Dslr Camera For About £200

[ayabrea38]

Can anyone please advise me on a camera for my son.I want to buy him a DSLR camera,as he has shown an interest in them,and as it is his 18th,I thought it might be a good thing for him to build on.Problems are:-
1.I messed up BADLY....the camera that I thought ticked all the boxes,a Canon SX30 IS, had really impressive reviews,and met well within budget,turns out it is a bridging camera,ie you don't buy lenses/filters for it.Thankfully the seller is giving me a full refund.
2.I have only 2 weeks left......
3.Everything I have learnt is now swimming around in the grey sludge that was once my brain and I feel like a headless chicken with every day that passes.It did not help that the 'friends' I asked for advice from have suddenly left the country,and the whole family is now in the grips of a horrid tummy bug.
I was going to buy online anyway,I don't like to get out and about much now cos of my disability,but after discovering the Canon was a bridge,confidence in myself has also plummeted.
He will be using the camera for many different types of photography,which will change every few weeks as he grows,so I am not that hung up on what type of photography a certain one is supposed to be good at,but thought with the lenses available it will be up to him.I am restrained by a budget of around £200,but no more than another 10%(Hubby will need time to see that this is well worth the money,yes I know you can buy them for under £40,but point and shoot?Please?!?)
Any advice as to what camera,or where from would be wonderful,and I promise my son will mention you in his first mega money book. :)

[shoota]

If you can find a shop with some Nikon D3100 kits still left you should be able to get one within your £220 max budget. It was recently replaced by the D3200 which has more pixels and loads of features you'll never use, The D3100 is a great starter camera, just make sure it is bundled with a lens and is not just the camera body by itself.
If you start with a Nikon you are into a system that will grow with your abilities and will all work with everything else that Nikon have made since the year dot.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nikon-D3100-14-2MP-camera-with-18-55-lens-still-boxed-with-battery-SD-card-etc-/291198119574?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item43ccc2ae96

[Fitzer]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but £220 will only just get you the cheapest DSLR there is without a lens, either the Canon EOS 1100D or the Nikon D3100 and even then you'd have to be quite lucky. This is a good website which tracks prices www.camerapricebuster.co.uk you might find items from import sellers cheaper but you do have the risk of customs charges and warranties not being valid.It might be better to go to a trusted used equipment seller such as http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk (you'll see their advert on camera price buster's website, I know mostly about Canon so that's what I looked at, I'd avoid the 10D/20D/30D as they are now quite old, the 1100D is still a good starter camera and the EF-S 18-55mm IS lens would make a good starter (note this is not a telephoto lens, it's good for people/landscapes etc not wildlife/birds). You should be able to get both for under £200, although they're an online store they are helpful on the phone. I have no connection to either of the websites listed they are just ones I have used, there are several other secondhand sellers out there, you could search Ffordes & Mifsuds as they have good reputations as well.
Good luck

[shoota]

I'm afraid I must agree with Fitzer, I have been unable to find a new D3100 with a lens for your budget. The cheapest being just shy of £300.
However I have found a D3000 body factory reconditioned that would leave enough to source a compatible lens:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NIKON-D3000-BODY-REFURBISHED-UK-DEALER-STOCK-1-YEAR-GTEE-/141351988308?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item20e93c2c54

[kvalidir]

If he's not fussy about it being brand new get him a Sony Alpha preferably an A700. I shoot with one of these and a Sony A900 and they are everything you could want in a DSLR and dirt cheap with the advantage that you can use the only Minolta lenses on them which now have obsolete Minolta bodies, and thus are terribly cheap but outstanding quality. I was advised this and given my two by a professional photographer when I started shooting bands about 3 years ago, and they keep up with Canon and Nikon very well for far less money. If you want brand new you will struggle with your budget as Fitzer says.

[shoota]

Something like this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nikon-AF-S-DX-VR-Nikkor-18-55mm-F-3-5-5-6-G-Lens-SN-14-063-/251602279960?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item3a94aa1e18

[kvalidir]

old Minolta lens not only- sorry autotext :(

[ayabrea38]

Thank you Fitzer,Shoota and Kvalidir,for your very interesting answers.Sorry,I should of said,he would HATE for me to buy new,he is a well savvy shopper and believes in the power of the used market.(I taught him well)The Nikon D3100 has been cropping up a fair bit,and I do like the fact it can grow with him and the compatability.This might be a very good thing if the used/second had market is plentiful,cos I hope to be adding to it a little each year.Nikon,Canon and Sony are all names we both heard of,and would be willing to go with any,but are the Canon and Sony as easy to buy for I wonderI do wish that Nikon was Buy It Now!!!
I do like the idea of going to a specific used camera shop,so thanks for those links,I don't know if I will buy from one of these or the old Amazon/eBay route.All I can say at the moment is I don't know if my nerves can take a bidding battle.I will however be making him up a list of good shops(like the one which kindly gave me a refund)for him to look at,so I will add those to it.

Much thanks,you have given me hope!
Off I go to follow up those links :)

[jomifl]

See if you can get an 'ex display' model. Many sellers sell goods including cameras as 'ex display' when they have never been out of the box. I got 25% off a sony a850 as 'ex display' and mrs jom got a fancy sewing machine half price as factory reburbished, neither of which had ever been touched by human hand since manufacture.

[shoota]

I use a Nikon F90 which I bought 'factory reconditioned' some years ago and when it came it was indistinguishable from new so I would have no hesitation in recommending A) Nikon and B) factory reconditioned.
That D3000 would do fine, it has the same pixel count as the D3100 but probably not quite so sophisticated features, 90% of which you won't use anyway.
Should you choose that route just make sure the lens you buy is fully compatible with that body as some cameras now don't have motors in the body to power the lens, the lens motor being actually in the lens.

[Prudie]

You could also look on Amazon used, I always think Amazon is just a little more trustworthy than ebay and their delivery is usually pretty good and fast. There are several on the link I've added below. For no technical reason below I think most peeople strating out would prefer a nikon or canon because those are the names with kudos in photography - I admit I didn't even know Sony did camers. I have a Canon EOS 1000D and it does far http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=used%20dslr%20camera&;sprefix=used+DSLR%2Celectronics%2C194more than I can begin to master. Good luck whatever you choose.

[Prudie]

^that was weird but you get my drift!

[jomifl]

Prudie, Sony took over the Minolta camera business some while ago. Minolta made probably the best amateur slr(dynax 7000i) at the time and the current dslr range is a development of that range.

[Prudie]

I've learnt that today so thank you, obviously I'd heard of Minolta and knew its excellent reputation

[jomifl]

Minolta AF lenses will usually be compatible with sony DSLRs and can be quite cheap.

[kvalidir]

Yeah they are, I've got tons of them I bought for very little. It was one of the reasons that Sony was suggested to me, you can get the old Carl Zeiss glass for virtually nothing in a Minolta fit, similar for Canon or Nikon is crazy. also the nice thing about Sony is that the anti shake is built into the body not the lens like Canon, so it's a lighter outfit altogether and since I shoot at gigs mostly that's very beneficial.

[jomifl]

kval, I already had a stack of minolta lenses, so it wasn't a case of which make but of waiting until Sony brought out a model that fitted my requirements. Very glad I did.

[ayabrea38]

Hi again,
I have found a Cannon EOS T3 1100D with a 18-55mm IS II lens kit and an 8Gb memory card for the staggering price of.....£202.00!!!!!!!!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canon-EOS-T3-1100D-Digital-SLR-Camera-Body-Canon-18-55-IS-II-Lens-Kit-/151006542269?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item2328b0f9bd&;_sid=2048038
Is this too good to be true?
Any answers would be great,cos this is just what I want for him,and the price,well I think I can go £2 over budget IF I am reading correct.

[ladybirder]

66 Negative feedbacks in the last month would worry me. Have a read through them and see what you think. Your call aya.

[ayabrea38]

Thanks,I was slightly concerned,but I thought maybe if their positive feedback was high this month too,it might offset it???

Oh wish me luck then,I'm going to go for it,time is running out and Hubby just might cut my budget if I don't order something soon (or as he has threatened,he will go out and buy something I KNOW our son does not want,cos he told me he would be very happy to...ahem have a new hobby that involved his art work too.....hint hint!!)

Thanks for answering,I'll let you know how it goes.

[ladybirder]

Please do and I hope it goes well.