Best DSLR for £500

[calum001]

Looking to get a DSLR in the next few weeks, considered buying second hand and keeping to about £350 but would rather buy new so i know what i'm buying so upped my budget to around £500

I'm a complete beginner but i really want to start getting into photography.

Initially looked at the D3000 but i think after a while i would wish i had just spent that bit more.

So my options that i can see atm are:

D500 + 18-55mm VR Lens - £480
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/76137/show.html

Canon 450D + 18-55mm f/3.5/5.6 IS Lens - £500
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/73523/show.html

Canon 1000D + 18-55mm & Tamron 70-300mm f4-5.6 Di Lens - £500
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/77514/show.html


for me the D5000 seems the best to me but it would be great to get some other opinions from people that know more about what their talking about. Would be good to hear from any D5000 users aswell

theres also an option to buy the Tamron 70-300mm Lens for £120 with the first 2 but i might just get used to the camera first before venturing out to try different lens

any other suggestions that i've not mentioned would be more than welcome aswell

feel free to pic ***** aswell lol :rasp:

 

[Revels]

First things first, go into Jessops or a local camera shop and try the Nikon/Canon.

How it feels is the most important thing. I don't like the way Canons handle/menus etc but many people are the opposite and don't like the Nikon. Hold it. Take a few shots. Play with the settings.

Aside from that, the D5000 doesn't have an AF (auto focus) motor in the body, so any lenses you wish to buy, if you want it to AF you'll have to buy lenses that contain the motor. That's not really a problem for 99% of them, the only noteable one is the 50mm f1.8. But if you do go Nikon, it's not the end of the world and the 35mm f1.8 is only about £50 more.

 

[calum001]

cheers mate, yeh i'm going to pop into Jessops at the weekend and try a few of them out

yeh i noticed that point in your write up, as you said it's not really an issue as there are still plenty of choices out there and i would just have to live with the more expensive lens if i did go for the Nikon, it's definitely not a deal breaker for me anyway

 

[jenic]

Canon 450D + 18-55mm f/3.5/5.6 IS Lens - £500
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/73523/show.html

Like said go and try them out, for an extra £39 I'd get the 500D over the 450D personally just for the high resolution LCD which is a dream to use.

Also the tamron 70-300mm you mention was on offer for about £90 a few months ago when i got mine so worth waiting for that to come around again.

 

[calum001]

obviously i'll see how i get on with the Nikon's/Canon's first but any opinions between the D5000 and the 500D then ?

cheers for the tip on the Tamron lens, will definitely leave it for now

 

[dunganick]

500d does video, does the d5000?

Canon at entry level is a better rounded package imho. They do a better range of decent amateur lenses than Nikon. Also not all Sigmas work with AF-s Nikons, so it limits your choice if you want to use 3rd part lenses.

See what feels natural to you though. Nikons make no sense to me, but i'm sure i could get used to them given the time.

 

[clairemae]

500d does video, does the d5000?

yeah the d5000 does video, its pretty good quality too, plus the tilting screens a nice touch.

 

[GeordieClioDriver]

agreed with the nikons making no sense at all, i found the canons alot easier to begin with so get down to jessops ans try them

Also wasnt the D5000 recalled twice just after its launch?.. doesnt really bode well for it IMO.

 

[calum001]

cheers for the comments, i'll definitely see how i get on with the layout of the cameras and menus at the weekend

as far as i know a small batch of the first D5000 's were recalled but if your buying now it should be fine

 

[GeordieClioDriver]

We had them recalled twice, once to fix the problem and the second time to correct the work that was carried out the first time round. lol

 

[dmn1989]

i just got a Nikon D3000 18-55 VR kit, whatever the VR means.

just arrived today, charged it up and will be playing about tomorrow with it

 

[andywright182]

500d is a brilliant camera. however, scour the net for a 40d. better camera and will find a good example in your budget

 

[JJ!]

Olympus E-620 twin lens kit if you fancy something a bit different.

 

[Peanut Butter]

Mums looking at buying the D5000 but tbh i dont think she knows what to look for in a camera really.

Can anyone shed a bit of light as to what sort of thing is bad/average/normal. Shes looking at spending max £600 on the camera. Mostly tkaing scenery shots

 

[koi]

Have the Canon 450D, nice camera and will keep me going for a while yet.

Had a shot at a few Nikons but couldn't get used to the menu layout, as said you're best trying them both out to make up your own mind.

 

[Peanut Butter]

Just got home from work and mums not been able hold her waters.. shes bough the D5000

 

[calum001]

well it's down to the Canon 500D and the Nikon D5000, went and had a quick look at them today and the Canon was a lot smaller than i was expecting, i'm going to go in at the weekend and have a proper play about with them

One things i'm wondering though is if i should get:

The body only and get a decent lens or 2 + other accesories all separate
or
Just go for the standard deal of body + 18-55 lens and the rest separate
or
Go for one of the package deals with everything

I think the main thing i'm getting at is how useful is the standard 18-55 lens that they come with as standard ? Is it worth getting it without and putting that £50 saving towards another lens ?

 

[SamP]

Its an alright lens. Ive taken some decent ish stuff with the standard kit lens on my 500d. At the end of the day if your just starting out your more the limit than the camera.

 

[calum001]

yeh totally agree that i'll be the biggest barrier to really good pics to start with but just wanting to make sure i spend my money in the most sensible way long term since it's a fair outlay

if anyone has any pics taken from a 500D or 5000D with various lenses then it would be great to see a few for comparison if you cba

 

[Revels]

Get it with the kit lens.

See what you take pics of and then work out what you want to buy next. You might take lots of pics of flowers and real close up stuff, you might like taking pics of the woman down the road getting changed in her bedroom. So you don't really know what other lens to buy yet..

 

[edryn80]

I would look at the second hand market as well. I recently upgraded from a 350D to a 40D which was £400 second hand body only, gives you £100 to spend on lenses, 50mm 1.8 is a great prime lens, see revels photos for depth of field tricks and low light stuff. I use talk photography forum which has a really good selection of stuff for sale and most of the guys there look after their gear, bit more confidence than the ebay trawl.

 

[calum001]

cheers for the suggestions again gents, it's much appreciated

i'll have a look on that forum aswell cheers, the problem with the second hand market is that they hold their price well and only about 25% cheaper than new isn't enough of a discount to buy over new imo

 

[calum001]

well i went in to Jessops and came out with a Nikon D5000, it felt much better in hand and it felt more solidly built than the Canon imo aswell, i did like the simplicity of the Canon with it's menu's and quick shortcut buttons but the Nikon isn't bad and after i get used to it will still be easy enough to navigate around

just need to get myself a backpack/shoulder bag and memory card now, another lens will be on the cards soon aswell i think but will see whats going to be best (and affordable)