Need help finding a camera. Odd requirement!

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DQuaN

DQuaN

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Hi guys,

So I'm thinking of buying the missus a small DSLR for Christmas. We were looking at some a few weeks ago and she loves them. I'm going for one about £100-£150. It doesn't have to be fancy, just do the basics.

Here's the weird requirement (well not that weird actually). Some of the cameras we looked at and tested while shopping made a satisfying CLICK when taking a photo. The whole camera clunked as though you could feel the shutter opening and closing. Others, just had a simulated noise like you get on camera phones. She want's the one that CLUNKS!

Unfortunately when looking online I cannot check this! I was wondering if you guys have any recommendations.

Ta

Dunc
 
If it's an SLR, it will have mechanical action. If it has to use an electronic sound then it's not an SLR. You may be using the term dSLR when actually describing ordinary digital compacts.

That's not to say that the mirrorless compacts aren't worth having. They're lighter weight and smaller, both of which are important considerations for many people. All the manufacturers have a line with interchangeable lenses, too, giving the best of both worlds (size and versatility.) But they won't have the mechanical action of the larger true single-lens-reflex cameras.
 
I see. I'm not entirely sure. There was a range of them in the shop and we picked up some and took photos. Some made the click, some didn't. They looked fairly similar. I guess I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to dSLRs!


*edit*

So if I search on Amazon for DSLRs and get this, this and this, they're not actually SLRs?

If so, can someone recommend an SLR for £100-£150? Can I get one in that price range?

*edit2*
It doesn't look like I can get one at that price.

Can anyone recommend a compact that "clunks" then?!!
 
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None of those that you linked are SLRs. They're digital cameras, but not single-lens-reflex cameras.

An SLR, be it digital or film, has a mirror behind the lens that puts the lens's picture up into the viewfinder. That's what "reflex" means: that the viewfinder is the actual lens image. Of course, to take a picture the mirror has to move up out of the way so the film or digital sensor can be exposed. That's the mechanical part of it, both moving the mirror and tripping the shutter. The shutter is a mechanical set of leaves covering the film or digital sensor so no light passes through.

In a compact camera there is no mechanical shutter and usually no viewfinder. The sensor is always active, putting the picture onto the LCD screen so you see what you're going to shoot. When you press the button, it merely records what's on the sensor at that instant and writes it to the file on the memory card, there is no mechanical operation besides focusing. Thus the electronic beep or click to let you know it did something.

You can probably find a used SLR in the price range you've stated, but not a new one. Most SLRs are well-enough cared for that you run very little risk of getting one that's totally beyond use.
 
I don't believe you'll find an SLR in the £100-£150 range. An entry level dSLR is going to cost you in the neighborhood of £500 and up.
 
Damn. I guess it will have to be a compact then.

I take it there are no digital compacts with mechanical clunks?
 
check the classifieds, you might get lucky & find an SLR there.
 
Your only chance is to search for second-hand stuff. I can see a used Nikon D40 or a Canon 400D going for £150 or so, with the respective kit lens.
 

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