£1000

[Overbeyond]

Hello Everybody
I have just reached my budget £1000 after saving for a long time and I now wish to make the step into digital slr territory having used film slr and Canon G5 compact.
I have to be realistic and purchase only what I can afford so it will be a Canon 350 or Nikon D70. My idea would be body only plus two lenses to fit £1000
I specialise in no particular area. I would like to get two lenses that will take me from as wide as possible up to 300mm (with macro facility). Could I ask members here for advice on a package fitting my requirements. Camera plus two lenses =£1000.
Would really appreciate your valued advice and recommendations.
Many Thanks
Tom

[shrapnel]

Hello Everybody
I have just reached my budget ?1000 after saving for a long time and I now wish to make the step into digital slr territory having used film slr and Canon G5 compact.
I have to be realistic and purchase only what I can afford so it will be a Canon 350 or Nikon D70. My idea would be body only plus two lenses to fit ?1000
I specialise in no particular area. I would like to get two lenses that will take me from as wide as possible up to 300mm (with macro facility). Could I ask members here for advice on a package fitting my requirements. Camera plus two lenses =?1000.
Would really appreciate your valued advice and recommendations.
Many Thanks
Tom

Hi Tom, are we talking euros dollars or sterling here because we've got some nice variations. I went through the same thing a few months ago and bought the D70 with 18-70 lens and 70-300 (the cheap one G? which a lot of people dislike but frankly i have had decent enough results with) + 1GB CF card (sandisk extreme 3) + etc... for about 1300 euros. But i also know that the D70 is getting cheaper and even has a rebate in the uk at the moment so there probably are some good deals to be found on the internet. As for the canon i don't know i'm afraid, but i would have thought it would be even cheaper than the nikon.
I shopped around here in dublin and unfortunately i couldn't find any shop or website that came close to the states or uk. I would have preferred to buy locally from a shop but for everything i got, we were looking at close to 2000 euros.

let me know

regards

chris

[Overbeyond]

Hello Shrapnel
Thanks for your reply. I'm talking pounds sterling as I live in London at the moment.
I have since been to the shops handling all the major players; Nikon.Canon, Olympus and Pentax etc. To my surprise the Pentax is probably going to be the one I spend my money on. It was the only one of the bunch that felt good in my hands. Fitted like a glove as they say. Looking through the viewfinder was a revelation also. It may have not got the brilliant reviews the others received but I've seen lots of sample shots which to me seemed better than Nikon or Canon. About £660 with kit lens (18-55) with £100 cash back from Pentax = £560.
Tom

[Michael Fanelli]

Hello Shrapnel
Thanks for your reply. I'm talking pounds sterling as I live in London at the moment.
I have since been to the shops handling all the major players; Nikon.Canon, Olympus and Pentax etc. To my surprise the Pentax is probably going to be the one I spend my money on. It was the only one of the bunch that felt good in my hands. Fitted like a glove as they say. Looking through the viewfinder was a revelation also. It may have not got the brilliant reviews the others received but I've seen lots of sample shots which to me seemed better than Nikon or Canon. About £660 with kit lens (18-55) with £100 cash back from Pentax = £560.
Tom

Pentax makes excellent cameras. In all my years, the ergonomics of Pentax leaves the others in the dust. They also meter better than any other film or digital camera I have ever owned.

I use Canon now because I bought into digital before Pentax had anything going. If I were to redo it today, Pentax would be at the top of the list. You'll like the camera!

[Overbeyond]

Pentax makes excellent cameras. In all my years, the ergonomics of Pentax leaves the others in the dust. They also meter better than any other film or digital camera I have ever owned.

I use Canon now because I bought into digital before Pentax had anything going. If I were to redo it today, Pentax would be at the top of the list. You'll like the camera!

Hello Michael
It is really nice of you to post that message because spending this amount of money is a big thing for me (always wondering if I've made the right choice) and its heartning to get a message of support like this.
Very many thanks
Tom

[wburychka]

My general suggestion is buy the cheapest DSLR body and the best lenses you can afford. The body will lose half its value in a year and be a junk camera for your kid in three years. Good lenses will retain their value for many years.

I am not current on exchange rates, but here's my take on a budget approach to DSLR. Canon is king right now with the only 8MP DSLRs. The 350D is 8MP, and no one has that for a price anywhere close. Canon addressed all the 300D complaints in the 350, plus they used the Digic II processor (very fast) and many features of the 20D. And anyone who says you can't tell the difference in 8MP vs 6MP is just not making large prints. As to lenses, here are a couple of suggestions, in order of cost:

1. Get the Canon 18-55mm in the 350D kit. It is a very good, sharp lens (see May Popular Photography--a US mag--for a review). Then look at the Sigma 70-300 APO Macro Super II (NOT the cheaper Sigma 70-300, which is not nearly as good). The Sigma, coincidentally, uses the same filter size as the Canon 18-55.

2. Another alternative might be the 350D body only and the Sigma or Tamron 18-200mm zoom, and you might get by with just one lens for quite a while.

3. Or get the 350D with the Canon 17-85mm kit version. You save about $100 (US) on the price of that lens when you buy it in a camera kit. It is still pretty expensive, though. The IS works exceptionally well, and the lens is a great all-purpose lens, comparable in FOV to 27-136mm on a full frame 35. You can add the Sigma 70-300 APO Macro Super II to that.

4. Or my preference would be to get just the 350D/17-85mmIS kit and continue saving for a Canon 100-400LIS for later. This combination is the all-purpose champion home, studio, and travel recipe. Just add talent and stir.

Good luck with it.
Bill

[Overbeyond]

Hello Bill
I take everything you say on board but the Canon felt like a rough brick in my hands. I know there are issues with all cameras as there are with the Pentax but the handling and the view through the viewfinder sold it to me without hesitation. I have ordered it now and i hope with my help it will reward me with good quality photographs.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Tom

[Franglais]

Hello Everybody
I have just reached my budget ?1000 after saving for a long time and I now wish to make the step into digital slr territory having used film slr and Canon G5 compact.
I have to be realistic and purchase only what I can afford so it will be a Canon 350 or Nikon D70. My idea would be body only plus two lenses to fit ?1000
I specialise in no particular area. I would like to get two lenses that will take me from as wide as possible up to 300mm (with macro facility). Could I ask members here for advice on a package fitting my requirements. Camera plus two lenses =?1000.
Would really appreciate your valued advice and recommendations.
Many Thanks
Tom

I would wait till July and see what the Nikon D50 kit with the 18-55 and 55-200 lenses feels like and costs.

Charles

[tijean]

Hello Michael
It is really nice of you to post that message because spending this amount of money is a big thing for me (always wondering if I've made the right choice) and its heartning to get a message of support like this.
Very many thanks
Tom

Hey Tom,

I have the Pentax that you are probably looking at now (*istDS). I didn't chime in before because, honestly, I'm a bit tired of chanting "try the Pentax! Try the Pentax!" but it seems like you have covered that one your own.

In all the direct comparison reviews I have seen, it has been a horse race between the D70, 350D, and *istDS and it usually depends heavily on what settings they are using in what camera. Pixelpeeping aside though (which it holds its own on), the camera you will use the most is that camera that you enjoy using the most.