Advice

johnfás

Hi, I am thinking of buying a Digital SLR camera. I am not a camera fanatic but I do like to go on holidays to interesting places (Africa etc) where such a camera would come in useful. Consequently I don't require the absolute best camera around. Could anyone recommend a good standard Digital SLR which would fit these requirements and also where would be a good place to buy one within a moderate budget.

Covey

What do you like to shoot?

ThOnda

Pentax K10D or K20D - weatherproof cameras!

heathersonline

I was in the same boat as you, decided to go with one of these bridge cameras, savage zoom etc but without the huge cost, then if I really get into it I'll upgrade. €230 delivered (ordered on Thursday arrived in Dublin Monday morning via Fedex)

http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-CANON-8MP-DIGITAL-CAMERA-S5IS-S5-IS-4GB-8-BONUS_W0QQitemZ200220405255QQihZ010QQcategoryZ31388QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

melekalikimaka

http://www.digital-slr-guide.com/

tis the lazy route but try that out, see what it tells ya and get back to us

johnfás

Covey wrote: »

What do you like to shoot?

When I was in Africa I shot scenery and animals on safari mainly. I borrowed a 35mm SLR from my dad and a lense from a cousin. It was a canon.

Generally I like to travel to scenic areas or big cities, so mainly cityscapes or scenery. But I would like it to be a sort of all purpose camera so that I could use it for most things.

A fast shutter would be pretty important to me. I have a small digital camera but it is no use because of the delay between when you press shoot and when it actually captures.

12monkey_Gal

I just bought a 350D, and I'm loving it. It's intuitive and easy to use, just started moving out of the Auto setting and there are loads of free resources to make it easier to figure out.

SHould be able to pick one, or a 400D up pretty cheap too. But the advice I was given was to go into a shop and try them out in your hands. My only complaint with the 350 is that its a little small, cos I'm a big guy. So don't be afraid to road test, and if the prices ain't right, turn and walk, and buy online.

And as far as I know, Shutter speed relies on your lens as much as anything, so if you want it to be quicker, you need to buy quicker glass.

Good luck with it.

Mellor

12monkey_Gal wrote: »

And as far as I know, Shutter speed relies on your lens as much as anything, so if you want it to be quicker, you need to buy quicker glass.

I think he was refering to the delay in time between the pressing on the button and the firing of the shutter, as opposed to the actual shutter speed (the time the shutter is open)

johnfás

Thanks guys, some of the advice here has been really helpful. Just have a couple of other questions:

1) What is the average battery life on the Canon SLR cameras? Would one also need to invest in alot of spare battery packs?

2) If I was to buy in America what would be the potential issues I would face, aside from import duties? I am referring really to charging it and that sort of thing - wouldn't want to blow anything!

Paulw

johnfás wrote: »

1) What is the average battery life on the Canon SLR cameras? Would one also need to invest in alot of spare battery packs?

2) If I was to buy in America what would be the potential issues I would face, aside from import duties? I am referring really to charging it and that sort of thing - wouldn't want to blow anything!

Well, a charge for the 20D lasts for about 1200 shots. For the 1D it's about 3,000 images per charge.

So .... you should be at least getting 800-1000 images per battery charge. Having spares is always useful, or buying a battery grip.

You won't have a problem charging your battery. You'll just need a plug adapter or a power cable.

Calina

johnfás wrote: »

Thanks guys, some of the advice here has been really helpful. Just have a couple of other questions:

1) What is the average battery life on the Canon SLR cameras? Would one also need to invest in alot of spare battery packs?

I actually had spare battery packs for my 350D, two spares IIRC. But that has to be seen in the context of taking 1500 photos at a time using a battery intensive lens. So it depends on what kit you'll use with it. IS I think tends to drain and certainly my 50-500mm was a bit of a drain.