Opinions Needed please!!

I'm thinking of buying a digital SLR but I don't really know what to look for.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

I've got about £500 to spend, and want to get the most out of my money!

Thanks

Depends much on what you want to photograph. If is is sport & action shots, the camera you choose might be different than if it is landscapes, still life, or portraiture.
I used a brand years ago so when I went digital I went for the brand I know, Olympus.
If you are a Malling club member I am sure that folk there would be able to help.
Hope this helps. Dave.

Hiya,

I have the Canon 1000D, and I am really happy with it. My camera was compleet (with kit-lens, extra lens (70-300), 4gb sd-card and a bag) around 470 pound.
I took this camera also because Canon is in Holland the best selling and recommended camera/brand, I don't know how it is in England....but I guess the same...

But, I am only a beginner and this camera was a good choice for a beginner.
I hope you can find the right camera for you.

If I was buying again, I might be tempted by a Nikon D80. (See my other recent post for a more detailed explanation of why)

To be honest all of the main players will be fine (Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Samsung, Olympus) these days they are all pretty much knocking out quality cameras, so then it boils down to the system for each brand, i.e the lenses etc etc...personally i went for Canon and will stick to that system...dont forget that camera bodies come and go but quality glass will last a life time, and glass doesnt get much better than Canon 'L' glass !!

kjlast wrote:camera bodies come and go but quality glass will last a life time, and glass doesnt get much better than Canon 'L' glass !!

This is true, but their 'L' range of lenses costs as much as a small island, and from what I've seen so far, their other lenses leave plenty to be desired.

Though having said that, I've never had a competitors SLR system/lenses to compare them against, so they may not be any worse than, for example, Nikkor lenses.

Shaun

Thanks for your replies.

From what you've advised me, I've been looking up on the internet.

There are a lot of bargains to be had out there at the moment. Prices vary greatly.

So thanks again, I'll let you know what i decide!!!

Nikon D60
Sony Alpha 350
Canon EOS450D

Were the cameras I was looking at.

I plumpt for the 450D in the end, with which I am very pleased.
If you need/want to look at your photos at 100% magnification (i.e. 1 pixel on your photo = 1 pixel on your screen) then you may be dissapointed with the clarity of the standard lens.

But for a general purpose camera - great.
I can't say whether this is definitely a reason not to go for the Canon as I've never used any other SLR, so they may all be equally good/bad.

Cheers,
Shaun

Difficult to go wrong really. Note Cannon/nikon have so many lenses more on offer than sony/pannasonic-leika/even pentax.