canon 400d

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andyvw

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Looking at this for my first dslr and wondered if its a good model to start with...? pros and cons..?

thanks andy
 
I,ve been really happy with mine that I bought off a fellow TP member with the only con if you can call it that is that the images arev a bit noisy at 1600 ,have a look at my Flickr to get an idea of the results and all the lenses used are "Amateur" as opposed to L series or equivalent
 
I had one for about 3 years and I still use occasionally. Had some excellent pics from it.

The ideal camera to learn with is probably the simplest camera and as DSLRs go this is pretty simple. If you're thinking of acquiring lenses and flashes etc the manufacturer matters more than the model as once you get started it's very expensive to change. I don't think it really matters which system you choose but if you've got friends that you shoot with it might be worth buying into the same system as them so you can try stuff out etc.

The 400D is a good choice
Pros:
Should be pretty cheap to buy.
Very easy and intuitive to use.
Any extra kit you get will probably still be useful when you upgrade.
Plenty of secondhand kit available for it.

Cons:
High iso not the best.
As it getting on a bit you might get as good a deal on a newer camera.
 
Can't add to the pro's and cons above, but even though I have a 5D and L glass as my 'work' kit, when we go out on away days and such forth we take the 400D with kit lens and if room a nifty fifty and the images are pretty good to be honest.

Looking at the images I take now with it, compared to what I took when I first bought it, there is a large improvement meaning that it isnt always about the camera, but how you use it. For the price you can get them for, I would say it's good value for money!
 
I have a 400D and am well pleased with the images I get, given my skill level. i will endorse the above with the ISO, even at 800 it is noisy and 400 has to be used with care. But dependant on your interests depends whether you need high ISO, I do mostly outdoor stuff.
 
Great first DSLR, I've done 1000s of images with it and many quite good results. Only hold back for me was ISO performance because I needed very fast shutters for motorsports and f5.6 lens. Still keep it as a spare
 
andyvw said:
Looking at this for my first dslr and wondered if its a good model to start with...? pros and cons..?

thanks andy
Click to expand...

It's a good dslr. It's small, easy to handle, and its tough too! But I would suggest u to go with the 500/550D for that matter. There's more features and u wouldn't have to upgrade so soon!
 
My first dSLR was a 400d :)

Have you held one?

They are quite small and if you have big hands.....

A good starting dSLR though.....allows you to build up your lens collection and then move to something better built like a 40 or 50d
 
I still use my 400D. See my flickr site. All pics on there are taken with a 400D. http://www.dinionline.com

The majority are with the 17-85mm lens.
 
I started with a refurbed 400D and it was a great camera. Upgraded from that to a 40D and now a 7D.

I would definitely handle one of the xxxD series cameras first though, to ensure you can live with the small size.
 
I started with a 400d and think it's a brilliant camera, although adding a battery grip made it comfortable because even for my fairly small hands, I thought it was rather small. I'd agree that ISO800 and 1600 do start to get a bit noisy, but not necessarily unmanagable. Below is a link to a Flickr set I took at my brother-in-law's wedding last May, using a Canon 17-55 f2.8 lens. I didn't use a flash all day (not having the knowledge to do so properly), so you can see as the day went on to the Wedding Breakfast and band in the evening the images get noiser as I bumped the ISO right up to 1600.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shineondetail/sets/72157624073024158/

But it helped me learn lots, in my opinion it's a better camera than buying a new 1000D, and if you wanted to upgrade after 6-12 months (not saying you definitely would), you'd be able to sell it without loosing much or any money.
 
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