DSLR Alternative?

Ok, as some of you on here may know i do a lot of photoshopping, but i never really took to much photo's until recently i have been taking heaps on my phone (A LG Viewty with a 5mp camera) but its not really good enough for anything serious.

Anyway i took a course on photography a while back but never got round to buying a camera so i went to look at DSLRs thinking i had a ok budget of about £100-£150 but there's no way i could buy a DSLR with that kinda money. So i was wondering if there were any digital cameras similar to DSLR's in my price range.

I would like it to have lots of features like that rule of thirds grid thing etc.


I dont really care about size either just as long as i can lift it with two hands and it fits in a rucksack.

Thanks, any advice would be appreciated

The canon a720is is a great camera for learning the basics of photography as well as getting good images. Although it is the size of a compact it has the manual controls so you can do shutter speed and all that jazz. They come in around the 100 quid mark which is preety good I think.

Also of you wanted to expand in to more lenses etc the front actually has a mount which you can attach lenses to with an adaptor, useful if you have a specific photography subject area, like macro or wide angle etc I've got one an I really like It

Most compacts are preety good in terms of what they offer, but look for the manual controls if you want an slr style controls,

Alternatively have a look for a cheap slr knocking around eBay or even a local camera shop if you can,

Don't worry to much about megapixels as most decent cameras will give you a good image and enough data to be used in photoshop of you so wish

Hope this helps

Captain out

I looked at the Canon PowerShot A720 looks very good although i struggled to find it anywhere for a fairly low price but i shall keep hunting.

I had a look at the FujiFilm S5700 FinePix dont suppose if you know if its any good or not i found a few reviews they seemed to say it was good.

Another great camera, slr styled and fairly cheap, around the 100 120 mark if I'm correct? I have used one for a while and it produces quite good images, the only thing that put me off was the electonic viewfinder which isnt the best but at that price it's a minnor gripe to what is essentially a good camera, it's a great size as well, not to large like some other bridge cameras ive used

try have a look at one in store to get the feel of it an the wieght etc but I think this is probs your best bet

Sadly, for what you have in mind I thik you're going to struggle with that budget. Manual control is essential if you want to put what you've learnt to good use.

Some compacts do offer manual control. Probably your best bet is a superzoom, which tend to offer SLR-like features. Their longer zooms are also versatile, allowing you to change the focal length (and depth of field) more than most compacts.

The good news is that you'll only have to go back a generation or two. For example, you could get even get a Nikon Coolpix P5000 for less than £200. It's designed as a compact back-up camera for pros with all the mannual controls. There's probably other bargains to be had.