Wasso Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 The camera will be used for taking pictures of the car. I'm not fussed about the video recording quality if applicable. I will not be taking hardly any night time shots, unless suitably lit. Budget is upto £500 and no more!! As fast as you can with your vote and comments please..... (I'm not a photographer and won't understand all the technical jargon, although I've wittled my list down to the above). Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Not meaning to sound rude, but if you are not a photographer, are you actually interested in getting into the technical aspect at all? The reason I ask is that an SLR in a non-technical minded persons hands, on auto mode, will infact likely give you worse results than a point and shoot camera. SLRs are designed to be set up and used properly, they dont focus on making auto mode particularly good. Also on the SLR front, you will need to be dedicated to buying better lenses if you want really good results, the kit lenses arent the best usually. You might be better off with a hybrid or normal point and shoot. My Canon G11 is a good as my SLR in quite a lot of circumsances and handles most stuff in full auto just fine. Sure my SLR gets better pics when I set it up, but both on full auto, its hard to tell, with one being worth 2x as the other Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Not meaning to sound rude, but if you are not a photographer, are you actually interested in getting into the technical aspect at all? The reason I ask is that an SLR in a non-technical minded persons hands, on auto mode, will infact likely give you worse results than a point and shoot camera. SLRs are designed to be set up and used properly, they dont focus on making auto mode particularly good. Also on the SLR front, you will need to be dedicated to buying better lenses if you want really good results, the kit lenses arent the best usually. You might be better off with a hybrid or normal point and shoot. My Canon G11 is a good as my SLR in quite a lot of circumsances and handles most stuff in full auto just fine. Sure my SLR gets better pics when I set it up, but both on full auto, its hard to tell, with one being worth 2x as the other Chris's point about spending money on an SLR if you're not ito photography is dead on (even if his comment on auto modes is tosh ). Hybrids are good point and squirt cameras, do your research (just like buying a car or anything really). If you are going to buy an SLR Nikon's are known to any pro photographer as the best. It's not just about going for the biggest Megapixel you can lay your hands on but other technical aspects (file formatting, speed and lense quality). There are plenty of photography magazines about that do tests and reviews. I'd advise going and buying a couple of those and reading them thoroughly. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 I used to have a great deal of interest in the old 35mm slr camera's years and years ago. I need to get to grips with the digital world and with the camera being digital I won't be wasting film like I used to with the 35mm. Therefore I'm more than happy to delve further into the digital world and fully understand it's capabilities. Agreed the lenses are just as important as the camera, although it's only for the car and to take some serious close-up's. I have looked at the hybrid camera's but feel I could be wasting my money when I want to expand my options say in 6-12 months time. Cheers for your input!! Anyone else?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky370z Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 i was looking at this for my girlfriend a little while ago. she wanted something that could be used in a auto setting but also something more advanced. i looked at the others in my price range and decided with help from shops and my cousin that the canon 500d was a good buy. reasonably priced with good features. she is going to take a course to improve her skills. a new lens is a must, tameron seemed to be OK for the money. my cousin who is a mediacl photographer said that it was a great starter, but would also keep being "up to date". so the canon 500d is the camera i went for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 i was looking at this for my girlfriend a little while ago. she wanted something that could be used in a auto setting but also something more advanced. i looked at the others in my price range and decided with help from shops and my cousin that the canon 500d was a good buy. reasonably priced with good features. she is going to take a course to improve her skills. a new lens is a must, tameron seemed to be OK for the money. my cousin who is a mediacl photographer said that it was a great starter, but would also keep being "up to date". so the canon 500d is the camera i went for. The canon 500d is also the camera I seem to be looking at most, good review and for the price packed well with goodies and apparently picture quality is highly rated. Great to see comments flooding in..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 In that case, given you are highly likely to get back into it (its all very similar to 35mm days, all the setting and setups are mimicked anyway) - I would suggest the 500D or the D3000. As I have a 350D, and I ultimately get on better with Canons, I will vote for the 500D. Get ready for some lense lust when you get back into it And for the record, the bit about auto mode isnt tosh. If you look at the factory setups for SRLs and P&S, P&S "look" better to most people as they tend to crank up the colour saturation and sharpness. Doesnt mean its a better pic, but it looks more pleasing to most people. SLR will have very neutral settings out the box in auto mode, which can make them appear washed out and soft. I say they look better to most people, as most people like bright colours and overly sharp pics otherwise manufacturers wouldnt set them up like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 Thanks Chris. The other good point to note is the price of the 500d is now £479 with the stock lens. It's highly tempting especially with the reviews, but just wanted to gauge interest from other camera go'ers to see their commentary. I see the vots for the Nikon D3000 are coming in even with the 500d. I'd like to see if there's much between the two? Here's the comments I have on the two models: Nikon D3000 - £450 (Classified as entry level) Nikon's baby DSLR is tailor made for the DSLR novice upgrading from a compact. It features a built-in manual-cum-tutorial guide that explains how and why to use the major settings, and if you can't be bothered with that there's always the fully automatic point-and-shoot mode. As you'd expect from Nikon, it takes cracking pictures, too. Canon EOS 500D - £600 (Classified as Mid-range) A high-resolution LCD screen and HD video mode are just two of the features Canon hopes will tempt buyers to invest in this 15MP mid-range DSLR. WDC's Matt Golowczynski enthused that ‘the overall handling and performance are close to flawless' before giving the camera a Gold Award. (I beleive these were current prices in April 2010) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruddles Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Most are a close match and the differences between most good DSLR's now are few and far between. All my photographs are taken with a Sony A300 35-75mm lens and 75-200mm lens and I have no quality nor handling issues whatsoever, you should get yourself down to a camera shop and see if you can just have good look at each, find out which one best suits your needs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzd31155 Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I've got a Sony A200 DSLR and as a beginner it's great to play with and fairly easy to use. I also had a Nikkon which was nicked but equally as much fun. The down side to these DSLRs are simply the size, you have to make a conscious decision to take them out with you as none can just slip in your coat pocket. However, if you do take them with you, you can take some pretty awesome pictures with practice. Also a programme like Photoshop elements can add to the fun and the final results!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I'm looking at buying a 550d in the new year. I have done a bit of research and it does come down to nikon or canon if you want to be able to have all the accessories readily available to buy. I've 'handled' both makes and the canon felt more comfortable in my hand to be honest. Everything seemed to fall to hand. I'm not saying Nikon isn't better as I genuinely don't know but the canon felt right to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacW Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I can generally get better prices on any Canon gear than you'll find in the high streets. Drop me a PM if you want any details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 Thanks for your input guys - appreciated. Canon EOS 500d has been ordered This thread can be locked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 But we want pics now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 Should be here tomorrow before 1pm so I shall get the camera, and take some pics of the car in the carpark if needs be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisS Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Don't forget......................Memory card............... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Should be here tomorrow before 1pm so I shall get the camera, and take some pics of the car in the carpark if needs be Chop chop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I can generally get better prices on any Canon gear than you'll find in the high streets. Drop me a PM if you want any details. Nice. I think I'll be your friend when I get the camera! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zDan Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 If you are going to buy an SLR Nikon's are known to any pro photographer as the best. It's not just about going for the biggest Megapixel you can lay your hands on but other technical aspects (file formatting, speed and lense quality). That kind of statement is bound to start a pissing contest TBH I don't think there's much to sqeeze between Canon and Nikon, but for a beginner in particular Canon may be more appealing because all EF lenses work on all of their bodies, whereas with Nikon you need a higher-end body to use non-motorized lenses. Oh, and you have to pay for Nikon's RAW software too. There are plenty of photography magazines about that do tests and reviews. I'd advise going and buying a couple of those and reading them thoroughly. Yes, a couple of those will suffice. They all tend to be the same afterwards But there's plenty of things to read about on the net nowadays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisS Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Not a bad read now and again. http://www.digital-slr-photography.co.u ... etwork=YSM I can generally get better prices on any Canon gear than you'll find in the high streets. Drop me a PM if you want any details. Nice. I think I'll be your friend when I get the camera! Groupe Buy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 If you are going to buy an SLR Nikon's are known to any pro photographer as the best. It's not just about going for the biggest Megapixel you can lay your hands on but other technical aspects (file formatting, speed and lense quality). That kind of statement is bound to start a pissing contest TBH I don't think there's much to sqeeze between Canon and Nikon, but for a beginner in particular Canon may be more appealing because all EF lenses work on all of their bodies, whereas with Nikon you need a higher-end body to use non-motorized lenses. Oh, and you have to pay for Nikon's RAW software too. I decided not to bite on that one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 Camera has turned up today!! Looks a fine piece of kit!! Charging the battery now so I'll take a few pics at lunch of my dirty car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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