What Digital SLR should I buy?
With the imminent arrival of our baby and the nice cheque I recently received for reviewing this book I thought it was about time to get a new digital camera (my current point and click digital which cost over £200 quite a few years ago now, is now beaten in to the ground by most mobile phones!). After seeing the pictures taken by some of my friends, particularly Adrian, Richard and James, I am definitely looking for a digital SLR and am looking to spend around £500 on a body and lens. As a total newbie to SLRs I have done the normal thing of having a look around online and have bought a copy of What Digital Camera but think the best advice typically comes from people who have actually got and used the camera, which is why I have posted this, to gather some opinions from you all.
In terms of what I am looking to do with the camera (obviously this will affect lens choice) I plan to use it mainly for taking photos of people (the baby obviously!) and landscapes - I’m unlikely, at least to start with, to do extreme close ups or fast photography.
Any advice would be most welcome!
Tags: Photography
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:43 pm
My bro recently got himself a Canon EOS 400D and rates it highly - as do quite a few other people I know who have one.
p.s. Cough cough where am I in your list of friends with great photos..Bah!
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Yeah, the Canon EOS 400D was one of the ones I really fancied, I think that’s the one Adrian has got.
As for why weren’t you in my list of friends with great photos - I did say friends (only kidding)
Your photos are pretty good too 
December 4th, 2007 at 9:50 am
Hi Chris, how’s the dark side?
Whilst I could talk about the 400D and how I find it to be great, my main piece of advice would be to go to a specialist retailer (I’d suggest a trip to the London Camera Exchange up by The Guildhall if you happen to be in Southampton over the weekend) and to actualyl play with a few. Much of the difference between brands is in the handling. Canons tend to suit smaller hands and Nikon larger ones. The button layout and other factors will play a large part in your decision as a camera you don’t like using is likely not to get used.
I would avoid the bottom end Nikon D40/D40X as they do not come with autofocus motors in the body, meaning you can only use certain lenses. Other than that anything from the Canon 400D through Nikon D80 upwards will be more than fine for a first DSLR. I’d encourage you to buy a more basic body and spend money on glass to begin with though. For instance, looking at Canon which is where my knowledge is, I’d suggest a 400D either with the new EF-S 18-55 f3.5-5.6 IS kit lens (NOT the EF-S 18-55 f3.5-5.6 II which was the standard kit lens when I bought it) or the EF-S 17.85 F4-5.6 IS USM. Typical deals can be seen on Warehouse Express, but shop around as well.
It is probably also worth looking at the other makes (Sony, Olympus etc.) although you do gain from being able to learn from a strong Canon, Nikon user base with those cameras, and you find more people with kit to swap and play about with.
For the type of photography you want to do, either of the lenses above will be a good start for indoor (thanks to IS) and landscape photography. However you will find that the £80 or so that the EF 50mm f1.8 II costs will be a great investment for indoor low light portrait work. I’d also recommend you look at getting a flash, something like the Canon Speedlight 430EX or equivalent. Other than that, a few accessories such as a flash diffuser, extra battery etc.
Finally, now is a good time to buy as both Canon and Nikon have cashback offers running.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:10 am
The dark side is fine thanks - not quite so dark now
Thanks for the excellent advice on camera kit - definitely planning to go and take a look and have a play in somewhere like the London Camera Exchange.
January 1st, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Where can you buy the 400D with the 18-55mm IS lens as a kit? Warehouse express sells a kit containing it but has a grip included too..above my budget
January 2nd, 2008 at 8:39 pm
I am also planning to visit the london camera exchange, but in London! i have a Pentax SLR and am going digital and trying to decide between a lighter Canon 400D or sticking to Pentax because the latest K10D has a brilliant write up and fits all my old lenses. i think your friend is right that you do need to handle the camera to know if it is right for you; I rang the exchange and they are extremely helpful and suggested a session there just going through the camera’s abilities. As an SLR user, I would leave buying a separate flash for a while and just stick with the camera for the beginning..they are very intelligent and you will get brilliant results! Hope you find just the right one! And me too!
Hilary Musk
PS what do your friends mean by cashback offers? is this on old kit?
January 5th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Peter - I only saw it at Warehouse Express too and the London Camera Exchange deal they offered me was out of my price range too so went for the basic lens. Seems OK so far, although I’m sure the IS would be a good investment and would help reduce the camera shake I have noticed in some photos.
Hilary - I plumped for the 400D in the end in a package from warehouse express. London Camera Exchange were really helpful but just a bit too expensive. The cashback offer was from Canon but expired at the end of last year although if you bought your camera before then you can still claim until the end of February 2008 (something I need to still do!)