Digital Cameras

[5FDP]

My wife is looking at purchasing a new camera and I thought I would get some input to help her decide which is the best model to buy.

She is looking at an entry-level DSLR such as - Nikon D90, Nikon D3100, and a Canon 500D. Willing to spend around $1000.



I know nothing about cameras and neither does she. Any advice / assistance would be appreciated.

[Deceptic_Optic]

5FDP if its just for beginners 500d is a good start mine is a canon 450 d and it does it job already, at end of the day it depends on how far she wants to go in photography. Either she wants to do it professionally or just taking normal snaps, if she wants to do it professionally i recommend a higher model because there is a chance that she need to change lenses. Remember its not the camera its the lens that matters the most, other things to consider are tripods and a flash and make sure to purchase a carry bag.

as for the simplier side of just taking photos then 500d is good enough, and just read some tutorials online to make the most out of it.

note: as i said before its not the camera its the lens :) hope this helps.

[UltraMarginal]

Optics makes a lot of good points, depends how serious your wife wants to get. and make sure you get a good bag. and everything else he said too.:D

I highly recommend the Panasonic Lumix line, if for nothing else but reliability. My sister worked part time in a photography shop for about 5 years and the lowest return rate on anything was the panasonics.

I have a fz28 which has now been superceded. it's more of a hybrid slr/happy snap digital. Takes great pictures, is pretty easy to manage and because the lense is built in it's less fiddley than a proper slr and it takes up a lot less space.

I also recommend reading a few reviews online, google "top 10 digital slr" or something like that and you should get some pretty good reviews. make sure to restrict the search to the last few months. there are people out there who are as obsessed with photography and cameras as much as we are obsessed about transformers and they are hapy to share their knowledge.

Best of luck in your search

[5FDP]

Thanks for the feedback guys! Yeah, she's just wanting to take good photos rather than turn professional.

Just on the lenses - so I assume that the 500D has interchangeable ones? If so, that's a plus. I'm also guessing that the lenses are the most expensive part?

A carry bag is also a good idea. I can already see it being dropped and smashed without one :p

[mknell]

I'd go one up from the 500D to the 550D, here's a good deal for you (that I would be getting now if I weren't trying to save $$$$ for my Japan trip)

http://www.topbuy.com.au/tbcart/pc/Canon-EOS-550D-Digital-SLR-Camera-Twin-Lens-Kit-Japan-Kiss-X4-Packaging-With-EF-S-18-55mm-f3-5-5-6-IS-EF-S-55-250mm-f4-5-6-IS-Lens-DSLR-p34770.htm

$810 with 2 lenses

[5FDP]

Thanks mknell :) That does look like a good deal.

Has anyone ordered from this site that can provide feedback? I've never heard of them before.

[mknell]

I've ordered other things like memory cards from them and they are quite good, but never something that big, I plan to eventually get that camera when I have the $$$$

[Robzy]

It really depends on what your wife is primarily doing with it, but I can definitely recommend the 550d. It's one of the best cameras I've ever owned. The HD video mode is spectacular (I shot a film clip last weekend for a band and the quality is amazing).

Still Photos-wise there are better options out there, but it's still a very VERY good camera. The only people who will have a problem with it's limitations are professional photographers, so I can highly recommend it for beginners! As for the kit lenses... they're not very good, but it's better than nothing (just :p). It's definitely worth investing in better glass as you go on. That's where your money goes... cameras are often replaced, but lenses should last you a lifetime. Your shots will look better and you'll have more fun. The nifty fifty is great (it's a fixed focal prime 50mm) and only costs $100-130.

I could talk all day... :o

[5FDP]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions guys :) I think she has made her mind up to go with the 550D. It appears to be a great price and reviews are very positive.

Hopefully she'll let me have a go so I can update my collections photos.