New camera advice please

[AeroSpark]

Looking to treat myself to a new camera. I'm looking at DSLR around the £350 mark. I want something with a decent zoom, although I may well add a longer lens when finances allow, and something that takes good high speed pics, I'll be using it mainly for aviation/motor sport type pictures. Any suggestions?

[PTG5-61]

Suggest you visit talkphotography.co.uk but I think you'll find £350 won't get you what you want

[Dash8driver1312]

I'm happy with my Nikon d3200 but it's a little more expensive than you're looking at...

[dubbleyew eight]

most of the interesting photos in the world these days are taken on an iPhone.
sad but true.
the iPhone has been a revolution in imaging.

I don't own an iPhone.
my own preferred camera is a Nikon Coolpix 12mpixel digital camera.
far handier and always in the pocket.
superb rendering of blues and greens and superb in low light.
faster acting han the later 16mpixel digital.

....that isn't what you wanted to hear I'm sure.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<I want something with a decent zoom,>

If you want a DSLR the zoom is in the lens, not the camera. As with everything, you get what you pay for and good lenses are quite expensive. Good luck.

[AeroSpark]

Yes, I've seen some lenses that are more than 3 times the price of the camera!:eek: Thanks for all the advice.

[xtypeman]

You could also look at a second hand DSLR. You could then get a higher spec camera and even a lens. But only go too a reputable camera shop not a high street cash for goods outlet. A quick look on the internet should help. This could get you into cameras like the Nikon D90 and D7000. When I went to get my Nikon D7100 I was offered just £60 pounds for my D70 and just £80 for my D90. So I just kept both as standby bodies.

If you do go down that route ask if they can produce the exif data and see how many shots the camera has taken.

[Smoketrails]

Actually it's not the Iphone that has revolutionised the picture and camera quality but Samsung.

At £350 you could probably get a decent 2nd hand Nikon D900 with a very standard Nikkor 80-200mm lens. But, like it has been mentioned, lenses must be top notch for good quality photo's.

[crewmeal]

Have a look at flea bay 2nd hand bargins. There are many Nikons showing on there. Sometimes it's better to buy just a body then choose your own lens for what ever you want it for.

[mixture]

If you do go down that route ask if they can produce the exif data and see how many shots the camera has taken.


There are a million and one better things to concern yourself with when buying a second hand camera than obsessing over the number of shutter releases. Quite frankly most people never get anywhere near the rated shutter life anyway !

My recommendation when it comes to second hand would be to buy from a reputable source that offers you a warranty with your purchase. One example of this is a company called Fixation (Sales - SecondHand (http://www.fixationuk.com/Fixation/Sales%20-%20SecondHand.html)).

Except for goods sold on commission, all of their other stuff is always sold with a 6 month warranty. They are more pro-focused, so you'll probably find the cheap plastic stuff is few and far between, but a second hand listing worth keeping an eye on anyway !

[mixture]

Sometimes it's better to buy just a body then choose your own lens for what ever you want it for.

Erm, isn't that exactly the point of DSLRs anyway ? :rolleyes:

[crewmeal]

Not to a lot of people. They will buy a DSLR complete with a standard 18-55 lens and be done with. Horses for courses!

[AeroSpark]

Been doing a bit of googling around. It seems the D3200 has been superseeded by the D3300, so there are a few decent deals to be had, including a couple of places knocking them out with an extra longer zoom lens. Also the reviews rave about the 24MP and how easy that makes it to crop images down without losing too much clarity, so I think that is what I will be going for.
I also like the look of the Sony SLTA58K, (I'm a bit of a Sony whore) but I think the extra lens deal with the Nikon will sway it.

[spannersatcx]

Used camera specialists mbp (http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/) a lot of good photography suppliers like wex (http://www.wexphotographic.com/) do part ex and sell the used stuff with warranty. I'd be careful with fleabay though.
avforums (http://www.avforums.com/forums/digital-photography.80/) is a good place to go as well as advice there is also a classified section for cameras etc there's a Nikon D90 + 18-105 + 70-300 on there at the moment for £300.
What I would suggest before buying is going somewhere and having a play as things can be very different when you have it in your hand, the ergonomics the menus/dials/controls may or may not suit. I personally didn't like the Nikon controls and menus, the canon, to me, was much better.

[Dgjones10]

I have a Sony HX200V bridge camera which I have found useful, being able to take Heathrow traffic passing over head at about 10,000 feet. At full zoom it is sometimes difficult to relocate the target. I have seen a new Olympus camera an SP!00EE which has a gunsight which enables you to follow a target without zooming out. This has a lens of equivalent to 1200mm, which would cost a small fortune with a DSLR. This camera is available from Amazon for £299. I have owned a Nikon D8 with an 18 -200 zoom, but prefer a bridge camera. The images might not be t a quality a professional would seek but as you have a £350 budget, I guess you are an enthusiast like me and the Olympus would be my choice at this moment in time.

[mixture]

I personally didn't like the Nikon controls and menus, the canon, to me, was much better.

I'm the other way around.

Nikon is far more intuitive and usable.

Canon is just ghastly to me, amongst other things, that stupid dial wheel is one that comes to mind.

There are also other things that Nikon does well form a technical point of view, but that's sort of beyond the scope of discussion here given the budget probably won't allow the poster to venture into the Full Frame range.

[spannersatcx]

Hence the suggestions to go out and try one, it's the only way to see what is right for you as an individual, as we know everyone is different.

[DaveReidUK]

At full zoom it is sometimes difficult to relocate the target.

The good news is that it gets easier with practice. :O

An EVF helps a lot, though.

[xtypeman]

I am a Nikon user but one suggestion to consider. Either of the two main DSLR brands Nikon and Canon have the biggest range of non OEM equipment available. Especially in terms of Lenses. It is possible to use Nikon lenses that are over 40 years old. Yes I know that they have to be manually operated but this allows a huge variety to be considered. With the Sony there is a possibility that alternative lenses may not be so cost effective.

The best advice is just go to a good camera shop and try a few out.

[ilesmark]

I'm a Canon user and, before I replaced it with a 6D, had a 550D. Most of the pics I took were with with a (Canon) 28-135mm lens, although of course the advantage of a DSLR is that you can interchange lenses and I also had a Sigma 100-300 and a Sigma 8-22 mm.

They don't make the 550D any more, but it was a wonderful camera and you probably could do a lot worse than go for one of those bodies 2nd hand and then, as others have pointed out, there is a massive range of lenses.