Where shall i buy online and what brand

The best I`ve I`ve found for online is warhouseexpress . I can`t really say to much about nikon as don`t really know to much about them. but I guess you can`t go wrong with either canon or nikon. the D50 is just a little over you buget but I would go for the DSLR rather than a compact. Goto a shop near you and try them all out and see which one is best for you.

The comments about shutter lag are all perfectly good ones, although how much of an annoyance this is depends on what you’re using the camera for.
As far as a supplier goes, I have found Digital Depot www.digitaldepot.co.uk very helpful, even on the telephone and I can recommend them. Otherwise go to your local camera shop – Jessops and Jacobs are quite good for national chains, Dixons (or Currys) rather less so. But if you’ve got a good independent close to you, then go for that.

Good luck,

William

I am in the process of buying a new Canon 350D, probably the best at that level around (IMO of course!!) The cheapest i have found for one on the net(by a country mile also) was at: http://www.digitalrev.com/en/index.php
No idea how their prices on other models compare, but, as an example, the EOS350D is £384, in Currys….£599.Not quite in your budget,but as Planeimages says, bite the bullet, you can faff about with compacts,paying close to the price of a DSLR with nowhere near the quality/flexibility and features of the DSLR,for a wee bit more…way worth the extra investment if you want quality shots.
Good luck

Bite the bullet. Buy a Canon 20D, 30D, 350D or Nikon D70s. Then fit the best lens you can afford. Some people get good results with Sigmas and Tamrons. I splurged and bought several Canon “L” pro lenses and have never looked back. The difference is astounding.

DSLRS magnify the lens by a factor of 1.6 (Canon) or 1.5 (Nikon) so a 100 mm turns into a 160mm. A Canon 70-200 L (preferably f2.8 with Image stablisation) or Nikon equivalent) works pretty well as a starter lens if you are into shelling out for top quality.

If you ar not able to buy a DSLR then use something like a Canon EOS 50 or 300 film camera but you must have an “L” lens or a really good “other brand” if you plan to be able to make stunning images.

There is no shutter lag with DSLRS. Do not muck about with even the best compacts such as Canon Ixus 55 or Nikon equivalent. They are nice for happy snaps and some good ones, at that.

I hope this helps. I was where you are now 2 years ago. I could’t even spell fotogrowfer, now I are one!

I wouldn’t go for Minolta until there is more news for Sony (as you might know, Sony took over Minolta’s camera branch).

For a price below 300 pounds, a DSLR is out of the question. Futhermore, you might want to consider not buying on the internet but at your local camera shop. You might have to go through a lot of trouble if your camera is broken in the guarantee period if you buy it on the internet. That besides the package & posting costs.

If you are changing from wet film camera to digital, one thing to be aware of is the shutter lag on some digitals. Some digital cameras have quite noticeable lag, our Fuji 5600 is a prime example. I tried it at Blenheim Palace last year for their Fly To The Past airshow and discovered how long the lag was but it did produce some interesting shots that I wouldn’t have got without it.