Looking for an entry level D-SLR !

Morrisseeee

Any advice on 'what' to get or 'where' to get it would be GREATLY appreciated.

I'm looking into getting a budget D-SLR. I suppose my budget would be ~€500. I've done my little bit of research: diff makes (reviews), sensors, lenses, focal length, apperatures, crop-factor, frames-per-second, 'live-view', mega-pixels, etc.
I would be keen to get a camera with a lens, or even stretch to a dual-lens kit.
I'm trying to shop around (retail & e-tail) get the best deal for a budget D-SLR.

Retailer : Camera shops >
1. €500 for a Sony Alpha 200 with lens with €50 in-shop voucher.
2. €439.99 for a Nikon D40 with lens (not incl. Nikon €50 cashback), so it becomes €390.

e-Tailer :
1. dabs.ie (dabs4work.ie) have a Sony A200 with lens for €380.
2. komplett.ie have a Sony A200 with lens for €415 (plus shipping).
3. pixels.ie have a Sony A200 with lens for €580 !!

I've seen a few English sites, but not too many of them ship to Ireland,
which is a big pity

The only ones that do, have the following:

1. waltersphotovideo.co.uk (with €20 shipping to Irl)
Nikon D40 18-55mm II Kit = £299
Nikon D60 AF-s 18-55mm VR Kit = £440

2. parkcameras.com (Shipping: under £500 under 2kg = £16.84).
Sony Alpha A200 + 18-70mm + 75-300mm Twin lens kit = £439.00 inc. VAT

3. mifsuds.com (Ship: Delivery to Ireland (North Or South) will be no more than £30 )
Nikon D40 SLR + 18-55 F3.5/5.6 G II ED (£40 Cashback) = £277

I've come accross a few eBay shops, but is there any way of knowing WHO you are dealing with. It would be great if people told us about a SHOP that they have used successfully. I might start a new Thread on this topic.

helios

Check the massive sticky, the one titled 'FAQs - Read this before posting!!!' It'll save you from starting a groundbreaking thread of 'Where to buy' since one is already there.

Morrisseeee

Thanks Helios, but I am just looking for up-to-date feedback, ie. prices have changed, new equipment has come to the market, I was looking for feedback on what type to get & where is the best price ?
My Bad if the FAQ solves my Q.

Paulw

Prices change every other day, so the only advice there is to shop around.

As for make/model ... most go with either Canon or Nikon (large, popular, easy to get brands, and easy to buy 2nd hand lenses and bits).

Best advice there - go to a shop, hold/feel the camera body, and then make a choice.

Morrisseeee

Cheers for that....
Could I ask a Q, (me being a newB & all that), the Canon's use a 1.6x crop factor whereas the Nikon/Sony's use a 1.5x factor (Olympus I think use a 2x), but does this make a difference, ie. should it affect my decision ?

Paulw

It shouldn't really effect your decision. It boils down to personal choice.

Canon also have full frame and 1.3x crop factors too (at a price).

It would also come in to consideration when going for lenses, or deciding on what sort of photography you are interested in.

dazftw

If your going to be using wider lenses more then go for the lower crop factor if you using long lenses go for the higher.. The 1.6 means it will multiply your lense.

EG

a sigma 70 - 300 x 1.6 becomes 112 - 480
a canon 15mm fisheye becomes 24mm fisheye :P

Good on the long lenses bad on the wide ones.

Morrisseeee

Thanks dazftw, great info.
Another Q (if I may), I have a binoculors (8*40), what kind of zoom lens (on a 1.5 crop) would equal this kind of view ?

ThOnda

Personally, I thought that you have read the FAQ sticky already, because it was very nice, specific and well defined question.
Unfortunately I am not the best thing to answer that. Sorry.

nilhg

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Thanks dazftw, great info.
Another Q (if I may), I have a binoculors (8*40), what kind of zoom lens (on a 1.5 crop) would equal this kind of view ?

OK, I'll have a go at that, my understanding is that the 8 refers to zoom and the 40 to the size of the front element of the binoculars lens.

If we take the accepted view that 50mm on a "full frame" camera is the equivalent of normal human vision, then 8x that would be 400mm on full frame or 266.666mm on a 1.5 crop camera. If I am right then a 70-300 lens on a crop camera would easily give you the reach you want.

I know Borderfox has posted a great example of this before, do a search.

What do you want to shoot? It would be easier to advise if we had an idea if you have any special interests.

Morrisseeee

Thanks nilhg. I just like the view of scenery/landscapes that the bino gives. Its gives a totally different perspective on a nature scene. I haven't got a D-SLR yet, so I was wondering what kind of zoom would equal this binoculor view.

spav

I got a D40 from an eBay Powerseller recommended to me on here about 3 or 4 months ago. It was great value and the service was excellent. They're called emilyandlily - definitely worth checking them out.

Think I paid about £260 for a D40 with 18-55 lens, carry case, mini tripod, 4gb card, card reader and cleaning kit. The extras were all fairly cheap and basic, but I get a bit of use out of them, plus not having to buy a big memory card was useful. It was by far and away the best deal I found, and you might even get it a bit cheaper now.

I love my D40, really really pleased with it.

Morrisseeee

I saw that eBay shop.

paid about £260

Thats not a bad price with the extras, but did you get caught with import duties and tax ???

spav

Morrisseeee wrote: »

I saw that eBay shop.

Thats not a bad price with the extras, but did you get caught with import duties and tax ???

I didn't, no. I suppose it's a risk, but a fairly minor one I would have thought. I'm not sure how the whole tax thing works from the UK tbh. Pretty sure that I ordered Monday and had it in my hands Friday anyway. I'd usually avoid eBay like the plague, but I was very happy with this order.

This is the deal I got - http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-NIKON-D40-SLR-DIGITAL-CAMERA-LENS-4GB-5-BONUS_W0QQitemZ200243783872QQihZ010QQcategoryZ31388QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

As I said, the extras aren't top of the range or anything, but they're perfectly adequate as you're starting out.

Keep looking about by all means, the D40 has come down in price on Amazon recently, so that should have a knock on to Irish retailers.

spav

Actually, while I remember.

If I have one regret about opting for the D40, it's the fact that some of the cheaper lenses available aren't compatible with the D40, strictly speaking. By that I mean that the Auto Function won't work with it, which is a bit of a problem if you're new to this as I am. It's not a huge deal by any means and there are loads of compatible lenses out there, but part of me wishes that I paid extra and got a model slightly further up the range.

As I understand it, the D60 is the one to go for if that's a concern (someone else might be able to confirm, I'm not 100% sure about that).

There are a few on eBay, though not from the same seller;

http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-NIKON-SLR-D60-DIGITAL-CAMERA-18-55MM-VR-LENS-2GB_W0QQitemZ250278143242QQihZ015QQcategoryZ31388QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

nevelator

spav wrote: »

I didn't, no. I suppose it's a risk, but a fairly minor one I would have thought. I'm not sure how the whole tax thing works from the UK tbh. Pretty sure that I ordered Monday and had it in my hands Friday anyway. I'd usually avoid eBay like the plague, but I was very happy with this order.

This is the deal I got - http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-NIKON-D40-SLR-DIGITAL-CAMERA-LENS-4GB-5-BONUS_W0QQitemZ200243783872QQihZ010QQcategoryZ31388QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

As I said, the extras aren't top of the range or anything, but they're perfectly adequate as you're starting out.

Keep looking about by all means, the D40 has come down in price on Amazon recently, so that should have a knock on to Irish retailers.

I see that Nikon have a cashback offer at the moment. Are you able to avail of that if you buy through ebay?

spav

nevelator wrote: »

I see that Nikon have a cashback offer at the moment. Are you able to avail of that if you buy through ebay?

I don't think so - or at least I wasn't able to when I bought mine. I didn't actually try come to think of it, but there was no leaflets in the box as far as I can remember.