I thought I'd made my mind up, now not so sure! (another 450D vs. 40D)

chris321

chris321

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I know it's a question that's been brought up a few times, but I've read through some old posts and the situation seems to have changed a bit!

I'm the sort of person that spends a long, LONG time considering big purchases, and in a market that changes as quickly as cameras do now, it's causing me issues! I'd initially decided on a 400D a few months ago, but other things came up in the meantime, so the purchase of my first DSLR got postponed.

Then the 450D came out, and I pretty much had my heart set on it, but now the 40D is starting to come down in price as well! Initially I said that the 450D was pretty much at the top of my price range, but if the 40D offers that much more, I could stretch I guess. I'd rather not, seeing as how I don't yet have any lenses and will be starting from scratch, and I'm a student so I'm not exactly loaded!

What I really don't want to do is buy a 450D now, only to find in a few months I want to upgrade because it doesn't do something that I want to do! And with rumours of a 50D in the pipeline, I'm guessing there might be some good deals coming up on the 40D (there's cashback at the moment, right?).

So to conclude, I want to get a camera that will last me a long time, whilst spending as little money in the long-run as possible! If that means buying a more expensive camera now, rather than making a loss on buying a cheaper on and upgrading, then maybe that's the best option? I'm so confused, any help would be great!
 
Upgrades are always going to be there unless you buy top of the newest range now. You buy a 40D now, how long before you want the 50D, 5D, or 1D? My advice is buy the camera you can afford now which gives you all the features you need for the forseeable future. Then invest in decent lenses, ideally full sensor size ones unless you know you're going to stick with crop sensors. A quality lens will have a bigger impact on your photography than jumping from say a 400d to a 40d.

hth :)
 
You're probably looking at around £150 difference in price between a 40D and a 450D, which was too much for me at the time I bought my 450D which I was upgrading to from a 400D. Perhaps get the 450D and when the 50D comes out the 40D prices will plummet, and that's the time to nab a bargain!! :)
 
I'd hold tight until the 50D rummors are either denied or solidified would be a shame to miss out for the sake of a few weeks if the september rumours are true as there are always some second hand bargins when a new body comes out. I got my 30D for a very good price when the 40D was released as the previous owner had upgraded to a 40D.
 
I'd just buy something now. You could spend the rest of your life umming and ahhing waiting for rumours of new cameras to be confirmed/denied, or older cameras to come down in price.
 
Go for the 40D. I had a 400D and within 6 months had upgraded to the 40D. It is a fantastic camera. Makes the 400D, 450D & 1000D (although great cameras) feel like toys.
 
Dave Stone said:
Go for the 40D. I had a 400D and within 6 months had upgraded to the 40D. It is a fantastic camera. Makes the 400D, 450D & 1000D (although great cameras) feel like toys.
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:agree: I bought a 400d, then hubby got interested, so got him a secondhand 30d, once I tried the 30d, the fast shutter action and better autofocus (I felt) had me saving for a 40d in no time.
 
The 40d is a great camera but remember it is significantly bigger and heavier than the 450d. Some like that, I do, but I also often use my old 350d when travelling as the 40d is MUCH bulkier.
 
The 40D is a heavier camera. I have the battery grip as well, so quite a beast. I actually find it easier to hold steady than the 400D. The best thing to do is go and hold both and see how they feel to you.
 
Grrrr, now I'm even more torn! I've got large-ish hands, I've played with the 450D which felt fine, but I must admit the 40D just felt sublime..... oh the confusion continues! Is the AF significantly better on the 40D then? I'm not really put off by the size and weight, i'll bear it in mind though.

I'm not sure, and I'm such a terrible umm-er and ahh-er! The main thing that's getting me to sway towards the 40D is the higher fps, I may be shooting a lot of martial art stuff and that could come in handy, but i just don't know if I can justify the price!

I'll have to think about it long and hard I guess! Thanks so much for all the replies so far, if anyone thinks of anything else, please do let me know!
 
Why dont you go second hand? a 30D will knock the socks of a 450D imo and be a lot cheaper leaving you more money for a decent lens.
 
I agree with the idea of secondhand - I went with the 400D rather than the 30D because I preferred a smaller lighter body and thought it would do all that I needed to do (which so far, it does) but I saved a decent amount on the new price by buying secondhand which can go towards better glass a while down the line.
As an aside I have camera armour on the 400D (thanks to its previous owner :-) ) which makes it much easier to hold in my opinion but without being as big and heavy as the 40D, you could also add a battery grip if the size of the camera was a real concern.
 
Hmmmm, I'm really getting tempted by the idea of a 40D! Does anyone know how much they go for 2nd hand? Or is refurbished the way to go? I'm just worried I won't have anough spare cash to get decent glass to get the most out of it though, oh the decisions :thinking:

Thanks for all the help, keep it coming!

Chris
 
I own both 400D and 40D. Since I got the 40D, I wouldn't touch the 400D.
 
I was going to keep my 400D as a spare. But, as you say, I wouldn't have used it. The 40D feels and performs so much better.
 
chris321 said:
Hmmmm, I'm really getting tempted by the idea of a 40D! Does anyone know how much they go for 2nd hand? Or is refurbished the way to go? I'm just worried I won't have anough spare cash to get decent glass to get the most out of it though, oh the decisions :thinking:

Thanks for all the help, keep it coming!

Chris
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As a newcomer I really cannot see what a 40D offers you over a 30D if i'm honest. Slighty higher resolution makes no difference, 6fps vs 5fps will make no difference, liveview is not something that you need at all, anti dust is rubbish, highlight tone priorety not worth it.

Basically, the 40D has a selection of features that would be nice to have but nothing that makes it a million times better than a 30D, seriously.

Infact I would take a 350D and an L lens over a 30D/40D and a cheap lens and i really, really, really dislike the 350D.
 
The 40D size isn't something to be pondered on IMO. I'm 5ft 5, i'm a small build and not the biggest person in the world, it feels fine in my hands, really comfortable and far from too big/heavy/bulky.

After having my 40D a week, I had a go of my previous camera (400D) and it felt small, plastic, tacky. I'm not saying the 400D, or even the 450D are tacky, far from it, but the 40D is an immense bit of kit.

I'd personally go for the 40D, and then focus your attention on glass.
 
olv said:
As a newcomer I really cannot see what a 40D offers you over a 30D if i'm honest. Slighty higher resolution makes no difference, 6fps vs 5fps will make no difference, liveview is not something that you need at all, anti dust is rubbish, highlight tone priorety not worth it.

Basically, the 40D has a selection of features that would be nice to have but nothing that makes it a million times better than a 30D, seriously.

In fact I would take a 350D and an L lens over a 30D/40D and a cheap lens and I really, really, really dislike the 350D.
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I would agree with you over pixel count and fps, but today I saw live view used in anger, and depending on what your shooting it can be fantastic, The tog I was with wanted to shoot above a crowd, now with my 30D I hold it up and hope for the best, not with live view, he could see the image and the focus in point to get the shot he wanted.
 
I upgraded my 30D to a 40D recently, and to be quite honest, I don't really see any difference in image quality. I don't use the live view, and the 6.5 fps vs 5.0 for the 30D doesn't make much difference.

If I was you I'd go for a second hand 30D and use the money for a decent lens. That'll make much more difference to the quality of your images than any particular body.
 
I have relatively small hands and i found a 40D more comfortable to use than my old 350D. It's more stable in my hands so i shoot less blurred pictures.

If you can't stretch to a 40D then i'd recommend a 30D or even a 20D.

Try looking on ebay or http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/ as they stock second hand gear.

If all you can afford is a 400D/450D then go for it, the real investment is in the lenses.

I hate to say this :eek:....have you considered Nikon, the D80 is a great price now and i've not heard a bad word said about it.

Sorry if i've added to your confusion.
 
CatB said:
I agree with the idea of secondhand - I went with the 400D rather than the 30D because I preferred a smaller lighter body and thought it would do all that I needed to do (which so far, it does) but I saved a decent amount on the new price by buying secondhand which can go towards better glass a while down the line.
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:agree:

Ive just bought my first DSLR, went for a refurb 400D :D works perfectly and looks brand new. The money ive saved is being spent on lenses and filters etc.

I upgraded from a P&S (G7) and thought the DLSR would be easier to work than I thought, I was disappointed at first, but im learning quickly and starting to enjoy it.

Once I have some decent lenses, a bit more experience, and cash to spend i'll might upgrade to something like a 40D (or whatever is around at the time!) and keep the 400D as a backup.

dont stress too much, buy what you can afford and go and enjoy it. :thumbs:

cheers
watred.
 
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