WoIfie

i have just started at college gcse photography whats the best slr for me being a beginer i was told the nikon f55 the f65 the same price also the canon e300 is around the 230 mark any advice??

beemerboy

i've had a Minolta Dynax 5000i for quite a few years now, no complaints, and its takes far better pictures than any comparable modern camera.

Have a look secondhand, as you could save a few quid, as most of these type of cameras are well looked after.

good luck

BB

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Wolfie-
Are you going to go "auto-focus"? If so, be careful, as the older cameras did not have the predictive auto-focus, and would lose you a shot when the subject was moving.
Go for a camera with a good range of lenses available,(Minolta,Canon, Pentax, Olympus etc), but you don't have to pay top price for the lenses. Autofocus lenses are dearer but still widely available. Manual focus lenses are becoming quite rare.
Buy from a reputable dealer, and get a written warranty, at least for the camera body. There's lots to go wrong with a modern camera, they're complicated little b*ggers!
Have you given any thought to a decent Digital camera? There are some amazing bargains out there on deleted models.
Have fun, Alcazar

pslewis

Forget the NIKON - I owned an F50, worst buy I ever made

I would seriously suggest you get an old Ricoh KR10, about 20 years old now, but boy oh boy what a camera!! and available for £50!! It simply blows the Nikon away

Pete

PeterUK300

iTrader: (1)

Good Camara's for a good price with lots of features are Minolta SLR's. I have a 7000i and a 700si. Both are very good and I feel really good value for Money. The equivelent model now is the 7si (I Think).
You should be able to pick up some good second hand kit. I would suggest that as being the best option as just starting out.
Have a look in your local camara shop as you will probably get 3 months warrenty as well.

All the best
Pete

[Edited by PeterUK300 - 9/25/2002 7:32:58 PM]

Hoppy

LOL Pete! So that means all Nikons are crap then? ! Wasn't a gold one you had, was it

I think the secondhand advice is good. Have a look on www.jessops.com Use the money saved to buy another lens.

Good luck,

Richard.

Esoteric Beast

I have a Canon E300, works really well and so easy to use, set it on auto and just point it, you only have to worry about the content.
Have been taking Gothic/Glamour and Fetish shots for a while now and not had any problems......

TAZMAN

see if you can get an old Nikon F801s...matrix autofocus, great auto exposure modes and the same technology that went into the Nikon F4. I used to be a professional photographer and ended up replacing my F4 with 801's...took em through rainforest, to sea and in arid climates..never went wrong and Nikon lenses are great quality.

PaulMc

I finshed a course some 6 months ago. I then went and bought a 2nd hand EOS5 and 2 lenses for the princely sum of £350. The previous owner had only put about 5 rolls of film through the camera and it was like new. Depends on what you're subject matter is going to be, lots of Motorsport shots would need a fast camera and lens, so I would go for a Canon (fastest lenses). Canon seem to have bigger range of lenses available than Nikon, the only other brand I would go for.
Check out http://pages.ebay.co.uk/photo2-index.html

Josh L

Another helpful and constructive post from Mr Lewis!

If you're going to stick with photography, get something you can build on, yet keep your existing lenses when you upgrade the body.

Although I admit to being a bit biased, Nikon are probably the only manufacturer who has acheived this to any degree. Both Canon and Minolta have messed about with their mounts over the years, but you can still use some pretty ancient lenses on even the newest Nikon bodies.

Having said that, they're a little like IM, in that their Customer service leaves something to be desired, and having given them around £30k ++ since I started, I get the distinct impression that they really don't give a monkeys if customers come back. They can also be expensive to repair, but fortunately they very rarely go wrong.

If it's any good to you, please feel free to email me with a little more detail of what you're after, together with your budget, and I'll try to offer some suggestions.

Josh