Beginner Canon 400d

FionaS

FionaS

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Fiona
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oh dear, my finger slipped and I have just bought my first ever dslr.. Yes it's old, yes it was within my tiny budget, so I will be asking questions and reading posts/threads like crazy
 
I have been looking at getting a 400d also but my finger hasnt slipped yet! I am also on a tight budget. Let us know how you get on with it. I am going to get body only and invest in a decent lens. I dont know what lens came with yours, but if it was a kit lens, I would say try and stretch to something else, maybe the 50mm 1.8? Good luck and enjoy taking loads of photos.
 
Almost all digital cameras will give excellent results with a good or very good lens.

And, regardless of what anyone says 10MP is good enough for almost all photography coupled with a good lens.

And the 50mm f1.8 is a CRACKER of a lens whether the newer STM version or the older versions.

My first camera was a 350D which I had for 5 years before I felt the need to move on so you have a way to go :)

And I have recently got a 1D MK IIN and a 40D and they both give excellent photos with decent lenses on them.

So good luck and take lots of pics - that's the way to progress - and of course coming on here!
 
Well, it comes with the kit lens... But the whole shebang was within budget.. and a uv thingy (technical term)
 
So why is the 50mm f1.8 good, what's it good for and what would I expect to pay for an old second hand one?
 
FionaS said:
So why is the 50mm f1.8 good, what's it good for and what would I expect to pay for an old second hand one?
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The prime lens is sharper and faster, which means it needs only 1/10th the light that your kit lens needs.

But don't buy an old one. Whilst the 1.8 mk2 was a good lens, the new STM version is loads better and only about £90 new, and you might pick up a 2nd hand one for £70 ish
 
Unfortunately the stm is way above my budget.. So it's a second hand mk 2 for me, when I can find a cheap one, but thanks for the advice, it's certainly something for me to aspire to.
 
FionaS said:
Unfortunately the stm is way above my budget.. So it's a second hand mk 2 for me, when I can find a cheap one, but thanks for the advice, it's certainly something for me to aspire to.
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There's only a few £s difference between a 2nd hand mk2 and a 2nd hand STM, but the difference in performance is massive, it's definitely worth waiting for the right priced STM to come along.

I'd go as far as to say it's daft not to.
 
FionaS said:
Unfortunately the stm is way above my budget.. So it's a second hand mk 2 for me, when I can find a cheap one, but thanks for the advice, it's certainly something for me to aspire to.
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You need to get access to the classified ads section on here. I think you need a minimum number of posts or something to qualify, but it's an excellent place to both buy and sell.

And welcome to TP. It's a great place for newcomers :)
 
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HoppyUK said:
You need to get access to the classified ads section on here. I think you need a minimum number of posts or something to qualify, but it's an excellent place to both buy and sell.

And welcome to TP. It's a great place for newcomers :)
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I've bought loads of kit on here - virtually everything I own and never had a problem - and saved a lot of money too :)
 
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FionaS said:
Unfortunately the stm is way above my budget.. So it's a second hand mk 2 for me, when I can find a cheap one, but thanks for the advice, it's certainly something for me to aspire to.
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You don't actually need to spend much money if you already have the camera and the kit lens because in spite of what people may say that lens is also quite good and will give you lots of good pictures, and coupled with the free photo editors etc you'll be off to a great start.
 
Thanks Peter, I shall get used to what I have, when it arrives..and when my pics have had the boned picked out of them, decide if/when I need a lens upgrade.. As I keep reading on the forum, upgrade the glass before the body :) I think it's 60 days before I can go int the classified section, so will be patient
 
Def have a look on the classified to try and pick up the newer version of the lens - some very good deals!

Welcome to the club, i started with a 350d in 2006, went up to a 40d in 2010, but did sneak up to a 5dMark II in 2012 - but that was mostly for the noise reduction because i shoot gigs - would say that aside from that the 350d/40d would still be perfectly suitable with the right lens (canon 85mm f1.8 is a cracking lens!)
 
I've used a 400d for the past 10 years and only just upgraded to a 7d mk1. The most useful lens I have is my Canon 15-85 which I find excellent for street photography.
 
dan_yell said:
Def have a look on the classified to try and pick up the newer version of the lens - some very good deals!

Welcome to the club, i started with a 350d in 2006, went up to a 40d in 2010, but did sneak up to a 5dMark II in 2012 - but that was mostly for the noise reduction because i shoot gigs - would say that aside from that the 350d/40d would still be perfectly suitable with the right lens (canon 85mm f1.8 is a cracking lens!)
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Unfortunately I can't get into the classified ads until I've been here for 2 months and made over 25 posts.. So I will continue to ask questions and respond to answers :)
 
FionaS said:
Unfortunately I can't get into the classified ads until I've been here for 2 months and made over 25 posts.. So I will continue to ask questions and respond to answers :)
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Probably a blessing that you dont have access yet, the 18-55mm kit lens will be perfectly adequate to learn with and to decide which direction that your photography is going to take. Once you know where you are going, then will be the time to consider what further equipment you need.
I would remove the UV filter from the front of the lens though, unless it is a very good one (doubtful) it will degrade the image quality badly on the earlier kit lenses, took me ages to realise that when I first started with digital.
Have fun, the 400D is still a very capable camera.
 
My first DSLR was a 400D - I'd probably still own it if I didn't rapidly get sucked into the whole "Upgrading gear will make my photos better" thing as looking back I realise that the weak link was not my camera or lenses, it was the squishy flesh creature pressed to the viewfinder. :D
 
Fuzzdog said:
My first DSLR was a 400D - I'd probably still own it if I didn't rapidly get sucked into the whole "Upgrading gear will make my photos better" thing as looking back I realise that the weak link was not my camera or lenses, it was the squishy flesh creature pressed to the viewfinder. :D
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Lol... Im sure thats true of me....
 
I started with the 300d way back, did loads of huge prints with it, no problems.
 
Welcome, and congrats on the purchase.
The 400D is a hugely capable camera, and very popular in our local Club.
It's just one part of the trilogy of lens and photographer, but many comps are won locally using this item.
 
reheat module said:
Welcome, and congrats on the purchase.
The 400D is a hugely capable camera, and very popular in our local Club.
It's just one part of the trilogy of lens and photographer, but many comps are won locally using this item.
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well thats good to know :)
 
The 400D is still a very good camera and will be fine, for the foreseeable future anyway! Don't worry about the 10MP sensor. I still use the 30D - which is a very slightly upgraded 20D - dating from 2006 and it's 8.2MP. I don't have any complaints.

The 18-55mm kit lens is decent, fairly versatile, and there's no particular reason to look for anything else right now. It's a useful range for many purposes so use it, learn what it can and can't do, and what is important to you. This will make it much easier to decide what you want/need next.

I have mixed feelings about the 50mm f1.8 lenses. Primes (fixed focal length lenses) are generally sharper than inexpensive zooms, and they do offer a fast aperture. This is useful in poor light, and also lets you isolate the subject using the shallow depth of field, but I find 50mm too long for a walk about lens, and too short to be a useful telephoto, on a crop body. It was popular when many of us used 35mm film, and serves much the same purpose on a full frame DSLR, but this changes on a camera like the 400D. You can experiment with your 18-55mm set at 50mm if you want to. See if you like 50mm and then decide if you want a prime?

I'd ditch the UV filter. Digital cameras don't need them for UV protection, which is a hangover from the film days. Some people use them for physical protection, but many of us have our doubts about this. It's controversial, because budget filters can cause flare and softening of the image under some conditions, and there are a lot of 'debates' on the forums about it. Just do a search if you want to find out more about this.

One thing I'd strongly recommend is a lens hood. You don't need an OEM Canon one - they're pricey - and a generic hood is fine. It prevents light hitting the front of the lens at an angle, reducing flare and increasing contrast. They also offer some physical protection. I've been using them for the best part of 50 years, I don't use UV filters unless conditions are extreme (blowing sand/dust/spume), and I haven't damaged a front element yet...

Have fun :)
 
Thanks.. I will remove the uv filter and get myself an el cheapie hood..and continue to use my kit lens:). It's so nice that you took the trouble to reply, and with constructive comments
 
Should I be looking for a flower shaped hood?....or not
 
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