Good website for cameras?

[Millie1]

I've had a quick search through the archives but can't find what I'm after ... there's a website which has been recommended many times for good deals on digital cameras. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

Will do Millie1.

I think to be honest, that the 350D SLR and the IXUS 4 /5 / 700 are very different beasts. The Ixus being much smaller and lighter is more what you grab for a quick snap, a no-brainer to take on holiday, a point and shoot; the SLR is significantly larger and heavier, so not for the handbag, but it will allow you more control over your photography, the ability to select longer / faster lenses if you need higher power zooms, and of course the ability to more easily get creative with aperture / shutter priority etc.

If budget is limited with regards to an Ixus, I think you might want to go for a cheaper 4 / 5 MP model as the increase in resolution probably isn't, really, needed for your photos. Looking at snaps on a PC / laptop or in 6X4 or 7X5 prints doesn't need 7 / 8 MP, as I'm sure you're aware.

If budget is limited but you feel an SLR would be best, perhaps you would be pleased with the older EOS300 which I imagine will be available much cheaper as people opt for / upgrade to the EOS350. Similarly, the Nikon D70 has now been surpassed by the new model (is it the 70D ? and the new D50 too I think) so that too should be available much cheaper pretty soon.

Also I guess consider the availability / cost of any lenses you might need... do you already have any Canon / Nikon glass ? A 70 -200 won't exactly be cheap, especially if you want fancy image stabilisation etc. etc. etc.

xposts tamum. Off to bed. Will chat about Canons tomorrow !

Glad you are delighted by your EOS300, and your fast 50mm lens, tamum.

Another nice portrait lens is a fixed longer one. My dad always used a 135mm... you can be further away and get a more 'relaxed' / distracted / unaware / activity in progress shot more easily.

I still feel strange about the autofocus / image stabilisation etc. of the digital SLRs. It is a different experience to a nice lens on film SLR. The feel of the lens just isn't the same IMO, and the degree of automation is a bit odd, but I'm sure I'll get into it in a jiffy.

Hub2dee ... Thanks for all your advice! How right you are regarding the difference between IXUS and SLR. I want the creativity of an SLR packaged in a camera the size of an IXUS - and I won't get that! Currently using a Powershot A20 ... the children are long gone by the time the shutter releases and many precious moments have been missed. I've got a film SLR (Olympus OM40) which is a great camera but the digital aspect appeals ... I imagine my Olympus lenses will be incompatible with a Canon camera but must check that out. Infact, having read your post and thought about things, the SLR is actually the camera I want and my current Powershot will do for the snapshots for a while yet.

For anyone looking, Currys actually have a good deal on the EOS300D - £500 inc 18-55mm lense as opposed to £600 from Pixmania - haven't compared full packages so there may be differences which I haven't picked up on.

I think many people who have extensive film experience would prefer the responsiveness and occasional easy aperture / shutter override of the D-SLR as opposed to point and click.

I took my IXUS 400 to the Chelsea Flower Show yesterday and it did very well, and I'm sure the images will look fab, but the occasional bad lag was irritating, and this was just shooting flowers ! I don't think the IXUS is much better / worse than any other quality point-and-shoot either...

If you have significant investment in Olympus lenses, there is an 8MP Olympus D-SLR just out - the E300 I think ? (see my dpreview link right at the beginning), maybe that would be good ? (The reviewer still preferred the Canon images though FWIW).

Thanks Hub2dee ... trust you'd a good day at the Flower Show?!

Was good. Little chit chat in this thread here .