DSLR Camera -your recommendations sought

[Lionel Ritchie]

Hi folks, first I'm not going to pretend to know a great deal about cameras but -I'm shopping for a DSLR. My budget is approx 800 bucks. I'm thinking something in the range of a Canon EOS 650D?

Something that takes a good quality semi-pro pic, can be used for filming as well, needs to be fairly idiot proof.

Picked up a 600D over a year ago and it is very fine wee machine. Bigger than some cameras in its range but that's because it's got a pop-out reversible (non-touch) display that allows you to work solo if you're doing movie stuff you need to appear in yourself.

Handy as a small pot it is -so something similar I suppose but I don't want to duplicate existing gear.

I hereby open the floor...

[dahamsta]

I'll never understand SLRs, they seem like an awful lot of work for very little extra return. I've been using Panny P&Ss for years now - I'm on my 3rd, after a huge amount of research for the first - and they just get better and better. The IA mode really does mean you just point and shoot, and the latest iteration does GPS tagging and the whole shooting match. Sure, the odd pic comes out blurry, but sure I just take a half dozen at a time and toss away the crap ones. :)

Anyway, pardon the off-topic rant, didn't mean to derail!

[Mad Moose]

Well Lionel. I think you'll do very well on here and you can't go wrong on this forum with some very very talented and respected amateur and professional photographers on here. I was always inspired by two people here namely Mr John Barrington (just can't remember his username) off hand and the talented Jebus. Really liked a lot of their work and as I love my photography (and generally have so little time to explore my interests) I keep going back to photography with a wish to improve. I can't advise as I operate off the lesser Canon 500D and it's limited but so are my skills. I'm currently looking to purchase Photoshop and I'll put up a thread on here on it as I need advice on the best programme available for what I'm looking to do.

I'd recommend getting a wide angle lens. It's my only regret that I don't have one and I'd really like one. I remember a picture Mr Barrington took at Richmond Park that I believe he used a Wide Angled Lens on and I've always wanted to achieve that effect myself.

I'll read with interest the ongoing contributions to this thread as I'd be guided by the expertise on here. Somebody nudge the two men I've mentioned.