30D v 400D

nickl360

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Hello all,

Which is the better camera overall? I can get the 30D for around £300 used.

Am I better off waiting for a 400D or a 40D to appear? How much do 40D's tend to go for 2nd hand now?

Cheers,
 
40D seem to be in the £450 range still, 2nd hand. 30D is a great camera, and is better built than 400D, but the 400D has newer technology. I'd say it's a 50/50 call tbh! :D
 
Cheers :)

I was struggling to see the differences however I was led to believe that the quality of camera goes up as the number of numbers goes down.

e.g. xxxxD, xxxD, xxD, xD

How old is a Canon 30D now? I take it that it's a very capable body (when attached to a good lens) for taking snaps of sports, motorsport and landscapes?

As a side note, can someone recommend a lens that is decent for the above? (I guess kit lens will do for landscape for the time being).

I'm looking mainly at the used market and the following budgets:

~£100 and ~£250 max.
 
Welcome to TP buddy

My advice, get a 30d. The 30d has better build quality, and alot more control of your settings. A higher "frames-per-second" count will also benifit you if you want to try anything like sports photography or some wildlife like birds in flight. I really like the noise handling on the 30d too.

As for lenses, look at the sigma 17-70 as a good starting point. You can get these at a good price second hand. Then something with a longer reach like a 70-300. There are some decent ones around at a decent price that will be a good starting point.

Mike
 
Nickl360 - I bought a 80-200mm 2.8L "Magic Drainpipe" off fleabay for £200 and just love it. Sure, you have to take the punt that it is second hand and Canon don't make it anymore as it's about 15 years old - but it is a stunning lens! Search the forums for examples pictures taken from it and what others say.

A
 
I know there are different models of lens for each brand (e.g. L series on Canons), do they make much of a difference?

Can anyone find previous sales on here of these types of lenses? Reason being is I can then work out the expense :)
 
I had the same choice to make a year ago and I went with a second hand 30D over a new 400D and I've not regretted it at all.
 
Wow, this forum is popular! So many fast replies.

How much do 30D's go for? I'm keeping an eye on an advert at the moment, it has the 30D body all boxed with a few accessories, manuals and has Canon 28- 80mm and 55-200 USM lens. I think the 55-200mm won't be long enough for motorsport?

I'm guessing the lenses aren't the best, but how much is the above worth on a 2nd hand market?
 
I know there are different models of lens for each brand (e.g. L series on Canons), do they make much of a difference?

Can anyone find previous sales on here of these types of lenses? Reason being is I can then work out the expense :)

L Glass is considered by Canon to be their "professional grade" glass, if you like. They certainly price it that and generally speaking it is superb, although it varies for different types of lenses and you may end up by researching that perhaps Sigma or similar make a lens with the same focal length and wideness that is regarded as better.

I think you need to decide on the type of lens you want first and what you will use it for? My two main lenses are a 50mm 1.8 (just search the forum
for reviews/comments on that) for portrait type work and some landscape, and the 80-200mm for sport, pets etc.

What do you want to photograph?!!
 
Wow, this forum is popular! So many fast replies.

How much do 30D's go for? I'm keeping an eye on an advert at the moment, it has the 30D body all boxed with a few accessories, manuals and has Canon 28- 80mm and 55-200 USM lens. I think the 55-200mm won't be long enough for motorsport?

I'm guessing the lenses aren't the best, but how much is the above worth on a 2nd hand market?

Not to sure on the 30d price, again try ebay and do an advanced search on "expired/completed" listings..That should give you a rough idea of what people are paying currently. A quick look shows for a body only 30d, you are looking at between £250 - £300 I think, depending on any extras like spare batteries, CF cards, whether it is boxed etc.
 
EBay shopping: caveat emptor obviously. Run a search on completed listings to get to what price each model actually achieves. Prices seem to be generally higher than you might have to pay through a high street shop independent or national multiple.

I can't ignore the fact that the 30D predates the 400D by 6 years, some of which shows up in the spec as you can see in a side-by-side comparison:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/com...e&cameras=canon_eos400d,canon_eosd30&show=all

3.1 million pixels? Positively old-fashioned!

Two things continue to strike me as odd:

  1. Resale prices on EPay remain strong, so are 'togs recession proof?
  2. Computers/laptops depreciate at a frightening rate with a specification rising all the time whilst new unit prices fall all the time. Why doesn't this apply equally to dslrs?
 
That's the Canon D30 not the Canon 30D the D30 is a dinosaur the 30D is 8.2 MP

Yeah, have to agree. It was one of the first DSLRs. Wasnt the sensor made by Kodak then, or have i remembered something totally different?
 
Probably trackdays or if any rallys are on in Sherwood Forest.
You'd better buy before the 15th march then because that is the date of the next rally :thumbs:

Oh, and 30D would be the superior camera
 
For what you want, i think the combo i suggested is a good bet, but you might want a faster focusing lens that would reach the 300mm. Im sure people will be able to suggest stuff, but not sure what your total budget is
 
this is the side by side link for the 400D vs the 30D

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_eos400d%2Ccanon_eos30d&camsel=canon_eos40d&show=all

I started with a 400D then bought a 30D for my better half, I found it far (the 30D) better to use and I found the autofocus faster and more accurate for little things that move, Insects and birds etc. any IQ difference between the two is negligable. I soon upgraded to a 40D (well, there was no point having two 30ds' in the house was there!!)
 
I've found a Canon EOS 30D with 28- 80mm and 55-200 USM lens, 2gb memory card and a guide book for £400...

Is that a good deal?
 
Yeah thats not bad. I paid £400 for my 40D used, but in as new condition, a friend of mine paid £210 for a 20D, both body only.
 
Prices are actually on the increase in the "new" market due to the current economic crisis. This means that second hand goods will actually increase in price or stagnate for a while.

I'll be honest, id buy now before any further price increases
 
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