I have been thinking for some time about buying my first digital SLR and trying to get back into some photography after a decade or two away.

Since I am not riding at the moment and it may be several months before I am well enough to train hard again then I may have quite a lot of spare time to fill, so now seems like a good time to buy

Not to up on all the terminology out there nor what are my basic real needs other than greater control and flexibility over a compact – doubt for example I would need 5fps or video. But would like greater control/ability to shoot in low light settings.

Also not wishing to spend really over £500 notes at the moment on a body and basic lens. So really at the intro level.

So what would people recommemd?

Is it as simple as saying your only really choice is the Canon 450D? For some reason I am attracted to the Olympus range E520 (I think it is just aesthetics) – but I know Canon and Nikon have the market pretty much sewn up (80% ish between them) and provide more choice in additional lenses.

And I have been told lens IS is better then body IS

There are some new Canon models 500D and Nikon 5000 becoming available soon but their RRP are several hunderd pounds more.

Any pointers or tips?

Gary

Never tried the Nikon (always had Canon film SLRs and compacts). The canon works fine for me.

Focus your money on the lens(es) whatever body you get.

Get a very high quality compact instead. it will get used more.

I have a Nikon D70 and D300 (I do wedding photography to top up my wages) but I also have Panasonic Lumix LX3. The DSLR’s sit in their bag whilst the Lumix comes out with me. As a result, it takes better photographs, because it gets used.

If you really must have a DSLR, try them out and see which fits best in the hand and whose controls are easiest to get on with.

Also have a look at the Lumix DSLR’s and they are getting good reviews on image resolution where a Panasonic Lumic G1 beat a Nikon D3 in good light conditions! (last weeks Amateur photographer)

i’ve got a canon 450D, but only had it a short while, still getting to grips with it and use compcat canon on rides, but both are fairly intuitive to use even for a beginner like myself

I’ve got a Nikon D60, works fine. AFAIK there aren’t any bad DSLR cameras out there, so go with the one that best fits your budget and your hand. I wouldn’t worry about the lens range, either – unless you’re planning on going pro at some time any manufacturer has more than enough lens for amateur use.

Coolhandluke makes a very good point, though – DSLRs are very bulky, even without additional lenses, external flashes etc. etc. A decent compact camera would probably get used more – the camera I use most is the one on my phone 🙂

Still, if you’ve got the money and you want one, go for it. They’re lots of fun and very satisfying in the long run.

I used 35mm slrs for ages and wanted to stick with them,
so for a bit of fun i got the Panasonic Lumix G1,
small enough to stick in the bag when on the bike,
though not a true slr but its not a bridge either.
size is the big seller of it and its easy to use.
and pictures are good to 🙂

Cheers Steve

Also have a look at the Lumix DSLR’s and they are getting good reviews on image resolution where a Panasonic Lumic G1 beat a Nikon D3 in good light conditions! (last weeks Amateur photographer)

I have a G1 and while I really like having such a small camera (compared to my D300), there is NO WAY the images are of Nikon D3 quality. They can be nice, under the right conditions, but noise levels, for a start, are way higher, and the lenses available just now are not up to Nikon standard.

My advice would be go to a shop and find out what feels right in your hands.

I have the 400D, it’s a great camera. I’m not talking as someone with experience of millions of other DSLR’s so it’s not a balanced review but I have one and really like it. I also bought the 50mm prime/fixed lens which is so good for 80-90 quid, portrait photos never looked so good!

So consider secondhand 350’s and 400’s as well if you are looking to save a bit on the inital outlay.

Not a big fan of the canon menus/buttons, but thats a personal thing, and as said, only something you’ll get to realise when you try cameras out. As the owner of a nikon d40, I’d be tempted to recommend you get the d60 (a few more mega pixles would be nice) and an additinoal lense. Dotn forget about all the other gumph you require-bag, memory cards, software etc the list goes on and on…

Secondhand is probably a good plan, if you want to save money. A lot of people upgrade their camera at a ridiculous rate (like me 🙁 ) and the prices are low.

My wife has Nikon kit (I just inherited an early generation D70) and likes it a lot. If you get drawing up big lists of pros and cons you’ll probably never decide so I’ve got nothing better than the above, go play with some and see what you like best.

http://www.dpreview.com is a good site to read tho.

Nikon D40

If you have a friend who’s into dslr photography, buy the same brand camera so you can borrow/share lenses.

I bought a Canon 450, which is fantastic, but everyone else I know has a Nikon…

[/quote]I have a G1 and while I really like having such a small camera (compared to my D300), there is NO WAY the images are of Nikon D3 quality. They can be nice, under the right conditions, but noise levels, for a start, are way higher, and the lenses available just now are not up to Nikon standard.[/quote]

Dont think its a Fair to look at them in the same light for a start the D3’s got a full Frame sensor, bu the G1 is a good preformer i dont find any problems with noise until i get to iso 1600/3200 which considering the size of the sensor is very good i think.

Some stuff relevant to the G1 here:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/dark-side.shtml
and a recent low-light pic by me here:
http://www.autresdirections.co.uk/pblog/index.php?showimage=71

I agree – for what it is, it’s great, but I was responding to a claim that the G1 beat a D3 in a magazine test.

I have a Canon Powershot Pro1, which was their top-end compact. I use it far more than my old film SLR – it’s compact enough to not be a hassle, but has most of the versatility & quality of a proper DSLR. The lens is fixed, but has a range equivalent to 28-200mm, which is plenty for my needs. It also has a wide aperture for decent low-light shooting. The only thing I dislike is that it does a 3 frame/ second burst, then it’s only 1 frame/ second.

I paid over £500 for it (about 4 years ago) but you can get them cheap secondhand at Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Powershot-Pro1-Digital-Optical/dp/B0001JZRGM