Recommend a good Digital SLR camera for a beginner

[fatty]

Originally Posted by Konovalov

As per the title of this thread. I am looking to upgrade from my compact point and shoot digital camera to a good beginners digital SLR. Help please.

Can anyone recommend a good digital SLR for use ranging from simple family photos, to F1 and auto racing, and of course air shows?

Where should I be looking to purchase such a camera in the UK? Who are the best retailers/e-tailers that I should consider purchasing from?

This is one area that I am pretty much cluesless as to where to start.

Hi Konovalov. As Skybird said, you don't need to go crazy over megapixels. I shoot in 6mp and this generally produces images that are large enough to crop comfortably and still print 8"x10". Cameras are not hard to shop for as the specs are all available to you and - most importantly - so are sample images. Set a price range for yourself and check the SLRs in that range. Go over the samples with a fine tooth comb; how are the images for noise, fringing, contrast, etc. etc. Warranty, weight, and battery life are of course also good things to consider.

There aren't really any 'bad' dSLRs out there, but I recommend Canon's Digital Rebel XT, or maybe the Pentax K100D. Both are good budget cameras and come with a half-decent lens. If you are looking to do air shows you should be prepared to sink some money into this as most 'kit' lenses (included with the camera body) - usually cover a range of 18-55mm; most recommend at least a 300mm lens for air shows.

EDIT: I don't know about retailers in the UK, unfortunately, but lots of pros I have spoken to have had great luck with eBay. I am a bit of a luddite in that regard and have not tried it, but maybe next time.

EDIT2: May I also recommend that before you make a purchase you familiarize yourself with some of the concepts and jargon of photography. There are lots of sites and books out there with good glossaries about what all these terms mean. When you know what the heck a depth of field is, or an ISO speed, or the relation between shutter speed and f/stop (things you typically need not concern yourself with over a point and shoot), you can compare cameras a lot better!