Best for budget

[Phuzion]

I need to get a digital SLR as my lowly s5000 just isnt up to the task anymore, ive set myself a budget or around 500-700 GBP and wondered what you guys recommended, so far i have in mind the following:

Nikkon D70
Nikkon D100
Fuji S2 Pro
Canon 300d

Any recommendations?

PS great forum...

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

I would add to the list...
Canon 350D (updated version of 300D)
Canon 20D (a step up from the 350D) I've got one and it's great. Better body & features than the 350D but image quality is pretty much the same, so the extra cost may not be justified for you.
Nikon D50 This is the newest DSLR from Nikon. It's entry level, so is missing a few features of the D70 but is newer technology so has great image quality and auto focus performance. Less money than the D70 as well.

Keep in mind, with your budget, that you may want to include a better lens than the kit lenses that are usually bundled with these cameras. With film cameras, the rule was that money is best spent on the lenses, rather than the body. Digital is different but lenses are still very important.

As always, I recommend that you go down to a camera shop and hold/use all of the different models. Find out which one feels good and is easy for you to control. The 350D is a very small camera, which may be good or bad for your. I like the 20D because it has a thumb wheel and is very easy to change settings on the fly, rather than having to search through menus on the LCD screen.

 

[darich]

If you have any equipment for a particular brand then i would recommend buying that make of DSLR. The lenses for a 35mm will more than likely fit the DSLR although with a 1.6 magnification factor.
I have a Canon 20D and used to have a Digital Rebel but i was influenced because I had several Canon lenses from my 35mm days that i knew would fit.
It might mean you can spend a bit more on the camera if you don't need the lenses!! :thumbup: