Anyone out there fancy themselves as a bit of a photographer?   I know there are a few pro-photographers on here too...   So... My question is this - can you recommend an entry-level digital SLR to someone (i.e. me) looking to upgrade from a point & snap?   Plus any useful learning resources e.g. mags (online or hard copy) as I really don't know the first thing about SLRs! lol   Main eventual aim (if all things go according to plan) will be for close up shots of jewellery... but I also love taking landscape pics, close-up flora & fauna shots and gig pics. So I'm ideally looking for an all-rounder I suppose, but being a bit of a numpty when it comes to differentiating between specs!   Thanks in advance you lovely people you                                                                                                                                                                              

Most serious amateurs and semi-pros that I know would go for the entry-level Nikon or Canon models, with a nod towards Olympus and Pentax. FWIW the latest Which? survey of DSLRs in April gave best buy status to the Canon EOS350D at £342, with the considerably more expensive Nikons (D50 and D80) offering similar quality. Most pro photographers in the newspaper and magazine sector just buy Nikon without a second thought, but their kind of kit would cost you as much as a decent second-hand car. Advice from a good shop can be invaluable. If you haven't got an independent  in your neck of the woods then try Jessops. Curries/Dixons depend very much on the enthusiasm of individual membes of staff, but PC World is a computer company with bolted-on photographic section. Digital Depot in Stevenage is an independent I've used with knowledgeable staff and a good mail order service. Have you considered one of the 'bridge' camers with non-interchangeable lens but many of the facilities of a DSLR? Fuji S9600 is a good one £169.99 refurbished and guaranteed direct from Fuji - I've just checked their website. As for magazines etc, just browse your local newsagent until you find one that doesn't blind you with jargon. And remember a good photographer will get great results from mediocre kit - but not the other way round! Tangoman may have some thoughts when he gets back from holiday as he's the resident pro snapper on this forum.                                                                                                                                                                             

Cheers Wills - I knew I'd seen someone mention on the forums about photography :-)

*drums fingers awaiting the Tangoman's return* lol

Some good tips there to keep me going in the interim anyway. Never even heard of 'bridge' cameras so I'll go have a google on them later.

I'm currently using a Sony Cybershot... I've forgotten the model number, but it's a fairly aged one... It's a nice little camera and great for snaps, but I'm not getting great quality for the jewellery photos. That's not a problem for the cheap and cheerful gear that I'm making, but I'm beginning to make slightly more specialised pieces and if I'm going to attempt to sell them via online venues, getting a decent photo will make all the difference to the price levels I'm going to be able to command.

I also thought it'd be an idea to keep a good portfolio of my special creations, so that when I'm doing the boring days at craft fairs and the like, I've got some evidence to hand of commissioned pieces etc.

My technique's gradually improving, but I think it'd be an idea to have a good read-up and really get the hang of taking a decent shot. At the moment it's a lot of trial and error with lighting and background surfaces... I thought about taking yet another nightschool course but I'm already doing 2 lessons a week and they've just hiked the fees up yet again, so time and moneywise, I'm thinking maybe I can teach myself adequately instead! lol

I bought my daughter a Juji Finepix S5700 after her desire to get a camera for her xmas prezzie last xmas, I went and looked on line for reveiws and for the price what a hell of a lot of USEFUL features it's got including a Macro right down to just 10mm (need aux lighting that near as the built in flash cannot light the subject) and it has image stabalising software so free hand sports shots are a doddle too 7meg is not the highest but with a great lens all the 7meg can infact be used. Hope that's a help (the camera has been updated to S5800 maybe higher now I think so that one is 8meg) It is a bridge type camera with software taking a hand in the fixed lens' trickery to do several taskes, but seams to be an excellent buy.                                                                                                                                                                             

Thanks HR... that all-important phrase "USEFUL features"   It's rather a minefield out there for a complete numpty but I'm beginning to get a little understanding of the terminology! lol                                                                                                                                                                             

Well I read what you wanted it for so I'd say the Fuji Finepix cameras would do the job for a small outlay compaired to the others mentioned. :o)                                                                                                                                                                              

Hull750 could well be right. I'd go the Fuji website at www (dot) fujifilm.co.uk  and then go via the Fujishop button on the left and get to the refurbished cameras section. Plenty of bargains there. Although I'm not a pro photographer I work with many of them and although Nikons are pretty well universal for their professional duties, their private cameras for family outings etc are overwhelmingly Fuji.                                                                                                                                                                             

A far smaller outlay than I'd envisaged :o)

Thanks very much both!

I reckon that calls for a beer at the FY for HR and a wee bevvy next time I venture to Liverpool for Wills :o) You've saved me hundreds of squids! lol

Shame they're all out of refurbed S5700s - at £79.99 - bargain! But I could push the boat out and go for a S9600 and still pay way less than I was expecting to. Have to take a mooch around the shops tomorrow and take a first hand look at them.

Yes look me up at FY :o) I'll be marshalling with my daughter over the weekend :o) nice to meet an appriciative woman lol, cheers WB x                                                                                                                                                                             

so i'm resident evil sorry photographer aye!!!lost my bloody camera on Gibralter some barbary ape is now takin his girlfriends piccys with my sanyo!!got a hundred miles up the rd an suddenly clicked that Gib is duty free[hence all the Spaniards queuin for miles to get in the place!!]so could have got a replacement at bargain prices!!DOH!!!had a disposable camera with me so got some pics but may as well get postcards cos on yer own yu jus photograph yer bike a hundred times! replaces photographin the kid's!!!i use a nikon D200 for most my work with a std 28-70 zoom which is excellent for most things[i have portrait an wide angle sigma lenses also ] most cameras have way to many gizmos on em which yu never use half the time,fujis are good get yerself a little tripod for your still life shots an use  window light[diffused by the net curtain for softer shots] use a white card to reflect light back on the shadow side,a useful feuture to have is manual overide so yu can play around with the exposures etc!great thing is yu aint wastin film experimentin!most digital piccys can be improved greatly by messin around after in photoshop where yu can crop an change contrasts etc!always use the highest resolution for your shots then when yu crop yu dont lose to much quality![yu cant put pixels back!] there are free editin programmes around one is irfanview hope this is some use Dave. 

An excellent site for camera reviews and independent. http://www.dpreview.com/                                                                                                                                                                             

Ooooh! Cheers for the link Bluesbiker - looks pretty comprehensive at first glance :-)

Welcome back TM - good tips there thanks :-) Bummer about losing your camera though :-(

I work at home with a Mac and I don't think Photoshop's available in a Mac version, although I'm prepared to stand corrected! lol The image editing software that comes as bog standard with the Mac seems pretty good to a numpty like myself though and there are plenty of options available otherwise.

I'll probably bump into you during marshalling duties at some stage then HR - it appears I've been volunteered for a couple of shifts too ;-) Still - with the lot I'm meeting up with there, it sounds like it'll make a welcome break from serious drinking... couple of shandies & I'm under the table so it's probably just as well! lol

Stand corected, Wannabe!   Photoshop has always been available for Macs, in fact it was originally written for Macs...                                                                                                                                                                             

Most people in the business are a bit the other way round, Mac men (and women) one and all and surprised to discover Photoshop's available on a PC! Full-feature Photoshop would be horribly expensive overkill for your needs and would probably do your head in. Try Photoshop Elements instead - not the cheapest even now, but with lots of good quality back-up documentation that makes life so much easier. The latest version is Elements 6 (I think) and is about 60 quid (ish). Programs like Irfanview and GIMP are free and pretty powerful (GIMP especially), but you can't wander in to your local book or computer shop and check out a shelf-full of manuals in the same way you can for Elements. Not sure if they're available in Mac versions anyway.                                                                                                                                                                               

Absolutely PMSL now... D'oh! @ me... If I could get the smileys to work on this thing, I'd be doing the seriously blushy face now!

*hangs head in shame*

There's something I can't get for Mac... honest... no idea what it is, obviously! lol

I already have a GIMP Wills. *WEG*


Eeek! Did I say that out loud?! *shocked smiley*

Paint Shop Pro?

Paint... sounds a bit like Photo... *ahem*

I think I'd better stop digging, while I can still peer out of this hole! lol