Help wanted!

[Catwomanglass]

Hi,
I have a Panasonic Lumix camera and would really like something more than a point and shoot but do not know where to start.

I did photography at school (many moons ago) so have a little idea about what I am doing composition wise but my old SLR bit the dust many moons ago.

I do not have huge amounts of money to spend on a camera and associated kit so does anyone know of a budget, but half way decent camera/lenses/kit that would be worth investing in until I make my milions and can afford seomthing decent!!

Thanks for any help you can give!

[Tobers]

Ah ha! Another one bitten by the bug. Excellent!

Question for you - how much is your budget? That's usually the best way to do this. The answer will probably be a Nikon D40, possibly Nikon D40x, or a Canon 400D (or a cheapo 350D). Check out eBay for people upgrading and getting rid of their entry-level dSLR.

Let us know your budget and I'm sure loads of people will reply and give you plenty to read.

Tobers

[Kronenbourg]

If you order before the 31st of August then Nikon have a £60 rebate on either the D40 or the D40x with lens kit. I have just bitten the bullet and ordered the D40, which with rebate you can get for around £240-£280 which to me seemed a bargain. I was going to go for the D40x but after reading Ken Rockwell's glowing review of the D40 decided I would save the money and put it towards a nikon 18-200mm VR2 lense at some point in the future.

[Catwomanglass]

Thanks...my buget will be about £300 as that is the combined figure of the panasonic and the housing which we bought for it as well!

I will have to look into it more so any more help much appreciated...want to win the photo competition!!!!

[Pirate!!]

To be honest there are a number of cameras that might meet your needs. In the prosumer/bridge category there's the Sony R1 and Panasonic FZ50.

That said, for an excellent (now budget DSLR), look at the Olympus E500 2 lens kit. Amazon, eBuyer and eBay are good starting points (£350 or so).