Amature Advice!

Hi guys,

I'm using a lovely old pentax camera at the moment. The photos it produces are great but it doesn't have an autofocus (which can be frustrtating at times) and obviously it runs on film, which I find rather limiting.

I'm thinking of moving to digital and wanted some advice. I'm an amature so I don't want to spend millions of pounds on a camera, but at the same time I'd like to get a decent one.

Advice greatfully received,

S

How much money are willing to spend(US$)? Canon Drebel is very popular DSLR Camera priced around $900. Canon 10D is a step up model from DRebel. Both cameras are great first DSLR choice.
Good luck
Vic

I would recommend a small camera for your first steps into the digital world. Something like the Canon G3 or G5, or one of the A-Series or S-Series cameras. That way, you can learn the basics without having to worry too much about the camera itself. As you learn more, those cameras can offer you advanced controls, too.

I would not recommend a DSLR, unless you think your photography skills are advanced enough to handle it.

I like sdommin's ideas...good advice. I'm a professional photographer but my first digital camera was a point and shoot Fuji. I actually made good 8x10's with this 1.5 megapixel camera. Fuji makes a nice point and shoot camera but when you get to the SLR's, I'm a Canon man and you'll learn a lot by reading this forum(University of Pekka)!!

Cheers for the quick replies

I've played around with digi cams before but have never parted with the money because the results simply aren't as good as I can get with my existing SLR. I really find point and shoot cameras too limiting.

Vic_izoita, I guess about $1000 is around the upper limit of what I'm prepared to pay. how much difference is there between the cameras?

Cheers,

Big_B,

A point and shoot (P&S) might be a good start. Check out Pekka's gallery entitled "Seven Months with the Canon G1." The shots that he made with this camera put many images I've seen made with DSLRs to shame. In fact, I like the images in that gallery better than the ones in Pekka's very fine D30 gallery.

If you decide to go with a DSLR, check out the Nikon D70/18-70 zoom combination. At $1300 for the camera and lens, it's a little over your budget, but if you stretch a bit, it will outshoot the point and shoot cameras. I realize that this is a Canon forum, but in the lower price range it looks like Nikon has the better camera-plus-lens option right now.

As far as Canon's current offerings go, you might want to wait until the replacements for the 300D (Rebel) and 10D come out in a few months, and shoot a P&S in the meanwhile. The current crop are good cameras, but I would hold off until an entry-level camera comes from Canon that has E-TTL2 (its improved flash metering system) and flash exposure compensation. I hope this helps.

Mike

US prices aren't going to help you much (unless you want to risk orering from there or can get over there to purchase).

$900 for the D rebel works out at £489 at current exchange rates!! WOW! i wish it where that much in the UK, but I paid £812 for my 300D (uk name for Digital Rebel) a month ago with the kit lens.

a $1000 budget translates to about 550 quid.

and I hear the price of petrol just went through the roof too (I'm living in spain at the moment).

My best advice would be to move abroad

Too limiting? In what way? Like Mike H wrote, Pekka took many fine pictures with his G1, and most of the photos in my galleries were taken with "limited" P&S cameras.

Big_B
Forget the point and shoots stuff. You are an experienced slr user so get the 300D. As said it's about $900.00 U.S. Or you can spend the extra $500.00 and get the 10D to have a few extra options, but it'll also get you an alloy body.
If you go to little a point and shoot after using a Pentax slr, I shouldn't need to tell you how dumb a move that would be. You'd instantly outgrow it.
The one funny thing that made me reply so strongly on this topic was that I had just finished putting the batteries back into my wifes A40 before I read this thread. I thought "Holy smokes! Doe's this ever feel weird"!