Nikon D40 or CANON 400D

[muttleymacclad]

Hi 909 and bub,

I had a serious dilemma when choosing to go DSLR. Previously I had a Powershot G6 which was great but the zoom was only 4x optical which I found pretty pointless if I was trying to shoot wildlife etc. (But it does have all the manual stuff that you get with a DSLR so you can mess with all the settings if you wish and it shoots RAW.) You really need powerful lenses for wildlife which cost a fair bit, I still haven't got one yet even though that's why I bought the digital SLR in the first place.

However you can get decent enough cameras like the Panasonic FZ50 or Canon Powershot S3 IS with very powerful zooms. (however bub, for indoor, long distance these cameras may struggle with low light and "noise"). I tried these out and really liked the 12x zoom on them - it's equivalent to a 432mm lens (i think) which would cost nigh on £700++ on it's own for a DSLR.

One of the main differences between the high mega pixel point and shoots and the DSLRs is the size of the image sensor, on DSLRs this sensor is significantly larger and ultimately can lead to better image quality.

However on many DSLR's you do still get the basic modes that you get on your regular point and shoot such as landscape, portrait, sports, nighttime etc and you can shoot in JPEG so you don't have to worry about all the post processing stuff in Photoshop either. You can therefore learn gradually and experiment with all the manual stuff like apeture, shutter speed etc as and when you want.

The one other thing to think about is how often do you print out your photos larger than 6x4 or 7x5? I occasionally do A4 which still come out brilliantly from my powershot G6 although better on the DSLR.

Hope it is ok to link to DPreview here if not sorry mods and please remove the link but they have reviews of the best lenses for different situations. so if you do choose to buy the DSLR look at the cost of the lenses you might think you'd need as well.
hxxp://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=61795

Sorry I've rambled but I hope this helps you a bit more. It is a tough decision but I'm glad I got my 350D because with a bit of effort the images do come out really well. I am still very much learning how to use my DSLr and have gained a lot from people on this forum.

all the best
MML

[bub]

No rambling there mate good useful info. For now I have spent the money on something else, I decided £500 was too much to spend on a digi camera which will not get that much use. Someone on this forum mentioned this fuji SLR camera h**p://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=101838 which I am considering because of the reasonable price. Mind you looking at the Canon Powershot S3 IS that looks like a good buy aswell but its not an SLR

[bub]

I really like the look of the Canon Powershot S3 IS, the only thing I dont like is there is no pop up flash which is a shame because it would then be the perfect camera for me.

bub

[Gazzr]

No pop up flash...? Check another site mate as I have seen pictures of them with the frash up. Just been looking at these on pixmania as I read your post and panicked as I have been considering one of these myself. I've been following this thread with interest as I am in a similar dilemna myself, whether to get Canon S3, Sony H5. Or go the whole hog and go DSLR......
Going to be a couple of months before i take the plunge, but struggling to decide.

[bub]

When I say pop up, i mean when you press the shutter down and if the camera thinks there is low light the flash will automatically pop out of its closed position and then fire. With this Olympus you have to pull the flash out yourself manually before taking a picture in low light. A lot of DSLRs are pop out automatically when pressing shutter

bub

[muttleymacclad]

One other thing guys, Canon may well introduce an S4 in the Spring. The release dates of the S range has been in Feb generally and there may be a chance that an S4 is released soon.

I picked this up from other forums so it may have some truth in it.

However they may not release an S4 so I could be talking out of my arse !
But as you're both waiting for a month or so anyway you might not have to worry.

Here's a link to POTN which is great for Canon photo stuff and this is just one of the many discussion about DSLR's and Cameras like the S3.
h**p://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=264135

MML

[bub]

End of the day though any new camera thats launched will be expensive

cheers for the link

bub

[Gazzr]

Although it would probably mean a price reduction for the S3. Which may make it more appealing.

[bub]

might be worth the wait

cheers

[Gazzr]

Well so much for me waiting a couple of months... Went into Jessops in Trafford Centre yesterday and finally got my hands on a 400d. Had a play with the camera and a chat with the assistant and walked away thinking that my mind was made up, DSLR it's gonna be. Suddenly the missus comes out with: "Why didn't you just get it, cos you're gonna do it anyway sooner or later".....
So, at that comment I did a quick about turn and went straight back. Am now proud owner of said camera, much sooner than expected.

[Bilbo_baggin]

A great choice. You'll love it.

[Gazzr]

Hope so. I've been lurking around this section for a while. Lens advice will be the next question, that 18 - 55 just doesn't get me close enough, unless it's right infront of me.