Help me!!

[chris-p]

Warehouse Express are good (the people I linked to) and they're usually pretty competitive as well.

[ether]

Originally Posted by shoot_me

cheers guys but i wouldnt buy form abroad so thats ok. just looking for a good deal, plus that guy from cardiff narrowed down my opptions lol is there many good online stores???

My favourite is Amazon
Allways Goolgle the supplier before buying see what others say about them

wish I'd done that about Simply Electronics!

Ed

[ether]

Originally Posted by chris-p

Warehouse Express are good (the people I linked to) and they're usually pretty competitive as well.

the problem I had with Warehouse Express is they use City-link couriers who are the worst set of cowboys I have ever had the misfortune to deal with and cost me £30 to put their B"3sup right

other than that yes they are good with keen prices

Ed

[shoot_me]

cheers fellas most helpful!!

[wavemachine]

Some excellent advice there, certainly a bridge camera will give you a lot more control than your current one and I reckon based on what you have told us it is the right choice.

I have a Canon 40D which I love to bits but some time it is just too much to lug around so I invested in a Canon SX10IS and am really impressed with it.

Before you go for an SX120 which you seem to favor there are a couple of things to consider that the SX20 has, firstly it has double the optical Zoom range and secondly a flip out display, these are really handy firstly you can angle it to get more awkward shots and secondly you can fold the screen away so it is unexposed so won't get scratched etc, also there is the shutter response time to consider which I believe will be quicker on the SX20. COmes back to finding a Camera shop that wants your business and will let you try the cameras.

Tripods were mentioned earlier, I agree they are quite chunky to lug around, however you may want to think about something like a Gorilla pod which is more portable and can be wrapped around fences etc to give stability, they are compact as well, I would only consider this if you are going to get into situations where you think you will need one.

Finally consider joining a camera club, they can give specific advice and of course provide inspiration, I have also got a lot of great advice from books, magazines and forums such as this. Also they may be able to recomend specific courses., if you do want to go down the course route then look carefully as the Digital Photography ones seem to be from my experience more about using the basic functions of the camera, getting your pictures off and basic manipulation.

Enjoy

[shoot_me]

thanks really much for that.
i am lucky enuogh to know a pro photographer which is my uncles best mate. he entered me in loads of comps when i was young so he can give me a hand to start off!! lol
my girlfriend has said she will buy me one for my 30th in december for around £350 so does that change my options at all??

[shoot_me]

gent iv been looking at the Sony a230 DSLR, what are your thoughts on it??

[shoot_me]

and also the Plypus E-420 with an extra telephoto lens

[chris-p]

One brief comment with regards to the SX120/SX20 and shutter lag/response times. As they use the same processors and buffers there shouldn't be any difference unless Canon have specifically slowerd the SX120 down. Firgures suggest the SX20 is slightly faster but not much (a few milliseconds only)

With SLRs things are a little different. It really depends on which lenses you're getting as part of the kit. Personally I like the older Sony's but the new ones seem really plasticy, cheap and poorly screwed together so I've gone off them a bit!

I started with an Olympus and loved it. The only caveat I would add is that the E-420 doesn't have image stabilisation in the body and you can't buy stabilised lenses for the 4/3 mount. If you can get an E-510/E-520 that might well be a better option.

[shoot_me]

the E-520 looks a good deal. thats the one then!! cheers lads