Blimey, that really is a good price, I'm seriously tempted, I didn't want to spend that much to be honest but I find it hard to resist bargains!

I may be in touch!

You may want to ask Xav about the prices on the Sony Alpha DSLR maybe with the 18-70 lens;) We will ruin you!

Chris

Ok, reason I want long exposure is mainly that most of my pictures are taken at night and/or in very dark places, its all very well using a 15 second exposure and a torch but that can lead to getting caught!! ...

I was just about to jump into this thread and say 'Yeah I'm exactly the same as John! I've been looking at the F5600/F6500fd/Sony H2 and don't know what to get - recommendations?'

But all this crazy talk is making me stand veeeery far away....

Yeah I'm going mental at the moment trying to decide, I'd get the Panasonic DMC-FZ8 if it was out now, I cant possibly get the FZ7 as it superceded by the 8 next month!

Right a*se to be honest, I'm on a track day on the 25th so would have liked to use it there too!

I think I've decided that £400 is just to much money to risk in the places I go.

Yup Chris. Just had a look in my little shop, and they have a few in stock.

I'll PM you the prices

Can I ask what it is that you do Xav?

I think I've decided that

Thats the problem, If I cant upgrade it, I wont spend any money, but if I can........

£££££££'s will be going all over the place, I cant resist buying extras and add ons, and as said if I broke it I'd be crying. not to mention bumping into some pikeys intent on robbing me!

DSLR really isn't an option, I need to carry as little gear as possible to get the job done, and going from a happy snapper point and shoot camera, I think i'll be overwelmed enough just working out what the buttons on an SLR like camera do, let alone a DSLR.

I've always been happy with the results from my Pentax Optio S5n it just shows it's limitations when used in the dark (although the full auto night mode takes much better shots than my mate can set up on his Fuji S5600!!).

The March edition of

You may want to ask Xav about the prices on the Sony Alpha DSLR maybe with the 18-70 lens;) We will ruin you!

Chris

Indeed - see below :P

Blimey, that really is a good price, I'm seriously tempted, I didn't want to spend that much to be honest but I find it hard to resist bargains!

I may be in touch!

John, what if I were to say to that the alpha dslr with 18-70 lens is substantially cheaper than the R1? Would that tempt you further :evil:

Thats the problem, If I cant upgrade it, I wont spend any money, but if I can........

£££££££'s will be going all over the place, I cant resist buying extras and add ons, and as said if I broke it I'd be crying. not to mention bumping into some pikeys intent on robbing me!

DSLR really isn't an option, I need to carry as little gear as possible to get the job done, and going from a happy snapper point and shoot camera, I think i'll be overwelmed enough just working out what the buttons on an SLR like camera do, let alone a DSLR.

I've always been happy with the results from my Pentax Optio S5n it just shows it's limitations when used in the dark (although the full auto night mode takes much better shots than my mate can set up on his Fuji S5600!!).

John, I've been everywhere with my Nikon D70 dSLR. They're pretty rugged and the alpha is a nice camera and could take a fair bit of abuse. They're well put together and withstand lots of knocks. I'd be more concerned about the lenses on the end, but then again, you can get some really nice ergonomic backpacks for cameras where everything fits in nicely, and they are well protected whilst you jump over some barbed wire Lowe pro do one which is a sling-type bag (only one "diagonal" strap, much like bike couriers) where everthing's well protected, and in 10 secs, you rotate the bag around, nip out the camera, take a shot or two and then quickly put it back in, swivel bag back around onto back and carry on I've taken my SLR into all kinds of places, night clubs, etc and it's still working 3 years later. And I don't even have a bag for it :eek: Admittedly, adding a bag will push the price up a bit.

I guess it's all down to what you want. Either get a cheaper thowaway type so you're not overly bothered if it breaks, but you'll be limited with the flexibility of not just lenses, but shot taking settings. A dSLR is NO MORE DIFFICULT to use than a normal point and shoot. In fact, I find it easier because when you chose to experiment a bit more, everything's more readily available on buttons, and you don't spend an eternity navigating in on screen menus, when, by the time you've found the setting you need, the photo opportunity has just passed. You can keep the camera on auto and 99% of the time, it'll take cracking pictures. The only time the auto mode isn't the best option is when you want to be arty or force certain shoot modes. But coming back to your long exposure stuff, there's an "auto night shot with no flash" mode, so you can just use that and you'll automatically get a suitably long shutter speed. Bump the iso up and (at the cost of a bit of noise), you'll be able to shoot in near pitch black without waiting 30 secs that a normal / advanced point and shoot would give you.

Can I ask what it is that you do Xav?

I work for a four-lettered Japanese company but more in the broadcast area. If you think these lenses are expensive, you should see how much some of the HD cameras and box lenses with 100x zoom cost :eek:

Just thought I'd add an example. This shot was taken over the Eastern China land. That's using normal "auto" settings. I've tried before to get decent shots from compacts in aircraft and never managed much. Pressing the end of the lens against the window helps reduce reflections and glare, but still, not a bad shot I reckon

I work for a four-lettered Japanese company but more in the broadcast area. If you think these lenses are expensive, you should see how much some of the HD cameras and box lenses with 100x zoom cost :eek:

As I recall, the way we guess the prices for lenses at work is it

John, what if I were to say to that the alpha dslr with 18-70 lens is substantially cheaper than the R1? Would that tempt you further :evil:

I've got a feeling i'm going to regret this, but,

go on then, tell me how much you can get it for, and which model exactly is it?

PM me the price if you like.

PM on its way

John, another though regarding camera bag - you will need one with UE

I've just bought a Lowepro slingshot 100AW and it's awesome. It a diagonal slingshot style rucksack, but with it on your back, you can swivel it around so that the side is in front and then opens up to take camera out.

Very handy, very good protection for the explorer where you want to have it put away but quickly accessible. Comes with a built in cover for when you're in dusty / rainy environments too

Also, the small version (the 100AW) is on special offer at Jessops online. Big enough for an SLR with small to medium lens attached + a few lenses, plus memory cards, accessories, sarnies, etc

Jessops.com - Lowpro Slingshot 100AW

More photos on Lowepro's website. clicky

Good shout on the bag Xav - I'll have one of those

Have an Orion Trekker at the moment, but find it a bit of a bind if the camera's stowed at the bottom and a shot needs to be taken quickly! So this looks like the ideal solution...

Steve

Thanks for that, been thinking about a bag for it!

Despite those great prices on the Sony (cheers mate) I decided in the end that DSLR really wasn't for me, there would have just been to much to carry around to get the results I want, once I've got used to playing with the camera I got I might consider an upgrade to DSLR but for now the Panasonic I plumped for will do.

Thans for all the advice everyone.

P.s. I bought a tri-pod the other day, it's not exactly the rolls royce of tripods, but it seems to work fine, and at £9.97 from Tesco it doesn't really matter if it doesn't last long! it's a 'Hama Star 42' for anyone thats after a cheap tri-pod that folds up pretty small.

No worries

They also have the slight bigger 200AW on special offer now. A bit annoyed I missed it when I bought the 100. Still, I doubt you'd need a 200 as you're not even carrying an SLR now :P

I await with anticipation of your first few shots of UE

Xavier, do you have access to cheap TVs and Laptops etc? or is it just cameras. Don't worry, I'm not going to inundate you with requests for stuff.

Just thought I would say hi, and join the debate. I have recently got myself a Canon 400d. Upgraded from a 5 year old Sony Cybershot and all I can say is, wow. The Canon truly is a different league, and yet, if you are a novice (which I am) will produce excellent results as a point and shoot.

I am just starting to scratch the surface of the manual settings and think I will be able to enjoy learning and experimenting for years to come. And the spending potential on new lenses...infinite!:eek:

The Canon is one of the smaller DSLR's and perfectly usable. A great camera:thumbup: and I can highly recommend it!

If you are unsure about which product is best check read expert reviews. Using PriceGrabber.com(Expert Reviews - Lumix DMC-FZ7K Digital Camera (Panasonic-DMCFZ7K)) I came across a cool site that list all expert reviews for a product in a single page. I hope this helps: SmartRatings - Reviews & Ratings for Digital Cameras.

I have just bought a Cannon 350D the weekend and as I didnt want to pay highstreet prices for flash memory over teh weekend and wanted to try the camera I bought a compact flash to CD adapter in Maplins to use with a couple of

I used my Mum's Nikon D200 with 18 to 300 (I think) lens.

Jesus I want a DSLR now!!!

Now that dSLRs are falling in price, I think it really makes sense to have two cameras: one pocket thing for dodgy nights out, etc, and a dSLR.

dSLRs are very easy to use - it really is an urban myth that you need to be a photographics expert to benefit from one.

After all, they're digital and it costs nothing to take a photo then bin in later if it doesn't work out. The beauty is the freedom to play around without having to fork out for film development costs all the time, and in that way, it's no more expensive or difficult than a simple pocket point and shoot camera. They're very fast, have very good optical picture quality thanks to largish lenses and CCDs and I think they're actually easier to use than compacts because everything is more accessible and not hidden behind multi-level menus.

IMHO, the only downside for dSLRs at the moment is the physical bulkiness. For everything else, you might as well use one. Now that prices are no more expensive than what compacts were a few years ago... Get one and play around with it

Hi! D80+Sigma 17-70

for anyone that is after a Canon 400d tesco have them on offer for £399 this weekend. combine that with the £50 cashback canon are offering and youve got a very decent camera for £350. Dont forget to budget for memory card and a bag too.

linky - Search for “400d” found 1 item within Direct - Tesco.Direct