New SLR Camera

[jacoh]

Hi

I know this question has probably been asked over and over. I will be buying our first SLR camera in a month or so.
1) What must I look at.
2) What brands.
3) Where to get it for the best price.
My budget will be more or less R7000 to R9000. Will mostly be used for family photos, holidays photos, on the beach and wildlife. Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[SubliminalThought]

1) you can look at specs, but do your homework and look at reviews. My recommendation is always to go in to a camera store and play with the various demo models to see what is easy for you in terms of ergonomics and interaction with the camera.

2) Nikon, Canon and Sony are the brands you will look at in that price range. The Sony system is supposedly cheaper, but I heard that if you want to get into the more special lenses they would cost more than the Nikons. You won't go wrong with either a Nikon or Canon.

3) Best bet is to do your research and then narrow it down to a few models that you are interested in. Take into account that you might buy accessories such as extra batteries, memoery cards and a bag. Once you have a few models then search or come back and ask who has the best deal on those. SACamera prices are always decent.

 

[greg_SA]

No offense, but firstly, I'd do a search in this forum - this has been discussed many times

Also, what camera do you currently have? At that price range, you'll be looking at something quite entry level - try Nikon and Canon. You might be able to stretch to a Nikon D5000 with 18-105mm lens - it is a nice walk around setup and covers a very useful zoom range.

 

[Rosaudio]

Go with an entry level body, something like a D3000 or 1000D and then spend the rest of your budget on accessories and lenses

 

[flarkit]

I'd agree with greg_SA and Rosaudio. If you want to be kitted out, then you'd be looking at the entry-level Canon 1000D or Nikon D3000. The body + 18-55mm lens kit is approx R6,000 (or R7,000 with added 55-200mm lens). Then add a backpack, extra battery, lens cleaning kit, 4Gb SD card and you're looking at R8,000-R9,000. But if you're either an enthusiast, or are willing to wait a bit for the lenses, I'd go for a step up, like the 450D, or D5000, which offer slightly better functionality.

 

[bwana]

Since canon are end of lifing the 450D you should start seeing some pretty sweet deals on it soon.

 

[Krypty]

Also check out www.dpreview.com for reviews and comparisons between camera's

 

[Brawler]

Go with an entry level body, something like a D3000 or 1000D and then spend the rest of your budget on accessories and lenses

I'd rather spend a little more and get something in the D5000, 550d range. Love my D3000 but now that I am finding my way around a dSLR would like AEB etc

 

[bwana]

I'd rather spend a little more and get something in the D5000, 550d range. Love my D3000 but now that I am finding my way around a dSLR would like AEB etc

As far as I'm aware all of the canons have AEB and not just the higher end consumer models. Unless video is a must have (and why shouldn't it be) then even the base 1000D/450D would do the job.