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Digital SLR for beginner
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Hello, I’m a photography beginner and I’m considering buying a Nikon D70s. Any thoughts? This would be the extent of my budget. can I get anything better for the same price? Any comments or suggestions would be great. Thanks
Hi there,
First off, welcome to the site :) You’ll get lots of advice here from the other photographers.
What your budget for camera and lens in total ?
Thanks
MarkIf I were you I would go for the Canon 400D & Canon 17-85mm Image Stabilised lens. If you hunt around it should be the same price as the D70s kit. You wont find another lens with that range and IS. I have one and it is never off my camera.
Hey Lumpy,
What sort of photography do you enjoy? It’s worth buying into a system that you can grow with and there have been a batch of new SLRs in recent months. With DSLRs, you also need cards, lenses, flash etc.
All best
Si
SteveD wrote:
If I were you I would go for the Canon 400D & Canon 17-85mm Image Stabilised lens. If you hunt around it should be the same price as the D70s kit. You wont find another lens with that range and IS. I have one and it is never off my camera.
There’s the 18-200mm lens with image stabilisation (VR) from Nikon that has been very highly rated for such a versatile lens.
I would try all cameras in your price range before buying, even just to hold in your hand. If you intend to use it often, you need something that is like second nature to use and feels natural. I wouldn’t underestimate this, I was hell bent on going Canon until I felt a Nikon in my hand and played with it for a half hour or so. First impressions are usually right when it comes to ergonomics so I would urge you to see which feels better in your hand and whose menus are easier for you to naviagate, whether thats Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony or whatever.
Image quality is usually too close to call between the major brands right now so get a camera body that feels ‘right’ to you and focus (sorry!) on getting a decent lens, the kit lens I got with my D70 has been good enough to keep with me when I moved on, a lot of kit lenses aren’t so good.
Well regarding my budget, I’ve seen the D70s with the 18-70 lens and a few bits n bobs on ebay for 650 euro(ish) I’ve generally been quoted at 899 all around the dublin stores! the 400D canon seems to be roughly the same price (on ebay). I will photograph anything and everything really, as I say I’m only a beginner so I haven’t found my feet yet and haven’t been taking pictures long enough to know what area I prefer to shoot. But back to budget, I guess between 650-700, I will most likely buy through ebay. Has anyone ever bought a DSLR on ebay? how much did you pay, was everything ok? If I was to buy from the states my main issues would be the different voltage for battery charger, warranty (US) and customs duties and import tax. Anyone have any experience of this?
Check out Digital Rev on Ebay. Great company provided you read their rules properly. I saved over ?300 on my Canon 30D.
You wont find UK prices even close to these.
PS: Don’t be afraid of the Canon 18-55 kit lens. With a bit of care it delivers great results, just like most other lenses.
I am a beginner also, and have just received my first SLR camera, I bought on e-bay, I bought a Sony Alpha 100 body only and got it for 667.00 euro brand new in box, delivery was very fast until it reached Ireland, took 4 days to find me (and only 5 days to get from Kuala Lumpar) I was lucky in that I wasnt caught for VAT and duty I really think this is hit and miss, if you buy from USA you are more likely to be caught for it. I bought from Bycam 888 and they seem to have a good range. Good luck whatever you decide on.
Shutterbug
Yes everything was OK, it was a new box with the factory seal on and they included an international warrenty so I can take it to any Sony shop if anything goes wrong. The battery charger was complete with a normal plug and there was an internationl adaptor included in the box,
Shutterbug
PS……..do a bit of research on the seller if purchasing on e-bay, check out comments from previous buyers, I would only buy from a seller with excellent feedback records and only use Paypal or secure way of paying. Postage can sometimes be outrageous so check that out too.
Shutterbug
CianMcLiam wrote:
I wouldn’t underestimate this, I was hell bent on going Canon until I felt a Nikon in my hand and played with it for a half hour or so. First impressions are usually right when it comes to ergonomics so I would urge you to see which feels better in your hand and whose menus are easier for you to naviagate, whether thats Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony or whatever.
To echo this, I was a Nikon film user for many years and tried my friend’s D70 over a weekend but just couldn’t get wth it. I read loads of reviews comparing this to a ‘brother’-like camera, the Canon 20D, and went to a shop to try the Canon. I found it immediately more intuitive to use/navigate and it felt just right sitting in my hand. So I switched brands – reading opinions and reviews on the screen or on paper only goes so far – trying stuff out for yourself will save you a lot of hassle should you make the wrong choice. Remember you’re buying into a system as only own brands, as well as brand-adapted kit will fit your camera (a Canon lens won’t work on your Nikon; a Pentax-fit lens made by Tamron won’t fit it either).
Lumpy wrote:
Has anyone ever bought a DSLR on ebay?
I’ve bought most of my kit via eBay – however, in my case, I contacted the [reputable] seller directly to quote me on a slightly different spec and we completed our transaction(s) outside of eBay. Everything was satisfactory and a year later it all works and I’ve not had to use the international warranty that shipped with it. I’ve since bought from him a number of times. Like other advice, vet potential sellers: read the small print carefully and check their rating. There are a number of sellers in Hong Kong, such as my guy (URGalaxy) and DigitalRev and DZone2, all with a good reputation. They’ll ship FedEx priority so you’d get it within the week, and usually won’t incur customs duty – their method is legal as far as I can tell.
shutterbug wrote:
PS……..do a bit of research on the seller if purchasing on e-bay, check out comments from previous buyers, I would only buy from a seller with excellent feedback records and only use Paypal or secure way of paying.
Sound advice there.
I’m a Canon user, i became a Canon user for a several reasons,
they come out the top of vast majority of reviews i’ve ever read of equipment. Look at any sports event and count the white lenses, canon are tops in the pro photography world, their custom functions are brilliant(e.g. focus in al servo on back button), I know of several Nikon users that have switched to Canon, don’t know any Canon users that have switched to Nikon. It cost a pro friend of mine ?35,000 to make the change from Nikon to Canon, he says it was worth every cent. The lenses are amazing, the cameras are amazing as are the speedlites. Just my opinion and the reasons i choose Canon, have no actual experience with Nikons myself, have handled them and handed them back. I’m totally happy with my Canon gear and look gorward to getting loads more of it.Brand bashing :roll:
John Griffin wrote:
I’m a Canon user, i became a Canon user for a several reasons,
they come out the top of vast majority of reviews i’ve ever read of equipment.For every review that favours one camera, you’ll find another to favour the other. I’m a Nikon user and surprisingly enough most of the reviews I’ve read favour Nikon over Canon. But I think that’s because I view the world with Nikon tinted glasses. Use reviews for finding out about features, handling etc. But to believe them and simply assume they’re correct is crazy. The only review you should believe is your own. Go in.. without bias.. to a camera shop and pick up the camera, hold it, take pictures ask questions.
John Griffin wrote:
Look at any sports event and count the white lenses
:roll: Nikon pro lenses also come in grey, as in fact do some of their lower end prosumer and consumer lenses and bodies.
John Griffin wrote:
canon are tops in the pro photography world, their custom functions are brilliant(e.g. focus in al servo on back button), I know of several Nikon users that have switched to Canon, don’t know any Canon users that have switched to Nikon. It cost a pro friend of mine ?35,000 to make the change from Nikon to Canon, he says it was worth every cent.
Have to agree. I know of a few people too that changed and made a massive investment and like your friend, don’t regret it. Canon are significantly better at marketing, they’re also significantly better in the area of having stock of cameras/lenses when they’re announced. Nikon are TERRIBLE at this and definitely play catchup. When the 1ds MKII was announced Nikon had no answer and lost a huge amount of their market share of professionals. They went to Canon because Nikon didn’t have anything to comete with it. That’s not the case today.
Besides… professional photographers use professional bodies. The question was asked about an SLR for beginners. To assume that just because the pro end is better (which is debateable) making the entry level automatically better is a ludicrous assumption.
John Griffin wrote:
The lenses are amazing, the cameras are amazing as are the speedlites.
As are Nikon and other brands. It’s also widely recognised that Nikon speedlights are considerably better than Canon (but that’s brand bashing too)
John Griffin wrote:
Just my opinion and the reasons i choose Canon, have no actual experience with Nikons myself, have handled them and handed them back. I’m totally happy with my Canon gear and look gorward to getting loads more of it.
Sounds like you were swayed by the marketing hype too.
At the end of the day, I am yet to see a shot from a Canon that couldn’t be taken on a Nikon AND VICE VERSA. My piece of advice is not to buy into the hype. Touch, look and feel. Go with your own instincts. Nearly every point that John made was aimed at the pro end, not the consumer end. And don’t forget, there are many other brands too apart from Nikon and Canon. The Sony alpha seems to be making serious inroads and from all accounts is a superb camera.
Best of luck with the search.
stasber wrote:
Remember you’re buying into a system as only own brands, as well as brand-adapted kit will fit your camera (a Canon lens won’t work on your Nikon; a Pentax-fit lens made by Tamron won’t fit it either).
This is a very very valid point. We all have to choose a brand and generally stick with it, it’s hard for somebody with no knowledge of SLR’s and photography to make a decision on what feels right, i know this because i had to choose and i spoke to alot of people, another friend of mine uses pentax and told me he felt like he’d been left behind when things turned digital and was considering going to Canon, but he couldn’t afford it. Speak to as many people as you can read as many reviews as you can. It maybe just a starting out camera, but i’m sure you want your kit to be able to grow with you as your skills improve and finances allow, not have to head off and get intermediate camera kit and start again.
Now Ciaran, i was only giving my opinion and why i choose Canon, telling somebody that has little experience of photography to go into a shop and pick what feels right is a bit silly, why not just say go in and pick what you think is cool or trust the salesman, now thats crazy!
Screaming out “Brand basher :roll: ” and dissecting every syllabel is far from helpful, i’m not getting into the old Canon V’s Nikon debate, it’s been done and done again in every monthly photography magazine. You can say i fell for marketing hype if you like but at the time Canon were streets ahead of Nikon when i had to make my decision, maybe they’ve caught up, i wouldn’t know about that cos i don’t need to watch that space anymore. The vast majority of people here are not pro and i still see alot of pro bodies and lenses floating about, everybody seems to have pro lenses. Alot of pros used 20D’s when i bought mine.
Kinda sick of the childish mine is better than yours arguments, it could go on forever.
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