Help needed choosing camera please?

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crazymaisey

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First of all ... Hi to everyone.

I`m on the lookout for a new camera.. my first dslr.
I`ve got kids that I want to take plenty of pics of, as well as other stuff.
I want to take portraits aswell as action pics. And I want to take pics indoors and out.

I first began checking out the canon 450d, but have read that it isn`t very suitable for indoor shots, especially with kids that move all the time. And seeing as the winter is setting in a lot of my pictures will be taken indoors ( for a few months anyway.)

Anyone got any advice on something suitable for my needs. I`m looking in the £500. region.

Any help and advice will be much appreciated. Thanks :)
 
The 450D will be OK for indoor shots, although there are better options but they will probably blow your budget.

More important I think will be your choice of lens. Even if you buy a 50D but you stick with the kit lens, you are likely to be disappointed with your indoor shots unless you use flash.

Even if you use flash, this can look unnatural.

Therefore I would recommend you consider purchasing a fast prime alongside the camera you eventually decide on. The Canon 50 f/1.8 only costs about £75 and will allow you to take pictures at f/1.8 versus the kit lens which would be at f/5.6 by the time it gets to 50mm.

This means that for the same amount of light you have indoors, you get a shutter speed that's 3 times faster with the 50 f/1.8 at f/2.0 versus the kit lens at f/5.6.

I have a 400D (450D predecessor) as my second camera and I will use it indoors at ISO 800 or 1600 if I have to with a fast prime. I get better results with a 5D, but the 5D costs about £800 second-hand. Up to ISO 400, the 400D delivers excellent results indoors with a fast prime.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum,

Got yourself a budget that's good.

Now although you have mentioned a Canon why not find a good camera shop local to you and pop in for a look and ask if you can handle other cameras so you get a feel for them is this way you will get one that you are happy with.

NOT something you think MIGHT be right for you.

Example, we went to a famous shop that sells settee's sofa's call them what you want.

Anyway saw what we wanted on the old tube and off we trotted only when we got there we dint like that one and ordered a different one.

And all because we tried before we bought !!

Hope this helps you :)

J.
 
crazymaisey said:
First of all ... Hi to everyone.

but have read that it isn`t very suitable for indoor shots, especially with kids that move all the time.
Canon/Nikon/Sony/Sigma, who cares. Any dslr will take good shots indoors with the right lens. The 50mm f1.8 is a good cheap start with any make and if it's dull use flash.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I'm in the same boat as you carzymaisy. I'm definately going to have to look at a few in person before I buy. One thing I want for sure is a wireless remote. I'm tired of having to wait for the self-timer to go off if I want to be included in a photo.
 
I have an Olympus E-420...I`m in the process of migrating from point and shoots to SLR too...this E-420 suits me because its the smallest and lightest DSLR on the market (at least it was at the time of the buy) Body and 14-42 mm kit is fairly priced IMO and the optics / size / weight on the cheap lenses like the 14-42 and 40-150 are very decent for what I`ve read...
I have taken several shots with the bundled 14-42 lens and I`m pretty happy with it...cant complain so far on this camera, actually I`m in the process of buying a second lens...the 40-150 mentioned above.
 
Hi & Welcome :wave:

The 450D is a good camera and as a starting point you won't be disappointed - if you have a look in the photo sharing esp here http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=36

Have a look at their camera bag and see some of the shots taken with a 450D.

As has already been said, the lens can make the world of difference.

Hope this is of some help, good luck :thumbs:
 
450Ds very good, the kit lens isn't too bad really, though obviously a 50 mm is much better. Its not bad in low light if you shoot raw, though it should be noted that it only goes up to 1600 ISO
 
Have a look at
www.camerapricebuster.co.uk
Sony have some good deals at the moment.

Definitely go and handle a variety of bodies rhough. See which you like.
 
The A700 is fantastic and can be had body only for £500 at the moment. Good high ISO performance means it would be good for indoor shots and it comes with a fantastic wireless remote with shutter release (etc) and also a fantastic HDMI port to plug into a HDTV if you have one which is a very nice feature as the pictures look pretty amazing in 1080p! Just couple it with a good Prime (Minolta 28mm, 50mm etc) and you'll have a great package. You can get the Primes for under 100 quid so it would blow your budget a bit :( Being a bit more realistic (A700s are becoming increasingly harder to find) maybe have a look at getting a Sony A200 (low end but a fantastic camera) and blow the rest of your budget on some awesome glass :) And the most important thing before you buy a camera is to make sure you handle it in the shop! Infact, the best way to buy an SLR is to just buy the one you like the feel of the most as most SLRs from the major brands nowadays are very similar in features and performance.
 
You can get a Panasonic G1 for £440 if you shop around, small, light and features packed with an excellent kit lens. Alternativley, as said have a look at Olympus.
 
Maybe look at the Canon 500D if you have kids, only saying that in case you fancy taking a few videos of them too
 
Thankyou for all the advice.
I have ummed and arghed and am now thinking of a canon 40D body and a canon EF 50mm f/1.8 mark 2 lens.
What would you say is the average shop price for these? So that if I see anything on ebay or the like, I`ll know if I`m looking at a bargain or not.

By the way, what do you think of this combination?
 
I was looking on ebay as well for any deals but so far by the time the auction ends I'd only be saving a hundred dollars or so. I'd rather spend a little more $ & have a nice brand new camera from the store. The few that looked like good deals I wouldn't consider because the seller's feedback wasn't the greatest. I think for something of this magnitude I wouldn't want to hope it's going to be exactly as someone described it on ebay.
 
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