Digital SLR - help please Options

[Jane Lees]

Looking to take up photography & need advice on which digital SLR to get. Been looking at Olympus E500, but heard its a bit slow to start up & bit of a hassle charging battery (5hrs). Also, I've been told I should be aiming to get a wide angle lens & a telescopic lens, and that should cover me for most situations. E500 comes with 17.5-45mm lens and 40-150mm lens optional - are these the same? Any help would be much appreciated

[Kalyan Samaddar]

Both are exactly right. If you are planning to pay that much then don't settle for something compromising. For digital SLR, there is only option as Nikon D70/D50. Canon 350 is also OK but I personally will not settle for it when I can get Nikon in just a few dollar more. No point in wasting your money in any other brand.

However saying that, please think over your usages before investing in additional lenses and filters. Those are quite costly and top up your budget by another 50%.

If you really don't require many numbers of Lenses and filters then have a look at Fuji 9500. After lot of weighing between D70 and S9500, I settled for Fuji 9500 and using it for last 4 months and quite satisfied.

Nikon D70 is definitely the best SLR however your pattern of usages also dictate how much you should pay.

[blowski]

Hi Jane

Not sure if people agree with me, but the only cameras worth spending lots of money on come from either Nikon or Canon. Nikon's D50 is a good option apparently, but I've got a Canon EOS-350D. In my opinion, for a beginner (a bit like me) it is a fantastic choice. It's recently had a price drop as well, so is now an even better bargain. The starter kit is not such great value, and I wouldn't spend too much on lenses to begin with. Get two fairly generic lenses, and then decide where you're going with your photography. This twin pack is pretty good:

http://www.pricerunner.co.uk/photography/d...on&ref=redirect

Also, get a tripod, a decent carry bag, appropriate lens hood and plenty of compact flash (2 x 1GB cards is a good idea) - and don't forget to get UV filters to protect your lenses. That whole thing will set you back about £800, and is a fantastic setup for somebody just getting into serious photography.

[Jola Karsen]

I agree in the most part with blowski - don't buy anything too specific when you are starting with a Digital SLR. I have seen a lot of people pay £1000 for a telephoto lens that they never use. They would have been better either saving that money, or buying a much better lens that covered the 18 - 70 range.

I disagree that the starter kit for the EOS-350D is not great value though. The lens is pretty good, and will serve you well for the first few months.

A tripod is a must - get something very sturdy but versatile. You could also consider getting a remote control if you are doing night time work (i.e. when you will need longer exposure times) or portraits (as you can stand away from the camera, and relax the subject).

But just play. Take lots of pictures, and you will notice what you need - then go and buy it.