FAO photography people

[The Ghost of ORR]

Been after a DSLR for a little while now and have seen a Nikon D50 used for £180 in town, body only but is that a canny price?

[safc_graeme]

pics?

[mad maxim]

Decent enough "old" (all of 4 years) camera, good reputation for reliability. As long as its in decent condition that's an ok price. (Looked on ebay and they've been going for £150-£250, so in a shop £180's decent)

[not spavin]

That's a good price, but tbh I'd hang on and save for something a bit newer. Plus, you'll be looking at least £100 for a decent lens. A decent lens is probably more important than a decent body.

If I were you I'd keep your eye out for a second hand set - maybe something like a D80 - with a couple of lenses, bag, tripod etc. People are always upgrading so they're fairly easy to pick up.

They're still expensive, but if you see a decent price D90, get it. I upgraded from a D40 to a D2X - I got it second hand, but a couple years ago the D2X was about £4k. The D90 is under a grand brand new and is just as good - arguably better.

[The Ghost of ORR]

Originally Posted by not spavin

That's a good price, but tbh I'd hang on and save for something a bit newer. Plus, you'll be looking at least £100 for a decent lens. A decent lens is probably more important than a decent body.

If I were you I'd keep your eye out for a second hand set - maybe something like a D80 - with a couple of lenses, bag, tripod etc. People are always upgrading so they're fairly easy to pick up.

They're still expensive, but if you see a decent price D90, get it. I upgraded from a D40 to a D2X - I got it second hand, but a couple years ago the D2X was about £4k. The D90 is under a grand brand new and is just as good - arguably better.

As I was saying around £200 was my ideal price but if it was something that would last longer around £300 would be fine I imagine.

I think there's a D80 set in the same shop in town for £380 iirc, a little out of my price range but it had everything I'd need I think.

I popped in Jessops after and the entry level Canon 1000D was just under £400.

[not spavin]

Originally Posted by The Ghost of ORR

As I was saying around £200 was my ideal price but if it was something that would last longer around £300 would be fine I imagine.

I think there's a D80 set in the same shop in town for £380 iirc, a little out of my price range but it had everything I'd need I think.

I popped in Jessops after and the entry level Canon 1000D was just under £400.

The D50 is absolutely fine, but I'd try and get hold of a D70 or higher if you can. The D40 / 50 / 60 are all great little cameras that will produce smashing pictures, but they are lacking one or two features that will annoy you after a while. The main one is autofocus - older lenses won't autofocus on these cameras, which means that you're slightly limited in terms of what second hand lenses you can buy. Not a massive deal mind you, but definitely worth paying an extra few quid for.

Whatever you buy, just make sure you've enough left over to buy a good lens. The standard lens for smaller Nikons is the Nikon 18-55 II - you should be able to get one for around £100. It's a smashing lens that'll do most things you need.

[DonkeyScabs]

Originally Posted by not spavin

The D50 is absolutely fine, but I'd try and get hold of a D70 or higher if you can. The D40 / 50 / 60 are all great little cameras that will produce smashing pictures, but they are lacking one or two features that will annoy you after a while. The main one is autofocus - older lenses won't autofocus on these cameras, which means that you're slightly limited in terms of what second hand lenses you can buy. Not a massive deal mind you, but definitely worth paying an extra few quid for.

Whatever you buy, just make sure you've enough left over to buy a good lens. The standard lens for smaller Nikons is the Nikon 18-55 II - you should be able to get one for around £100. It's a smashing lens that'll do most things you need.

I have a Nikon D90 now, and that upgrade path is exactly the one I took. The D40 is a good camera, but I quickly found myself wanting to do things that the camera wasn't capable of. The D90 has many features of a camera double it's price. It also comes with a decent zoom lens and the ability to record digital video, although I haven't used that much as yet.

[DrNo!]

Originally Posted by not spavin

The D50 is absolutely fine, but I'd try and get hold of a D70 or higher if you can. The D40 / 50 / 60 are all great little cameras that will produce smashing pictures, but they are lacking one or two features that will annoy you after a while. The main one is autofocus - older lenses won't autofocus on these cameras, which means that you're slightly limited in terms of what second hand lenses you can buy. Not a massive deal mind you, but definitely worth paying an extra few quid for.

Whatever you buy, just make sure you've enough left over to buy a good lens. The standard lens for smaller Nikons is the Nikon 18-55 II - you should be able to get one for around £100. It's a smashing lens that'll do most things you need.

The D50 has the Autofocus motor so you can use all the old Nikon lenses. I would prefer one of these over a D70 to be honest. The D70 really is old ( ancient menu system and tiny rear lcd ) .

[not spavin]

Originally Posted by DrNo!

The D50 has the Autofocus motor so you can use all the old Nikon lenses. I would prefer one of these over a D70 to be honest. The D70 really is old ( ancient menu system and tiny rear lcd ) .

Does it? Didn't realise. That's a good buy at £180 then. Some of the best pictures I've ever took were on my D40, the entry level Nikons are great.

Originally Posted by DonkeyScabs

I have a Nikon D90 now, and that upgrade path is exactly the one I took. The D40 is a good camera, but I quickly found myself wanting to do things that the camera wasn't capable of. The D90 has many features of a camera double it's price. It also comes with a decent zoom lens and the ability to record digital video, although I haven't used that much as yet.

I bought a second hand D2X instead of getting a D90. While the D2X is built like a tank, the D90 is every bit as good at most things plus it's loads lighter. I had my D2X with a 18-200 lens stuck to the front of it on holiday, and it's a total fuck on to carry.

[The Ghost of ORR]

What's best then:

a) D50 for £180 then get a 18-55m lens for around £100?

b) Canon 1000D with 18-55m lens for £399 from Jessops.