Hello all,

I'm a bit new to photography and have never owned anything other than a point-and-shoot camera. My current camera is the Sony Cybershot DSC-W5, which I picked up for around £100.00 a few years ago.

Are there any decent DSLRs on the market at the moment, preferably less than £200.00?

Thanks,

Peter.

Your best bet is probably a Nikon D40 which is a little more than that (£246 in Argos). I have one, but use it as a spare now. Great camera.

I would go for D60 or D80? The D40 has some issues with some autofocus lens? making it manual focus only in some cases?

Could I join (and not hijack) Peters thread, I'm interested in a DSLR, perhaps a little cheaper at <£150. And I'd be looking for *dons flame proof jacket* a Canon...Only because the purple one uses Canon and I'd be getting most help from her...

Thanks

The Nikon D40 is about as cheap as it gets unless you find older second hand models.

At £150 I think you're looking at bridge cameras.

The D60 has the same issue as the D40 with autofocus lenses. The camera body doesn't have a focus motor so it requires lenses with built in motors (AF-S for Nikon, but 3rd party lens makers also have them), do you will be a bit restricted in choice.

DSLR and cheap doesn't really go together :/

The autofocus thing is only really an issue if you already have or plan to buy the older AF-D lenses. All of the new lenses from Nikon and Sigma are AF-S as far as I know. I bought a D80 because I had an old AF-D sigma 70-300mm and got bored of focusing manually, but in my opinion the D40's sensor produces just as good, if not better images and is slightly better in low light. The end result is a smaller image (6mp compared to 10mp), but what pixels they are!

No need for the flame-proof suit when you're considering the better of the two camera options out there.

However, as Vigil has already pointed out, cheap and DSLR aren't really bedfellows. Canon's entry-level DSLR, the 1000D, comes in at more than twice what you're thinking of paying as far as I can tell - although you may be able to pick one up second-hand in your price range. From memory, there was a discussion in the MU forum about another Canon model that Heather's other half uses, although I can't quite remember the model so I can't get a price for you. It wasn't an SLR but she said she and he were both pleased with it. Heather?

Hello, yes?

Ah, yes. It is the PowerShot G9 (now replaced by the G10). It has all the advantages of complete manual control if you want it, in a point and shoot body. We picked the G9 up for a shade under £300. The G10 averages about £400, depending on where you buy.

If that price is still too much, then lower your sights to the Ixus range from Canon. Very competent little cameras, apparently.

Then again, if it's definitely a DSLR you're after, then you'll have to look at used or refurbed.

Yes I've got an Ixos very happy with it. 4th place on the last photo comp with it

Thanks for the suggestions there. I'm even more confused now, sorry.

Say if I bought the Nikon D40 for around £250, would it come with a lens? Does this mean all I would need to buy would be a case and a memory card of some sort?

Peter.

The D40 kit comes with an 18-55mm lens, so yes, all you'd need is a case and an SDHC card. You can then look into getting other AF-S lenses when the need arises. The 18-55 gives you a good wide angle at 18mm and "as you see it" at around 35-55mm

I'm sorry to be somewhat thick, but why would I need another lens?

Peter.

To take different pictures.
You might want a sexy prime lens, or a longer zoom.
Why do you want a different camera?

Sorry, that might sound grumpy - the kit lens will allow a range of different framing and depth of field, but different lenses give different results.
It's a big part of choosing a DSLR. If you have no interest in swapping lenses, why not get a high-spec bridge camera instead?

Variety! The stock lens gives you a "jack of all trades" field of view, but you may find yourself wanting something more specialised. You can get macro lenses for really close up shots, telephoto's for long distances, super wide-angle for landscapes and fisheye lenses for weird and extreme wide-angle shots.

I get where Prof is coming from, but the price difference between a bridge and a proper-albeit-entry level camera is negligible, but the lens on the SLR is probably going to be better.

Okay, thank you, that makes sense

Sorry, now another question. Say if I wanted a new lens in the future, what is the ballpark price?

Thanks,

Peter.