looking at upgrading the old Kodak Z740, really enjoy photography, and i'm off OS in 2 weeks so i figured i might go for a digi SLR...
i know all the standard stuff about megapixels and digi zoom and have had an old (analogue...is that what you would call it?) SLR before....
would like interchangeable lens options, flash (inbuilt?) or external
just wondering if there's any advice on the best brands/features???
or any good sites to check things out??
thanks in advance

:-)

I dont know much about SLR's but this sites pretty good for browsing

http://www.dpreview.com/

As far as best brands / features go, it's very subjective. It all comes down to your budget.

I've just recently bought my first dSLR. I got a Pentax K100D Super for $587 with an 18-50mm lens (I lay-by'd it as just the standard K100D, but they called me and said that they accidently sold mine, so they will upgrade me to the K100D Super at no cost - they're usually around $700-$800 I think).

The camera is an excellent camera for the price. I haven't used any others, however I've heard many people say that the camera is very comparable to the Nikon D40 (Nikon's 'entry level dSLR'), and it's much much cheaper.

For a beginner, I'd DEFINITELY recommend the K100D Super. Like I said, I'm not the final word on what's good and what's not in the photography world, however I have learnt one thing: With photography, there is no "best camera" to get. It all depends on your preferences, and your budget. If you're a photo journalist, or a wedding photographer, you'd probably buy a $5000 Canon body (and then spend another $5000 on lenses). Because you're not in that field, I'd just weigh up the pros and cons of each of the entry-level dSLRs and go from there. As I said, myself and many others feel that the K100D super is a f***ing steal for the price it's being sold at. But again, if you don't like it, don't buy it. The only way you're gonna know if it's good or not is to go and physically try one out in a store (Rainer's Camera House in the city is fantastic).

One thing I WOULD recommend is to buy the body-only (IE: Don't buy the kit lens like I did). Then buy a good lens. The kit lens is OK, however it's definitely lacking. If I had my time again, I'd just buy the body and get the Sigma 17-70 f2.8 lens for $430 from Rainer's. s***-hot lens for the price.

Anyway, this is a little longer than intended. Sorry for the long-winded-ness, I just don't want you to get caught up in the world of brand names and megapixels. Any digital SLR you purchase will be a solid option (personally I'd stick to either Pentax, Canon or Nikon, purely because there are more lenses available for those brands than any others). The rest comes down to personal preference and budget.

Oh and you can see some of the photos I took on my honeymoon in Japan with my Pentax K100D super over at www.flickr.com/photos/allaneightyfour

I wouldn't put too much stock in these though, because like I said, I'm a rank-amatuer with a s***ty lens :) Good luck!

hey Pharcyde....thx for the reply....not long winded for me....informative by far....nice pics also....thx for taking the time and effort....
i found a good site for photography if your interested
http://www.photoreview.com.au/

i looked at Olympus, Nikon and Canon....think i'll stick with the one who's core business has always been cameras

again many thx for your input and time
cheers

Firstly..how much you willing to spend?

I don't recommened anything other than canon..but that's me..

If you just wanna point and shoot go for any brand..if you want more pro looking photos get canon if not nikon..

One thing I WOULD recommend is to buy the body-only (IE: Don't buy the kit lens like I did). Then buy a good lens. The kit lens is OK, however it's definitely lacking. If I had my time again, I'd just buy the body and get the Sigma 17-70 f2.8 lens for $430 from Rainer's. s***-hot lens for the price.

This. I got the kit canon lens and it's s***, sigma lens is way better.

i looked at Olympus, Nikon and Canon....think i'll stick with the one who's core business has always been cameras

I thought pentax mostly did cameras?

I've got a canon 350D, it's fairly decent.

thx for the replies.....one other question i had was the interchangability of len between diff brands?
EG. can i buy a canon cam and use nikon lenses?
as for price i'm happy to spend 1500 - 2K

no

If you can stretch the budget to just over $2k, you can get:

http://www.centre.net.au/Nikon_D80_Digital_SLR_Camera_Kit_00020M.html

and

http://shop.centre.net.au/index.html?cat=00063U00063W00020M&wd_uid=000004&prid=0019S7&it=product

And you will officially have a f***ing excellent dSLR setup. Honestly, if you wanna spend that much, I don't see why you wouldn't. The D80 is excellent from what I've heard.

One thing I did ask about which no one seemed to even know existed/whether it does exist in DSLR's is the focus circle in some 35mm SLR cameras. If you can find a camera with one of these then get it, it makes manual focusing 10x easier especially if your eyes aren't that great. What it is is a funny little circle in the view finder that will be extremely blurred when out of focus, even if the rest of the picture looks like it's in focus, once that circle is clear then the rest of the picture is in focus.

My dad's old 35mm SLR has one and if there was a way to take a picture of it I would but how do you take a photo of something inside the view finder? :)

I really wish I had one of them in my camera because my eyes are s*** and sometimes the picture looks out of focus even when it is in focus using the AF function (image in windows is in focus so it's my eyes). Changing the diopter adjustment doesn't help much (I know one of you will suggest this, I've tried it)

last edited by whoop at 18:15:23 16/Sep/07

i know wt yr talking about whoop....i have a standard SLR with this...i got it in Malaysia when i was over there in the army....the little circle was great help...
we went to hardly normal today and looked at some....Olyumpus has a thing called "live view" which is the only type where you can focus via the LCD screen!! all others are via the eye pieve....didnt know this till today....i assumed this was just normal for all d cameras....
i appreciate the comments re "kits" for lenses but what we looked at today, Nikon, Canon, Olympus, all ocme with kits anyway so i figured i might as well get that and then look at other lenses.....
don't forget i'm off OS in 2 weeks to Phuket so $2K here won't cost me much there...i'll check local shops and duty free....
thanks to all for your input..
cheers

Canon > *

That's is all.

digi slrs rock, great for travel cause you get awsome battery life. I reckomend a speedlight flash, but they start at £180, so if you dont know what your doing, itll be over kill.

get a canon 400d or 30d if you can afford it. theyve come down lots over the last years. the stock 18-55 lens is good to start, but if you want a better all rounder, they have just brought out a good 2.8 IS lens for about £450.

also, if you're taking any action / sports shots... slr is your only option. some sample shots from the aussie rules granny in london http://www.photobox.co.uk/slideshow/viewer.html?c_album=6524804

last edited by mooby at 23:33:55 16/Sep/07

taking a picture on an slr through the lcd is f***ing stupid. don't buy a d80 they are outdated get the d80x if your going to spend a tonne. d40x is the best entry level for around 1100 with cashback. one good kit lens one s*** one. figure out what your going to be taking piccies of on holidays and put aside another 500 - 800 bucks for a lens for it.

What it is is a funny little circle in the view finder that will be extremely blurred when out of focus, even if the rest of the picture looks like it's in focus, once that circle is clear then the rest of the picture is in focus.

That sounds like a TLR (Twin), not an SLR. They give you 2 semi circles that you line up on the desired object to focus.

I would get either a Canon or a Nikon. Not only do they make the best lenses but they also have heaps of 3rd party companies making lenses for them too. Buy a cheaper body (entry level) and if you really think you need more out of the camera you can upgrade and still reuse your lenses. People don't use their Point and shoot cameras to there full potential so I wouldn't waste money on an expensive model SLR unless you really need it. I would lean towards a compact personally if you want it for OS. I took my 350D over and it was a pain in the arse having to carry it around.

I have a Nikon D40x which is the entry levelish type competitor to Canon's EOS 400D.

It's 10MP but that really doesn't matter unless you're cropping or doing massive prints, but after reading reviews and friends opinions I decided to go the Nikon because of slightly better build quality, but to tell the truth, all the comparison reviews are neck and neck for these two models so it mostly comes down to preference.
The D40x has a lot of user friendly hints and stuff built in, and I've really enjoyed it.

Have a look at reviews around the price range you want, and go into JBs or other places and hold a few, see what you like. I shopped around both Brisbane and some stores on the Sunny Coast and no place would match JB (another said they would but didn't have stock).

I ended up getting the D40x with dual lens kit, an 18-55mm lens, and 55-200 VR (Vibration Reduction). Also got a 2GB Sandisk mem card and bag. All up it came to around 1500. At the time in July there was a $200 cashback offer, and my parents also payed $500 as my Bday present so I came away with it pretty well in the end.

Btw, shelf price was 1600, JB quoted at $1390. When I told a guy at Camera House in Noosa they said that price he just about had a heart attack as their shelf price was $1700.