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‘I have a budget of £500 and I want to get a digital SLR. What would you recommend?’
This is one of the most common questions asked of the staff at Park Cameras. It’s likely that if you’re in this position then you don’t already own lenses from any particular manufacturer’s system which means there are numerous options available to you. It wasn’t long ago that Canon released the 300D, the first digital SLR to be sold ‘body only’ for under £1000. At the time this was a real breakthrough but things have moved quickly over recent years. Now Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Sony all offer a body and lens kit for under £500 so you’re spoilt for choice. To help you out a little in narrowing down your decision we’ve put together a brief guide to explain the benefits of each manufacturer’s offering.

Canon are currently the market leaders in digital SLRs. They are used by amateurs and professionals around the world and offer the widest range of lenses available. The depth of the system is one of the main advantages of buying a Canon camera. You’ll have an extensive upgrade path available to you and if you join any camera clubs you’ll very likely find a large proportion of members shooting with Canon cameras, all eager to share knowledge and accessories. The 1000D is the entry point into the Canon range and shares much of the same technology found in the professional models further up the scale. Some of the headline features are: Live view shooting with an optional grid overlay, self cleaning sensor, 3 frames per second shooting until the card is full and a 7 point autofocus system.

Nikon D3000 + 18-55mm II VR

Like Canon, Nikon have a vast range of lenses and accessories available for their system and are used by professional photographers worldwide in myriad shooting environments. Again like the Canon models, the technologies found in the flagship cameras filter down into the entry level models. The D3000 can shoot at 3 frames per second and has an 11 point autofocus system and a bright 3” screen for reviewing images. What makes this camera particularly suited to first time users is the unique ‘Guide Mode’. This mode helps the user to understand what effect changing various settings on the camera will make to the picture without any technical jargon, just plain and simple English. The bundled lens has good image quality for a kit lens and has then benefit of built in Vibration Reduction (VR) to help you achieve blur free images in low light.

Olympus E-450 + ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens

If you’re looking to upgrade from a compact camera but find yourself put off by the size and weight of most DSLRs then the E-450 could be the answer. It is currently the worlds smallest DSLR. The Olympus E-system uses a sensor slightly smaller than those found in the other manufacturers DLSRs and as a result the camera as well as the lenses can be more compact and lighter. Main features of the E-450 include a 2.7” LCD with Live view shooting, up to 3.5 frames per second, inbuilt dust reduction and extensive array of shooting modes to match to any occasion. You can get a great value twin lens kit enabling you to shoot sports and wildlife with a longer lens unbelievably still under £500: Olympus E-450 + ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm + ED 40-150mm lenses

Sony Alpha A230 + 18-55mm

Sony may be relatively new to the DSLR market but when they launched the Alpha range they did so with the technology they inherited from Minolta, including the lens mount which means these new cameras are backwards compatible with a vast array of Minolta ‘A mount’ lenses. The main feature to set the A230 apart from it’s competitors is the inbuilt Steadyshot function. Much like the Nikon lens mentioned earlier, the Steadyshot function enables you to hand-hold photographs in low light situations whilst avoiding camera shake ruining your images. The benefit of building this technology into the camera is that any lens you then mount benefits from stabilisation. Other features of note are a high ISO setting of 3200 and a 9 point autofocus system with cross type centre point for increased speed and accuracy

As with the Olympus, there is a great value twin lens kit available also:
Sony Alpha A230 + 18-55mm + 55-200mm Kit

As you can see, there are some very good options available for under £500, you’ll need to add a memory card to use the camera but other than this the packages above include everything you’ll need to begin shooting. A spare battery and protective case are always recommended and if you want to get the most out of your new equipment then our training courses are worth considering: http://www.parkcameras.com/article/131/Training.html