top of the range point & shoot versus bottom of the range SLR

[carly1979]

ok, this is a kind of hypothetical question, as i'm praying my current sony cybershot hangs on in there for a bit longer, but.....

i have a feeling my camera is on it's way out, and i have been trying to figure out what i will do about replacing it if it does die.

basically there are 2 options (which i've not looked into that much yet- wanted your input):

1) replace with another sony cyber shot. i don't really need what people think about this camera, as this is what i've had for the last few years and i have loved it.
2) replace it with a bottom of the range (cheapest i could find) DSLR.

as i';v said i've not really done a lot of research yet, so i don't know the price difference between a top of the range cybershot and a bottom of the range something SLR, but what are people's views?

also, maybe a silly question, but do any/most SLRs come with an 'auto' mode which would work kind of like a point and shoot?

[littleMatt]

I'm sure most SLR's will come with an auto setting that will let you pretty much "point and shoot"... My D70s has one.

I wont suggest which SLR I think you should get, but I will say you should defo get one. Been loving your pictures for a while and have been waiting for you to get some better kit to see your work really blossom!

[littleMatt]

I'm a Nikon fanboy whatever, but I've read some great reviews on this:

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/?PHO...ikon.html#d40x

And you can't argue with 400quid!

edit: ok, I know I said I wouldn't suggest an SLR and then 2 minutes later I did, but gimme a break... it's been a long weekend

[lefteyewilly]

carly, i agree with littlematt.

you seem to love photography and i think it's going to be a great step up for you to get an SLR. I don't know what your budget is, but i don't think it should matter too much here. If you're going to buy a high end point and shoot, you might as well spend a tad big more and get the SLR...i guarantee you will find a new love of photography once you do. I'm not speaking from experience, i just have that feeling that you will benefit most from an upgraded kit.

Plus i think if you get the SLR, you can grow with it. A point and shoot keeps you limited for as long as you have the cam...SLR's will allow you to invest...oh, and don't forget about the resale value of an SLR...way more than a point and shoot ....which brings me to my next point...buy used, save some cash..you won't know the difference.

hope that helps carly.

[frex]

It's all mentioned above...second hand is a grand idea, you might even get a higher range SLR for the price of a mid or bottom range!
You certainly deserve a DSLR!

[carly1979]

thanks guys. not sure what my budget is/will be, as basically i don't really have any money to be spending on a camera at all, but if this one breaks, then i have no choice really (i can't be without a camera, especially with a 4 week road trip in the US planned!), so really 'as cheap as possible' is my budget! and whilst i know i could get a point and shoot cheaper than an SLR, i'm not sure it's the best investment really.

i had thought about second-hand, but my partner is unconvinced (she doesn't like second-hand stuff). but i'm assuming if i can find a second-hand camera from a shop, it will most likely have some kind of warrantee with it anyway....

thanks for the link littlematt- £400 looks nice, i could deal with that!

once i've decided whether SLR is the way to go (or convinced my partner it is!), i may start another thread on what to look for/recommended models (but i'm sure there's a few threads in here i could search through first).

[WannaBe_80z]

I am a Canon fanboy obviously but the D40 from Nikon is a nice little kit for a beginner SLR user and you can really invest some money in good lenses etc and then when you want you can just upgrade the body to better specs etc. I guess I would have to suggest the Canon Xti as the new on the block low end canon but you can find some really cheap XT on the makret now because they have been replaced by the XTi

A great place to get second hand stuff and really get some good deals is over on www.photography-on-the.net SOME Nikon stuff but it is 99% Canon gear. You have to register for the forums for the buy/sell section to be visible. I got my Tamron 17-50 lens off there for like $100 cheaper then new and it was perfect with box and all. Ask the Geezer is also an active member who has done trades(if I remember correctly) They are a good group of people to work with.

[carly1979]

thanks for the advice/suggestions.

ok, i'm not pretty much looking at the nikon D40 and the canon 350D.
sawying more towards the nikon though as i can get it cheaper by the looks of things.

one of my main concerns (not just with these, but gernally), is shutter lag. from a few reviews online it seems the canon is slightly better than the nikon on this..... anyone have any experience?

i don't want to turn this into a nikon v canon thing, just trying to get as much info as possible, as this is big money (for me at least!).

and would you advise i get down to a shop and try to handle the two cameras before making a decision? not got a lot of time to get to a shop, but if you think it's a really good idea i'll see what i can do!

[WannaBe_80z]

That is really what it is all about. If you have a shop near you that carries both cameras you really should get them both in your hands and see how they feel. I was going to say and see how comfortable you are with the controls but either way they will feel weird till you actually go out and use it and then anything you get you will grow around.

I just like the feel of the 20D in my hands and the scroll wheel is awesome(the 350D doesn't have it)

The feel of a 1D in my hands would be better

[carly1979]

canon 1D: £2649.00

blimey! i should hope it would feel good!

i must admit i am very very close to going with the nikon. mainly because of the price- it will allow me to spend a little bit on accessories (filters, bag, spare battery, as much memory as i can afford and a gorilla pod if i can stretch that far!).

so if anyone has anything else to add, please do so (soon)!

cheers

[littleMatt]

You're gonna be stuck with this SLR for quite a while at that price. I would really go with what feels/works best for you. You don't have to get all the extras at once, that's what birthdays and xmas is for!

It took me ages to save up for my D70s, like 6 months! I was really tempted to go for the D50 and spend the rest on lens' and extras, but I'm so glad I didn't!

At the end of the day, this hobby isn't going anywhere. You have all the time in the world to add to your kit. I wouldn't compromise the main part of it for the lesser parts.

[carly1979]

i do understand what you're saying, but my urgency in this is that i'm going on a month long road trip/back packing trip along the west coast of the US at the end of august, and i want to get the camera ASAP so i have time to get to know it before we go.

that trip is also why i need to get the spare battery, memory and bag ASAP too. the gorillapod could possibly wait, but all the other bits i think i could really do with whilst i'm out there.

if my cybershot wasn't playing up i would definitely just wait til after the trip and take my time building up my kit. for me this trip almost certainly is a 'once in a lifetime' thing, and i want a good camera with me!

[littleMatt]

Get the D40 then!

[WannaBe_80z]

Get the D40 and then when you come back pawn off that to your partner and get the D80 for yourself

[carly1979]

haha, i wish!

thanks for all your help wannabe, littlematt, lefteye, frex.. it might sound as if i'm not taking your advice on board, but beleive me i am. you've certainly convinced me SLR is the way to go anyway

[WannaBe_80z]

Once you start getting nice glass in front of that thing don't forget to put at least a nice UV filter on there to protect the front element and if you get into polarizing filters etc don't just get whatever is in your budget- save and get top quality stuff. No point in buying really nice lenses if you are just going to put a $15 piece of glass in front of it. That is why I have yet to get my polarizing lens it is $100+ but I found a direct importer in Hong Kong for $60 so soon I shall have one.

[carly1979]

after this it'll no doubt be a while til i can afford a nice lens, so will bear that in mind.

at least i can start developing a birthday and christmas list

EDIT: by the way i thought a filter was a filter (didn't know you get what you pay for), so it goes to show i have a lot to learn!

[WannaBe_80z]

I still have little knowledge of the whole filter side of the thing but I am learning. There is always something new to learn.

[lefteyewilly]

There is always something new to learn.

damn straight on that....it's crazy once you get into photography and learn that the possibilities are endless with it.

[frex]

Do get yourself a UV filter...going along the west coast you will get a lot of fog and haze and high humidity.