xti/

The price has dropped a lot, a recent deal on it is for $509 at：

http://www.dealstudio.com/viewtopic.php?t=13451

[nickwhite]

My advice when buying an SLR system would be to first consider what lenses, flashguns, and other accessories you might want in the future - and then buy into the brand that fulfills your needs best (eg Nikon has arguably a better flash system, Canon's long lenses may be preferable). Once you buy a camera you are stuck with that manufacturer - or it can be very expensive to change brands once you have a few lenses etc! Camera bodies are updated about every two years on average, while good lenses will last for many years.

[nickwhite]

Canon A650 is NOT an SLR! Jenny asked specifically for SLR recommendations.

[dg1]

Jenny, I'm not sure what your actual budget is, but Amazon is offering the Panasonic L1 which comes with an image stabilized Leica D vario-elmarit lens,14-50mm f/2.8-f.35(28-100mm equivalent) for $799 with free shipping.

 

The L1 is not an entry level camera, it's extremely well built, and were originally sold for $1999.00. The Leica Digilux 3 which is the same camera still sells for $2500.

 

The L1 is a very unique design based on the Olympus E 330. The lens itself is worth more than the selling price and you'll be unlikely to be able to equip any of the entry level DSLRs from other manufacturers with anything equal to the Leica D lens, without spending considerably more.

 

IMO this is the best value in a DSLR available at this time. I've had mine for a couple weeks now and it is a very fine camera. There is also a growing number of lens choices from Olympus and Panasonic-Leica for these cameras should you want to expand your system in the future.

[colinsouthern]

I'd advise paying off your student loan first! :)

[kevin_krumwiede2]

I used to sell cameras. The popular entry-level models take great photos, but the leading brands (Canon and Nikon) both have some drawbacks. The Rebel XTi feels too small in many people's hands -- even some women's. The D40 shares this problem, plus its autofocus is crippled to reduce the cost. It lacks a focus drive in the body, so it can only autofocus with AF-S and AF-I lenses. I picked up a D50 when they went on clearance after the D40 came out. They have a focus drive and they feel like a real camera. They've been discontinued for over a year now so they're hard to find new, but IMO they're the best entry-level DSLR ever produced.