Hi guys I was wondering if you could offer me some advice. I'm thinking of getting a decent/proper camera in the coming months to replace my digital camera (which does take good photos, mind). I don't know too much about cameras/SLRs etc, which is why I thought I'd ask your thoughts. I'm looking for a camera which would be good at taking good & clear action shots (from football matches as I walk around the ground) from the games I'm at and be able to zoom in quite far to take photos from the other end of the pitch and still capture the game crystal clear. As well as that, I would be using it for standard portrait/family type photographs (first baby on the way in the summer) and it'd be nice to capture some great family moments around the time etc. And also the typical photos out and about whether it's looking around the city etc or out & about in general. Any ideas? I don't want to bust the bank but also appreciate that for decent cameras you do need to shell out a little bit too. Any links/info etc would be gratefully appreciated.
What budget are you actually thinking of spending Jez as the market is pretty saturated and at times a certain manufacturer will come out with a real blinder at a reasonable price...If I was you go to a specialist shop and not a chain as the specialist will give you far more impartial advice...Also see feedback/ratings from people that already own one you may fancy think you should be able to find that on google
*faints* agrees with most of what Baz said Your budget will dictate the responses really. There's a lot out there, reconditioned bodies for DSLR's which will give you lots of lense options but also the compact SLR's really do have huge optical and digital zooms now so it depends on your budget and needs. Also first piece of advice whatever you pick make sure you've seen it in a camera shop and handled it. Hand feel is almost as important as specs when it comes to taking pictures
Yep, budget is king. Keep an eye out for a reasonably new second hand canon or nikon, the extras tend to cost less. For sports you'll want some sort of telephoto - 70-200mm or similar, for portraits a 'nifty fifty' will make a big difference, expect to pay £50 -£80 for one, well worth it.
That was what I was thinking, Gareths just got his Canon 5D Mark II and loves it but he's keeping his old camera and body for other types of shots (I think its a 450D) some of the lenses he had with that are compatible with the new body some aren't but people sell on old bodies and lenses when they upgrade all the time
Yeah the 450D is worth looking at, i use a 7D as a primary and a 450D as a secondary body, still a great camera, just lacking video and high ISO, hardly worth ditching though. Can be picked up for buttons these days...
What would you say the average for a decent camera (SLR) would be? I had in mind it would probably be in the £500+ region, would this be a realistic assessment? The cameras you are mentioning, what do these (roughly) cost?
£500 could get you almost everything you need. A brand new Canon 1100D + kit lens is £370 in Jessops at the minute, leaving you with change for a telephoto or a 50mm. Or you could go for this deal, its got everything you need under budget http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/80640/show.html The 450D is the model before that, its basically the same camera, without the ability to record video. If video isn't important you could pick up a 450D for around £200 on ebay
Cannon550d that i posted about in the photo thread a few month ago is awesome Seems to get better the more i use it
