# Buying a DSLR



## Lioness (Jul 18, 2009)

I recently had a go with a DSLR and now I wants one.

Now, I know almost nothing about DSLR cameras, and which are the best to get. Which features are necessary etc. so I'm here to ask your collective advice. 

I'm looking for something under about $700-$800, but I'm sure as hell not gonna complain if it's less than that and still good.
I'd like more than 8MP (though it doesn't matter too much), and a relatively non-complicated interface. Weight isn't really an issue but I'm not the strongest of people.
Lastly, I'm a beginner in the DSLR world but I'm not scared to make use of advanced features and take the time to read through manuals. I'm moving up from a point and shoot because I want better images, not because it's the 'thing to do'

At the moment I've considered both the Nikon D60 and the Sony A200. From what I've read the Sony looks pretty good, so comparisons between the two and also between other cameras would be very welcome. A friend has also recommended the D40X, so pros and cons on that one would be good too.

Thanks a bunch guys,

Ella


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## The Procrastinator (Jul 18, 2009)

I took the plunge and bought myself a DSLR earlier this year for the same reasons as you, El. You'll love it. 

Firstly, on general terms, from what I have read and heard there are a lot of good cameras out there, do a bit of basic research and you will narrow down your options but at the amount of money you want to spend you should be able to get a good entry-level camera, no matter which way you plump. DSLR's have come a long way in recent years, and there are heaps of online reviews available to help your thinking.

Secondly, lenses. I went the Canon route because they have heaps of lens options and I didn't want to cramp my style before I even knew what it was. (Plus I need to get things on the cheap, being poor, and Canon looked like a good way to go for that as well.) Nikon has lots of lenses too, I believe, but Sony not so many. Olympus makes good cameras but also does not have so many lens options as Canon and Nikon.

Thirdly, I ended up getting a Canon 1000D on special with a kit lens for $700 (was very happy ) and I loves it. Its small and light for a DSLR, has good auto-settings and heaps of manual options which I am slowly learning to use, it takes very nice photos, and the interface is intuitive and not hard to get the hang of. So I have no qualms recommending a Canon, but I have also heard that Nikon and Olympus are very good too.

Happy shopping!


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## Culhwch (Jul 18, 2009)

I'd agree with Procrastinator on the lenses front. Check out what you might want to buy in the future, and look at what you want to spend. I didn't do that and now I'm looking at spending a bunch on lenses that I'd get a lot cheaper from another manufacturer. I love my Pentax, but it's also a beast of a camera. It's very rugged (has about the best weather-sealing and build quality at the price point you're looking at) but you might want to forego that for physical size and weight. The Olympuses are the smallest I've seen - I honestly think they'd be too small for my hands. But the lens price issue comes into play there. Canons and Nikons are all over the market, and are therefore cheaper and easier to find. Really, you can find faults in the image quality of any of the major brands, but usually it's just nit-picking and generally they're going to be something you can live with. So find a camera that feels comfortable, looks adequate, and meets your price.

In the end it's the photographer that's goign to make the photo great, not the camera.


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## AE35Unit (Jul 18, 2009)

Well unless you're gonna be making big prints on a regular basis then 6MP to 8MP would be fine. No need to go bigger,you just get bigger files. My old canon DSLR is 6MP and can capture more detail than film,tho its not all down to MP count,its also about good firmware and lenses. But all modern DSLRs will be more than good enough. It all depends on what you want to do with it. If you do a lot of macro then make sure it has mirror up function,which locks the mirror up just before taking the pic to do reduce camera shake. But if you just do landscapes,people and action shots you don't need it.
Another one is Live View. This works basically like a compact digi where the screen acts like the viewfinder,but is it really necessary?  
If I were getting my first SLR now i'd get something like a canon 1000D or Pentax's 200D,Nikon's D60. In other words the entry level models. I know it seems a minefield out there but really all modern cameras are pretty much the same and all will do what you want and do it well! 
Good luck with your hunting!


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## Lioness (Jul 18, 2009)

Thanks for the quick response!

Procrastinator: I hadn't considered Canon, and nor had I considered going to a camera shop and finding one on special . I'll see whether I can find one and then have a look at the lenses and all that. I could live with one or two lenses (the 18-55 offered with most cameras and the 55-200 offered with some) but more would be great (macro, anyone?)

Cul: I've got quite small hands, so the Olympus might work as well.


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## Lioness (Jul 18, 2009)

AE35: Thanks for the suggestions. I'm mostly looking at landscapes etc., but I do love macro. A friend of mine got some macro filters for his D60 that he says work as well as a lens for what he wants to do. I'm looking into that option.


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## The Procrastinator (Jul 18, 2009)

Oh I'm miles from a camera shop, I did it all online, after having hefted a few owned by friends/rels to get a bit of a feel for what I liked. I am thinking about macro filters myself. There are quite a few online shops, I narrowed my choice to a few models by research and then just rummaged about online until I found one of the ones I wanted on special. Lucky.  I was cruising ebay for a while but ended up giving that the kick because on the whole you could get it from a shop just as cheap. Mind you thats the downside of deciding on a Canon: everyone wants one or so it seems.

I have small hands myself, that was actually one of the reasons I considered the 1000D, after having read a reviewer (a bloke) complaining that it was a bit small for his hands - aha, I thought, sounds right up my alley. And it was. Perfect fit.


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## Lioness (Jul 18, 2009)

I've had a bit of a look around ebay, but it seems that they go just as expensive, if not more so. We have tons of camera shops around here though, and I have tuesday off of work. I will probably go then and have a look. not many of my friends have DSLRs, so I've gotta go into a shop to feel one.


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## AE35Unit (Jul 18, 2009)

It really is important to handle a camera to get a feel of it. Its important that you're comfortable with it. A bit like choosing a bike really. You need to sit on it,make sure it feels right,that your feet reach the floor etc. Get the wrong size and you'll be forever cursing it.


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## Culhwch (Jul 19, 2009)

Lioness said:


> AE35: Thanks for the suggestions. I'm mostly looking at landscapes etc., but I do love macro. A friend of mine got some macro filters for his D60 that he says work as well as a lens for what he wants to do. I'm looking into that option.


 

I picked up some of these almost as soon as I bought my camera. They work a treat - most all the close up shots I post on here are done using them. The only problem is that they kinda negate autofocus, so you have to switch over to manual, but if you use a tripod that's not so much of a problem anyway.


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## Wybren (Jul 19, 2009)

Speaking as an Olympus user, they are quite nice cameras (Leisha and I both have the Olympus E-510 which are have since been replaced by the E-520) and you can pick up a E-420 (beginner DSLR) twin lens kit for about $800.  As pointed out Olympus has the downside that it has not as many lenses, and also they are a little bit more expensive than the other major brands basic lenses however, the body of the Olympus dslr's have image stabiliser built in, as opposed to the other brands where you need to buy lenses with image stabilisers in them (this is why the Olympus lenses are more compact than the other brands) another down side is the xd cards are more expensive per gb than sd cards, but on the flip side the Olympus also takes compact flash which are cheap as chips. My advice is to do your research and then have a feel of some cameras in shops to find the right fit for you, it took me a few months to decide on a camera, but I have not regretted getting what I have.


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## Lioness (Jul 19, 2009)

I was hoping to get one with SD, as I have a 4gb SD that I'm already using.


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## AE35Unit (Jul 19, 2009)

Also Olympus has the disadvantage of having a much smaller sensor than a 35mm camera, half the size in fact which makes getting a good wideangle difficult! No doubt Olympus make one,at a price,but you might have fun if you look for the independent brands(Vivitar,Tokina etc) 
Its hard enough getting one for the canon I have. I had to get a secondhand 19-35 for it which tho a great lens only equates to about 30-50mm on the DSLR.
On the Olympus it would be like a 38-70!


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## Wybren (Jul 19, 2009)

Olympus do make a ultra wide, (9mm-18mm which is 18mm-36mm equiv) The closest Canon branded one that I can find equivalent is about $500 more expensive than the Olympus however you can get alternate brand lenses that will fit the Canon.


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## Culhwch (Jul 19, 2009)

Wybren said:


> ...however, the body of the Olympus dslr's have image stabiliser built in, as opposed to the other brands where you need to buy lenses with image stabilisers in them (this is why the Olympus lenses are more compact than the other brands)...


 
Actually Pentax has image stabilisation built in as well. Just had to throw that in there...

And if you're looking for a for smaller camera, it just occurred to me that the recent K-m Pentax is supposedly a much smaller build.


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## Wybren (Jul 20, 2009)

I stand corrected then. Are the pentax lenses as compact as the Olympus ones?


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## Culhwch (Jul 20, 2009)

Some are ridiculously compact. I may be wrong, but I believe that Pentax were claiming the K-m along with one of their smaller lenses was the smallest DSLR on the market.*

Of course, said lenses are not cheap.

EDIT: *Actually says so on that page!


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## Wybren (Jul 20, 2009)

here check this out for small
http://www.olympus.com.au/component/option,com_product/id,347/task,detail/Itemid,69/


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## AE35Unit (Jul 20, 2009)

Wybren said:


> I stand corrected then. Are the pentax lenses as compact as the Olympus ones?



I doubt it. Olys have smaller sensors-the new ones use the 4/3 sensor,so tend to be half as small for a given focal length. The smaller the sensor the smaller the lens you can make,hence why the powerful cameras on many phones has tiny lenses. But with a small sensor comes noise and poor low light sensitivity. My other camera is a Panasonic FZ7. Has 6 MPs just like the Canon but the quality is nowhere near the same level. Can't go above ISO 100 without getting tons of noise!


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## Culhwch (Jul 20, 2009)

Wybren said:


> here check this out for small
> Olympus Australia | Digital Cameras | Digital SLR | Digital Lenses | xD Cards - E-P1 details


 
That's pretty cool. I'd like one of those to throw in my pocket. But I bet they cost a pretty penny...


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## Wybren (Jul 20, 2009)

Not as bad as I thought though, Teds Camera has them listed for $1399 with the 14-42mm (28-84). I thought it would be up round the $2500 mark.


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## BookStop (Jul 21, 2009)

Cripes! Ok, so I was thinking I needed a new camera for my upcoming annivesary, but .... they are more expensive than I thought. Urgh!!!


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## AE35Unit (Jul 21, 2009)

BookStop said:


> Cripes! Ok, so I was thinking I needed a new camera for my upcoming annivesary, but .... they are more expensive than I thought. Urgh!!!



Not as expensive as they used to be. If I could have bought my camera back in 2000 it would have cost me the price of a family car! In fact back in 2000 canon did have a DSLR. It had a 2 MP sensor and cost,wait for it,£20,000 new!


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## Wybren (Jul 21, 2009)

thats the price of a luxury car!!


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## Lioness (Jul 21, 2009)

Well, I'm a little discouraged after going to the camera shop today. It appears that a Nikon D60 with lens is $849, and a Sony A200 is $999. I couldn't see any of the other recommended ones.
A little out of my price range...so I might wait until they come on special


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## AE35Unit (Jul 21, 2009)

Wybren said:


> thats the price of a luxury car!!



I know,and now my phone has more MP and I get them for free!


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## AE35Unit (Jul 21, 2009)

Lioness said:


> Well, I'm a little discouraged after going to the camera shop today. It appears that a Nikon D60 with lens is $849, and a Sony A200 is $999. I couldn't see any of the other recommended ones.
> A little out of my price range...so I might wait until they come on special



Or look on ebay


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## Lioness (Jul 21, 2009)

Yeah. I'm a little reluctant to trust Ebay though. Just because a camera is so expensive


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## Lioness (Jul 21, 2009)

However, just looking at the prices...I think if I go by 100% feedback I'll be fine.
The $200 price difference is very tempting.


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## AE35Unit (Jul 21, 2009)

You can get some real bargains from ebay if you're careful and use common sense. I've had 2 cameras from there,a vacuum cleaner,fish tank,rat cage,hard drives,MP3 players etc etc.


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## BookStop (Jul 23, 2009)

Lioness said:


> Well, I'm a little discouraged after going to the camera shop today. It appears that a Nikon D60 with lens is $849, and a Sony A200 is $999. I couldn't see any of the other recommended ones.
> A little out of my price range...so I might wait until they come on special


 
You shouldn't rush into it because they are so expensive. Are there no ohter camera shops near your home that might have different specials, differnt cameras to try, etc?

I am still considering purhcasing one of my own soon, but with my budget being definitely under $500 I plan on shopping around and waiting until the perfect camera falls into my grasp. * mwahaha *


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## Culhwch (Jul 23, 2009)

If you can't afford a DSLR don't count out a creative compact. My wife gets terrific results with her Canon Powershot:



























It is after all the photographer doing the hard work...


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## AE35Unit (Jul 23, 2009)

Culhwch said:


> It is after all the photographer doing the hard work...



It is indeed! I've got some cracking shots from my Panasonic bridge camera,even a few corkers from a camera phone(one guy didn't believe me when I told him it was from a camera phone)
Mind you having used a DSLR I would find it hard if I had to go back! Macro is so much easier with a decent camera and macro lens!


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## HoopyFrood (Jul 23, 2009)

DSLR cameras are mighty expensive (but so lovely and tempting...) I wanted one last year, but alas lacked the funds, so got a bridge camera instead. It's served me very well, takes some very good photos, and has a myriad of features to play with. There are some very nice bridge cameras out there that are a quarter of the price of a DSLR. And you don't need to buy separate lenses for them. 

Although I hope to get a DSLR one day, particularly as I am a big macro fan. The zoom on my bridge camera is excellent, but I do wish for a better macro. 

This is the one I have:


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## AE35Unit (Jul 23, 2009)

Na you can get a good second hand DSLR for 200 quid!


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## HoopyFrood (Jul 23, 2009)

Yes, I keep drooling over two second hand ones that I see in a shop in the town centre. Unfortunately, I have to keep reminding myself that I need monies for other things.

You know...food, shelter...etc...


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## AE35Unit (Jul 23, 2009)

HoopyFrood said:


> Yes, I keep drooling over two second hand ones that I see in a shop in the town centre. Unfortunately, I have to keep reminding myself that I need monies for other things.
> 
> You know...food, shelter...etc...




Do you have any musical ability-can you sing? Get a spot in the town and start busking!


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## Wybren (Jul 23, 2009)

Canon powershots are great things, we have had 2 -our current one is the S2IS and it takes beautiful photos still even though it is an older model.

Bookstop, that is the way to do it, after I had decided what to get, I waited and waited and then haggled and got it $100 under cost


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## Lioness (Jul 24, 2009)

I have a Powershot at the moment. It is awesome, so I've decided I can wait a little longer and get myself the DSLR as a Christmas Present


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