Reddit mentions of EOS 600D Digital SLR Camera with 18-55 IS Lens

For screenwriting: First know the format, which you can google. Then read about basic story structures. Then read Save The Cat by Blake Snyder, a book which, while heavily geared towards script marketability, can offer many good guidelines and tips to keep your story gripping, to not fall into the traps inexperienced screenwriters often fall into and to generally enrich your story and your characters. Also read a lot of actual screenplays to get a feel of what kinds of things are done.

For film: I got started with FilmRiot, which was great to learn the basics and also very gripping (a good thing if you're a beginner, though as you start to become more knowledgeable it starts to feel like the content is dummed down). You can check out Indy Mogul, Knoptop, DigitalRev, Frugal Filmmaker and anything else on youtube which is of a similar style. There is also Filmmaker IQ which I found to have more advanced content than the others, so I would advise cutting your teeth on those first channels before moving on to this one.

If youtube is not your style so much, you could read books (I'm blanking on a very good book I read a few months ago, something like "Film Director's Handbook"), check your Uni Library.

Really though, the best way to learn how to film things is to get a camera and shoot anything and everything until you get it right. Learn by doing! Here's what you'll need: A camera, a tripod, a mic, an audio recorder. I recommend a Canon EOS 600D which is a DSLR with good video control. You can start with a really cheap tripod and move up later so I won't recommend one. For a mic, I recommend the Rode NTG2 which is a shotgun mic (pics up sound in front of it and not so much around it) with good quality and low noise (XLR connections). For and audio recorder, I went with the Tascam DR40 and so far I'm satisfied with it. There are many different options for capturing hardware setups of course which you will learn about while you learn more about the specifics of digital filmmaking.

There is a priority of purchases that you should follow, in order to make your productions rise in quality in a balanced way. First go for the camera of course, and probably the tripod (which is a negligible cost compared to the rest anyway), so that you can practice your shooting as soon as possible. Getting a good looking shot is the first thing you should learn to do. Next go for the audio recorder since any product worth it's while will have in-built mics which are quite good. This gives you enough gear to do a rounded capture of sound and image, albeit with some limitations. Next you get the mic which will improve your sound quality enormously (maybe invest in a boom pole if you have the money, otherwise check out the various rig designs on the youtube channels for things like shock-mounts, boom poles and so on). THEN and only then do you start to upgrade your lens (tempting though it may be to do so early on, you're not making a film with 1000$ worth of camera equipment and no recorder).

Finally, make sure to watch many movies and try to get in the head of the director as you watch. Ask yourself what reason the director had to shoot a scene the way he did, what technique he used and so on. In fact you should probably do that for each and every aspect of the production be it sound, editing, cinematography, acting or whatever.

Watch, read, write, practice, practice, practice. Then start making things.

Basically the key thing is going to be the sensor size.

Normal compacts have an itty bitty sensor that gives noisy image and does not do well with low light. It used to be that DSLRs had waaaay bigger sensors, but now there are some compact cameras with larger sensors too, like the Sony RX100 that was mentioned. The RX100 is a lot of camera in a very small body. You can get it on Amazon for £423.

I like these cameras but to learn photography personally I like having a viewfinder of some sort, not just a back screen. You could get a 'mirrorless' camera, which is the same layout as a dslr but more compact. There are Sony Nex ones with amazing sensors but again no viewfinder, or there are micro four thirds cameras which I quite like. There is a Panaonic G5 for £449.

Lastly you coudl try a DSLR, The entry level Nikon D3200 is £378 or there is somethign liek the canon 600D for £409. As to Canon or Nikon, first , if a friend has either, get what they have as you can borrow stuff. Failing that go to a store and feel both, see which you like the feel of better. Nikon and Canon are pretty much equally good and those claiming one is waaaaay better tend to be fanboys. I like Nikon better myself, but Canon makes incredible cameras.

It's as worthy as it always was.

But you're in sort of a weird pricing situation if you're trying to buy it new. It's not manufactured anymore so inventory is reduced, preventing the price from going down as much as it should due to age. It's gone down much more in the used market.

Have you shopped around? That same site lists the newer improved 600D as cheaper for me:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Digital-Camera-18-55-3-5-5-6/dp/B004MPQXZ0/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1373327636&sr=1-4&keywords=700d

actually... not really. You can buy the Canon 600D off of amazon uk for 520, and the 55-250mm for 160 (total 680)

Buying in-store at a place such as Jessops will be a much higher price.

£624 - Canon EOS 600D Digital SLR Camera (inc. 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens Kit)

That will exceed the few requirements you have given us. But to be honest you haven't given us much so, yeah....

PS - £50 cashback available from Canon.

The 600D is actually discounted on Amazon right now so thanks for the suggestion I'm leaning quite heavily towards it at the minute!

Canon 600D

I am right in thinking I can use Magic Lantern with any Canon range right?