Good for starters...

[mf11]

Hi, I am looking for my first digital SLR having had an increasing interest in photography over the last couple of years.

I'm looking to get a good camera and lens on a very limited budget and am more than happy to focus (no pun intended) on the second-hand market (ebay etc). Maximum budget will be around £200 (or $300) - don't laugh please!

Any initial recommendations would be great. I really enjoy taking landscape pictures so that is probably my primary driver camera-wise although I'd obviously like something that gives me the flexibility to shoot all other types of photos to a decent standard also.

Any ideas greatly appreciated,

Many thanks,

Michael.

[mf11]

Hi guys, any ideas on what cameras might be a good starter option for me?

Thanks,

Michael.

[volks]

With your rather limited budget, it might be best if you can find a camera store where they accept trade-ins, and then you can discuss your budget / options. The store I deal with have many quality used cameras and lenses for low prices.

[Anbesol]

I would probably look for a Canon 20D, or a Minolta Maxxum 7D, or a Nikon D70. They were "top of the line" less than a decade ago. Probably fetching right about your budget, maybe a smidgen more, depending on the deal you can find.

[MezoF5]

Same question as mf11, but my budget is $1500 max. The 3 models that seem to be front-runners are Canon T3i, Canon 60D, and Nikon D5100. Will the kit lenses be good starters? (18-55 only or 18-55 & 55-200 for T3i and D5100...18-135 lens for 60D--the 60D 2 lens kit is out of my price range)

I'll be making this purchase from Dell. That's the only caveat.

[Greg McCary]

Same question as mf11, but my budget is $1500 max. The 3 models that seem to be front-runners are Canon T3i, Canon 60D, and Nikon D5100. Will the kit lenses be good starters? (18-55 only or 18-55 & 55-200 for T3i and D5100...18-135 lens for 60D--the 60D 2 lens kit is out of my price range)

I'll be making this purchase from Dell. That's the only caveat.

Kits are nice lenses but personally I would get a body and then order something a little better than a kit. You might also check Adorama used. You might run into a deal and they are great to work with.

[GTRules]

Ebay. You may get a deal on a DSLR for that much, if you're patient.

[mattb]

For the OP, another option would be a Pentax K10D. 10.2 MP and was a popular and well received camera. I like the Pentax system because of the compatibility with old lenses. I buy inexpensive lenses on eBay or at pawn shops. Here's one currently going for $100 with a Tamron 28-200 zoom with 4 days left: Pentax K10D with Tamron 28-200mm Lens - Excellent Condition - No Reserve | eBay

[Anbesol]

Same question as mf11, but my budget is $1500 max. The 3 models that seem to be front-runners are Canon T3i, Canon 60D, and Nikon D5100. Will the kit lenses be good starters? (18-55 only or 18-55 & 55-200 for T3i and D5100...18-135 lens for 60D--the 60D 2 lens kit is out of my price range)

I'll be making this purchase from Dell. That's the only caveat.

Your choices make no sense, they look like you just went to your local camera shop and just picked the 3 close to your price range. Though the D5100 and the T3i are similar cameras, the 60D is a Pro quality SLR with a much more sophisticated AF system, build quality, feature set and so forth than either alternatives. If its between those 3, the obvious choice is the 60D. But, the Nikon alternative to Canon's 60D is the D90, not the D5100. The D90 has an older sensor with lower resolution, but still great image quality. Still, I'd stick with the 60D between those two, though if you can find the Nikon much cheaper than the Canon, might make a more compelling choice.

The kit lens sucks. They are only worth it because they add only $100 to the kit, and they are awesome for $100, but taking cost/value out of the equation, they are ordinary nothing-special lens. However, it is still advisable to start out with just it, to see which direction you want to go with future lens: super fast primes, fast zooms, strong zooms, super telephoto, etc. All categories have their own "good" options which varies depending on your purpose, budget, and desired function.

You'd also be well advised to look into compact system camera options too, comparable to the 60D and D90 would be the Olympus EP3, and the Sony NEX 7. I know right now big fat DSLR's are popular in retail market culture, but the CSC category gives you the same image quality without adding the bulky size limitations of a mirror based camera. They also have additional features that are unavailable with DSLR, such as the ability to adapt any film camera lens to the body for full MF use of it.

[0ptics]

I always use Amazon, the best prices and fastest shipping!