Help!!! need help deciding on first Digital SLR :-)

[ShaunZ]

I've always had a point and shoot camera but decided it's time I made the jump. I've used my dads old SLR back in the days, so have an idea how things work.
But when I started researching on what to buy.. wow!!! let just say that the information available is just sooo much. I'm begining to understand the technical terms but don't really know too much although I'm as lost as ever on which model/brand to go with.
So I'm hoping some of the experts out here can give me a hand :-)

I want to make sure I start with a good brand because I can see how it can be expensive if you decide to swap later on. Since I'm starting out I've got two options,

1) Brand new camera

Here are my requirements

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Budget
- Entry level/Beginers around $700-800 US (I converted from NZ $ as Im in NZ)

Size
- Size doesn't matter

Features
- not looking at blowing up to massive sizes so anything higher than 6MP would do
- “image quality” I'd rate at atleast 7-8 (it's pretty important)


* What will you generally use the camera for?
Mostly indoor, landscape and portrait.. but I'd love to do some close up so will invest in a Macro lens eventually

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Not planning on it but would be nice to have the option

* Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Again not a lot, but having the option available is good

* Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Same as above, something with a quick response time and decent AF would be good. Does a higher # of AF points mean that it's good for action shots?

* Are there particular brands you like or hate?
Open to all brand, but here in NZ it seems that Canon and Nikon are the easiest to find lenses for

* Are there particular models you already have in mind?
Sony alpha-200, Canon 350/400D, Nikon D40/60, Olympus E-410/420/510

* (If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
- Image stabiliser looks realy good for me, don't have the steadiest hands you see. But this causes a lot of problems as the popular brands like Canon and Nikon don't seem to have this in their body and the lenses with this cost a lot. So is it worth is to go for a Sony or Olympus just for this reason?
- Not too fussed about the Live view
- The dust reducing/cleaning sensor in some cameras seems like a good idea too
-

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2) Here's my other option, A Second hand Camera!!! Preferred one at this point

There's a few of these on sale on trading sites. Can anyone recommend me a slightly older model taking in to consideration what I've put down on the requirements above?

These are few of the models I've come accross
Olympus E-300
Olympus E-330
Canon EOS 300
Canon EOS 350
Nikon D40/x
Nikon D70/s
Pentax K100
Sony Alpha-100
Konica Minolta Dynax 5D

Any info you can provide me with at this point would be great guys. I know the best thing to do is to try a camera out, but I don't have the luxury of doing this. I've tried the Olympus E-410 and the Canon 350D, liked both and couldn't really tell much of a difference as I only had it for a few minutes.

Cheers :-)

[jekostas]

In terms of different brands, I'm partial to Olympus, but that's personal. The lenses are excellent, and I've found that for the same pricepoint, Olympus cameras tend to offer more features than the competition. On the downside, you're right, lenses are tough to find as there aren't very many good third-party options. The 4xx series does not have in-body IS, but the 5xx series does. Olympus also makes some excellent, excellent macro lenses (the Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50 mm F 2.0 Macro is a very highly regarded).

I personally have an E-510 and I quite enjoy the camera. One other nice thing is that the kit lenses sold with Olympus cameras are of excellent quality.

I would also not discount a Live View feature, especially if you're doing studio macro. The ability to do focus checks using the image zoom feature on a 2.5" LCD is incredibly useful.

[raven15]

I agree with jekostas. In my case, I deliberately got an E-410 with no IS. Partly to test the water on my first DSLR, partly because I was poor and wanted extra lenses instead of IS, and partly because I figured after a year of taking pictures with no IS I'd be a sharp-shooting pro once I did get it. So now I'm waiting for a new small camera with IS and enough other compelling features to make me think it is worth paying for over the E-410.

Oly lenses are hard to find comparitively, but they are worth it. Do the research. They are smaller and cheaper, and generally better, with more zoom range to boot, I sometimes wonder why more people don't ever do the comparison.

My second favorite is the canon 400D, mostly because I like looking through the viewfinder. Though, that camera body might just have the best IQ of the lot as well. But, research them all. Look at which is best for you, as opposed to which is best for some nebulous internet identity. That includes an in depth review of upgrade lenses.

[AlexMonro]

An important consideration which is sometimes overlooked is how well the camera fits your hands. For example, the Olympus E410 is one of the smallest DSLRs available, and might not be quite so comfortable to use if you have large hands. The positioning of the controls and the viewfinder size and viewpoint are also a matter of personal preference. So it is a good idea to get to a camera shop and try out as many models as possible.

A few other points - the range of lenses available is a consideration, especially if you might want something more specialised, for example a tilt-shift (perspective control) lens, for which Canon and Nikon have the best range, although Hartblei make one available in most mounts. Macro lenses are available from most DSLR manufacturers, and some excellent models are also available from 3rd party lens makers, such as Sigma, Tamron & Tokina, to fit most DSLRs.

In body Image Stabilisation is possibly slightly less effective than in lens at long focal lengths, though has the obvious advantage of being availble on all your lenses at no extra cost, and in addition to Sony and Olympus, Pentax (and Samsung) have included it on their more recent DSLRs, though if you do go for 2nd hand, be aware that it wasn't on the K110D and the *ist models. Pentax have comparatively good support for older lenses that you might find 2nd hand.

Also, you should be aware that the Nikon D40(x) and D60 don't have a focus motor in the body, so will only auto focus with AF-S type lenses, which might restrict your lens choice somewhat.

[ShaunZ]

Thanx jekostas, raven15 and AlexMonro for the advice. It's good to hear some good points on Olympus, I do like the brand but didn't give it much thought before due to the lack of lenses. I'll be putting it in to the hat now.

I'm planning to head to a camera shop tomorrow to try out a few of these.

I do have another question, when I was looking around the internet it looked like the Sony alpha 100 or 200 seems to give good value for money. But when I looked further most people were saying that whille the Sony camera bodies are great, the kit lenses are not good and produce poor quality pictures. And it seems, to get a decent lense you have to spend a lot of money. Do you know if this is true?

[S_p_i_d_e_r]

Brand new: Canon 450D (excellent image quality), Pentax K200D (very good image quality, weather seals, image stabiliser, AA powered)

Used: Pentax K100D