Great  collective

Once more i need your help and assistance, I currently own a Fuji Finepix S5500 which I have owned for about 7 years, but I am now in a position where I can move on up the scale of DSLR's, and so would like some advice of which one I should be looking to buy as a replacement, I'm looking to spend between £300 - £400

I want a new Camera for when we go to India, whilst I like the Finepix and it helps me take some great shots, I'm finding the lens is a limitation on it, it has a 10x Optical zoom and is only 4MPixels. So its time to move on too something a bit better.

Regards

Neal.

Hi Neal,

There are a lot of good DSLRs about and I would recommend that you go to a camera shop and handle the cameras. Check them out for ease of use, how comfortable they feel in your hands and how well balanced it is with the lenses attached. Also see how bright the viewfinder is as you look through it.

I think you are probably looking at a lightweight model as I'm guessing you don't want to lug heavy kit around whilst you are on holiday. The most important element is still the lens so aim to get the best that you can (although there are some very good zoom lenses that are quite light). You have a choice between zoom and fixed length lenses. Fixed generally give better quality and let more light in but are less flexible than zooms. However sometimes you will have to blow the picture up really large to see the difference in resolution between a fixed lens and a zoom lens.

You may find this website useful - he is mainly Nikon but does review Canon.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm

I've used Nikon SLRs all my life so am probably a bit biased.

Is your price range for body + lens or is it body only? With your price range you could try to find a one or two year old second hand camera of a larger model as you would get new.

For lenses go for the best you can afford. If you're traveling a lot, a good zoom lens would reduce the weight you have to carry around. The range of focal length would depend a bit on what you want to take pictures of. A lens that covers Wide to Tele has mostly more compromises in quality than one that covers a smaller range. You could also review your photos that you have taken with your Fuji and see what the most used focal lengths are and base your decision for a Zoom on that basis, maybe plus a bit more. A wider aperture (small number) generally makes you more flexible to lighting conditions, but there are lenses around that have a wide aperture but only give good results if stepped down. A wider aperture will reduce the depth of field, though.

As Pendgy says, visit a shop and try the cameras, look at the keys, wheels and buttons and see if you can use them with the camera at the eye. See if you like the display and can judge the quality of a photo with it. Also see what's in the settings. Only you can decide what suits you.

I use the following website for reviews http://www.the-digital-picture.com/ .

I had a Finepix for a good number of years and upgraded to an SLR a couple of years ago. We have an Olympus and I have to say that the upgrade from ther Finepix was well worth the extra outlay.
It is good advice to handle a few cameras and get the feel of them (Specialist camera shops can offer good advice).
However, once settled on a particular camera , shop around for a good price.
And....enjoy India. It is amazing - the noise/the hustle and bustle/the colour and the general confusion are breathtaking. And if you get a chance, take a train ride!

Quote from: port perran on August 07, 2012, 08:00:18 PM
And....enjoy India. It is amazing - the noise/the hustle and bustle/the colour and the general confusion are breathtaking. And if you get a chance, take a train ride!

Oh we intend too 

We start of in Delhi for a day or 2, then on to Jaipur and Agra before taking the Night mail train to Kalka to go onto the 'Toy Train' to Shimla for 2 days there, then back to Delhi and home. all in all quite a lot packed into 12 days.

Regards

Neal.

IMO go 2nd hand on that budget.
D5000 with kit 18-55mm would be around £350

Or

D90 with kit 18-105mm would push you just over budget, but its a better lens and body.

Actually the D40 is a great camera. I have one that I use if I am travelling - it is so light and gives good results.

The D3100 has been discontinued so you may get a good deal on that.

If I were you I would reconsider buying a DSLR for travel purposes, they can be heavy and a pain in the backside if you are carrying extra lens/flash etc.

There are dozens of prosumer cameras that are capable of taking photos as good or in some cases even better than entry level DSLRs.

Here is a link to the type of cameras I suggest as travel cameras.

http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/best-compact-camera-2012-27-reviewed-963985?artc_pg=2

Most of the upmarket compacts these days are just as versatile as a DSLR when it comes to control including high ISO settings for low light photography.

Sorry, but I disagree with the last suggestion!  Low ISO capability varies massively depending on the processor eg my Fuji compact has in theory higher ISO capability than my Canon DSLR but in practice the SLR wins hands down.

You won't go wrong with Canon or Nikon SLRs, though you might get more bang for your buck with either a S/H or discontinued model. I am sure you could get easily get a Canon Eos 450D/500D/550D for your budget - all of which are very capable cameras.

I would second the point about going to a shop if possible and trying them in your hand - I quite like the smaller Canon EOS range as they fit my hands, but it is quite a personal thing.

Another thing to bear in mind is what lenses do you want for it? You are essentially buying into a lens system as chances are the lenses will last longer than the camera.  I decided that Canon had more choice of lenses that I was interested in at more price points than Nikon - Canon typically had 3 price points: entry, mid and pro levels whereas Nikon tended to have only entry and pro levels.

Cheers, Mike

Quote from: red_death on August 08, 2012, 12:12:19 AM
Sorry, but I disagree with the last suggestion!  Low ISO capability varies massively depending on the processor eg my Fuji compact has in theory higher ISO capability than my Canon DSLR but in practice the SLR wins hands down.

Yep, I've got a fairly upmarket compact but it looses out massively in versitility and quality to my two Nikon DSLRs. They are still basically snap guns unless you're prepared to pay for something like a Fuji X-Pro 1 http://www.trustedreviews.com/fujifilm-x-pro1_Digital-Camera_review  or a Leica X2 http://www.techradar.com/reviews/cameras-and-camcorders/cameras/compact-cameras/leica-x2-1082011/review

Some of the cheaper DSLRs are quite small and light and with a compact zoom will cover just about all options you're likely to need on a trip making them ideal for travel.

H.

I guess we all have our own ideas when it comes to photography but from my experience of lugging SLR cameras around from 1975 to 2004 I certainly would not take an SLR on an overseas trip.

My favorite travel camera was a rangefinder of which I had several rather than an SLR, once again to each our own.

At 300 quid this little baby would run rings round a DSLR as a lightweight travel camera and the results are every bit as good.

With regards to ISO performance how high do you want or need to go, for decades very little film with an ASA rating over 400 was ever used, digital photos taken at extreme ISO settings tend to be very grainy and unless that is what you are looking for why bother.

http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/21693_pen-camera_e-pm1_24690.htm

Quote from: oldrailbug on August 08, 2012, 05:49:42 AM
I guess we all have our own ideas when it comes to photography but from my experience of lugging SLR cameras around from 1975 to 2004 I certainly would not take an SLR on an overseas trip.

Horses for courses - I take my compact climbing and I take my SLR for wildlife.

Quote from: oldrailbug on August 08, 2012, 05:49:42 AM
At 300 quid this little baby would run rings round a DSLR as a lightweight travel camera and the results are every bit as good.

That is an SLR in all but mirror!

Quote from: oldrailbug on August 08, 2012, 05:49:42 AM
With regards to ISO performance how high do you want or need to go, for decades very little film with an ASA rating over 400 was ever used, digital photos taken at extreme ISO settings tend to be very grainy and unless that is what you are looking for why bother.

True to a point though some of the processing on DSLRs is very good at removing noise.  For somethings there is little getting away with high ISO for most of us eg gigs or wildlife photography at night.

I've taken SLRs and DSLRs all over the world and never felt it to be a problem, although I'll be taking my compact with me to the Great British Beer Festival at Olympia which I'm soon to set off for, as one hand will be fully occupied carrying and operating a pint glass 

I was going to suggest a four thirds camera but they don't seem to have taken off like they were touted to do or particularly well supported. Once it was claimed they would take the photo world by storm.

H.

Quote from: H on August 08, 2012, 11:48:59 AM
I was going to suggest a four thirds camera but they don't seem to have taken off like they were touted to do or particularly well supported. Once it was claimed they would take the photo world by storm.

+1.  My thoughts as well.  Having said which a mate is very happy with his Lumix G1 or G3.  The issue for me would be lens availability, but they do look good for travelling.

On your short list add the Nikon D3100 (which would fit into your price bracket with the zoom lens) or a second hand Nikon D40. The D40 was Nikon's entry level camera (having been superseded by the D3000 and then the D3100). It is superlight and with any money left over you could get another lens to go with it.

I'd sell you mine but I find I use it just as much as my more 'serious' camera (D300) as it is about half the weight.

As red_death says, you can't go wrong with Nikon or Canon. My preference has been Nikon but I have cast envious glances at the Canon kit at times.