Buying advice

[Jeep Stone]

My father in law is getting a gift from the company he is leaving and is looking to buy a new camera.

Budget is around £700 (to include everything as he's not got anything at the moment). Probably likes taking family snaps/scenery more than close up work.

Any recommendations of packages to fit this budget?

Thanks

[slaughteredlamb]

It all depends on what you mean by "to include everything". If by everything you mean tripod, , tripod head, external flash, bag etc then that's obviously going to mean spending less on the camera and lenses. If however he is prepared to pay for the accessories himself then the whole £700 can go on getting a better camera & lens combination. It also depends on how much your father in law wants to get into photography as some people just don't want to carry around more than one lens with them and that therefore means getting a lens with a much bigger focal range (at the sacrifice of image quality and maximum aperture).

In terms of camera's I would stick to either Canon or Nikon simply because you have a better range of lenses available to you and there isn't a bad camera in these ranges.

For Canon their entry level camera is the 1000D which costs £319 body only. You could tie this up with the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens which costs £399.99 making a total of £723.98. The 1000D is an entry level camera designed for the beginner but that's not to say that it's a bad camera, it simply means that things like buffer size, burst speed, AF points and certain shooting modes are cut down compared to it's more expensive brothers. The lens is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades but any lens with that focal range is going to be the same. That said it does give a good performance and is far better than the kit lenses that normally come with a camera.

Or

Canon 550D which costs £558 and is a much better camera than the 1000D and the Sigma 18-200 f3.5-5.6 DC lens which costs £198.99 making a total of £761.98 which is a bit more than your budget. The Sigma lens isn't as good as the Canon but then it is half the price.

If however you want a complete package then:

Canon 500D with 18-55mm kit lens £524.99
Giottos MTL9351B + MH5011 Tripod Kit £97.00
Sigma EF 530 DG ST Flashgun Canon fit £121.99
Total £748.97

The camera is good, the tripod is pretty good, the flash is pretty good the week bit is the lens. It's just designed to get you going and has a very limited focal range.

To be honest there are a thousand different combinations which all depend on whether:

1. He wants more than one lens
2. He wants some of the more advanced features of more expensive cameras like faster burst speeds
3. He wants fast glass
4. What focal range he needs the most or wants to have
5. What accessories he wants

[Jeep Stone]

My take on it would be that he wants to use it more for point and click type stuff rather than tripod/flash gun etc but I need to check to be sure. Thanks for your post though mate. Really useful.

[keri]

I had a go at getting a comparable Nikon package, but it is really hard to get a decent set up within budget, unless they have a reason to head Nikon (i.e. friends/family that have Nikon) you can't really do better than SL's Canon package. You could look at Sony SLRs, i know several people who take great shots with high end Sony gear but i've not had much experience of the cheaper end.

[Steve Lampkins]

If he doesn't want all the extras, it's not the latest and greatest Nikon (like the D7000), but the D90 is still pretty good.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D90-Digital-18-105-VR/dp/B001EO6WAI/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1296585757&sr=1-7

Didn't/Don't you have one Keri? I might be thinking of another DDNer.

[Mr Anderson]

You can get the 500D + 18-55mm IS kit lens (the newer version) for £489.70 from Amazon which brings SL's suggested kit closer to the £700 budget. But you also need to remember to add in a memory card and perhaps a bag to go with that. The card's a necessity but you can get a 2GB Sandisk Ultra II for under a tenner from 7 day shop.

For family portraits I'd also say to consider a 50mm f/1.8 available for £86 from Amazon. Besides allowing you to photograph in much lower light than the kit lens would allow it would also allow much shallower depth of field which is great for portraits.

[keri]

If he doesn't want all the extras, it's not the latest and greatest Nikon (like the D7000), but the D90 is still pretty good.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D90-Digital-18-105-VR/dp/B001EO6WAI/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1296585757&sr=1-7

Didn't/Don't you have one Keri? I might be thinking of another DDNer.

I do have a D90 and absolutely love it, i didn't recommend it as the camera and lens would hammer the budget, although in my eyes it would be money very well spend - although i have to say that. I had that kit, but have since upgraded lenses and my dad has knicked the 18-105 off me, which to be fair is a cracking lens and surprisingly sharp for the price.

Agree with Mr A about a fast prime, i have the 35mm f/1.8 and love it, a 50mm will be added to my collection in the near future.

A book which is a pretty much a must for new comers is Understanding Exposure i think most people on here either own it or have read it.