SLR digital cameras

[hermykne]

if thats the correct term
would just like some advice on getting one of these instead of the lump of rubbish i have in my digital snap and fuzzy photos cameras, ita nikon, so thinking of the same brand again.

i think hub2dee did a fab link to some photos he took with his.

dont really want to spend any more than 300.

Hmm... you'll be lucky to get one for £300 or less, to be honest. You're looking at about £500 body only or nearer £600 with a kit lens. Then bear in mind the quality of the photos is mainly in the glass - so a cheap lens (some of the kit lenses are not particularly great) is not going to perform as well as a more expensive one.

Best advice would be to get some magazines for reviews and get a feel for what features you want/need (I can recommend Practical Photography or Digital Photo). Then visit somewhere like Jessops and get to handle several cameras. Check that they feel comfortable to hold and that the menus are easy to navigate etc. Then after that, do some price research on the net and see if you can get Jessops to price match

Hope that helps as a starter.

Incidentally, some point and shoot cameras are very good quality these days and have a good range of manual modes. If your budget is £300 I can recommend the Canon A640 - I have the previous model (the A620) and have got some quite stunning pics out of it.

I am saving for a DSLR as I am now ready for rather more control with separate lenses and features, but the A620 does 80% of what I want to do and I can't fault the quality of the pictures.

If you want a digital SLR for £300 or less you are going to have to look at secondhand (and even then you are going to have to shop around carefully). Try eBay -- you should be able to get a Canon 300D with lens for around £300 (although getting it including postage for less than £300 may take a lot of auctions). The Nikon equivalents tend to run nearer £450 so you may have to decide between your budget and your love of Nikons .

There was a thread about digital SLRs recently-ish - here - might help with some pointers.

thanks all, didnt get a chance to come back to this til now.

Dh turns out some very presentable stuff for home and work with a Canon Eos. Is that in the price range? I dunno, I 'm not allowed to touch it unless I "m very closely supervised.

suzywong i have gone off on a total tangent this morn - nobody dressed - on the net looking for an slr, seems the canon one is quite popular, albeit more than my budget but i think i'll wait closer to christmas and hope for a bargain - cant wiat.

If you search my name and canon you'll probably find a few threads on it.

EOS 300D / EOS350D if you can both would be great. The new EOS400 if you want to blow the budget a little. Do you have friends / colleagues travelling to the States ? Much cheaper there and identical product (unlike camcorders etc.) - name sometimes a little different, you'll have to check sites the bhphoto.com.

LOL@suzywong's supervision.

The Nikon D50 with lens is £500 here on pre-order.

I've dealt with this company before and they're reliable. Sorely tempted to treat myself to a digital SLR to replace my much loved old Pentax SLR that taks film.

soupyretrocontrarydragon.

Remember to factor in a larger memory card and a camera case/bag into the budget - the memory card they give you with a new digital camera is beyond pathetic

hub2dee
i have an uncle in law in the states presently home round the 10th of november
wil check that out,
thanks all

Oh yes, h. Deffo phone and schmooze. bhphoto.com is MASSIVE NY shop; v. trusted. Will ship anywhere (shipping out of states means no tax). You will save big time. If you search my name and lenses I posted some stuff to NotanOtter (under her haloween name IIRC) just a week or two ago) about general lens recommendations for glass which wasn't too pricey. hth.