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Fluke86

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Shaun
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Ive decided that ive had enough of my fujifilm finepix S2960HD its just not producing the shots i want, i find myself wanting better quality shots and finer detail. So ive decided to go down the dslr route, preferably canon as i know there quite well recognised and more common among dslr photographers, now me being a complete novice i have no idea on which camera body and lens to go for, i will be using it for all types of shots so nothing inpaticular something with a good zoom, but also something that will do good macro shots or portraits, is this possible? and what do you recommend?

Regards
Shaun
 
I'm only new so best waiting for someone better equipped, but they'll need to know a budget?
 
Hi Shaun, welcome to TP.

First of all what is your budget?, its no good people recommending cameras if its out of your price range.

Dont just stick to one brand, look at all of them, Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax etc, etc.

Then go to your local camera shop and handle them and get the feel of different camera's, how do they feel to you, to heavy, to light, to small, to big, this will give you some idea as to what you feel comfortable with. I recommend an independant shop, if you can, and not Jessops, Currys,etc, as they will only try and sell you what they think you need and if your easily persuaded you could come out with something you dont really want, I know people this has happened to.
 
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budget will be around £500 mark, guessing ill need spare battery, bag and some other accesories. Does this help with guiding me down the right path? i would rather stick to canon or maybe a nikon, i just always fancied a canon having held 1 (never used 1). what would you all recommend as an entry level dslr with lens? or as a package? and where from?

Regards
Shaun
 
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Shaun,

Not sure if your budget will stretch to it, but the body & 2 lens kits seem a good entry level package. I don't know Nikon very well, but the Canon 550 & 600 are good starter bodies, and the 2 lens kits usually come with 18-55mm & 55-250mm lenses, which covers a great deal of focal lengths.

Bags can be had for around £50, and whilst I always go for a 2nd battery, it's not imperative, as long as you remember to charge it up the evening before a days shooting.

Not sure what the stocks are like at the moment due to the lack of imports from Japan though. Hope you get sorted.

Steve
 
I think the 550 would be a better camera as well Steve, but was just looking at the budget.

Would be better if you could stretch to around £600 Shaun.
 
I pciked up a Canon 550D with kit lens for £539 from Dixons a few weeks ago so keep your eye out for bargains. Also I believe there is a £30 cashback offer on the 550D thats been extended (it was meant to expire on June 1st) and there is always the possibility of cashback from Quidco etc.

But as others have said I would try and few out first so you can find out what suits you.
 
i could stretch my budget to the £600mark, why do you recommend the 550 or 600 over the 1100D? surely theres not a very big noticeable different in quality of shots? i will be using the camera for everything as im fed up of my bridge camera, what would be a good lens to start with? where would be the cheapest place to get all of this?

Sorry to be a pain, but we were all new to this at 1 stage, thanks again.

Regards
Shaun
 
if i were you i would buy a 2nd hand body... try http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/ rather than fleabay - where you have some reassurance on the condition etc..

most people will look after their gear, so you're not settling for 2nd best by going down the used route. That will then free up funds to buy the lenses. Again, have a look at the used lenses, maybe something like a 28-135mm and a 50mm F1.8... can't go wrong IMO :thumbs:
 
Fluke86 said:
what would be a good lens to start with? where would be the cheapest place to get all of this?
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The standard 18-55 is a good starting point, but it won't zoom 'in' anywhere near as close as your bridge camera. So you'll probably want a telephoto lens as well (something like a 55-200 or 70-300).

http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/ is a good place to check prices.
 
Well the 550 has 18 megapixels compared to the 1100's 12. The ISO on the 550 goes upto 12800 as the 1100 is only 6400, so the 550 is better in low lighting :thumbs:.

Probably a lot of people are at work at the moment, so there will be more people on here this evening, but if it was me I would go for the 550D.

Just seen Leigh's post and agree there is nothing wrong with 2nd hand gear.
 
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KC Leblanc said:
The standard 18-55 is a good starting point, but it won't zoom 'in' anywhere near as close as your bridge camera. So you'll probably want a telephoto lens as well (something like a 55-200 or 70-300).

http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/ is a good place to check prices.
Click to expand...

does anywhere sell this as a package? camera body, 18-55 lens and a telephoto lens? or am i best off buying it all seperate? with these 2 lenses a should be pretty much covered for a variety of shots for a beginner? would the 18-55 lens cover me for macro shots? and portraits? i could stretch funds to £700 maximum if with that money i could buy camera body and 2 lenses? that would be my absolute limit :bonk:

it would have to be brand new had bad experiences with second hand gear in the past.

Regards
Shaun
 
There probably are but you may be looking at another £200-300.

Best thing is to google canon 550D twin and see what comes up.
 
Warehouse Express, but its £780, for the 550D + 18-55mm and 55-250mm and they are on backorder.
 
Oh nice one Shaun, well pleased for you mate. I have never dealt with Pixmania, so cant comment I'm afraid.
 
Go for a used 550d kit off ebay, that will probably give you the most bang for your buck
 
I'm very wary of Pizmania; I speak from personal experience but a quick search on Google will show that I'm not alone.

It's fair to say that most companies make mistakes - but Pixmania seem to take much longer to sort them out.
 
Quoth said:
I'm very wary of Pizmania; I speak from personal experience but a quick search on Google will show that I'm not alone.

It's fair to say that most companies make mistakes - but Pixmania seem to take much longer to sort them out.
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I guess thats pixmania out of the question :thinking: was hoping they would be reliable as thats the cheapest place i could find the 550D with the 18-55 lens and 55-250 lens as a package "new". I will never buy anything electrical second hand had bad experiences before, so i'd rather pay the extra bit of money to have it brand new aswell as warranty/guarantee.

Now to try and find the same deal for roughly the same price with a reliable company :shrug: couldnt find anywhere else that did it as a bundle :help:

ive actually decided on the 550D and have my mind set on it as quite a few people have recommended it as a entry level dslr. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Regards
Shaun
 
I know you don't want anything electrical second hand, but why don't you consider getting the camera new but your lenses used from somewhere like MPB? It would save you lots of pennies, and, having got the majority of my kit from them, I can only say that they are excellent.
 
Shaun even some of the pro sports photographers on here have bought 2nd hand lenses, I even bought a 2nd hand Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 lens, well I say 2nd hand it was 3rd hand for me because the person who I got it from had bought it 2nd hand himself.
 
SRS have a B&M shop in Watford; seem to be some of the good guys but I've not have personal dealings with them.
 
Avoid pixmania like the plague - based in France and customer service is basically non-existent. We ordered something that was in stock and ready for dispatch but somehow never managed to leave the warehouse. And as it had technically started shipping (according to Pixmania) the order couldn't be cancelled. Lots of phone calls and eventually had to resort to threatening to get the credit card to do a charge back and report them to trading standards.


I went for the 550D to get the HD video - not sure whether the 1100D has it too. But as others have said second hand is a good option - my first one was a 1000D bought second hand from the classified on here which I was very happy with until it got nicked. Definitely the best way to maximise what you can get for your budget.
 
i think i will look at these items second hand, just i dont have access to the classified section of this forum due to being new and having a low post count, its also hard to know who to trust with electrical goods these days, i dont know how many times ive heard "it was working when i posted it, must of happened in transit".

So fleabay is a no go for me lol. ive been offered a good deal to be honest just need some more details/description before i go ahead with the buy.

anyone recommend me a good macro lens to start with? much appreciated.

Regards
Shaun
 
You should have no worries about dealing with MPB Photographic. Matt is an utterly trustworthy person to deal with. This is his Canon body section but at the moment he doesn't have a550D available.

I can't recommend a macro lens for Canon as I use Nikon.
 
Again, do your research before dealing with CameraBox.
 
:agree: CameraBox :nono:.
 
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agreed camerabox is a no go for me im afraid ive read so many bad reviews about them, im being offered a 550d with lenses and accesories for a good price, all in immaculate condition so im going to avoid buying it all new at the moment until the deal has been secured. :)

any help or pointers on a good macro lens? any useful tutorials or websites that you can recommend to me?

Regards
Shaun
 
Personal experience of camerabox? Terrible! Ordered a D90 from there to save 20 quid and really wished I hadn't. The camera was 'in stock' apparently, and shorty after ppacing the order I received an update saying I had passed security clearance ( I was buying a camera, not a gun!). Thats how it remained for over a week. On contacting them I was told there had been a mad rush ( there hadn't, I monitored the 'stock level') which was causing delays. After a couple.more days I sent an email asking to cancel, then coincidentally received an unrelated email about 10 minutes after saying it had been dispatched. I replied to this asking for tracking information so I could refuse delivery, and then as if by magic I was refunded, so it was never sent in the first place!
Apparently most of their stock is non UK and arrives opened with the foreign manuals missing.
So my advice is don't believe these amazing prices unless from a reputable company.
 
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