Tír Na HiFi

Thank you all. I definitely won't be buying anything without handling it, and I've seen a few people say they prefer the feel of the Nikon. In fact, I've seen it said that recommendations for one over the other are generally tribal!

Fran, your post above makes complete sense, and to be honest, was something I strongly suspected to be the case before I even started. I know that getting good results from a (D)SLR takes more work and I accept that completely, but it makes it very difficult to interpret advice as offered (again, not so much here as in real life). Ultimately I've no real fear of learning anything, and if a bit of geekery will pay dividends...well...I'm not wearing a beard and glasses for nothing! What's not clear is whether people who recommend staying away from DSLR are saying:

a) You have to spend far more than you're talking about spending to see an improvement over point-and-shoot;
b) Point-and-shoot will give better image quality for less money;
c) For your intended use, DSLR is probably not the right tool.

or whether it's more like

a) I tried DSLR and I found it an inconvenient and expensive pain in the arse;
b) I saw some great photos once that somebody took with an iPhone;
c) I'd say you'll never figure out how to use it and you'll leave it on auto and you'll be disappointed with the results and you'll wonder why you wasted your money and don't come crying to me and...
d) You're probably just a crap photographer and you couldn't take a decent photo with the best equipment in the world.

(For what it's worth I've had some variety of all of these responses!)

I suppose I'm guilty of comparing everything back to the hifi world, but in my head point-and-shoot is like an Arcam Solo with decent midrange speakers, whereas DSLR is like a turntable, valves and electrostatics. Get the latter wrong and it's awful, get it right and it's magic, but the buyer needs to decide whether they could be arsed or not. Is that fair to say?

The bottom line is a *want* to buy a DSLR and learn how to use it, and if I had a large enough supply of money I'd just go ahead and do that without a thought. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Goddamn this recession!!!!

Still, it's all good fun isn't it?

Just to wade in with my tuppence worth. If you're going to be even semi serious about it go for a DSLR. Get a decent camera body and as funds and interest permit get progressively better lenses. Unless you're going to be blowing up images to insane sizes 15mp is enough, and will go to an A3 print without loss. Taking your time to take a picture with a good DSLR is well worth the effort.
FWIW I've used Canon 35mm and digital SLR's for years and they've never let me down,they've been dropped, banged, used in harsh conditions and keep on performing. I think that Canon do a half day training course as part of the deal with new cameras. They also send out occasional tutorials by email if you register your camera online.
As an all purpose lens an 18-200 is good. I use one and rarely need to swop it out. It's also worthwhile holding onto your compact and using it for everyday stuff.
John Gunn cameras on Camden Street (over the road from Whelans) are a small family run business and are very good. A nephew of mine is a professional photographer and finds that they're the best around.

It just happens that i have a camera to sell to purchase some new hifi equipment.Its a Canon 550d less than a year old. Included is a Canon 18-55mm f3-5 image stabilized lens.Canon 55-200mm f4 image Stabilized lens. 58mm UV filter to fit both lens.Meike portrait battery grip.Nissin DI866 external pro flash.3 genuine canon batteries, 2 chargers and 1 travel charger.Screen protector.4gb sd card.I know this is not the classified section but as we are talking camera's i am looking for 930euros.Can email some pictures if needed

.Can email some pictures if needed

How will you take the pictures Tim ? :-)

Well i am a Kerryman,thats my excuse and sticking too it

Well lots of very grounded advice mentioned so far, sorry for not getting in earlier but I have been tied up lately.

The fantastic thing about photography today is the amazing choice which is on offer. Even a humble mobile phone can take pictures of high quality. Even cameras which are no longer made are still available on the internet.

There are many different formats, mobile phones, compacts, Bridge cameras (Fuji Finepix) to SLR's both digital and film, to Medium Format (120 or 220 film) and then onto large format which produce a negatives up to 8 inches by 10 inches and some which are even larger.

Each format has its advantages and disadvantages etc.

However it is all down to your personal choice and the environment in which you use the camera. For example some photographers carry out assignments in deep jungle or deep in the desert, in which case using manual film cameras will have an advantage over digital as there is no possibility of recharging batteries etc. In addition in extreme environments such as extreme cold manual film cameras will still operate whilst digital cameras will refuse to turn on due to the temperature etc.

For example if you intend holidaying in the mediterranean countries then a compact camera will have disadvantages as it will be very difficult to see the LCD screen in strong sunlight. Bridge cameras such as the Fuji Fine pix attempt to overcome this problem as they offer a LCD viewfinder. Some cameras such as the Fuji X100 offer rangefinder body type with a viewfinder which can switch between optical and digital lcd viewfinder modes, depending on your preferance.

Ultimately one format of camera has come to a dominant position, and that is the SLR type which offers a wide range of interchangable lenses from extreme wide angle to ultra long telephoto. No other type of camera has the features of the SLR, whether film or digital the SLR is extremely versitile.

These days with the costs of everything going crazy, if you are going to shoot large amounts of photos then going digital is more economical than shooting film. I know some people who will go to a horse raceing event, and they will shoot over 1000 images in a weekend. If you are going to use film and shoot that amount of photos then you will require deep pockets.

However the joy in photography is not about shooting thousands of images, its about capturing a good image and if you are lucky to capture a perfect image either on digital or film then that is perfect.

As for deciding on which format to go for, I would suggest the format which meets your needs at the lowest cost. If it occurs that you then develop a love for photography and have a "eagle eye for composition and good photos" then you can chose to invest in the appropiate format. Both Cannon and Nikon make excellent camera bodies with a excellent wide variety lenses, but there are other formats which are available on eBay. Ultimately it depends on your preferance, but the choice is yours!

I will throw in my two cents. I have been a keen photographer since I was a teenager. Working with both 35mm and medium format cameras. I am currently using a Canon G9 and while it takes good pictures for a high level point-and-shoot, the main nuisances are the shutter lag (especially if you have kids) and the low light capability. For these reasons I would definitely recommend an entry level SLR. The shutter lag will be much better and you will be able to get shots indoors without needing an external flash. I eventually felt I had to get a flash that could swivel, so I could bounce off ceilings, to get better indoor portraits. This works really well and images are greatly improved but the flash is bigger than my camera (!), which makes it a bit awkward to operate. I am looking for a cheap Canon SLR myself for these reasons.

Why did I not get an SLR from the start then? Well back then, the digital SLR was evolving so quickly, I was advised (by John Gunn) against spending money on the format. This has proven to be a wise move as the format underwent a significant price drop and Mega Pixel/feature increase in the space of 3-4 years. This curve has flattened out now and I would not hesitate to buy (especially second hand).

John Gunn is a great place to shop and get images printed. They are really nice and will help you get started with the camera.

Hope this is helpful!

Update: After a considerable amount of hemming and hawing I decided to just get on with it, so yesterday I ordered a Canon 550D body and a Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II lens (the "nifty fifty"). It seems that most of my friends with SLRs are using Canons, so in the interest of being able to borrow their lenses I decided this was the way forward. I ordered camera, lens and a a fast 16GB card from Amazon for just under €700 so I'm happy with that.

Can't wait to get it and start playing with it now, I expect a whole new world of nerdiness to open up before me.

A Canon..... pffff! you're one of 'them' eh? :-p

Enjoy!

Good call! I have the 500D and am very pleased with it. Enjoy!