dSLR Woes

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I've been thinking of buying a dSLR recently. I'd started looking at the EOS 1000D, but had a couple of recommendations on getting the EOS 550D instead - its higher resolution, and better quality than the 1000D. The kit lens is apparently a bit weak, but not anything that would hurt me as an initial entry into the dSLR world.

The only issue is price - The 550D kit, with memory card, spare battery, and case seems to be rolling at about 790 quid! Thats a lot of money for a first foray into the world.

For those of you who have made the jump. Did you go in for the very entry level (ie the 1000D type level) to start with, or did you start slightly higher (550D)? Did you get a lot of use? My concern is that I pay that amount of money only to not get enough use out of the camera.

Of course, I'm not even looking at the price of the lenses either - a macro lens (my most likely second lens purchase) is about 250 quid!

 

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I done this just before christmas after being in south asia for 3 weeks and being disappointed a some of the shots.

I had a lumix tz3 and was looking at the tz10 which got loads of great views at came in at over £200 and thought about a dslr as i would get the same disappointing restrictions i have with the tz3.

I was looking about for ages and was advised to get a nikon or canon as they are probably the 2 best brands and as you go on you just update the body and use the lenses you already have but the prices are ridiculous.

I noticed this http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/pentax...oom-lens-50-200mm-zoom-lens-03858320-pdt.html which was £400 befre christmas and was trying to look at the nikons and canons of the same spec and eve without the second lense I couldnt get one near the price. I bit the bullet and got this and if i dont take i up seriously then i havent lost a huge amount and the other way i can always go out and buy a new camera with lenses or i could be pentax loyal.

So far i have only bought a tripod, bag and filters but havent really got time to get out there. Also been looking at local school to see if they are doing any night courses in beginners photography.

 

Have you considered getting a bridge camera? A lot better than a compact but not in the enthusiast territory that a dSLR can feel like, and they usually sit in the £200 - £500 price range. They have good versitile fixed lenses that make all the difference in picture quality over a compact. IMO lens is more important than the pixel count unless you plan on doing a lot of enlarging. Pixel count can often be used as a marketing ploy, but more is not necessairliy better. Crap lens = crap shot regardless of the CCD behind it.

I got a Canon Powershot SX30 for Xmas and am nothing but pleased with it. I think I may make the leap to dSLR at some point, but for now it will do me fine for some time to come.

 

Aha - the other topic I know something about.

If you're considering Canon gear I'd heartily advise heading over to POTN if you haven't already http://www.photography-on-the.net and dive into the forums there. You can find me lurking on there as GregSteer

In terms of value gear I'd keep an eye on the sellers forum there and look out for used 350/400/450D's and 20/30D's. The old Canon kit lens can be picked up exceedingly cheaply (I swapped mine a few years back for #30 worth of batteries) - or there are several other options for starter lenses.

As Trogdor has said, the glass is everything - I had some fantastic shots from my 350D with decent glass and upgraded to the 40D for the better body benefits and apart from a few select occasions have never found it's comparatively low (these days) 10MP sensor short on pixels.

If you want to bounce any ideas off of me fire me PM's here or there or via email.

Edit: Forgot to add this link, http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk - your one stop shop for the lowest UK price on camera gear, ie EOS 1000D Twin Lens Kit (EF-S 18-55 & EF 75-300mm Lens) £455.99 - I'm not affiliated to the linked in any way - it just is the best place for pricing.

 

I got a canon 450D a while back and i love it, the lenses are a bit pricey tho and the stock one is canny crap.
Ya need to think about maybe getting a cheaper body, i mean are you really gonna use all the features of the 550D body? Also, saying as your just getting into it then have you considered getting a 2nd hand body like a 350D, 400D, 450D etc, you will save a big chunk of money, be to afford better lenses and just resell it if its not for you.
As for the Canon vs Nikon thing, i personally dont think there is much between them, the Nikons tend to be a little smaller though so you might wanna have a go of the 2 bodies in a shop just to see what one you prefer the feel of.

 

Thanks Guys. After a bit of deliberation, I've decided to hold out until Bonus time. Its only a few months away, and means that the money doesnt come out of my normal budget.

Hopefully, that will also mean that the camera prices will drop a little in the intervening time too.

Raffaz, I think I like the 550D. The feature set is pretty good for an entry level and, whilst I may not use all the features at the start, it would likely last me longer as I start to make use of the features. That said, I will take another look closer to the time of purchase (or rather, continually leading up to bonus day).

Cheers for the links GSteer. Very handy to have a price comparison site specifically aimed at Cameras.

 

I also bought the entry-level SLR at first (Nikon D60) and after a couple of months I really got into it, technically, and soon bumped into it's limitations.
Must have been six months or so when I sold it and upgraded to the D90

Nikon vs Canon: The pictures will be great on both brands but it all depends on which lies best in your hands, which one you find easiest to control. Just walk into your local photography store and play with some of them.

Also, if you want cheap but good glass, get yourself a 50 mm 1.8 to start off with. It's a perfect lens for portraits and learning all about depth-of-field and it costs less than 80 pounds.

The 1000D is already quite old too, isn't it?

 

Pretty sure the 1000D came after the 450D

 

Yep, both are from 2008... January for the 450D and july for the 1000D.
We're already three generations later now and with the harsh competition in the DSLR market that can make a huge difference.

Don't know if someone linked to it already but you can compare all DSLR's here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp
There's a good indepth review for every model too.