Help choosing camera

[mealies]

Hi all

I have picked up the latest issue of Digital Camera Buyer as i have decided to buy a camera. Now i am lost a bit on what camera, even what type of camera (dSLR, compact etc) to choose. I don't have a camera at the moment.

Two main reasons for a new camera are:
Going on holiday to Africa and want to take some pics whilst on safari
Astronomy, i want to be able to take night sky photos & star trail photos, for star trails i need a camera with continuous mode.

Now i have been to a couple of stores and played with a couple of cameras. A cannon ixus 65 and a Nikon D50, i like the D50 very much but am wondering if it is overboard for what i need.

Could anyone give me advice on what sort of cameras i should be looking at.

Any help would be appreciated

Sorry for the long post and apologies if i posted in the wrong forum

Andrew

[ianjohnson67]

Andrew,

If for no other reason I would go for a DSLR on performance grounds.
For Africa you may want to shoot multiple frames of an animal running or use a good telephoto lens for zooming in on the same creature.
For large landscape shots you my want a nice wide angle lens.

For Astronomy a DSLR should produce less noise when the ISO setting are changed for low light situations. Also you could get a monster lens.

The down side is the size and bulk of all the lenses, and more to get damaged/stolen.

Guess it all depends on what you want.
Maybe a simple compact will be easier to live with if you can accept average results.
Check out: http://www.dpreview.com and have a look at all the specs of the cameras that take your fancy.

[mealies]

Hi Ian

Thanks for the quick reply and thanks for the link it was most helpful.

I read one of the buying guides and it mentioned when buying a dSLR that your not so much buying a camera as buying into a lens system. With that in mind i have a maximum budget of around £400.

With this budget is it better to buy a "low end" dSLR like a D50 and gradually build up the lenses over time or is it best to go for a high end compact camera.

I would like to turn photography into a hobby, but apart from astrophotography i have done little work with a SLR camera and have never used a digital camera. I don't mind a steep learning curve (in fact would relish it) but don't want to start out with the wrong camera.

I hope this makes sense

Andrew

[ianjohnson67]

Andrew,

If you intend any sort of seriousness then DSLR is the way to go, and I have the D50 and it's not bad at all.
If after a couple of years you want to upgrade the body to say a D200 then your lenses will fit.

It sounds like a compact may soon find its limits with you.

[Keitht]

i have a maximum budget of around £400.

With this budget is it better to buy a "low end" dSLR like a D50 and gradually build up the lenses over time or is it best to go for a high end compact camera.

I would certainly recommend DSLR against compact. £400 is going to restrict your initial purchase, but the D50 with 18-55 lens should come in at about your budget. That lens will be on the short side for photography on safari though.
You might want to think about a 3rd party lens rather than the Nikon in order to get a greater zoom range for your money. For example something like the Tamron 28-200 is around £150. D50 body only can be picked up for about £325.
Don't forget you will also need memory cards and at least one spare battery.

[Jimster71]

Canon released a version of the 20D that was specifically aimed at astrophotographers. You could probably pick up one of these second hand within your budget.

For star trails, an SLR will give you lower image noise, but some compacts have noise reduction built in for long exposures.

If you want to learn more about photography, an SLR is a good way to learn. It can be a lot more bulky than a compact though, which is something to take into consideration if you are taking it on holiday.

[mealies]

Thanks for the info on the Canon 20D, however due to my budget i have taken a risk and bought a D50 with accessories from Ebay, hopefully i will recieve it this week.

As people have mentioned the only problem is the size difference compared to a compact camera, my main worry is the increased risk of being mugged, but i hope i am being silly and there is no real increase in risk.

I will make sure its insured while i am on holiday, can anyone recommend a good insurance policy when it comes to cameras or do most holiday insurance policies provide good cover for cameras and accessories?

[Keitht]

Home contents insurance with a New for Old, All Risks section is the best way to cover photographic equipment. If you have to use travel insurance, check the small print very carefully as they often have pathetically low limits for 'sets'. If your camera is nicked you can bet your bottom dollar they will consider camera and lens as seperate items to limit their liability.

[Jimster71]

There are specific photography insurances about, but these normally include things like liability insurance along with insuring your equipment. As mentioned, most home contents insurance can insure you for items on your person when away from home. It usually costs a little extra, but I'm sure the peace of mind is worh it.

[FullFrameJPEG]

It's a shame your budget precludes a Nikon D200. That is such an awesome camera. You might want to just save a little more and wait for the price to come down a little.

I LOVE mine.