Finally treated myself!!!

D

davemk

Suspended / Banned
Messages
60
Name
Dave
Edit My Images
Yes
Well, after much umming and ahhing, I decided to treat myself and bought a Canon 550D kit. Just charging it up and then I'll be trying to find out how it works!

I think I got a fairly decent deal. Paid £490, received a £10 voucher and should get the £30 cashback from Canon, so a net price of £450.

Once I get used to it (I'm a completely novice photographer) I might start treating myself to a few lenses.

Dave.
 
Its a wonderful feeling buying a new piece of kit :) Enjoy it.

The hard work starts here in filling its potential!
 
I wish I could enjoy it.......still charging!

"Filling it's potential" - no pressure there then?!
 
As long as the camera is giving you what you want to receive you're filling it.
 
Hi Dave! You have a great camera there!

I would suggest by not starting in Auto. Try putting the camera in Av (Aperture priority) or Tv (Shutter Priority) mode and taking a few photos and working out how the camera works.

Don't get too frustrated by using the camera, the more you use it the better you get. And don't forget you bought this as a bit of fun! :)
 
DaveKing said:
Hi Dave! You have a great camera there!

I would suggest by not starting in Auto. Try putting the camera in Av (Aperture priority) or Tv (Shutter Priority) mode and taking a few photos and working out how the camera works.

Don't get too frustrated by using the camera, the more you use it the better you get. And don't forget you bought this as a bit of fun! :)
Click to expand...

Excellent advice. If you master both of those modes, taking the move to manual is vastly easier. Also, have a read of the manual to understand the camera's settings whilst in the bath or sat on the throne lol.
 
I LOVE my 550d, only had it a few weeks, but can't put it down, my pics are definately getting better, and I'm soooo enjoying using it
 
Congrat's on the new camera, I also have a 550D had it for about a year, it's a great camera & shoots good video too
 
Thanks for the advice and feedback folks. Unfortunately, I've been using it in auto mode for the first few pics (because I only had a short amount of time and wanted to take pics!) but I'll take the advice on board and get in into Av and Tv and have a play.

At the risk of sounding a bit of a sad case, I was planning on going out this evening but I'm now going to have a good read of the manual and some of the info on here. Hopefully, I'll be able to take some nice shots tomorrow. I already have somewhere in mind.
 
Its gonna be a good weekend to actually get out and take photos due to the jubilee celebrations. Sadly revising molecular genetics means the chances of me joining in the fun are extremely limited :(
 
The Jubilee celebrations were one reason for the purchase to be honest - I thought it'd be an excellent opportunity to experiment as we'll be seeing family.

Shame you'll be missing out on the celebrations though. What are you revising for? (exams, obviously, but what for? :D )
 
Congrats on the new camera Dave, I started out with a 550D and 18-55 IS kit lens for christmas 2010 but soon added a few new bits and pieces (lenses, flash and bag), a zoom lens for me was a must as I wanted to be shooting aircraft. I've since moved onto a 5D MkIII and a 60D, via a 5D MkII and 7D, but I kept the 550D as it was such a good camera and gave it to the wife, who still uses it regularly to great effect.
 
Congrats! I'm getting my new 600D in 1 hours time! When I finish work :). I can't wait to start playing with it!!
 
Stuart - I've already started looking at new lenses....I suspect this is going to be an expensive interest.

Congrats Naz. I toyed with the idea of going for the 600D but my budget had to stop somewhere! Enjoy it.
 
I debated too between those 2 but it would only cost me £500 after cash back £50 over my budget.
 
davemk said:
The Jubilee celebrations were one reason for the purchase to be honest - I thought it'd be an excellent opportunity to experiment as we'll be seeing family.

Shame you'll be missing out on the celebrations though. What are you revising for? (exams, obviously, but what for? :D )
Click to expand...

2nd year exams for my undergraduate masters in biomedical science degree. Last thing I wanna be doing when the weather is getting better and theres events like that on everywhere! :(

You couldn't have picked a better time to start though. I started around this time last year and the weather over the next few months really makes you appreciate good lighting.
 
congrats mate, now for lens envy lol, it can be an expensive hobby, i started with the 550d (fantastic camera by the way) then went to a 7d for more fps really, and the lenses keep building up now, i would recommend using the site for all questions etc, and when the time comes use the classifieds for lenses etc, most importantly, enjoy yourself!
 
James, good luck with the exams. I've just finished a maths degree as a mature student. Loved it, but glad there's no more exams for me!

Neil, lens envy has already started and this place has been added to my favourites. :)
 
davemk said:
Stuart -I suspect this is going to be an expensive interest.
Click to expand...


You don't know the half of it yet :lol:



I started with a 450d then a 550d, i loved it, its a great camera to learn with, I found reading the manual a few times made a huge difference to understanding it all, a year later and i have my second 5DmkII and more money spent on glass than i want to tell the missus. :naughty:

Just enjoy it, go out and shoot, you will soon learn how it work. And yes, get out of auto ;)
 
Congrats on your 600D Naz, hope it's all going well for you and Dave so far.

I started with a 550D, but after getting a windfall I got a 7D and a 5D2 combo, which I've since sold and got a 60D and a 5D3 combo and 7 or 8 lenses and a bundle of other gear. It does get very expensive if you let it, but keep an eye on the classifieds for gear when you can, there's usually some good bargains to be had.
 
I bought the same in January and it was my first DSLR too. It's a great camera and the kit lens isn't too bad either - however I wanted a bit more at the top end for a walkabout lens so I traded it in for a 17-85 IS USM which is perfect for what I want. I find the Tamron 70-300 isn't bad for the price either. Then I bought a 430 EXII and spare batteries and a grip....so it's costing me a fortune :)

Alan
 
Dexy101 said:
You don't know the half of it yet :lol:



I started with a 450d then a 550d, i loved it, its a great camera to learn with, I found reading the manual a few times made a huge difference to understanding it all, a year later and i have my second 5DmkII and more money spent on glass than i want to tell the missus. :naughty:

Just enjoy it, go out and shoot, you will soon learn how it work. And yes, get out of auto ;)
Click to expand...

Yes, I think I'm on my 4th read of the manual and it does help. I'm also experimenting with Av and Tv and how they affect the photo.

modchild said:
Congrats on your 600D Naz, hope it's all going well for you and Dave so far.

I started with a 550D, but after getting a windfall I got a 7D and a 5D2 combo, which I've since sold and got a 60D and a 5D3 combo and 7 or 8 lenses and a bundle of other gear. It does get very expensive if you let it, but keep an eye on the classifieds for gear when you can, there's usually some good bargains to be had.
Click to expand...

Will be keeping an eye on the classifieds as soon as I can get in there. I already want a new lens.

Alanem said:
I bought the same in January and it was my first DSLR too. It's a great camera and the kit lens isn't too bad either - however I wanted a bit more at the top end for a walkabout lens so I traded it in for a 17-85 IS USM which is perfect for what I want. I find the Tamron 70-300 isn't bad for the price either. Then I bought a 430 EXII and spare batteries and a grip....so it's costing me a fortune :)

Alan
Click to expand...

I think I expected a bit more zoom from the kit lens so that's first on my shopping list.
 
I bought my 17-85 secondhand from MPB Photographic, they took my kit lens in part exchange and arranged the courrier pick so everything went quite smoothly. Unfortunately the lens they sent was faulty - no problem, they sent a replacement with free Saturday delivery so I got it in time for the Jubilee weekend. It's easy to deal with a company when everything goes well but you really only discover how good they are when things go wrong - big thumbs up to MPB from me.

Alan
 
I've had a look on their website a few days ago. I think I'll keep the kit lens and just buy a bigger lens to go with it. Do you mind me asking what you got for the kit lens?
 
I thought about keeping the the kit lens tto but the 17-85 covers the lower end of the kit lens range and adds more at the top so I didn't see the point. I got £50 from MPB against the second hand 17-85 leaving £150 to pay. They pay postage both ways too which helps.

Alan
 
Have had mine for few days now. Really enjoying taking photos. Still so much to learn tho!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top