300D

mrtoad

mrtoad

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Geof
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this canon looks like i could get to like it as an introduction to the pitfalls of dslr..:razz:

however having read mixed reviews i ask if anyone has experience of this model and their results, please

they are going pretty cheap now as the rebel and the earlier models...

if i got a body with no lens...and only wanted a 15-55 lens as a main user...are the canon's the ones to buy or other marques

cheers
geof
 
The 300D is an old camera now, the only experience I have of them is of a 25k actuation one that a pal had, the af mirror spring snapped - 20p part £120 to fit it....
 
There's nothing wrong with a 300d..... though if it's not a lot more money for a 350 or 400 you might be better off doing that as they'll be a few years newer. As far as lenses go then the standard EF-S 18-55 was what most of them were sold with but you can use pretty much any EF or EF-S fitment lenses. The only pitfalls are remember it's a crop sensor so a 50mm would be more like an 80mm in film terms and some earlier Sigma stuff won't work on it though it will physically fit.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
The 300D is an old camera now, the only experience I have of them is of a 25k actuation one that a pal had, the af mirror spring snapped - 20p part £120 to fit it....
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this is one of the 1 vote reviews i saw

i am up for a more reliable body so the comment above about later models sits well on my feeling for reliability..

you will have to explain crop factor for me please

and thanks both
 
I have a 400D and it far exceeds my skill! It is mechanically fine and I would happily recommend it to anyone willing to take the risk of getting hooked! :lol:

If you are not sure whether this is the marque for you, go to a shop and try them for feel. It is a very personal thing. ;)
 
I'd be tempted to look for a 350/400/450 (depending on budget) - a 350D with kit lens will be under £200, a 400D around the £250 mark.
 
The 350d is a cracking camera - all the shots on my Flickr were taken on a 350d, all the wide angle ones with the kit lens.

The 300d is a step behind, if I were you I'd look at getting a 350d at least, but if possible a 400d/450d would provide much better features.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
I'd be tempted to look for a 350/400/450 (depending on budget) - a 350D with kit lens will be under £200, a 400D around the £250 mark.
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Agree the 350D is still a very good camera I still use mine :)
In my opinion the 300D is not in the same league
 
TinaC said:
I have a 400D and it far exceeds my skill! It is mechanically fine and I would happily recommend it to anyone willing to take the risk of getting hooked! :lol:

If you are not sure whether this is the marque for you, go to a shop and try them for feel. It is a very personal thing. ;)
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yes and thanks...just browsed ebay and there are lots of 350/400 body or with starter lens...and a bag

getting GAS at LAS..t
 
350D is a better camera. Much faster start-up too.

The 300/350/400D all came with the non-IS kit lens. The later IS version from 450D onwards is completely different and much better.

Geoffrey, the crop factor is the linear reduction in the sensor size, relative to full-frame 35mm film. It allows you to compare focal lengths between formats, eg Canon 1.6x crop factor means that a 50mm lens on a full frame camera has an equivalent field of view to a 31mm lens on a cropper.
 
If you get a good one then I don't see the problem, I am sure there are still 'good' 300Ds floating around. It is old tech though, and from someone whose main camera is from 2003, believe me when I say there will be some compromise. The review screen will be shockingly bad - only useful for a quick gander and a peek at a histogram - and the system will likely be slow to operate. On the flip side, I myself prefer the button layout of Canon's older SLRs where some of the buttons were up the left side of the screen - when I had my 450D I found I was forever sprackling to access said buttons, with the 1Ds they are where my thumb rests.

Have you tried a 300D or are you just giving it some thought now?

...oh and please, don't get a silver one! :P
 
My first dslr was a 300D and I shot over 50K images with it over 3 years in all weathers (covered with a umbrella/bar tower in inclement weather). It's still going strong as I sold it cheap to my next door neighbours daughter for her media studies/college photography.

I replaced it with a 40D, then a 50D and have a 400D as another backup body

The 300D is an ok camera, producing good images for the cost but is massively overshadowed by the later models. Things I mostly remembered about it is the small buffer and slow write speed, so you get about 4 raw shots then wait a couple of secs before taking another shot whilst it writes to flash.

The shutter had a slight delay to it after pressing the button, so in sports I used to anticipate slightly before the shot I wanted.

Startup time is about 3-5 secs, not usually a problem if it's on, but something to be aware of if you have it off and want to grab a shot.

The kit lens that came with it is ok, producing reasonably results. I still have this lens and my youngest took some great shots of the cats at WHF with it.
It's also dead cheap to replace so you can take some risks with it ;)

Realistically, I'd probably pay a little bit more and get at least a 400D, which you won't outgrow for a while longer. I think you may be a little disappointed with the 300D.
 
Remember, the 300d was canon's first proper mass market DSLR, so compared to others it will have it's flaws. Other people have recommended the 400d and 450d, but why don't you take a look at the 10d and 20d? IMHO much better cameras, with better metering, focusing and handling, and still within your budget
 
I used a Canon 300D for many years until 8 months ago and it was a great camera for it's time. It would be good value now, but does have a few limitations compared to today's technology. Most notably a small screen and slow download time over USB. It's buffer also fills up pretty quick, so if you are into taking multiple pictures in rapid succession beware.
 
300D was my first DSLR.. while not a bad camera at the time, compared to some it will be very dated.

no AI SERVO either which may effect your decision although i used to shoot motorsports with mine with no major issue.
 
Just looked back over some of my old images

300D pluss 18-55 kit lens

55257520.jpg

55257565.jpg


Sports shot using the cheapest canon 75-300mm lens (I think it was £150)
56495314.jpg


This was printed on a high quality A1 printer we borrowed and displayed on the owners office wall. Looked OK.
 
Was a great camera of its time. In fact mine only was sold about 6 months ago to be replaced by my 40d. Have a look at the earliest piccies on my flickr below, those are from it! The kit lens that came with it was a steaming pile of poop though.
 
vulcan2912 said:
.One thing to watch out for is that the shutter was only rated for 10,000 actuations.
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Whaaaaat??

Good lord that's terrible...



smithphoto said:
Remember, the 300d was canon's first proper mass market DSLR, so compared to others it will have it's flaws. Other people have recommended the 400d and 450d, but why don't you take a look at the 10d and 20d? IMHO much better cameras, with better metering, focusing and handling, and still within your budget
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I agree with this. Older pro and semi-pro bodies still hold their own against newer entry level bodies. They may not be as fast and have big flashy screens but the core features that make it 'a camera' are still there and things like AF and build will always be better.

It's like a choice of car do you go for a brand new Corsa or a landie thats getting on a bit...
 
I started off with a 300d for motorsport. Great camera, taught me sooo much about photography you just don't get when starting out with a x0D.
My dad still uses it 4-5 years on!
I've still got some prints from it on my wall in work.

J
 
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