Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoff F  The Canon 450D is a reasonable camera, although I have a friend who always says nothing beats a Nikon. In reality there isn't a lot of difference between them so I would suggest having a look at both brands if you are starting from scratch. |
All I can really add to that is if you are going to buy from a shop (or even if not
), then make the most of the stock they have on offer. Try (literally - take photos, use different lenses, filters, fiddle with all the controls, open the battery flaps etc.) every camera in the shop that's in your price range (and as Jeff says ones slightly above). To me, how the camera feels in your hands is more important than anything else - if it doesn't feel right you won't take good photos even with a £2000 camera!
Spend as much time in the shop as possible - could be hours depending on the number of cameras they have on offer. If you buy the wrong camera, it could be a costly mistake in the long run!