Recommendations for a DSLR [Archive]

Nismo33

10-12-2009, 08:36 AM

Looking to buy a DSLR for the wife but I have no idea what I'm looking at.
What would be a good starting point camera & lens wise and how much $ am I looking at?
Also where do you guys get your gear from, any aprticular shops or online?

Thanks!

Ben

SEXUAL TYRANNOSAURUS

10-12-2009, 09:16 AM

What does she like shooting mate?

Nismo33

10-12-2009, 09:54 AM

all sorts hey

Landscapes, flowers, animals,cars bikes our kids and so on.
So I guess i'm looking for a good alrounder to start with and then get additional lenses when she works out what she wants to do with it.

SEXUAL TYRANNOSAURUS

10-12-2009, 10:07 AM

Im canon biased. so im going to say the 1000D, 450D and the 500D

But go into your local camera shop/s and Play with a few bodies.

Nismo33

10-12-2009, 10:12 AM

Cool I was thinking Nikon or Cannon.

Any onfo on what lenses? or do you just get a basic one with the body?

Thanks Mate!

shifted

10-12-2009, 10:21 AM

Usually Canon has a deal with some shops whereby you get a free lens with purchase (along with the one in the box). When I used to work at Harvey's they had it on and my sister got a DSLR from there. Just have to shop around and bargain the price down, a lot of the cameras have a lot of $$$ in them.

PSI 304

10-12-2009, 10:22 AM

When i bought mine I went in and held each of the models i was interested in. Find which one is most comfortable in you hands, buttons are in covenient spots etc. What to buy comes down to whats in the budget?

Look to spend between $1200 - $1500 and you can come away with a nice little setup.

Something like a canon 450D with twin lenses (18-55mm & 55-250mm) would be around $1400-ish but shop around.

In a camera house catalogue i did see a Nikon kit with D3000 body, 18-55mm & 55-200mm lenses, tripod, bag, and 2GB SD card for $1099. Which i reckon is a bargain!

Another camera i didnt mind when i was looking was the sony A380, well priced and also later found out it had image stabilisation in the body, Something the canon's dont have.

Personal choice at the end of the day though, like i said go hold some and find one thats comfortable.

SEXUAL TYRANNOSAURUS

10-12-2009, 10:25 AM

I would just get the Kit lenses for now, until she establishes what she would like todo.

Here's some info:

1000D twin IS Kit (http://www.praimaging.com.au/d1674-14-canon-eos-1000d-twin-is-lens-kit.html)

450D twin IS kit (http://www.praimaging.com.au/d1381-14-canon-eos-450d-is-twin-lens-kit.html)

D3000 Kit (http://www.praimaging.com.au/d1845-13-new-nikon-d3000-1855mm-55200vr-in-stock-now.html)

The place i linked is in Perth on Newcastle street, great bunch of guys willing to help out.

there pretty good on pricing. But, use them for hands on help and then search around for better prices.

Brockas

10-12-2009, 10:30 AM

Another camera i didnt mind when i was looking was the sony A380, well priced and also later found out it had image stabilisation in the body, Something the canon's dont have.

I am kinda biased because everything I own is Sony, but the A380 is what I went for.

IMO it's perfect for what I do, and with it's capabilities in low light situations it works really really well with my f1.4 50mm prime.

PSI 304

10-12-2009, 10:31 AM

When I used to work at Harvey's they had it on and my sister got a DSLR from there. Just have to shop around and bargain the price down, a lot of the cameras have a lot of $$$ in them.

I found Harvey's down here in bunbury to be great! I was suprised being a kind of department store to get as good service as i did. Managed to walk away with 500D twin IS kit, EOS bag, spare battery, 2x 4GB cards for a smidge under $1650 which i thought was a pretty good deal...but now i say that i'll probably be proven wrong! lol

Nismo33

10-12-2009, 10:38 AM

Thanks for all the info/help!

I will be hitting the camera shops tonight and see what I can find!

PSI 304

10-12-2009, 10:58 AM

Fark just heard on the radio that harveys down here in bunno doing the nikon D3000 body for $687

shifted

10-12-2009, 11:10 AM

I found Harvey's down here in bunbury to be great! I was suprised being a kind of department store to get as good service as i did. Managed to walk away with 500D twin IS kit, EOS bag, spare battery, 2x 4GB cards for a smidge under $1650 which i thought was a pretty good deal...but now i say that i'll probably be proven wrong! lol

Is it still owned by a guy called Robert C.?

He used to own and run the Malaga one, and before that the Morley one. Very helpful guy and very good with pricing.

PSI 304

10-12-2009, 11:28 AM

Not sure bud.

ovaxitd

10-12-2009, 11:42 AM

camera house 1599 twin lens kit cannon d5000

[Jacek]

10-12-2009, 02:38 PM

do you mean canon 500D?

American Dave

10-12-2009, 03:33 PM

Just got a Nikon D90 and its just simply awesome, have seen them as low as $1699 recently but got mine from the USA a lot cheaper and with extra lense, batteries, 8 GB SD card and bag. So easy to use and takes some very good quality video as well. http://www.nikon.com.au/productitem.php?pid=1281-86d7b52026

mitchy

10-12-2009, 07:25 PM

i bought a Canon EOS 450D IS Twin Lens Kit recently... i managed to get it dirt cheap and it's the best money i've ever spent.

fantastic camera, feels comfy, not too heavy, and very easy to use (my first DSLR)

adrenalin

10-12-2009, 07:40 PM

I had a nikon D80 and since switching to Canon i reckon they shit all over them.

The nikon is still a great camera i just feel that canon do it better.

Never used a sony though.

Has your wife used cameras before or just beginning ?

Mad_Aussie

10-12-2009, 07:42 PM

I use a Canon 450D and its magic. If I had more cash to play with at the time there are better bodies out there, but for a bang-for-buck camera its one of the best in the bracket

evil.e30

11-12-2009, 12:39 AM

I was in same boat

i did alot of research and went for a nikon d3000 (new d60) twin lens kit (18-55,55-200)
under 1g good buy so far, guide mode is awesome for beginners also.

next step up is a d5000, which is a bit better of a cam, plus its got vid capability, live view and a swivel lcd screen (i didn't feel i needed)
also for that price is the canon 450d,or 500d which has live view but no fancy screen. but spending more on entry level camera i didnt do because it will be most likely upgraded in the near future anyway, so might aswell start small.

so buy d3000 twin lens kit, look around for xmas specials atm also
i bought mine from www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au
$959 with a free 4g card, free shipping also
(retailing for like $1300 in jb hifi etc) hope this helps

Nismo33

11-12-2009, 08:25 AM

I went with The Nikon D3000 twin lens kit.
Good value for money and as it's her first DSLR I didn't think it was worth the extra $ for the Cannon Eos 500D at this stage.
I'm sure I will have some fun playing with it as well.

PSI 304

11-12-2009, 09:06 AM

Good stuff mate, how much did it end up setting you back?

Nismo33

11-12-2009, 11:00 AM

paid $1099 from Camera House c/w 4g card, bag, tripod and two lenses.
Got home and saw Harvey's had body only for $697 which was a bastard!
Don't know if it would end up cheaper buying separate but I have it now so I don't want to know LOL

adrenalin

11-12-2009, 11:01 AM

What lenses.

And thats a good deal although guessing the tripod is prob rubbish. ( need a really sturdy tripod if your doing long shutter speeds. THe one my camera came with was absolute rat shit

Nismo33

11-12-2009, 11:13 AM

Got a 18-55 & 55-200.

Hey stupid question but will lenses from a non-digital SLR fit this?
I have a few large lenses from a Nikon SLR put away somewhere.

adrenalin

11-12-2009, 11:45 AM

Same lenses i had with my D80.

18 - 55 is an awesome lens.

SEXUAL TYRANNOSAURUS

11-12-2009, 11:58 AM

Got a 18-55 & 55-200.

Hey stupid question but will lenses from a non-digital SLR fit this?
I have a few large lenses from a Nikon SLR put away somewhere.

They Sure will mate!

PSI 304

11-12-2009, 12:41 PM

paid $1099 from Camera House c/w 4g card, bag, tripod and two lenses.
Got home and saw Harvey's had body only for $697 which was a bastard!

I reckon you got a hold of a nice little kit there! And for the right price. 18-55mm lense is a ripper from what ive used of it. Sure, the tripod might be a little bit below par for a long exposure shot but i reckon it'd do quite nicely for the early days.

Might just wanna get a hold of a second battery and second memory card as a bit of a safe guard. Would be nothing worse than heading out and getting a flat battery or running out of room.

I think if you were to go to harveys and buy everything you have now seperately, it would have worked out to a bit on the top.

morgazmatron

02-01-2010, 05:20 PM

hey sorry to hijack the thread...

but i went to get a canon 500d and they guy started talking about the nikon d5000 the canon is $200 more so now im confused.

what would you guys think unbiasly? is it worth the little extra for the canon?
any info would be awesome. cheers guys

SEXUAL TYRANNOSAURUS

02-01-2010, 11:07 PM

Which one feels comfier in your hands? Thats the one you should buy!

syther

23-01-2010, 02:18 PM

what would people recomend if im after a camera that can take decent car shots . not bias to brand or anything like that. jsut want something that people have used , are happy with and would tell their mates to get

kurbn

23-01-2010, 02:28 PM

a $300 point and shoot willl take decent car shots

what is your budget or what are you willing to spend? do you want an entry level DSLR or just a digital camera

I have a 500D, takes brilliant shots when I can get the settings correct.

evil.e30

23-01-2010, 05:48 PM

look for used nikon d60, d40x
since d3000 replaced them you will probably find one <700 with kit lenses

syther

26-01-2010, 11:39 AM

i tend to be a great fan of this wonderfull thing called ebay .
just went for a look on it and came across many d3000's that come with lense kits. my problem is i dont know anything about lenses .

# Nikon D3000 camera body
# 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
# Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
# Quick Charger
# Eyepiece Cap
# Rubber Eyecup
# USB Cable
# Camera Strap
# Body Cap
# Accessory Shoe Cover
# Software Suite CD-ROM
# User manual and one year warranty

and thats jsut over $500

any one able to tell me if that is good or not

zxz

26-01-2010, 12:05 PM

i wouldnt buy a dslr through ebay

they are cheaper but they are not covered by Aust warranty
and you NEED a warranty!
shit always goes wrong with cameras :(

im looking at upgrading from a 40d to a 50d, and can get a 50d for $985 on ebay... retail price is $1799 so yeah big difference. but after just having my 40d go in to canon with a major issue, im glad i had the extended warranty (harvey norman) as it would been over 12mths old by 17 days.
so yeah, no ebay cheapy for me...

search around on the net for a good camera store and they should sell the camera you want at a decent price, with the Aust warranty

google "shopbot.com.au" with the camera details - i find they are a good reference point

syther

31-01-2010, 12:57 PM

ok . so if im wanting to take shot of cars . have just under a grand to spend on the camera including lenses . what would you recomend

mitchy

31-01-2010, 01:09 PM

Canon 1000D twin lens kit at JB Hifi for $946

fsbk

02-02-2010, 07:02 PM

i thought instead of starting a new thread i'd build off this one. i'm going to be purchasing my first digital slr fairly soon (cannon 1000D) and i'm a complete novice when it comes to photography, which brings me to my questions.

is there any good blogs/websites that have really good quality guides to getting started and learning about the features on a digital slr? i've looked at a few books but they seem to be all out of date by now.

is it worth buying the lenses separately or just bite the bullet and buy the 2 lense kit that it can come with?

thanks for the advice in advice.

[Jacek]

02-02-2010, 09:24 PM

youtube is quite good mate, search the terms like "aperture", "shutter speed" and "ISO" and you'll start to get the idea

Why the 1000D mate? My first DSLR is a 450D, but if i was to do it again I'd get the 500D which is practically the same but with HD video.

What are you interested in shooting? this will determine whether you need wide or telephoto lenses etc..

fsbk

02-02-2010, 10:03 PM

djr81

03-02-2010, 12:13 PM

i went with the canon 1000D because it seems like a good price for a novice like myself. it also leaves me with more cash to buy some decent lenses, which from what i read are just as important (if not more so) than the body itself; could be wrong?

i looked at the 500D and wasn't too impressed with the video quality, which is why you would justify spending the extra money. the picture quality between the two was pretty similar from what i had seen. would there be a big difference between the two?

i'm going to be doing a lot of travelling this year so i'll be shooting mainly landscapes and also some urban inner city shooting, combined with portraits and just general point and shoot style pictures.

I just bought a Canon 500D with a couple of lenses as a package. The picture from a 500D should be better than the 1000D but as always it will be more about setting the thing up right than the camera itself.

There is an eye watering range of lenses you can get. The hard part is deciding what you want.

[Jacek]

03-02-2010, 12:25 PM

Yeah you're right, the lens is the important bit - and the 1000D is probably a good camera anyway, i just always thought they were a bit cheap feeling compared to the 450/500 and let alone the 40/50

Have you considered picking up a secondhand 400d or 40d? That could be good value

s1mon

03-02-2010, 12:32 PM

Sleepy

04-02-2010, 08:32 AM

I make most of my purchases through www.camerasdirect.com.au, good service and fast delivery. No problems to date.

djr81

04-02-2010, 12:01 PM

I recently purchased a 500D and I love it. I purchased mine from Hong Kong via ebay with the Dual Lens kit. I have a 12 month warranty from the seller (of course I would need to return to HK to claim). But as I have saved myself over $800 by buying overseas imo its worth the risk.

However if I had to do it all again, I would buy just the body and get a nice Prime 50mm lens or a good quality 18-55mm etc. As the two lens' that come with the dual kit are cheap and nasty.

Just my opinion.

The lenses seem fine to me. I don't know how good a lense you really need for it not to be "cheap and nasty". The good thing about them is they are image stabilised. Which helps hen you don't want to or cant use a flash & you don;t have three days to set the shot up. But there is a fair bit of glass in them, as you would expect.

As for the 50D over the 500D to be honest I couldn't see much in the way of features I could use that would justify the extra coin.

Miggy

09-02-2010, 07:11 PM

zxz

11-02-2010, 11:26 AM

I recently purchased a 500D and I love it. I purchased mine from Hong Kong via ebay with the Dual Lens kit. I have a 12 month warranty from the seller (of course I would need to return to HK to claim). But as I have saved myself over $800 by buying overseas imo its worth the risk.

However if I had to do it all again, I would buy just the body and get a nice Prime 50mm lens or a good quality 18-55mm etc. As the two lens' that come with the dual kit are cheap and nasty.

Just my opinion.

lol well done on saving $800.... but just dont be suprised when you have to pay a shit load to get your camera fixed when it breaks coz suddenly the people who provide the "warranty" arent responding....

SEXUAL TYRANNOSAURUS

11-02-2010, 12:03 PM

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/photo/digital-cameras/slr/

What do you guys think of the first camera on there (Pentax) for a beginner? From the reviews I have read it seems like a good camera for the price.

They are a good camera, Mate.

But, if you start to get into it and invest a little more cash on glass. You'll find there are limitations to lenses. Unlike your canon's and Nikon's. If you decide to jump ship after you've already invested a little more you run the risk of loosing a bit of money.

All that is irrelevant if you only intend on using if for stuff like taking a few snaps of your car and whatnot.

SEXUAL TYRANNOSAURUS

11-02-2010, 12:04 PM

lol well done on saving $800.... but just dont be suprised when you have to pay a shit load to get your camera fixed when it breaks coz suddenly the people who provide the "warranty" arent responding....

Warranty is world wide with Canon, It just has to be done in China.

The only thing with Grey import is you have to wait months for a warranty job!