What SLR?

[Andrew-Bede]

Hi,
I want to get into SLR photography as an upgrade from my Coolpix 995. I have been very satisfied with the Coolpix especially in digiscoping but now want to do some direct nature photography including birds, moths and wild flowers. I gather the Nikon D70 or Canon EOS 350D are highly recommended by many, but the price is a bit out of my league. Any recommendations for a cheaper body that will take decent lenses? If so what lenses with what body? Thanks for any suggestions.

Andrew

[postcardcv]

Really there isn't much out there that is significatly cheaper than these two - the Nikon D50 is £475 (body only) or the Pentx ist DL for £459 (body only), so only ~£50-70 less than the 350D. I've recently got a 350D and am very impressed with it - I certainly think it's worth that little bit more. Remember that when buying a dslr you'll also need to budget for a lens/lenses, memory cards (you'll probably want at least 1gb worth of memory), a spare battery (not essential but very handy)... it all adds up.

To get a cheaper body you will probably have to look at secondhand cameras - you might well be able to pick up a EOS 300D for a fair bit less (I know someone on here was talking about selling there so keep an eye on the classifieds). I also noticed the other day that warehouse express (bargain basement) have a used Sigma SD10 for £399 - comes with two lenses 18-50 and 55-200 - my brother uses one and gets excellent results so it might be worth a look.

[Andrew-Bede]

Thought that might be the answer! Looks like I shall have to save for the 350D which I must admit I like the look and feel of. The trouble is as you say, the “added extras” which really are necessities all add up. I see that both Canon and Nikon are at the Birdfair so perhaps they will have offers on! Well...you can only hope, b.g. More likely I will have talk myself round to not being able to live without by then! Thanks for the answer,
Andrew

[ruchai]

I just got my D50 for the same purpose. The D50 has continuous focus mode, same as Canon 20D, which make photographing flying birds much easier. Only 20D and D50 have such feature. It also has center focus which the 350D and 20D do not have.

From my researches, Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED IF AF-S is particularly very suitable for birds photography. You can use manal focussing while in auto focus mode. Take auto focus and fine tune manually is what you really need for birds.

[postcardcv]

I just got my D50 for the same purpose. The D50 has continuous focus mode, same as Canon 20D, which make photographing flying birds much easier. Only 20D and D50 have such feature. It also has center focus which the 350D and 20D do not have.

From my researches, Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED IF AF-S is particularly very suitable for birds photography. You can use manal focussing while in auto focus mode. Take auto focus and fine tune manually is what you really need for birds.

The 350D does have a continuous focusing mode (AI servo), for use with moving subjects such as flying birds. Both the 20D and the 350D have the option to select single point auto focus, so you can have center focus.

The ability to manually focus with out having to fiddle with switches is very useful. You'll find most of the more expensive Canon and Sigma lenses also have this.

[Andy Bright]

The ability to manually focus with out having to fiddle with switches is very useful. You'll find most of the more expensive Canon and Sigma lenses also have this.
This is often abbreviated to FTM (full time manual) and it's a godsend. You can manual focus on all lenses/cameras but it can often involve flicking switches on camera and lens... which is no fun when your subject is likely to be off at any second.

Personally, I don't think there's much to choose between the entry-level dslr's in terms of what they are capable of... they can all produce great images. I just feel some of them are a bit too small to hold securely with a largish lens on them, no problem if you're using a tripod though.

cheers,
Andy

[jebir]

Have a look at the Olympus E300 if price is critical for you. There is currently a two-lens kit that is hard to refuse: For £629 (at Warehouse Express - I'm sure you can find it cheaper), you get the body with two Digita Zuiko lenses that covers from 28-300 mm (35-mm equivalent).

I have the older (bigger) brother E1 myself and I couldn't be happier for wildlife photography.

Cheers, Jens.

[Andrew-Bede]

Have a look at the Olympus E300 if price is critical for you. There is currently a two-lens kit that is hard to refuse: For £629 (at Warehouse Express - I'm sure you can find it cheaper), you get the body with two Digita Zuiko lenses that covers from 28-300 mm (35-mm equivalent).

I have the older (bigger) brother E1 myself and I couldn't be happier for wildlife photography.

Cheers, Jens.
Had a look at a couple of reviews for the Olympus E300, looks good. I am not a SLR expert, (not even a novice really!) so if it is a straight choice between the Olympus or the Canon 350D what would the majority go for? Not on price, not on name, not on ‘coolness’, but on value and quality of engineering. Factors to bare in mind: (1) I am a novice; (2) Once purchased will not want to change. I know this is all subjective, but I would be interested in people’s opinions. Thanks in advance.

[postcardcv]

Had a look at a couple of reviews for the Olympus E300, looks good. I am not a SLR expert, (not even a novice really!) so if it is a straight choice between the Olympus or the Canon 350D what would the majority go for? Not on price, not on name, not on ‘coolness’, but on value and quality of engineering. Factors to bare in mind: (1) I am a novice; (2) Once purchased will not want to change. I know this is all subjective, but I would be interested in people’s opinions. Thanks in advance.

Personally I'd go for the 350D, for one very simple reason - third party lens manufacturers like Sigma and Tamaron do not make lenses in Olympus fit, but all of their lenses are available for the Canon. So you find that the range of lenses available, both new and used is far great if you go for the Canon. It may not sound like the biggest deal, but it does make a difference.

I should also add that I use a 350D (so may have some bias) - my initial reaction to the feel of the camera was very negative, it put me off buying one. I now have one (as a result of my 300D getting broken and my insurance replacing it with a 350D) and after one week of using it I am totally won over.

[postcardcv]

Just a thought - why not have a look in the gallery and see what sort of picture people are taking with these cameras. I use the 350D, as do a good few others and I'm sure you'll find some E300 users too.

[rka]

The Pentax *ist DS or soon to be released *ist DS2 I think is definitely worth a look. From all reports, build quality is very good, you can use a wide range of K-mount lenses even the old MF ones from the early 70's. Also, the pentaprism VF is a bonus and normal NiMh AA batteries are standard.

The only negative report I have heard relates to soft jpegs but if you do post processing, this is not an issue.

Apparently, the firmware improvements in the cheaper ist DL will be likely rolled into the DS2. Should note also that ISO3200 pics shot are not bad at all from reports I have seen on www.dpreview.com.

I also am weighing the options of buying a dslr and the choice will likely be between the Nikon D50 and the Pentax *ist DS2 (when released shortly). While the Canon 350D is an excellent camera and has got a lot of press, many that have used the *ist DS believe it to be a very well rounded camera (i.e. not the best in any feature but very good in all categories).

[birdeast]

There are a few good websites that have reviews of all these cameras - including side-by-side comparisons. DPReview is my favorite.

I purchased the D50 3 weeks ago on the weight of reviews and the name "Nikon". Like a poster said above, both Canon and Nikon have full support of third party lens makers which is absolutely essential if you have a tight budget and a desire to buy lens in the future.

I looked at the Olympus E300 (E-Volt, I think) at the COMEX exhibition in Singapore a few weeks ago. I found it to be a bit bulky. It also is limited by lens selection. However, the price is right.

Right now I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I find the camera easy to use, but still capable of professional quality photos (question is: will I ever be ;) ) Do your research and go handle a few cameras. This is how you end up with a camera that you will personally be happy with.

Scott

[Keith Reeder]

Can I just add one point of clarification to something Ruchai said: in fact, the Nikon D70 and D70s also have continuous focus mode - it's not a feature unique to the D50 in the Nikon range.

[Leif]

The Pentax *ist DS or soon to be released *ist DS2 I think is definitely worth a look. From all reports, build quality is very good, you can use a wide range of K-mount lenses even the old MF ones from the early 70's. Also, the pentaprism VF is a bonus and normal NiMh AA batteries are standard.



Nikon can also use old manual focus lenses, though you won't get metering with the non-pro DSLR bodies, so can only use manual exposure. That's not so important unless there is rapidly changing light as you can take a picture, check the exposure, and adjust. Many of these old lenses are high quality and surprisingly cheap. Why pay good money for a new consumer grade lens when you can pay less for a better old 'pre-cared for' lens?

Can Pentax DLRS meter with the old lenses? I presume these are good value, which would be in Pentax's favour.

Though a Nikon user I tend to favour Canon as they are leading in terms of technology and lens range. BUT, for an amateur, the availability of cheap old but good Nikon (and Pentax ?) lenses is a boon.

Leif

[Yelvertoft]

Nikon can also use old manual focus lenses, though you won't get metering with the non-pro DSLR bodies, so can only use manual exposure. That's not so important unless there is rapidly changing light as you can take a picture, check the exposure, and adjust. Many of these old lenses are high quality and surprisingly cheap. Why pay good money for a new consumer grade lens when you can pay less for a better old 'pre-cared for' lens?

Can Pentax DLRS meter with the old lenses? I presume these are good value, which would be in Pentax's favour.

Though a Nikon user I tend to favour Canon as they are leading in terms of technology and lens range. BUT, for an amateur, the availability of cheap old but good Nikon (and Pentax ?) lenses is a boon.

Leif


Can Pentax DLRS meter with the old lenses? Certainly can!!
Pentax *ist D/DS/DL and DS2 can all use ALL Pentax-K fit lenses (manual focus, autofocus, auto-aperture, manual aperture) and retain light metering capabilities. With the manual aperture lenses the process on the *ist DS is:
Enable use of aperture ring in the setup menu - why this isn't set as the default is completely beyond me!
Set the body to "Manual" metering mode.
Set the aperture you want on the ring.
Press the AE-L (auto exposure lock) button. This briefly stops down the aperture to the value chosen on the ring, takes a meter reading, and adjusts the shutter speed to the figure it thinks is the correct value - a sort of aperture priority mode really.
Take the picture.

The backwards compatibility of Pentax lenses with their digital cameras is second to none (IMHO), you can even use M42 and 645 format lenses on the digital bodies with an adaptor. I have used my fully manual (focus and aperture setting) 50mm prime lens from my 20+ year old K1000 on my *ist DS with very good results.

Regards,

Duncan.