Camera Choices

[Scarlettvegetable]

Hey again!

Right, so regarding my previous post, I have had a read about 3 of the 4 DSLR's that were recommended to me by Digi.

I'v read up about the Canon 350D, Nikon D50, and Olympus E-500.

The Canon is ever so slightly taking the lead...

I had to go to PC World today, and out of the corner of my eye I spotted the camera section, and didnt realise that these would be there, but they were so I had a look at them. I wasn't keen on the appearence of the Nikon D50, it was too bulky for me to hold comfortably, I only have lickle hands! The Canon felt much better in my hands. I must confess I didnt have a proper look at the Olympus as I was convinced I preferred the Canon! It looked slightly bigger than the Canon though. I also liked the layout of the buttons and screens more on the Canon more than the other 2, except the Olympus has a bigger LCD screen...

Apart from physical appearence, as with most things, they all seem good in their own ways and in different areas, which is the best all round? In the reviews I read, it said that the Canon is the entry level DSLR to beat. Is this true in your experience? Reading too much technical stuff confuses me and I have now officially got to that point!

I must admit I like what I have heard about the Canon, and the availability of the lenses makes a big difference too, as I dont like buying online. There is a shop in High Wycombe that is aparently quite good and its not too far ( i cant remember its name, which isnt really very helpful...! digital something or other lol ), and they sell most of the Canon lenses and Sigma too. They have all 3 of the twin kits, Olympus £599.99, Nikon £559.99, and the Canon £699.99. Typical that the one I like is the most expensive! Im just glad its not my money, aren't birthdays fabulous!

How long do you think it would be before Id be wanting/needing a better lense after the kit lenses?

I have a budget of £1000 altogether.

I dont think I should write any more! I am very sorry about the long winded way I ask questions...I cant help it! I think I wrote all I wanted to, Im sure I can add something in a further post of I remember something...

Thanks if you can help!

Sara

[nightshade]

There are two ways of doing it as I said previously,a kit may not have the lenses to suit your aspirations e.g birding needs long lenses, macro needs medium with preferably 1:1
1 you can learn to use the kit lenses until you know them inside out,saving for the next lense for your armoury
2 buy a body only with the actual ones you need
Oooops! sorry you were being advised by Digi If it were not for the small size the canon 350D
pushes all the buttons but you see what I mean about the camera fitting your hands,it must feel right
I recommended a touring kit; Canon 350D +Sigma apo 28-200 +1.5 converter for a young lady doing a cycle tour she seemed very pleased with the compact kit
So say what you need ,see what fits ,shop around, good kit will be with you for a long time best be right reselling loses money

[matt_xyz]

Sara, from reading your previous thread it sounds as though a £1000 investment in a DSLR may be a bit hasty. You say you've yet to even try your current Fuji S5500 for outdoor shots. My advice would be to fully utilise your current camera (which is a decent one) before deciding whether it fails to meet your needs and deciding that you need a DSLR. If you have yet to master the basics of wildlife or landscape photography, even though you already own a good camera, you are unlikely to reap the benefits of a DSLR - a type of camera which has a very steep learning curve.

I think the choice of which DSLR is for you would be easier if you had fully familiarised yourself with your current camera since you would know exactly how the Fuji fails to meet your needs and hence you would know what your requirements are in terms of ISO range, no. of pixels, lens types etc.

best wishes,

Matt

[Oy]

^^^^ That's great advice!

Unless you are using your S5500 to it's full potential and fully understand the ins & outs of it's features then, IMO, a move to DSLR at this stage would be very much a negative step for you Sara.

[Fourwings]

Oy and Matt are both spot on with their advice, give the S5500 a chance, read the manual and try everything, Fuji digital cameras excel at macro(close-up) photography, have a good play with this feature its great fun and you will get some excellent results I'm sure.

Regarding the DSLR's my advice would be go for the EOS350D, if the small size isn't an issue for you it's by far the best camera of the three mentioned.
On the subject of kit lenses I'd personally give them a miss, you would be far better off buying the body only then using the rest of your available cash to purchase a better quality lens of a magnification range that best suits the sort of images that you want to take.

There is little point in buying a good camera then hanging a cheap peice of glass on the front, to a great extent image quality is relative to the quality of the lens fitted.

Good luck, and if you want any advice re macro work with fujis then give me a shout

[Words]

Just butting in on this thread to say I agree that you should test out your Fuji first. I'm using a Canon S2 and am beginning to figure out how to photograph birds (adjusting speeds, pushing the exposure, post-processing etc.). My first attempts were awful, but I'm getting better as I learn to adjust the camera according to conditions, be patient, don't over-do the optical zoom etc. Still haven't managed anything decent 'in flight' but the stationary shots are improving.

[pxl8]

Originally Posted by Fourwings

There is little point in buying a good camera then hanging a cheap peice of glass on the front, to a great extent image quality is relative to the quality of the lens fitted.

The Canon 18-55mm is forever being slated and, IMO, wrongly so. If you treat it right it delivers some fantastic results:

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/ga...mage-3141.html

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/ga...mage-3335.html

were both taken with the kit lens + tubes.

[Scarlettvegetable]

Ok Thanks for all your advice!

With regard to the Fuji, it is great for macro work. I did use it last year when all the stag beetles were about, and must say i did get some nice detailed shots, so I see exactly what you are saying there. I would like to get into Macro a bit more as this camera is quite good on that front.

Im sorry I dont explain myself very well, the new camera will be for end of summer/autumn time, so I have got the winter to get used to it before all the spring activity next year, so Iv still got time to get to grips with all the technical stuff on the Fuji. I think I am doing well considering that I have only just started using the Fuji again, I only used it before for macro shots of my lizards and the Beetles last year. I just need a hand with the manual settings on it, I get what they all do and what they are there for but not entirely sure how to put it into practice. I need to do some more reading!

I did read that the Canon 18-55mm is soft at small apertures. I wasn't sure on the kit lenses, so thanks for clearing that up!

Good luck, and if you want any advice re macro work with fujis then give me a shout

Thanks for that. I have started to see my first butterflies this week, and the bees are out in force, so I would like to give it a go. The flowers are starting to come out now too, so ideal time to start i reckon!

Thanks again for your advice, I think when i do get a new camera I'll certainly have a good look at the Canon, and see about a better lens.

Sara

[Kev Lewis]

The 18-55mm lens makes a good doorstop!. Buy the body only option and then select a good lens to match it. My 18-55mm has been taken out the box once held it in my hand and put it back in the box it is horrible! Yes you can take reasonable pictures with it but you may as well stick to the fuji which will give better results than the 18-55mm

[Oy]

You don't like the 18-55mm then Kev?

[pxl8]

Originally Posted by Klewis

The 18-55mm lens makes a good doorstop!. Buy the body only option and then select a good lens to match it. My 18-55mm has been taken out the box once held it in my hand and put it back in the box it is horrible! Yes you can take reasonable pictures with it but you may as well stick to the fuji which will give better results than the 18-55mm

Having looked at the original sized images for the Fuji on dpreview and compared them to similar shots I'd taken with the kit lens I'd have to disagree.

But maybe my method was flawed? Foolishly I put the lens on the camera to test it, rather than hold it in my hand

The kit lens isn't L glass but at it's price point it's performs well.

[Fourwings]

Originally Posted by pxl8

The kit lens isn't L glass but at it's price point it's performs well.

To be perfectly honest I only used the 18 - 55mm kit lens for test shots whilst getting used to the 20D and the results were not that bad, just not really impressive, my main gripe was that it is not that well made, it seems very cheap compared to the cameras with which it is sold.
My Sigma 150mm macro has not been off the camera since I had it, what a superb bit of kit
I may take it off if I can get my hands on an L series 400mm f 2.8 prime, all I need to do is win the lottery

[Kev Lewis]

You may well be right pxl8 but, imo, the build quality and feel of the 18-55 is absolutely appalling by Canon standards, even for a budget lens, and instantly gave me zero confidence in it's capability.