Looking for an SLR camera for my mum.
Budget is around $500-800
Basically she has an old analogue camera with the manual focus and nice lens etc, so she just wants a digital version of this.
Looking for recommendations or even links to good bargains if possible.
It has to be a walk in shop for warranty reasons.
I think Canon is better at the high end and Nikon is better at the low end.
I have an entry level Nikon and am 100% happy with it. I've heard some horror stories on low end Canons, recurring faults etc. They feel cheap too.
Actually, quite the other way around. I would say Nikon is used more professionally at the high end.
really agree with ronnknee…any photography enthusiasts would know nikon is much better either way
EOS 5D MkII? It is the first digital camera to be used for the official US Presidential Portrait.
Might I suggest you don't go for an SLR?
I would suggest a Canon S90. Go look at some reviews. It's the camera an DSLR user would carry if you didn't have the space.
It's RRP is A$699.
You can pick one up at Digital Camera Warehouse for A$460 but they give you a A$50 Mastercard Gift Card and a Canon Leather Case (PSCM4) worth A$35.
At A$410 really it's a real pro's camera!
I don't think she would like the canon S90, it doesn't seem to have anything she would want over a $100 camera.
Thanks for the suggestions so far, that Nikon at Officeworks is looking good.
You say she has nice lenses. If she is planning on getting more nice lenses for the new camera then go with Canon. They make arguably the best higher end (L) lenses. Otherwise either Canon or Nikon would do with stock lenses.
I have both a Canon S90 and a Nikon D90. I have also had a Nikon D40x in the past.
I like the S90 a lot, it has pretty solid performance, for something that fits in a pocket and a stack of manual control (very close to an SLR). But it is still a compact. The lens is also pretty wide, so even though it is a 4x zoom, you need to be reasonably close to your target. Still, I can take great photos in low light with no flash, which is something that isn't easy on a compact.
For the record, I got mine online through Adorama in Jan for US$400 including a stack of free stuff (extra battery, case etc). I think all up (including somewhat expensive freight) it was less than $500. The battery was a good thing due to the large LCD and no view finder.
But hey, if she wants an SLR, then go for it. Although I am a Nikon user, I tell anyone who will listen to buy either Canon or Nikon. You get a better choice of lenses over Sony/Olympus/etc and if you are buying an SLR, sooner or later you will find yourself looking at lenses. I picked Nikon because I felt the D40x (my first SLR) handled better than the equivalent Canon (there were a few other issues, like card compatibility, what I had used before, but the handling was the thing I remember). The Canon felt light and plastic in comparison (I don't doubt Canon's quality, just the feel). Ironically, my D40x died after about 15,000 shots, but the extended warranty gave me a cheap way to trade up to the D90 (an SLR will normally last much longer than my D40x though).
Nikon and Canon both have insanely good lenses across pretty much the entire range. You tend to notice Canon lenses when they are used by pro since they are grey and stand out more. I really like the Nikon AF-S 35mm 1.8g, which would be a brilliant lens for someone starting out with an SLR or even after a year or two (I don't actually have one, because I have its "big brother", the AF-S 50mm 1.4g. Had the 35mm been available at the time, I would have got that).
One a small but largely irrelevant point that should be made is old Nikon lenses won't auto-focus on cheap Nikon cameras, but that isn't a huge issue if buying new. All it means is you have to stick to AF-S lenses (and AF-I from memory). This isn't a huge issue, I am pretty sure Nikon only sells AF-S now. You can now get AF-S lenses that do pretty much everything you could ever need (a few years ago there was no 50mm 1.4 lens that would work, which was a pretty big omission).
The Nikon D3000 is pretty friendly for beginners, it is what I would recommend. Sorry for the long post.
hmm why no1 suggested PENTAX K-X ?? its great.. check the review everywhere, just google it.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxkx/page13.asp
price? with 1kit lens, only around $650 !!
this dslr can easily beat those in $1000 range.. for example:
HD movie
live view
4.7 fps
anti shaking in the BODY not lens
12MP
light weight
11 point auto focus
it comes with colours on body too.//
Officeworks has a nikon for just under $800.