Recommended Camera for not-quite beginner

Butterbear

Hi,

I've always had a great interest in photography and have been building up some good photos over the past two years especially. I feel constricted in what I want to do by my current 5 million megapixel Nikon.

I like the Nikon brand and would like to upgrade to a decent SLR. My budget is up to €700 for body and lens.

My photos are mainly:

Landscapes and cityscapes while on my travels
Portraits of family and friends
Photos at performances such at concerts, festival, theatre
General every-day interesting things

I was thinking of buying: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/449066-REG/Nikon_9405_D80_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

Would anyone have comments/alternative reccomendations? I found the link to this supplier on the FAQ thread. Would anyone have a coment on the supplier?

I really want to expand the width my current photos and allow for a better appreciation of colour.

Thanks for reading.

CabanSail

A friend of mine has the D80 & it's a good body. There should be some deals around on them soon when the D90 hits the shops. If you can afford it, maybe consider the 18-200 VR lens instead of the kit lens. Throw in a good CPL & UV filter & you will be set.

Do you have any Nikon lenes already?

Butterbear

Thanks. I had a Nikon Coolpix so no lens as such. With the 18-200mm it brings the cost up to €950. A bit steep for me but I wouldn't rule it out.

CabanSail

Look around for deals. The prices do drop when there is a new toy to play around.

When I first looked your budget was €00 .... so €700 is much better

Stephen

D80 prices should drop significantly now that the D90 is becoming available. You could go for a D60 which is a bit cheaper but it won't autofocus with older non-AF-S lenses. You could probably get a used D80 in your price range?

B&H are an excellent supplier but they are based in New York, so if you order stuff from them over the internet there is a possibility that you will have to pay duty (not much) and VAT (21% :eek:) when it reaches Ireland.

melekalikimaka

i'd second the d80

FlipperThePriest

I recently just bought a 450D from the following:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110279861005&ssPageName=STRK:MERFB:IID

It was around 700eu I think but as Steven mentioned I was stung with import tax on top of the 700.

I'm really happy with it all the same, decent starter pack, few lenses (grand for starting off), filters, flash, tripod, sd card and reader etc..as you'll see from the link.

surveys

You can have my Sony A100 with a 18-70 and 75-300 lenses. A great camera..Still under warranty. Its on Adverts.ie.

Butterbear wrote: »

Hi,

I've always had a great interest in photography and have been building up some good photos over the past two years especially. I feel constricted in what I want to do by my current 5 million megapixel Nikon.

I like the Nikon brand and would like to upgrade to a decent SLR. My budget is up to €700 for body and lens.

My photos are mainly:

Landscapes and cityscapes while on my travels
Portraits of family and friends
Photos at performances such at concerts, festival, theatre
General every-day interesting things

I was thinking of buying: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/449066-REG/Nikon_9405_D80_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

Would anyone have comments/alternative reccomendations? I found the link to this supplier on the FAQ thread. Would anyone have a coment on the supplier?

I really want to expand the width my current photos and allow for a better appreciation of colour.

Thanks for reading.