DSLR recommendations?

[Goldilox]

I was wondering whether any of the keener photographers on the forum might please be able to point me at a good budget DSLR?



There's a couple of points that would be useful to me that the specs and reviews never seem to touch on:

- Video- I often shoot short vids for YouTube, and although it seems most but not all cameras will do this these days, no one ever seems to think it's worth mentioning. Being able to plug in external sound is nice but not essential (as I can always track separately and match up later).

- Shooting in low light - I often end up taking pictures at gigs where the lighting is terrible but I don't want to have to use a flash. Something that could cope a bitter than what I have with this would be nice...

 

[Jonah]

Canon people will say Canon are best, Nikon people will say Nikon are best but whichever brand you buy they will be equally as good as each other.

Whichever brand you eventually buy, the most important thing is to actually hold the camera BEFORE buying. Test them out, they all feel different in your hand.

When I bought my first DSLR, I looked at the specs and the then-new Sony range had an excellent spec camera (A200 IIRC) so I was going to buy one of those but when I held it, it felt like holding a house brick. Horribly square and very uncomfortable. I tried the Nikon D40 and the Canon equivalent and much preferred the Nikon so that's what I bought.

You need to keep in mind that, usually, when you choose a make you will end up staying with that make for ever. Why? Because you invariably buy lenses to fit and if you change brands then the lenses are useless. That is, of course, unless you have loads of money to be able to change everything at once.

I know I haven't been specific about cameras but sometimes it's not about specs.



FYI I still have the D40 but it's been replaced by a Nikon D7000.

 

[Goldilox]

Thanks for the reply BBW,

Just to clarify, I'm not totally new to DSLRs, although I wasn't looking to spend a lot. I currently have an Olympus E-410 which is a 2007 model. It's pleasingly small and light, but has it's limitations, doesn't shoot videos and is pretty useless in low light....

My last 35mm SLR was a Canon and I liked it perfectly well (I may even still have a lens somewhere), before that I was pretty dedicated to the Prakticas with the screw on lenses.

What prompted me to think about moving on was seeing a second hand Canon 1100D and then realising they're actually only £249.99 new in Argos at the moment, although I'm also tempted for the Nikon D3100, as it comes with more than one kit lens. I'm also not sure I like the Olympus enough to start throwing money at better lenses for it, so figured it might be worth getting onto the Canon or Nikon bandwagons, especially as Olympus have all but wound down their DSLR range.

 

[Mikinton]

I wouldn't disagree with any of the above. I bought an Olympus E500 in 2007 (which I though was great and really got a lot of use out of) and changed to a Nikon D5100 last year, which again, I really enjoy using. No doubt, if I'd bought a Canon, I'd really enjoy that as well. A couple of features that make it all worthwhile - the vari-angle monitor, so you can take those ground level shots without having to lie down, and the vibration reduction, so you can take those low light shots with minimal camera-shake.

 

[jpphotography]

I would say if you are looking at the Canon 1100D, it is well worth spending a little extra to get either a 600d, 650d or 700d. Any of those are far better then the 1100d for just a little bit more money. They do some good deals for them at the canon outlet on ebay, so worth keeping an eye on that. Their refurbished cameras often get delivered as brand new ones. If you do use it for video, check out Magic Lantern, a great free firmware add-on for canon cameras that a lot of professionals use.
Magic Lantern - http://www.magiclantern.fm
Canon Ebay - http://www.ebay.co.uk/csc/canon_uk1/m.html?LH_Complete=1&_ipg=50&_since=15&_sop=13&_rdc=1

 

[Goldilox]

I went for the Nikon in the end, after playing with a mate's Nikon D5000 & my Mum's Canon 5D and deciding I found the Nikon a bit more intuitive. Not sure how fair a test that is, with the 5D being much more high-end, but what the heck.

Took this one on a bike ride up to Chartley this afternoon.

 

[Lucy]

Get a 35mm 1.8 lens, you won't regret it. I have just upgraded from 50mm to 35mm and it's brilliant.

 

[Kickstart]

Hi

My dSLR equipment is Canon, but fully agree with the point that the major protagonists are all as good as each other. They slightly leapfrog each other, but if you buy what is best this week then next week it won't be the best any more.

With a dSLR the body is the cheap bit. The lens habit can be expensive, but they are far longer lived!

Your were wondering about the 5D being representative. Canon have pretty much 3 different control layouts. The cheap consumer bodies have one set of controls; I find these a bit fiddly but that might be less experience of them. The 5D controls are shared with most of the mid range bodies. The pro bodies use a different control layout again.

Nothing like standards

All the best

Keith