decent camera help

[jns]

OK it's all Deb fault
I need a new Camera
Have been thinking about it for a while now
looking at all the great photos that are are enter in the Photo Comp everyweek , I have made my mind up
so now the question is what do I look for
I want to go the next step up
At the moment I have a fujifilm finePix F610
which is getting rubbish at inside shots

so i have about £500-£600 to spend

I can wait and get it in the states if the difference is a lot

Thanks for any help

 

[Minniespal]

I bought a new camera myself recently. I asked the folks on the Photography Board for some help. I ended up getting a Canon Photoshot. Very pleased with it so far

 

[homerdog]

Have a look on DPReview.

Do you want an all-in-one solution or are you happy to get a DSLR, which has the option of interchangeable lenses?

If it's the former, I would look at the Canon Powershot G7 (£300).

For a DSLR you should consider the Canon 400D (£480), the Nikon D40 (£365) and the Pentax K10D (£650).

Go into a decent camera shop, try them all out and buy the one you like best. Don't worry about what the salesman says or anything else, as they are all capable of producing fantastic results and are excellent buys.

Have a look at Camera Price Buster for the best deals on Canon and Nikon. To be honest, unless you are going to New York, the savings to be made buying in the USA are not worth the potential hassles. Buying from Hong Kong on eBay is a viable option, there are loads of reliable sellers about.

 

[jns]

Have a look on DPReview.

Do you want an all-in-one solution or are you happy to get a DSLR, which has the option of interchangeable lenses?

If it's the former, I would look at the Canon Powershot G7 (£300).

For a DSLR you should consider the Canon 400D (£480), the Nikon D40 (£365) and the Pentax K10D (£650).


Go into a decent camera shop, try them all out and buy the one you like best. Don't worry about what the salesman says or anything else, as they are all capable of producing fantastic results and are excellent buys.

Have a look at Camera Price Buster for the best deals on Canon and Nikon. To be honest, unless you are going to New York, the savings to be made buying in the USA are not worth the potential hassles. Buying from Hong Kong on eBay is a viable option, there are loads of reliable sellers about.

Thank you so much for all the links
i never even thought about e bay and Hong Kong
and i have got some cards this way

 

[tony64]

Jackie you may find the canon 350D of 400D it better for a ladies hand. I have the Nikon D50 and it is fine for me but a bit large for DW to grip.

 

[UKDEB]

Jackie you may find the canon 350D of 400D it better for a ladies hand

Tony; are you casting aspersions on Matt?

 

[tony64]

No Debs he did say he thought it a little on the small side and i THINK we were talking about his camera.

 

[Boss Hogg]

Yes it was the camera we talked about!!

Also, don't forget the Sony A100 DSLR, which I quite like the look of and did look at before we got our 400D.

Is it a DSLR you are looking for?

 

[tony64]

Matt what are the pro's and con's of the Sony????

 

[Boss Hogg]

Matt what are the pro's and con's of the Sony????

I just quite like the looks of it. But, it does have a built-in dust reduction system (shaking the sensor) - which the 400D has also got and it has also got an in-built anti-shake system, whereas with Canon they are built into the lenses (same as Nikon I think?).

Also, Sony bought Minolta (I think) so it fits all of the lenses, which is quite a large range I understand.

Size-wise very similar to the 400D, but from memory comes in a bit cheaper I seem to remember. Not sure if that is now the case with the 400D having been out for a while.

 

[tony64]

Sounds like a worthy contender for anyone just getting into DSLR.

 

[UKDEB]

"Matt's a laydeeee!"

 

[tony64]

Debs I hope you are not trying to dig me into an even deeper hole.
It's just that the grip on the canon is a little to small for a bloke.
my fingers are not as dextrous as Matts.
Is he good with his hands debs??????

 

[UKDEB]

He did have a battery grip affixed to the 350D. It helped. What more can I say?

 

[jns]

Is it a DSLR you are looking for?

Yes it is

Thanks everyone for your help on everything
and I will be looking at sizes as well Debs


Great idea homerdog to go into a shop and have a look around and then check out the web too

 

[Boss Hogg]

Great idea homerdog to go into a shop and have a look around and then check out the web too

It is a good idea to go and have a play with them all and try taking some shots to see how easy you find the button configuration.

Also, consider what cards you already have now. If you have a large number of cards, maybe consider a DSLR which uses the same sort.

 

[jns]

It is a good idea to go and have a play with them all and try taking some shots to see how easy you find the button configuration.

Also, consider what cards you already have now. If you have a large number of cards, maybe consider a DSLR which uses the same sort.

I would have quite a few XD cards but with the price of cards going away down now I'm not going to let that decide the camera to get, done that the last time and was very limited
thanks again for your help

 

[homerdog]

Just one more thing to add - if I was buying my first DSLR today, I would get the Nikon D80 with the AF-S DX 18-135mm lens.

It costs a bit more than you have budgeted, but I think that the features on offer and the quality of the included lens offers great value.

The cheapest place I have found is on Jessops Online, using the discount code sale30, giving a price of £706.99.

I am actually a Canon user myself, so I have no particular bias towards Nikon, I just think that it's the best value camera available at the moment.

 

[UKDEB]

Just one more thing to add - if I was buying my first DSLR today, I would get the Nikon D80 with the AF-S DX 18-135mm lens.

It costs a bit more than you have budgeted, but I think that the features on offer and the quality of the included lens offers great value.

The cheapest place I have found is on Jessops Online, using the discount code sale30, giving a price of £706.99.

I am actually a Canon user myself, so I have no particular bias towards Nikon, I just think that it's the best value camera available at the moment.

Feeling any better, bro?

 

[jfrosello]

Hi, the first thing you may decide is compact (one fixed lens, 2 at most, ease of use, small and so easy to carry on and have ready at hand) vs reflex (bigger, normally better, but you will notice it principaly on enlargement - A4 at least-, better flash and indoor capacity, BUT heavier, more accesories lenses etc, dificult to use at the best of capacity, almost impossible to carry in a pocket).
It may be interesting to think if you want "souvenirs" picture and don´t worry about material; or you like Photography by itself and are decided to investigate aperture, speed, 2nd curtain synchro ...
If it may help you here is some info given by Chasseurs d'Images (one of the more serious european magazine with a forum -in french- photim.net):
Having in mind you want indoor picture (always difficult to get with a compact because of the small flash and being not so good at higher sensibility):
Compacts and bridge
Fuji F10 very good until 800 ISO (but not stabilized)
Fuji S6500 fd very good until 3200 ISO (is a "bridge"-> intermediate between compact and reflex), not stabilized
Fuji F31 fd (fd = face detection) excellent until 800 ISO, correct 1600 and 3200
Canon Ixus 800 IS good pictures until 800 ISO and stabilized
Ricoh Caplio R5 stabilized and good pictures until 800 - 1600 ISO
Canon Powershot A640 10 Mpix
Reflex
Is difficult to choose because it will depend if you will want to get a lot of lenses or not
Pentax K10D, not a lot of lenses (you have what you need for normal use, not enough for professional) but for the price yoiu have 10 mpix, antishacking, antidust
Nikon D80 and Canon EOS 400D 10 Mpix, lot of lenses (excellent enlargement until A3), both good choice.
Sony Alpha 100 , Minolta and Sony lenses, built in antishake and antidust, excellent enlargements until A4
Think about buying a monopode, or a small tripode you will get better pictures with a quieter base (about all if it is indoor)

Sorry for my long thread but your question is, IMHO, difficult to answer in just a couple of words.
Enjoy your new camera and give us a lot of pictures
Regards from Mallorca
JF