Cameras

[Jennysc]

My daughter has decided she wants to get into photography. She wants to buy a digital SLR. She has about $700 to play with.

Do any of the photographers on here have any suggestions or have any contacts that could give a good deal ?

Thanks in advance. Jenny

[laidback]

It really depends how serious she wants to do with it.

I think there are 3 groups:
1. SLR - with interchangeable lenses makes it easier spend less now and upgrade later
2. Topend with fixed lenses
3. Compacts

I bought a Panasonic FZ20 (#2) about 6 years ago - 5MP/Leica lens/12X optical zoom(equiv 36-432mmlens) and it cost $1k. Most of this type are now 10 or 12 MP. They take fantastic photos but if going into commercial activities I would suggest going for the SLRs with the interchangeable lenses and these are like bikes - everyone has a favourite and theirs is better than the others.

Just for comparison I think 35mm film is about equivalent to 45MP.

And like computers, as soon as you buy it someone will come out with something better/cheaper.

[robracer]

Get a DSLR with interchangable lenses that way later on she can have the option. Nikon D60 would be perfect then all you need is a lens off ebay
in fact I have a lens suitable going cheep size..... 18-55

[mick_dundee]

Does anyone actually READ the original post?? She already said she is looking at a digital SLR.. compacts, fixed lenses etc no longer apply, what she is seeking is a camera recommendation... Jenny, perhaps pm Photomike, given the nick he might know a few things, not sure if there are any professional photographers on the forum, I used to dabble a little but not really done so since the digital age came in to vogue.

Used to always be a fan of Olympus cameras, no real logical reason behind that and please don't take it as a recommendation as I know 2/5ths of FA in relation to digital SLR's. Back in the analogue days Nikon was considered the king, daresay the song remains the same but there are more knowedgeable blokes to ask than me.

[tim]

Depending on how she feels about it, but I would recommend 100% 2nd hand Digital SLR!

Buy this:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Nikon-D200-Body- ... _500wt_976

and this lens
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Tamron-17-50mm-f ... _693wt_960

That's the EXACT body and one of our lenses, and it's an AWESOME combination for around the money you're talking.

Don't let the size of the D200 intimidate you, within a few days of using it will feel like it was made for you, and unlike the smaller DSLRs all of your buttons are in easy access (REALLY important if you get past the basics).

These cameras are built SO well (ours had 70,000 images taken with it when we got it, I think we've put about 15,000 more on it and still perfect - see my eastern creek trackday shots for the proof:
http://www.ksrc-au.com/phpBB3/viewtopic ... 80#p433696

and dpreview.com is great for reading reviews

HAVE FUN!

[robracer]

mmmm second hand.... could pick up a real bargain.
Tim the contrast of the colour on your shots seems a bit high, only just noticed

[Jennysc]

Thanks guys, I had a quick look on ebay and there are 2nd hand ones that people have only had 6mths or less with all the extras. Could be the way to go. Just starting out means she can't be too fussy, lol.

Jenny

[Smitty]

My daughter has decided she wants to get into photography. She wants to buy a digital SLR. She has about $700 to play with.

Do any of the photographers on here have any suggestions or have any contacts that could give a good deal ?

Thanks in advance. Jenny

I bought my missus a Sony A230 DSLR with twin lens (after lots of research)
they have just been superseded...so lots are going cheap
for $649
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/SONY-A230-DIGITA ... 3a56b4b294

or if you dont like eBay
http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.a ... y377_1.htm

[tim]

mmmm second hand.... could pick up a real bargain.
Tim the contrast of the colour on your shots seems a bit high, only just noticed

I had everything full up on the camera, saturation, contrast etc because I was photographing hundreds of books for a catalog, and needed that eye-catching look, was still setup like that.

I like it in a pop art kinda way.

[robracer]

mmmm Warhol

Sorry for the Hijak

[mike-s]

Thats how i got my D100 (body, no lenses) really cheaply (about $300ish), admittedly it's an old camera, but works fantastically. I picked up a couple of lenses for a veritable song, one second hand (Nikon 18-55) and one new (Tamron 50-200). All up cost me 700 (your magic number) and i've yet to have any problems with it whatsoever *touchwood*

in fact I have a lens suitable going cheep size..... 18-55

Presuming she goes for a Nikon of course, it doesn't help if shr goes for something else as, well, 99% of the manufacturers aren't exactly compatible.

[theSloth]

I'm a canon fan personally, they do tend towards the pricey side, but they make great DSLR's. I know a couple of wedding photographers who use Canon DSLR's, but then there's also a lot of people out there using Nikon professionally too.

Probably best to do a bit of research yourself, to be honest. Line up a few models from different brands (Canon, Nikon, Olympus, etc) that are in the pricerange, and then trawl some reviews and field tests to see which comes up trumps.

[craig]

isn't sony what used to be minolta (their SLR's were great) i'd say they are ok see smitty's post new and right in your budget

[craig]

try grays online auctions...also

[photomike666]

Canon & Nikon are the way to go as they have the most accessories available when you want to go that step further. For the creative control, make sure the camera has the option for Manual exposure mode, and Aperture Priority & Shutter speed Priority are wothy too. All the fancy gismo's are there for people who want the camera to take the shot, Manual control allows someone to learn how to manipulate an image with the camera. If you are just learning techniques, cheaper lenses are the go; you can always upgrade to more expensive higher quality lenses when required. Aim to have a range between 18-200 spread over 2 or 3 lenses. My Canon Lenses are 20-35, 28-90 & 90-300. One big lens that runs 18-300 will lose too much quality that the extremes of its zoom. Tamron and Sigma make OK lenses that are singificantly cheaper than the Canon/Nikon lenses and do an OK job. Get a reasonalbe flash that mounts on the camera, preferable with some level of power control and a Tripod for those long exposure shots.

The either do a photography course or get a good book. It needs to cover light control, depth of field (how much of the image front to back is in focus) and image composition. Light control will cover ways the correct amount of light is achieved and how the images are altered by each method. Changing the Lens Aperture alters the depth of field, changing th shutter speed can freeze or blur movement and changing the cameras ISO will affect grain/pixalation of the image. Different lenght lenses also alther the image, both by changing the perspective, and by altering how much depth of field is available. There are all great tools in your quest for the perfect image, befoe you get to digital manipulaions. Photoshop can make an OK image better, but it can not make a bad image good.

HTH