Purchasing a DSLR!?

I%26#039;m in the market for a DSLR, with a budget of about £1000 (~$2000), but I could strech it to £1400 (~$2750) if I needed to.


I%26#039;m really interested in photography and take my regular point and shoot EVERYWHERE, but as a far as functionality goes, it just doesn%26#039;t cut it anymore!


Although dpreview and cnet are great, at this point I%26#039;m looking for advice that%26#039;s not so focused on technical jargon (CMOS wha...?)!


Should I shoe-horn myself into a limited range of proprietory lenses and get a Sony Alpha, or go mainstream and get a Canon or Nikon? Standalone body and expensive lens or a body and lens kit?





Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!


Help this amatuer out!


Thanx!

Purchasing a DSLR!?
The Sony Alpha 200 is a good camera, as are the entry-level Nikon and Canon cameras.





I disagree with the other poster; Canon%26#039;s are not necessarily more user friendly. Ergonomics and feel are a much more personal issue (for example, for me, I find exactly the opposite--Nikons are more friendly for me). Likewise, when it comes to kit lenses, Canon%26#039;s kit lenses have a so-so reputation, whereas Nikon%26#039;s kit lenses are actually decent lenses.





With your budget and experience-level, I would not recommend trying to buy too much camera. I would instead stick to the entry level cameras in the US$500-$600 range, which would be the Nikon D40/Canon Rebel XT series of cameras. I would also add in the cost of any accessories you may desire--like a telephoto zoom (55-200mm zoom for example), a camera bag, perhaps a hot shoe flash, etc.





What I suggest is this:


1) handle all the cameras you are interested in and can afford, whether that%26#039;s the Canon Rebel XT, Nikon D40, Nikon D60, Canon Alpha, etc.





2) choose the camera that feels right in your hands, has the buttons in the right places for you, good ergonomics, a good menu system, a build quality you like, etc.





3) In addition to the kit lens, you can add the accessories I mentioned above. The reason I say to stick with the kit lens is that most amateurs shoot at exactly the zoom range used by the kit lenses. There%26#039;s a reason why the photo companies bundle them. Unless you know why you want another lens *instead of* the kit lens, you should stick with the kit lens. Basically, people who know why the kit lens won%26#039;t work for them are the ones who will know what other lens to get and why they should get it. You aren%26#039;t at that point yet. Moreover, strangers can%26#039;t tell you what you are actually shooting or what your real needs are.





So, get the camera with the kit lens, and then grow from there.
Reply:I have the Cannon XTi. I find Cannon more user friendly than Nikon.


Save some money for the lenses...they can be more expensive than the body. You will need different lenses and they very expensive. The kit lenses are not very good.


Good luck!
Reply:Hello,





For the most flexability you should either stay with Canon or Nikon. I use canon and love them. You should look again at dpreview to see which camera has the most features you are looking for. Some really nice canon cameras for beginners are the XTi and XT and for the serious amateur the 30D. These will be great cameras to start with. Spend your money on quality glass. The 200-400 dollar lenses are okay but consider getting the more expensive L series lenses as they are professional quality and will give you the best shots. There are mid range lenses that will work really well also if you don%26#039;t want to spend 1100 dollars on a lens. I don%26#039;t know what you will be shooting so I can%26#039;t recommend a specific lens but if you are shooting landscapes go for a wide angle, for sports a telephoto zoom, for extreme close-ups a macro and for portraits a telephoto.





Donna
Reply:You are going to have to go into a camera shop and hold each camera in your hand and see which fits them the best and which has the controls situated in such a way it is easy for you to control the cameras functions while looking through the viewfinder.





Here is one link that you might want to consider.





http://www.jdpower.com/electronics/ratin...





While there are those elitists that seem to think %26quot;kit%26quot; means inferior, NO lens made by Nikon or Canon is anything but superb.





The only thing you need to consider is if the lens(es) you buy are the ones that will give you the best coverage of the subjects you shoot.





A very fine 12-24 mm wide angle zoom will be all but worthless to a sports photographer who needs a 300 mm lens or longer.





At present, the hottest Nikon lenses are the 18-200 mm and 24-70 mm f/2.8. As you can see, they are for totally different subjects and/or photographic styles/subjects.





Choose the lens you need and if it is costly, buy an entry level camera body to keep within your budget ... then in a few years upgrade your body.



Loose Teeth