Which digital SLR to go for

[Mrs.wchopper]

I'm looking to buy my first DSLR, but don't know too much about them. I've been looking through some reviews and so on and have narrowed it down to the Olympus E400SE, the Canon EOS400D or the Nikon D40X.
Can anyone recommend the best one from these three, I'm being pulled towards the Canon at the mo.

Thanks

[ACtheTROLL]

the conon is still prety much the undisputed champ

[vehelpfulguy]

Instead of going to the high cost of the "proper" SLR why not go for what they call a hybrid SLR.

Hybrid SLR camera sit somewhere between the small compact cameras and the top end SLRs.

"proper" SLR cameras come with only one lens, and if you want anything outside the range of that lens you have to buy other lenses, which can be very expensive.

"hybrid" SLR cameras come with a lens fixed to the camera, but the range can be huge, between 28mm to 300mm for example, so you would probably never need another lens.

Below for example is a FujiFilm FinePix S6500FD at only �150 pounds, which is an absolute bagain.

Unless you are doing absolutly high quality pictures you will probably not notice the difference between a picture taken with that and a "proper" SLR.

It has almost all the settings of a proper SLR, allowing you to choose the ISO rating, apeture priority and so on.

You say yourself you dont know much about SLR cameras, so why not spend �150 on the Fuji to "learn" more about photography, and progress to a proper SLR in a year or two when you know more about them.

http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/store/dix_page .jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1485551035.1189073346@@@ @&BV_EngineID=ccefaddlmdjhffkcflgceggdhhmdgmj. 0&page=Product&fm=undefined&sm=undefined&tm=un defined&sku=871056&category_oid=-32295

[Doc Spock]

I have a Fuji Finepix E 550. An absolute belter. Goes up to 12 million pixels.

�157 from amazon last year. Need to buy bigger capacity xd card though.
This does everything it is fantastic.

[vehelpfulguy]

Here are sone review of the 6500fd

http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/ review/2006/10/24/Fujifilm-FinePix-S6500fd/p1

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/cameras/Fuji% 206700/page-1.html

http://www.cameras.co.uk/videoguides/fuji-fine pix-s6500fd.cfm

There are of course other hybrid SLR cameras, but I think it is now a bargain because this model is being replaced so they are selling them off cheaper.

[ACtheTROLL]

Gawd ...
the whole point of an SLR is that you can buy different lenses

and also get total control over all aspects - with raw format output ....even the "darkroom" process.

MrsW has done her research ... obviously she isn't a newb
and knows what she's wanting to do
"almost all the settings" - the camera on my phone has "almost all the settings"

and I have a compact, hybrid and SLR (as well as a film SLR) - and they all do very different jobs -
snaps pikkies and photography
It's like being told ... forget the lotus or porche .... a mini actually holds more people ... and a week's shopping

[vehelpfulguy]

>Gawd ... the whole point of an SLR is that you can buy different lenses

sorry ACtheTroll I did not realise it was your own personal answerbank at that you were the only one allowed to put answers.

I wont bother to put any more answers as you obviously know everything.

[Mrs.wchopper]

Thank you for your help folks, please lets not get into a fight! I have been photographing for a long time now with a good compact digital, but now want the different effects and indeed challenges a digital SLR can offer me to try and take my photography to the next level.
ACthe Troll - given that you have all the different types of camera, which digital SLR would you recommend?

[Teddio]

I've been using an Olympus E500 for the past 18 months and it's lived up to my highest expectations. Olympus digital SLRs have an excellent ultrasonic CCD cleaning facility. Digital SLRs can suffer problems with dust on the CCD especially if lenses are frequently changed .

[jharps]

eos400 def, then get a 300 lens and your welll away