[PeaJay]

Hi to the photo forum - i'm normally in the PVR and TV forum, so be gentle with me.

I have a dilemma...

Yep, this is another one of those open ended general questions... However, I'd appreciate some opinions...

I have just come into some cash (as has the tax man ) hence I'm able to fulfill a desire I've harboured for a while

I have a bag full of Pentax film cameras that never see the light of day anymore, in fact I have an Olympus C4000 that's getting left in the drawer...
We mainly use our pocket size Minolta X50.
However, me and no:1 daughter are getting frustrated by this fantastic little camera's limitations, and want I want to get back up to a bigger camera - can't be bothered with film anymore! So, I'm after a decent dSLR.

I've started looking... blimey what a lot of choice.

I'm after an enthusiasts camera - I dont need a pro-standard camera. Mpixels are much of a muchness these days - I don't tend to print out A3 pic, so 6-10M is more than enough. It needs to be able to be simple enough that my daughter (15) can start to get using it, as she is as keen as me. I want a decent set of functions - including letting me decide what to take. It doesn't want to be so heavy I want to leave it at home. I'd prefer something that is on the new side - just to ensure support for the longest time. I have no allegience to any make, but realise Minoolta is now out, due to it stopping being in the camera market.

I have looked at the Nikon D200 or D70, Canon 30D, or 350D, the Olympus E-500, the Pentax ist D (and the K110D which is not yet out)

I'm now confused

for about the £1000-£1500 mark, which would you guys go for, and why?

[Jazz Monkey Jr]

Most of the SLR's are pretty easy to use, the Apeture and shutter speed priority modes are excellent for getting the look you want, without having to worry about getting the exposure right.
I would go for one of the smaller DSLR's, of course I am going to recommend the 350D and that is the only one I have experience of, and there are lots of happy owners on here, it is smaller than a full size DSLR, mainly the handgrip so may be ideal for your daughter to use aswell.
Your budget seems realistic.
What do you want to take photos of mainly?
Do you need a flash?
Do you need a bag, filters etc?

[ush flynn]

minolta are out but sony are in with minolta fit lenses. So... not realllllly out!
For lightness your looking at the 350d and the pentax ist D, The canon is probably the most popular dslr going right now and a lot of people are using it as a stepping stone up to something like a 20d or 30d. At least you can get the body, try out some lenses then sell your body on for a small loss, and upgrade later if you really feel you wanted to. The 350d uses CF cards which is nice becuase so do the 20d 30d 5d and the 1d. The pentax uses the SD card which true might save you a couple of grams but limits where you can go after. As does its range of lenses. Pentax dont do anything of the level of the Nikon D200 or the Canon 30d

As for being easy to use. The cameras can be used on a fully automatic mode or even a program mode which will allow you to take shots without thinking. When you feel you want to control depth of field or shutter speed for freezing action or blurring it. You can switch to control one, the other or both. Then you can start using metering zones, bracketing, colour temperature and things like that.

Things are operated via a main program dial on the top. This hasnt changed since the autofocus film SLR days! Everything else associated with a digital camera is usually altered using the onscreen display so you will have to get your head around the menu systems used.... should take about 15mins!

[PeaJay]

coo rapid reply!

pictures will include the obvious family stuff, but landscape shots feature quite large in our collection of pics so far. As do several macro type flowers and wildlife pictures. (which is why the little compact is showing it's limitations).

external flash - doubt it.
bag - definitely
filters - yeah - it'll be fun getting her into filters (had loads for the Pentax, I wonder what happened to them???)

[md644]

Two bits of advice (fairly standard, which you may already have thought about):

1) Find a shop that has your cameras of choice in stock, and try to have a feel/play with them to see how they handle. (For example some say the Canon EOS 350D is "too small", others find the Nikons "too big" or "too heavy"). You can always go away to have a think and/or buy online later.

2) Look beyond the camera itself, consider "the system", i.e lenses, flashes which you MIGHT want in future. OK so you say you probably don't need a flash now, but what if you change your mind or find the need for one? What about a telephoto lens? Macro? etc. See what manufacturers provide what you want, and how expensive these add-ons are.
A few years down the line you may want to upgrade the camera body, if you've built up a collection of lenses etc, then it can be VERY expensive to change fron Canon to Nikon, Sony, Pentax or whatever....

[lmccauley]

Don't forget to look at the new Sony Alpha 100 due out next month. It has body-based Anti-shake, and initial reviews look promising.

Cheers,
Liam

[Kaoshan]

The Canon 350D is an excellent entry-level DSLR and is well within your budget, leaving something spare for accessories or an extra lens. It has various automatic modes for ease-of-use and a lot of manual settings for creativity.

I upgraded from an Olympus E10 to a Canon 350D and thought it was a great camera. I've now moved on to a Canon 30D and my wife has the 350D which she loves. The 30D is bulkier and heavier than the 350D, especially when the bigger lenses are added!

[Pirate!!]

Ahoy there!

If weight is an issue, (and DSLRs + lens don't come light), might I suggest you look at something just as (if not more) practical in the form of the Panasonic FZ30 or other Pana FZ series cameras.

They have Mega OIS and 12x optical zoom as standard and you have all the functionality of manual settings to boot. I had a Pana FZ3 before moving to the Oly E500, and miss all of the Pana's features, notwithstanding that it will go from macro to 12x without any lens changing.

OK, a DSLR will normally return you better pics out of the camera, but the Pana IMHO is much more user friendly, and with PP software like Neat Image, you'll still get excellent photo quality without having to cart around tripods/monopods and bags of lenses.

Also, have a look at the Sony A100 DSLR with OIS. There's quite a kufuffle in the Oly E500 camp about this camera. Seems it has features we E500 owners have been after for eons, and many may just 'jump ship' to get them.

Just my 2 doubloons worth.

[PeaJay]

thanks guys!
I'm gonna try and get into LCE and handle some
see if i can off load my film cameras too!

still tempted by the 30D... new, shiny... but maybe a bit big!

[PeaJay]

Originally Posted by Pirate!!

Ahoy there!
Also, have a look at the Sony A100 DSLR with OIS. There's quite a kufuffle in the Oly E500 camp about this camera. Seems it has features we E500 owners have been after for eons, and many may just 'jump ship' to get them.

Just my 2 doubloons worth.

can i buy one yet?
this money is burning a hot burny hole in my pocket -i dont think i'm gonna be patiant (plus if i dont spend it - swmbo will do )

[Pirate!!]

Originally Posted by PeaJay

can i buy one yet?
this money is burning a hot burny hole in my pocket -i dont think i'm gonna be patiant (plus if i dont spend it - swmbo will do )

According to my research, the A100 will be 'hitting the shops' in July.

[PeaJay]

Originally Posted by Pirate!!

According to my research, the A100 will be 'hitting the shops' in July.

Hmmm...
Yes had a look at this camera.
From the pre-release reviews i have read, it looks jolly good!
may well be tempted with this, and graduate to a larger more hardcore dSLR later. Also Daughter is smaller than me, so a smaller body will be better for her.

patience required then...
I'm gonna be sooo tempted by that shiney Cannon 30D...

[martin greaves]

[QUOTE=PeaJay]Hmmm...
Yes had a look at this camera.
From the pre-release reviews i have read, it looks jolly good!
may well be tempted with this, and graduate to a larger more hardcore dSLR later. Also Daughter is smaller than me, so a smaller body will be better for her. QUOTE]

One thing to remember is that most people usually find they spend more on lenses than on the camera body itself. This means that when they look at upgrading they will usually stick with the same manufacturer,so they can use the same lenses. At the moment it is unclear what Sony's commitment to the DSLR market will be, and what upgrade path they will offer from the A100 - this is one big advantage offered by the two biggest brands (Nikon/Canon). Then again, if the A100 performance matches its spec then ther shouldn't be any need to upgrade for a long time .

[Pirate!!]

[QUOTE=martin greaves]

Originally Posted by PeaJay

Hmmm...
Yes had a look at this camera.
From the pre-release reviews i have read, it looks jolly good!
may well be tempted with this, and graduate to a larger more hardcore dSLR later. Also Daughter is smaller than me, so a smaller body will be better for her. QUOTE]

One thing to remember is that most people usually find they spend more on lenses than on the camera body itself. This means that when they look at upgrading they will usually stick with the same manufacturer,so they can use the same lenses. At the moment it is unclear what Sony's commitment to the DSLR market will be, and what upgrade path they will offer from the A100 - this is one big advantage offered by the two biggest brands (Nikon/Canon). Then again, if the A100 performance matches its spec then ther shouldn't be any need to upgrade for a long time .

Ahoy there!

I would normally agree, but it seems Sony has acquired Konica/Minolta so their lenses apparently will be fine. Plus Sony will be introducing additional lenses to the current crop.

I guess anyone going down the A100 route will be very well catered for. In any case, if you already have glass, it's likely there will be an adapter to fit the A100, though check first (I may be talking a load of $%*#@!).

[PeaJay]

Just an update for you good people.
went into the local camera shop
got him to pull out all the available options
spent an hour going through the options... then said, "right, I need to go and think" went back 2 hrs later and made a purchase (much to his surprise - he expected me to price it up and buy online - but I did price it up, factoring the wait (see below ) and he was competitive - plus he knocked some money off )

I was soooo tempted with the Canon 30D, however, instead plumped for the Canon 350D
Two reasons:

• Size - as I said it was for me, but daughter would also be learning with it 350D was smaller and lighter and fitted her hand better.
• price - got body, two lenses 28-55 and 55-200, Lowepro rucksack and 1G card for less than the 30D body.
• availability - I'm two darned impatient to wait for the Sony (that's three things!)
• If we both get into it, and I find i can't get my hands on it it'll give me the excuse to go and buy the 30D body, and keep the lenses (oops now that's four reasons)

So...

fun, fun, fun (all I need is the sun, sun, sun, a glass of mango juice, and a few goldfish to nibble my toes while I take pics)

now, I just need to buy a wide angle and macro lens and I've replaced my film camera setup. (Blimey wide angle lenses are expensive!!! )

[Pirate!!]

Ahoy there!

(Blimey wide angle lenses are expensive!!!)

Well you've made your choice. Lenses are expensive, that's why I suggested the FZ30 (macro/wide to 12x lens). I trust you will enjoy your new camera and you'll get all the advice from other owners. Post some pics when you can.

[stevegreen]

The kit lens at 18mm is relatively wide and for the money is a great starter lens given enough light.

[timothyw]

What pentax lenses do you have? I may be interested- I'm a pentax DSLR user.

[PeaJay]

Originally Posted by Pirate!!

Ahoy there!

(Blimey wide angle lenses are expensive!!!)

Well you've made your choice. Lenses are expensive, that's why I suggested the FZ30 (macro/wide to 12x lens). I trust you will enjoy your new camera and you'll get all the advice from other owners. Post some pics when you can.

Ouch
will post some pics once get my hands on it

[PeaJay]

Originally Posted by timothyw

What pentax lenses do you have? I may be interested- I'm a pentax DSLR user.

I'll look out the details once i get home!

all are manual - K mount

[wsurfa]

Originally Posted by Pirate!!

Ahoy there!

(Blimey wide angle lenses are expensive!!!)

Well you've made your choice. Lenses are expensive, that's why I suggested the FZ30 (macro/wide to 12x lens). I trust you will enjoy your new camera and you'll get all the advice from other owners. Post some pics when you can.

most 10x compacts dont have a true wide angle - normally 30-38mm is the starting point, sometimes higher. The major problem with the fz series is the poor (very poor on the fz5) iso performance, from my perspective unusable above 200.

The macro is not particularly good, much worse than my old s602 and not as good as the 70-300 sigma cheapy lens that I bought a while ago.

It's not a bad camera, just that its limitations are more than you've described. My personal opinion is that as an overall package(cost included) the lower range fz are better vfm. If you're in the market for a good slr then the budget option is the 350 or d50 and 30d or d200 at the high end.

You can get the d50 for under £330 - so not a bad first dslr. The lenses you'll keep, the body you'll upgrade, so ensure you investigate the right lenses first( make sure you get the nikon or canon 50mm as both are fabulous lenses)