D-SLR Shopping List - Critique please!

Can't say about the camera batteries, but I have never had an issue with laptop batteries from ebay not lasting. Just be sure to buy a new one and not a used one.
 
OK.

The EOS 1100D is quite a bit cheaper than the D3100. 1100D is £313, the D3100 is like £347 so there's a saving there.

May be purchasing fairly soon actually. Entered a photography competition and will get £100 if I win which will be nice. :)

Good news is I won't need to RMA the Fuji so even if I don't get the D-SLR for a while I'll still have a camera.
 
Punk said:
The only thing is that once you choose a brand, you have to stay in that brand because Nikon lens and Canon lens don't have the same lens diameter.
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You don't have to stay with a brand, if you don't like the brand or it doesn't meet your expectations, be it ergonomics or whatever reason, the logical thing to do is to try a different brand and switch. It's no big deal, it's not like he got a semi-pro/pro body or has invested in quality glass to start with. When it comes to switching brands kit lenses are almost like having no lenses, that's how cheap they are sometimes.
 
Think I'll just go with the 1100D. For the time being though the Fuji is more than enough. I just want to branch out a bit. I'm not wanting to sell the Fuji in order to fund the 1100D, the Fuji will still be very handy.
 
 
Looks pretty good for an amateur setup. Will you save up and then buy a bigger lens? I've found that only having an 18-55mm can really catch you out sometimes, if you're out and about and want to shoot something far away.

Also, to throw another spanner in the works, if you're shooting moving things on motor drive, what I did was get an SD card for a movie camera, as they operate a little faster and the camera can keep up the shutter repetitions without bogging down on transfer rate.

I don't know if it's going to be as big a problem on 12mp as it is on 14mp though.
 
Yeah I'll most likely get myself a telephoto lens at some point, probably something like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00005K47Y/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=A25SSRS87SUDW9 - that look good? I'm aware I'd get around 3-4x zoom on the 18-55 lens, not sure what that lens would be. Zoom is the main reason I want to keep hold of my Fuji too, has a 30x zoom and once the photos are edited they do look pretty good.

Would an SD like this be better? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sandisk-32G...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346575060&sr=1-2 guessing that would also be fine for pictures too?

It's too bad the K-r isn't cheaper, otherwise I'd buy that over the 1100D and the D3100.
 
As long as it's a Class 6 or above SD card, you'll be fine for 10-14MP doesn't matter if it says Video or not on the label, considering the camera's burst rate is 3 frames per second.

Also, yeah definitely get the kit lens only to start with, it's a pretty decent focal length for walk-around, yeah you'll miss your extra behemoth 30X zoom, but that's a compromise you're gonna have to make, like I said before, not even the 75-300mm would get you half as far.
 
Yeah I know about the zoom, doesn't bother me too much, I'll still have the Fuji for the zoom.

Think I'll just go for the cards I had in mind.
 
This would be the one for Canon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-Asph...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346616486&sr=1-1

dtiao7eb said:
the kit 18-55mm is junk. spend the extra cash get the tamron 18-200 much more bang for buck
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Kit lenses are not junk. It gets the job done, and I find that if you treat it as two different lenses (a decently fast 18mm wide-angle lens and a pretty sharp 55mm standard/portrait lens on the telephoto end) and ignore everything in between, and you learn the best settings for different occasions on each one, you get a good grip on exposure. That sets you up for an upgrade when you feel ready.

The 18-200mm is an amazing walk-around lens, nothing can beat that wide range. But in terms of picture quality, super zoom lenses aren't THAT much better than kit lenses.

These were taken with a kit lens:

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Yeah I've been onto Amazon.com and seen images people have taken with the 1100D with the kit lens, they look great (though of course some of them may be edited... ;) ) so I think a kit lens would be fine. That lens is pretty expensive, £157.

I will see how I do for money, but I may save for longer and go for a K-r, should be better than the 1100D? Or I may just spring for the 1100D - not sure, will have to see how I do for money.
 
Tri posting for the win, haha.

OK so here's an update. Went into Comet today to have a general look round. For those of who don't know, Comet is an electrical store, we have loads of them round here. They had various cameras up for display, including both the 1100D and the 550D (and Fuji's new SL cameras which I had never seen before). Had a play with both the 1100D and the 550D, sadly I couldn't turn them on though because they didn't have batteries, but I could get a feel for them.

They were pretty similar in looks and size (the biggest difference was the 1100D was in some sort of cherry red colour scheme) but the cameras felt a bit different, notably the 1100D had a more "plasticy" body. Didn't bother me though, I thought the size and weight was quite nice. Comet are selling it with the IS lens for about £360 and the 550D with the IS lens is £500 IIRC.

Alternatively, one of my friends has a D5100 which she never uses, so I may see if I can make an offer...

EDIT: Asked for a quote on her D5100 if she doesn't mind selling it. We'll see what she comes back with.

EDIT 2: She can't sell me the D5100. :(
 
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Another update - went to school today, at break time I noticed one of the art teachers was carying a D3100 around. I spoke to him and said I was interested in purchasing one and he said I could have a go with it. So I had a feel for it and held it and stuff, it was good I thought, a bit nicer than the 1100D. So I may well get a D3100 now I think. Another benefit of the D3100 is that is a bit smaller than the 1100D, which is always good. :)

So - time for a new list!

Nikon D3100 + 18-55mm lens (that's the lens I tried today, the teacher had the kit lens) http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00403MA4M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE
32GB SD card (that's for 1080p video) http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002G12OBO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&smid=A1VV1LK4V9FDIA
16GB SD card (photos, should be more than enough) http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001W1BSM0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A23BGYIVJH2HXW
LowerPro Carry Case http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0016J7VD8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Total is £393.57

Look ok?
 
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