hmmmm.... that looks quite nice lol......

Went out looking at cameras today and held a Nikon D50 - tbh it felt a bit big for my hands - dunno if I could get used to it, what with me having laydeez hands and all

So unless someone persuades me otherwise, don't think I'll be getting a Nikon

Still need to look at a Canon 350D, and maybe this Sony one now

£300 sounds ideal tho!

The 350D is great if you have smaller hands, it

Caz, I can get you a Sony alpha D-SLR new for about

I found the Nikon to be a bit big and heavy, but then I wasn't used to using a "big" camera.

I found the Canon a bit small and fiddly.

The best fit (and control layout) I found for me was the Pentax.

However, I bought the 350D as it was the best value for money, and a colleague has a load of lenses I can borrow

Sorry Caz, I got my numbers slightly wrong, it's a bit more

About 370 body only and 430 in kit form with the 18-70 zoom lens

EOS 350D - don't mess about.

Then you can get a second hand EOS lense for not a lot with a lot of zoom, 70-300mm is a touch soft (easily less than £70-80 s/h), or a better (optical quality) is the 100-300mm, old lens but even less money. I've got the former, but also bought a Vivitar Series One 100-400mm for £84. despite the dodgy stateside reviews (they all buy the top L series stuff), the AP review at the time rated this lens well. And on a 350D it's equivalent to 160-640mm.

So, go with the previosu posts on s/h gear in AP, well worth the trouble. And good luck!

(Sorry it's Franv8 again - danger of just jumping on quick reply)

Hi Caz

For what it's worth, the image stabilisation on the Sony works well to extend your shooting in poor light providing the subject is stationary / still. I have it on the Minolta 7D and it works very well. The new Sony lenses are rather expensive, but there are some very high quality used lenses in Minolta A mount about. They also fetch premium prices at the moment. The 18-70 kit lens from the 5D is not bad, the missus 5D came with one, but you will probably want to go for something a little sharper and faster to capitalise the resolution of the 10MP sensor.

I would say that all the current DSLRs are pretty good, it is more a matter of which ones suit you ergonomically.

If you want to stay mainstream for convenience and availabiltiy of lenses, I would go Nikon first (see how the D40 fits your hands) and Canon second. If I understand correctly, not all Canon EOS lenses fit the DSLRs (something to do with the clearence of the mirror and a fooling lug that interferes, someone more Canon oreintated could shed more light on this).

Also, consider the offerings in 4/3 format from the likes of Panasonic and Olympus. The sensor is a little smaller than the APSc sized one in the Sony, Canon, Nikon, Pentax cameras and as a result the cameras may be a little smaller as well. Check out Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ for some very good objective reviews.

The trouble with DSLRs is the lens fever that can attack at any time. WhenI got the 7D I inteded to keep it to two reasonable lenses. I now have two bags full of them and if I take out the large kit bag with most of the lenses, I need insurance cover for

I

Virtually all canon autofocus lenses will fit on the 350 etc. - right up to the pro telephotos such as the 600mm f4 (loadsadosh)

Canon also make a few 'EFS' lenses which are designed to work with the 1.6 crop cameras such as the 350. These EFS lenses will not fit the 1D series, and 5D cameras.

So.... you do not have to worry unduly about what lenses fit on the 350 - They all do. (Autofocus ones anyway - Not FD Fit).

Hope that makes sense......

I think you should also consider the Canon S3.

It has a huge 12x zoom equivalent to 450mm, can be used in simple point & shoot mode but still has slr functions, to allow long exposure or adjusting depth of field, which can be crucial.

It takes great pictures, is very fast & also has a very useful screen.

The screen folds out to allow you to take picture from above your head or on ground level without lying down. This simple feature has proved so useful I couldn't live without it.

One drawback with slr's is that you have to look through the viewfinder to take every picture & then the view you get is not the whole frame which is annoying.

Lots to think about!

One drawback with slr's is that you have to look through the viewfinder to take every picture & then the view you get is not the whole frame which is annoying.

Lots to think about!

100% viewfinder on my slr a 'proper' viewfinder is a prime reason for moving away from compacts

But you are right, most do not quite show the whole frame. I admit to be a hater of electronic viewfinders, they cant keep up with the movement. I do have a compact camera, but that has a proper viewfinder as well, not brilliant but quite useable. Trying to take a shot in daylight with the LCD is a pain......

I just find it very useful to have both options & I can't tell you how many times I've been able to get a shot that friends with slr's & fixed screen compacts couldn't, just because my screen can be turned to any angle.

100% viewfinder on my slr a 'proper' viewfinder is a prime reason for moving away from compacts.......Trying to take a shot in daylight with the LCD is a pain......

I agree - and that's one of the main reasons I'm moving away from compact!

Friend of mine just got a Canon 400D.... it's VERY nice... wondering now if I could justify the extra money to get one

I agree - and that's one of the main reasons I'm moving away from compact!

Friend of mine just got a Canon 400D.... it's VERY nice... wondering now if I could justify the extra money to get one

Is the Turnpike meet on the 14th of December? If you are still going and haven

Is the Turnpike meet on the 14th of December? If you are still going and haven

Dunno if it's on or not :confused: but if it is, then yup, would still like a go with your 350D

I don

400d is very nice ......but saving pics on the PC does take up a lot of space at 10 meg setting ....still playing with mine and got a tamron lens on order ....jessops do a price match so search for the cheapest UK online price and they will match it......did very nicely out of that

I don’t know if you use CF cards in your current camera, but if you do, then if you bring one you can plug it into my camera and take the pictures home to play with later.

current one uses XD cards.... or MicroDrive but I never got round to buying one of them!

That being said, I might just buy a CF card anyway - chances are any camera I buy will use one

current one uses XD cards.... or MicroDrive but I never got round to buying one of them!

That being said, I might just buy a CF card anyway - chances are any camera I buy will use one

I

just found this......

Canon Europe - For Home

could be useful for anyone buying a Canon between now and Dec 31st!

just found this......

Canon Europe - For Home

could be useful for anyone buying a Canon between now and Dec 31st!

Got a free 256MB one with mine

still playing with mine and got a tamron lens on order ....

Which lens was that? I know Jessops were doing a special half-price deal on one of them in conjunction with the 350d (70-200mm?) but I had a play with it and didn't rate it :(

Chris

I know Jessops were doing a special half-price deal on one of them in conjunction with the 350d (70-200mm?) but I had a play with it and didn't rate it :(

Think that was the 70-300mm (mainly because I got one as part of a special half-price deal with my 350d )...I thought it was a good lens, but because the focal length is so long it's not especially flexible for taking close and far photos without changing lenses. The 28-300mm is much more versatile...

Rob.

Think that was the 70-300mm (mainly because I got one as part of a special half-price deal with my 350d )...I thought it was a good lens, but because the focal length is so long it's not especially flexible for taking close and far photos without changing lenses. The 28-300mm is much more versatile...

I was comparing it to the Sigma 70-300 which I rate more highly than the Tamron offering I tried

Chris

The Tamron 70-300mm that retails for about