What Camera to Buy?? - Read me Before Posting

Shiny

Cameras
Less than 100euro (Extreme Budget, Not endorsed by ‘boards.ie’ photographers)
Sanyo Xacti S6

Purchase Link Reviews from Customers on camera page


Less than 200euro (Budget, Acceptable Quality)
Sony W50

Purchase Link Review Link

Casio Exilim Z70

Purchase Link Review Link


Less than 400euro (Average)
Canon PowerShot A710 IS
Purchase Link Review Link

Fuji FinePix S5600 (10x zoom)
Purchase Link Review on camera purchase page.


Less than 600euro (Prosumer)
Canon 400d + Kit Lens
Review Link
Nikon D40/50 + Kit Lens (D40 Can be as cheap as 450euro)
Review Link D40 / D50

Purchase Link


Less than 1000euro (Enthusiast)
Canon 400D + 17-85IS
Review Link
Canon 30D (Body Only)
Review

Purchase Link


More than 1000euro (A Little More Serious)

Canon 30D + 17-85IS
Review
Nikon D80 + Kit Lens
Review

Purchase Link




Lens Recommendations

Wide Angle (Less than 17mm at the wide end)
Sigma 12-24mm (450+euro)
Sigma 10-20mm (350+euro)

Wide zoom ( 17 – 70mm Range)
Sigma 18-55 f2.8 (300+euro)
Canon 17-40 L (550euro+)

Telephoto Zoom (70 – 300mm Range)
Canon 70-200 F4 (500+euro)

Primes (30mm,50mm,85mm, 105mm)
Canon 50mm f1.8 (100+euro)
Canon 50mm 1,4 (270euro+)

All available at UR Galaxy


Where to buy Memory

Shop 4 Memory




Websites:

Ac-foto
Technik Direkt
Pixmania
Komplett
Warehouse Express(Good Site for Cokin Filters)
Ebay Shops (Recommended by Boards.ie guys):

UR Galaxy Ltd

Kea Photo
Hong Kong Supplies

Camera Stores in Dublin

Bermingham Cameras For Cheaper Prices Only
Gunnes (Wexford Street)

Note

Prices vary wildly with the the Irish retailers and in nearly all cases any
item will be cheaper on the web.
Some retailers in Dublin are more expensive than the ones mentioned and
hence they will not get our recommendation.


Second Hand (Ebay, Adverts, Buy and Sell etc)

It is as simple as this,

If it is too good to be true.....Then it is a scam.

When buying from Ebay shops, try to find feedback from
forums such as boards.ie etc to get a real point of view
separate from the feedback of the seller within Ebay.

Buying old camera's is always a gamble, you don't know how many
pictures they have taken, they may have dropped the camera,
it may be stolen, etc.

When buying second hand, always ask to see the camera before
making any decision. Also take a few shots with it to make sure it
is working correctly.

Shiny

By all means Make suggestions to make it good
enough for a sticky.

I didn't really know whether to suggest sony alpha,
pentax k10 etc...

Roen

Fair play Shiny, well done.

One thing...Are Digitalwonderland supposed to be dodgy?

311

nice job

Ac-foto is a good website and has COD service for people who don't use credit cards.

Morlar

Cool - Shiny it might help if you keep editing the first post in the thread for a while that way info people add wont be all over the shop for prospective buyers to ignore and then go ahead and post anyway ?

I would include the following in the recommendations - prices vary wildly web cheaper of the irish retailers berminghamcameras tend to be ok.

Canon 50mm 1,4
Sigma 10-20 mm
Canon 17-40 L

Also perhaps a section on buying second hand either from ebay, adverts.ie, and buy and sell and maybe a word or two about the ongoing buy and sell scams which list an address in Ireland and an email address and replies that they are not based in Ireland but are a 'reputable' shop based in another country.

Shiny

ok I *think* I have covered all that above....?

Maybe some good places for Paper 6x4, A4, A3 etc....

Photo studios in Dublin and in other places ??

All suggestions welcome.

Thirdfox

What about the Panasonic LMZ50/70 I can't remember the exact number.

Also the Nikon D40 is really borderline E600... you can get it for E420 if you look around... that would make it the class leader of the sub 400s I would think.

magicbastarder

would heartily disagree with the recommendation for berminghams - have never had a good experience in there, and i know i'm not alone.

Shiny

Thirdfox, is that ^^ the camera you are talking about?

5uspect

I recently bought N/AF Kenko extension tubes and a Manfrotto tripod head from DigitalWonderworld.de for work purposes and they were well priced and quick to deliver. I only read after I ordered that they were done for fraud in a previous guise. Luckily I had no trouble with them (Other than a change to the tripod head as the original was discontinued). Perhaps they are worth considering again at least on a . They do seem to offer some better prices than AC photo too.

Just a thought.

Anyway I'm getting C/AF extension tubes for my 350D from KEA on ebay, much better value, even if I get caught for duty.

Also those Lumix cameras are quite nice (if a little noisy). The optics are by Lecia and they do their own versions of the Lumix range for considerably more euros.

Thirdfox

Shiny: Sorry, I think it's actually the DMC-FZxx series (you know - the 12x zoom dSLR-like cameras?) Those cameras have won lots of praise on reviewer's sites...

bp_me

No mention of fairly significant cameras such as

Fuji S9600 (and other top level bridge cameras)

Nikon D200 (you mention a 30d), and higher...though I imagine anyone looking higher is certainly going to know what they are looking for.

Also, discouting ebay, the 400D is in the wrong category (less than 600 euro)

Fajitas!

But the 400D is a prosumer body, so in the right category.

bp_me

Fajitas! wrote:

But the 400D is a prosumer body, so in the right category.

Prosumer body or not, its not less than 600 euro, even body only, from EU suppliers.

Fajitas!

Would you be happier if the titles said Averaging 600 or less?

Morlar

5uspect wrote:

I only read after I ordered that they were done for fraud in a previous guise. Luckily I had no trouble with them (Other than a change to the tripod head as the original was discontinued).

I wouldnt trust a few grand to a company where the owner has already been done for fraud and where the new company doesnt have a great reputation either.

I have come across photographers on devart who were given the run around by them (new company) along the lines of, being told an item is definitely in stock until the order is placed, being told its on the way for a few weeks. Finally looking for more money to ensure that it is delivered, being delivered 5d cameras with broken seals which have 'promo kit' stamped on the bottom. 2 different people in different countries at the same time recieving 5d cameras with L lenses which dont focus and have heavy vignetting and the owner of that site accusing the people of switching the camera bodies if they try to return them because the body he sold them as new has several thousand actuations. I would not list them as a reliable outfit and wouldnt give them a penny of my money.


http://suzi9mm.blogspot.com/2006/06/hah-google-noticed-my-antipathy.html

http://photo.net/neighbor/view-one?neighbor_to_neighbor_id=206328

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=14369168

bp_me

Fajitas! wrote:

Would you be happier if the titles said Averaging 600 or less?

Well the camera seems to go into both enthuasist and prosumer catagories according to the OP. It would be my opinion that it is a category above the d40/50 from nikon and as such shouldnt be in the same category as this camera (which undoubtably is a prosumer body).

5uspect

Morlar wrote:

I wouldnt trust a few grand to a company where the owner has already been done for fraud and where the new company doesnt have a great reputation either.

I have come across photographers on devart who were given the run around by them (new company) along the lines of, being told an item is definitely in stock until the order is placed, being told its on the way for a few weeks. Finally looking for more money to ensure that it is delivered, being delivered 5d cameras with broken seals which have 'promo kit' stamped on the bottom. 2 different people in different countries at the same time recieving 5d cameras with L lenses which dont focus and have heavy vignetting and the owner of that site accusing the people of switching the camera bodies if they try to return them because the body he sold them as new has several thousand actuations. I would not list them as a reliable outfit and wouldnt give them a penny of my money.


http://suzi9mm.blogspot.com/2006/06/hah-google-noticed-my-antipathy.html

http://photo.net/neighbor/view-one?neighbor_to_neighbor_id=206328

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=14369168

Well that sounds suitable for permanent black listing. Thanks for posting that.

Shiny

bp_me wrote:

Well the camera seems to go into both enthuasist and prosumer catagories according to the OP. It would be my opinion that it is a category above the d40/50 from nikon and as such shouldnt be in the same category as this camera (which undoubtably is a prosumer body).

I would agree that the 400D body is a category above the D40/50
but that its potential is held back by the poor quality of the kit lens.

As Canon dont really have a body which directly competes with the
D40/50 I tried to balence things by using the quality of the Lens to
differentiate between each category.

So the way I was looking at it is, that the "Prosumer" who I regard
as not the "average" consumer is all excited with the new body and
is only learning about the camera and hence wouldn't care about the
lens first time round.

Yet the "Enthusiast" who may have higher expectations and may have
seen the reviews about how poor the kit lens actually is, whould want
a better quality lens and be willing to pay for it.

Does that make sense??

I can change it of course but I think it is good value for a person
even if they must order it from Hoing Kong.

311

Morlar wrote:

I wouldnt trust a few grand to a company where the owner has already been done for fraud and where the new company doesnt have a great reputation either.

I have come across photographers on devart who were given the run around by them (new company) along the lines of, being told an item is definitely in stock until the order is placed, being told its on the way for a few weeks. Finally looking for more money to ensure that it is delivered, being delivered 5d cameras with broken seals which have 'promo kit' stamped on the bottom. 2 different people in different countries at the same time recieving 5d cameras with L lenses which dont focus and have heavy vignetting and the owner of that site accusing the people of switching the camera bodies if they try to return them because the body he sold them as new has several thousand actuations. I would not list them as a reliable outfit and wouldnt give them a penny of my money.


http://suzi9mm.blogspot.com/2006/06/hah-google-noticed-my-antipathy.html

http://photo.net/neighbor/view-one?neighbor_to_neighbor_id=206328

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=14369168

Maybe put the links in as a suggestion as to what to look out for.

Thirdfox

So many people bash the D40 I'm almost getting depressed! (I'm probably going to buy it in 2 days time). I would call myself an enthusiast (want to get a prime lens too) and know all about the manual focusing malarky - but I think I'll enjoy the challenge (if Nikon/Sigma don't introduce a cheap 50mm prime with a built in motor before then).

Everyone else seems to think it's for "soccer moms" who'll leave it on auto :eek: - how about us poor students who want to dip into dSLR photography???

Shiny

I'm not able to edit the original thread anymore.:(

Wanted to include the Fuji S9600 and the Nikon D200.

So many people bash the D40 I'm almost getting depressed!

Did I bash the D40?

Thirdfox

Nope you didn't - I just felt like whining... have a look at the dpreview forums for the amount of heated debate this little camera has generated.

I hope to be posting some pics for C&C soon!

Valentia

Can we sticky this. Pain in the ar$e having to go looking fot it to point someone in this direction??

311

Very hard to find this

Shiny

I agree.

I wanted to add in loads more stuff but I cant edit it anymore.:mad:

hehe.
Make me a mod and i can edit and sticky it.:)

311

Shiny wrote:

I agree.

I wanted to add in loads more stuff but I cant edit it anymore.:mad:

hehe.
Make me a mod and i can edit and sticky it.:)

Just even stick it as it is ,everyone has their own opinions on cameras ,I'm sure by the end of the week there'll be another 4 cameras out for review

sambora

I quite like the Casio Z70.....I already own one and this was the kind of model I wanted to upgrade to!

Draco

Thirdfox wrote:

So many people bash the D40 I'm almost getting depressed!

I got the D40 just before New Year and I'm absolutely delighted with it. Now, I'm no great shakes with it yet and only venturing out of the auto setting but it's miles ahead of the Fuji S5600 I had.

Shiny

Congrats on the new camera.

You best bet would be to set the manual
dial of you camera to Aperature Priority. "A"

When I got my first SLR I set it to A after a
few weeks and I pretty much always use
that setting now. But thats just me

Ruu_Old

I'm going to go ahead and pick up a Nikon D50 shortly from here. Is the bundle included worth it? Finally getting rid of the point and shooteh. Thanks for advice in advance.

magicbastarder

i'm going to go against the grain and suggest that if you want to buy a good camera, go for an OM1 in decent nick. they're beautifully made.

5uspect

Ruu wrote:

I'm going to go ahead and pick up a Nikon D50 shortly from here. Is the bundle included worth it? Finally getting rid of the point and shooteh. Thanks for advice in advance.

I'd check out the accessories in more detail than they seem to give there. Look for reviews of the wide angle lens and see if the professional tripod they're offering is worth it. Best of luck with the new camera, you'll love it!

Ruu_Old

Thanks very much, appreciate the advice chums.

ok i really cant afford a DSLR and i like working with digital images so an SLR is prob out but i do want a semi professional ceamra ...and did i mention im on a huge BUDGET...

so i was looking at fugi's 'finepix S5500 Zoom' and was wondering has anyone used it?....or does anyone have any opinions on it?

its only 259 for 6 million pixels, 3X Optical Zoom with an extra 512MB xD card, case and charger. Worth €100 from pixels..

mik_da_man

Hi,

I'm looking to get my first digital camera and my budget is around €200
As it's my first I don't think it's worth spending much more than that.
I was looking on Pixmania and have spotted the following:

Fuji FinePix Z3 and Nikon Coolpix S9 and Olympus µ 700

Any thoughts or recommendations?

Thanks

Mik

bp_me

Out of those you selected, I'ld pass on the nikon. They all have similar specs, but the nikon only goes up to ISO400.

mik_da_man

Cheers BP - I still have a lot to learn:o

Roen

Read This if you are wondering what lens to buy.

Supercell

I'm thinking of getting the FUJI FinePix S9600 .

My main area of interest is nature photography. A reasonable zoom to be able to capture wildlife is pretty important as well as being able to do the big panoramic landscapes.
This camera seems to be the best value in my ~€400-500 budget.
Anyone feel I should look at something else in this price range?

bp_me

For the money it's hard to beat the Fuji bridge cameras. The s9600 is a good choice (I used to have the s9500, basically the same camera).

andrea

I'm also thinking of upgrading my S5000 to the S9600... finding the reaction times too slow for football matches! Anybody any comments on whether it will be good for that purpose?

Also, have been looking at this shop on ebay for a while now, anybody know anything about them? http://stores.ebay.co.uk/DigitalRev-Photography-Shop

bp_me

andrea wrote:

I'm also thinking of upgrading my S5000 to the S9600... finding the reaction times too slow for football matches! Anybody any comments on whether it will be good for that purpose?

Also, have been looking at this shop on ebay for a while now, anybody know anything about them? http://stores.ebay.co.uk/DigitalRev-Photography-Shop

There is still noticeable lag with the 9500/9600 while it autofocuses. Setting it to continuous mode helps and you can adjust to the lag very quickly.

andrea

Is there less lag than with the 5000? Supposed to be faster startup time as the lens is already "out"...

Sounds like it doesn't impress that much, is there a better alternative without spending a lot more money?

bp_me

andrea wrote:

Is there less lag than with the 5000? Supposed to be faster startup time as the lens is already "out"...

Sounds like it doesn't impress that much, is there a better alternative without spending a lot more money?

Startup happens in the amout of time it takes to get the camera from your waist high to eye level (I typically walked around with it off, but my finger on the power switch. It was always ready as quickly as I was).

Cant comment on the comparions between the 5000 and the 9600. That info should be on dpreview though.

andrea

bp_me wrote:

Startup happens in the amout of time it takes to get the camera from your waist high to eye level (I typically walked around with it off, but my finger on the power switch. It was always ready as quickly as I was).

Cant comment on the comparions between the 5000 and the 9600. That info should be on dpreview though.

Well that's definitely quicker startup than the 5000, I usually leave mine on when I intend using it again as otherwise I'd never get a shot!

Does the manual focus not help the focus time also?

Have checked out dpreview and the comparisons, it definitely seems to be a much better camera but am unsure whether it is enough of an improvement to be worth splashing out, or whether there would be a better option...

Supercell

I took the plunge and ordered one with a 2gb flash card, can't wait!

andrea

Longfield wrote:

I took the plunge and ordered one with a 2gb flash card, can't wait!

Hope you get even nearly as much enjoyment out of it as I have with my s5000 in the past 3 years!

Just out of curiosity, where'd you buy it from?

Supercell

I ordered it on ebay from a "power seller" so should be safe, total price including delivery was 376 euro (converted from sterling) for the camera and 2gb memory.
Its an american seller but parts ordered in europe are shipped from Nottingham in the UK apparently so shouldnt be hit with tax.

bp_me

andrea wrote:

Well that's definitely quicker startup than the 5000, I usually leave mine on when I intend using it again as otherwise I'd never get a shot!

Does the manual focus not help the focus time also?

Have checked out dpreview and the comparisons, it definitely seems to be a much better camera but am unsure whether it is enough of an improvement to be worth splashing out, or whether there would be a better option...

Manual focus is all but impossible to use quickly on a bridge camera.

If you are already comforatble with the manual settings would you consider a Nikon D80 or a canon 400d. They are a good deal more expensive than the 9600, but in terms of performance they will blow it out of the water. Given that you shoot sports, the f2.8 on the wide end of the fuji's lens is of little use to you and you will likely be using at least f5.6 on it. There are plenty of cheapish zooms that will offer similar performance with a larger effective zoom on a 1.5x crop digital slr.

andrea

bp_me wrote:

Manual focus is all but impossible to use quickly on a bridge camera.

If you are already comforatble with the manual settings would you consider a Nikon D80 or a canon 400d. They are a good deal more expensive than the 9600, but in terms of performance they will blow it out of the water. Given that you shoot sports, the f2.8 on the wide end of the fuji's lens is of little use to you and you will likely be using at least f5.6 on it. There are plenty of cheapish zooms that will offer similar performance with a larger effective zoom on a 1.5x crop digital slr.

To be honest I've considered both of those, and their predecessors (been thinking of upgrading for quite a while now!) but the cost of an slr and then a whole load of lenses for it just seems too much to me...

Also, while I have some idea what I am doing manually, I usually just use auto or sport settings at matches and am afraid I'd be out of my depth with an slr.