Lets get it right from the start

[Monkeychunks]

I value the opinion of you experts out there. I am returning to photography after many years of absence. I have experience in film photography including processing. My interests are wildlife and landscape. At present I have a simple point n shoot Fuji 5 pixi. An Olympus C750 4 pixi for the more interesting family shots and holidays, and a little used (mint) Minoltolta Dynax 4 with the two lens kit.
Now my options are

The Sony DSLR Alpha 100, which means I could use the two lenses from my Dynax kit.

A nice Canon/Nikon set up with either a single ens kit, or a body puchase with a seperate useful lens bought. I dont know if the Minolta gear would carry any value on a trade in.

Or what about a bridge camera, the Panasonice FZ50 looks clever - but would I regret not going DSLR later.

I have been reserching my options for too long now and have completly confused myself.
I like the thought of making use of the lenses I have (frugal). But I may not have decided on the Sony with a clean sheet.

Whats your thoughts and have you any advice I may not have thought about??

[ripplingwave]

Hello

Im no expert and only a beginner in 'proper' wildlife photography but have always been snapping away since I was young been working as a nightclub and event photographer for a while and had the use of a nikon D200 (with various lenses) which I got on well with.
I also borrowed my friends D50 which was pretty cool, he only had a tamron lens but some of his images were ace, but he used his for marketing and PR work so very different!

I have just been bought the Canon EOS 400D which im very very pleased with but the kit lens isn't doing the camera justice so Im saving my pennies for something or two better!

Ive wanted a canon SLR since I was 8 and finally have one!!!

I would def recommend it for function and practicality and image quality but with a better lens of which I think others are better qualified to advise!

[glsammy]

Having come from a film camera background, I think you'll find the ISO sensitivity of a bridge camera rather limiting. It's the main reason I upgraded from a Panasonic FZ30, one of the best ones, but very disappointing in anything other than good light. ISO 100 is about it's practical limit, whilst I can shoot all day on ISO 400 with a DSLR, even ISO 1600 is perfectly acceptable when needed.
As for which make, of course I'm going to recommend Canon, but the Nikon users will recommend Nikon etc! I don't think the make matters too much, provided you can find the range of lenses you need for your type of shooting. In the end the lenses are more important than the camera body, so find a range of lenses that will do the job, then see which camera body will fit onto it!

[Fourwings]

Invest in some good quality glass to hang on the front of your 400D and you won't go far wrong.
Think about what type of wildlife photography you would most like to do, then make your choice of lens to suit it, ie... large telephoto zoom/ prime for Birds, mammals etc..., Macro lens for Insects,Flowers, close-ups etc... or Wide angle for landscapes, portraits etc..... or if you are feeling flush - buy all three

[Amber]

Well if you decide to go with the masses and get the Canon, what lenses have you got - Carl uses the Minolta 5D.

Personally, I'd take what everyone says about their camera with a pinch of salt - go to Jessops, handle the kit, maybe take a cf card and try a few test shots. Make sure that the one you go for feels comfortable and is intuitive to use.

And a reliable source tells me that Sony may have a couple of surprises very soon...

[eeyore]

on the other hand if you go with the sony although you will have a couple of lenses your choice for buying new ones will be quite restricted.

wheras buying a canon or nikon - or fuji (who use the nikon mount) , or to a certain extent olympus will give you access to a wider range of lenses both oem and third party.

amber is right that you need to handle the cameras yourself to make an informed decision as lots of factors will come into play such as the size of your hands , how strong you are, your build and stance etc etc which are impossible to assess over the web

[Kerry]

While researching cameras for myself, I was told by several photograpers that the image stabilisation in the Sony A100 camera isn't such a good idea as it doesn't produce good quality images with longer range zooms: they won't be as sharp.

Kerry

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Kerry

While researching cameras for myself, I was told by several photograpers that the image stabilisation in the Sony A100 camera isn't such a good idea as it doesn't produce good quality images with longer range zooms: they won't be as sharp.

Kerry

having had a sony alpha, and a pentax K10D on trial for a bit my conclusion on the antishake was that it was better than nothing - and a cheap(ish) solution for those on tightish budgets , but it is no where near as good as the lens based systems (canon IS , Sigma OS , and Nikon VR) which are much more expensive - you gets what you pays for basically.

that said you dont actually need IS to take good pictures - i am currently using a canon 20D and little bigma and doing pro level work with out it - but if you specifically want an IS system lens based is the way to go.

btw if you bought a sigma lens with OS for the alpha (though one isnt currently available) advice from sigma is that you would have to turn off one or the other of the stabilisers as they will not work well together.

[Amber]

Kerry, AS or IS or VR in whatever form, is an aid to technique, not a replacement.

[Monkeychunks]

Thanks everybody, I knew I could get some advice here.
What I did was go into town on a busy Saturday to press me nose up agains shop windows to look at cameras and prices. It was far too busy to investigate further but I started to make up my mind and just needed to get my hands on the gear. I returned on Sunday to an empty camera shop and spelled out what I wanted to do. The young assistant was extreamly helpful and patient with me as I handled the Canon 400D and the Sony Alpha ( I had decided against a bridge camera - my roots and heart always in an SLR). For me the advantage of using my existing Minolta lenses on the Sony became less important the more time I spent handling the cameras. The Sony felt solid and well made, with intuitive controls it was comfortable to handle and even though a larger camera than the Canon it was "fine".
However the Canon was like a glove in use, it seemed a cut above the other. Even without the instructions it was clear what the major funtions were and how to use them. The assistant helped a lot pointing out the differences (even though by now I had read up on the models).
Now the tricky part was the package; I decided on the Canon and included a kit lens-as without it the body cost was not much less.
The shop had various package deals with a second lens, memory cards, bags, and flash guns. Non of these suited me so enter the Manager - He asked what I wanted did some majic with his calculator and put together exactly what i wanted at a discounted price that I was happy with.
Off I trundled home to face the missus who took it really well and recons every lad should have a hobby! Result....
I am now the proud owner of a Black Canon 400D + 18-55 lens + Sigma 70-300 Macro + battery grip + 2.0 Gb extream111 card.
Looking at internet warehouse prices I think I could have saved a little by mail order, however I spent an hour in the shop had lots of help, had a tailor made package put together, and I am fairly sure I made the right decision buying as without the direct feedback in the shop it would have always left the question did I do the right thing; so I am happy to spend that little extra for the comfort factor.
All I have to do now is e bay my other camera and lenses (or I could hang on to them and set up another wet darkroom-no! thats pushing a bit with the missus).
Many thanks to all who took the trouble to give me some advice-it all helped