Hi! New to DSLR

danny_bhoy

danny_bhoy

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Hi everyone! Used these forums for ages to glean a lot of really useful info but now I'm after some specific advice.

I got myself a Fujifilm Finepix S4000 bridge camera about 6 months ago. After a fair bit of use I'm beginning to realise that it just doesn't have enough 'proper DSLR' functions for me. (Prob should have done more research first).

So that's going on eBay and I'm gonna fork out for a DSLR. Got an all-in budget of about £600. I'm more or less set on the Canon EOS 550d.

Seen a good looking deal - http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/canon-eos-550d--18-55-is-ii--55-250-is-ii-twin-kit-892-p.asp - but I've heard bad things about the kit lenses offered. I'd ideally like a good all round lens that is capable of good action shots. Not sure either of these lenses is fast enough for that.

I'd really like some advice on:

- if this looks like a good kit deal for a beginner.

- should I purchase the body for about £350 and look for a better lens?

and

- am I overlooking any other cameras that might fit the bill better?

Thanks very much in advance for your replies. You'll be helping me immensely because my head it battered trying to decide :-)

Danny.
 
The kit lenses are nothing exceptional but are very good value for money. The 18-55 for example is probably 80-100 pounds more than buying the camera bare. You would be looking to pay just over 300 pounds for a better equivalent. Even the kit lenses go for good prices second hand so if you get them and upgrade later you won't loose much and have a much better idea of what you want from your next lens.
What sort of action shots are you wanting to take?
 
Great advice, thanks. It had crossed my mind as to what kind of value kit lenses have if I maybe wanted to sell/trade them in somewhere down the line. So that's reassuring.

I'm mainly a landscape and walkabout kinda guy but I'd hate to think I spent my hard earned cash then missed the opportunity of the occasional action shot because the lens wasn't up to it. Just to be clear I'm not talking full-on sporting events as such, more the odd bird in flight, fast moving car or my kids playing football.

Do you reckon the lenses described in the link could handle that level of usage?

Thanks again for the great advice! :)
 
I think the lenses will be fine but they will have limitations in certain circumstances. They may not be as quick to focus as more expensive USM or equivalent lenses so getting that initial focus on the bird in flight might be a bit more difficult for example. The 55-250 will need a good amount of light to get a fast shutter speed and although the IS is very good it's not as good as the more expensive lenses but then again if you are not going to use it much it's not worth paying £600+ for a better lens.
If you like asking landscapes then later you might decide something like the sigma 10-20 is a worthwhile additional lens.
That's why I suggest sing the kit lenses and finding out the limitations for yourself as you just may not be taking the types of photos to encounter them so worth spending the extra money where it will make the most difference.
 
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