mid range dslr help required please

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spanner28

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hi i am looking at getting a new camera to replace my sony a200 which i mainly use for airshow or car show/motorsport photography plus a bit of landscapes etc. I am looking to spend around 400 - 500 quid and am looking at the following cameras

sony a450
sony a500
sony a550
canon eos 450d
canon eos 500d

or

something like a used 40d

i already have a few lenses and some bits and bobs and a flash for my sony a200 which i would lose alot of money on if i cant use so im tempted by sony stuff but am open to anyone willing to help me out with some honest advice

many thanks in advance
 
As much as I love my 500D I would suggest sticking with a Sony if you already have a good number of lenses/equipment if the stuff you have is compatible with the upgrades your looking at from the Sony stable.

Of course it depends on where you want your photography to take you. I'm not familiar with the Sony range at all, when I looked I knew I wanted to stick with either Canon or Nikon due to the length of time they've been building camera's, the availabilty of extra lenses and equipment and support etc.

If you do change the 40D is a cracking camera although the rear lcd isn't as good as the 500D...

Pop into a shop and have a feel of the camera's and see what is around, if you do get a 450/500 I would strongly suggest getting a battery grip as it makes the camera feel a long better in the hands and better balanced.
 
ive had a play with a mates 40d and found it to be alot more intense than my a200 but thats not a surprise, ill have to do alot more research into them all before i can decide i suppose... mega pixels and all that aint of huge importance as i dont really do alot with my photos other than clog up my hard drive so its really about weighing it up using other peoples experience and opinions along with my own.

i already own a 28-80mm lens a sony kit 18-70mm a slightly knackered tamron 70-300mm and a tamron 90mm macros lens for my sony, plus a flash.

it is a definite plus with the canon with the availability of different lenses at a cheaper price as everything for a sony seems to be more costly
 
s/h A700. You can use all your existing lenses and accessories and it's a damn good camera.

Obviously I'm biased as I own one.

Given that Sigma and Tamron produce a lot of lenses for a-mount is there really a much greater variety of cheap lenses for canikon? I've not investigated that closely. There are certainly more lenses in the "very expensive" category (no t/s lenses in a-mount for example, no 200/2, no 400/2.8).
 
As you are at quite a pivotal moment, if I were you I'd have a good long look at where I thought my photography was going in the future. If I thought I was likely to maintain my interest and perhaps turn it in to a serious hobby, I'd look at the Canon option as I believe it would give you more room to grow in the future.

If you just want to maintain a keen interest but just feel you need a body slightly more advanced than the one you already have, perhaps you would be better off sticking with a SOny.
 
im leaning more towards buying new than second hand as for some reason i prefer the idea, plus a s/h a700 seems to be hard to find on the likes of ebay etc (havent looked on here yet).

With regards to where my photography will go in the future im unsure to be honest. I dont see me as being likely to do anything other than use my photos for my interest and dot them about on the odd forum, and also as a hobby i enjoy taking photos. Having only been into it for a couple of years with a dslr its tricky to know what i would benefit from the most... alot of thought is going into it and money also...

with regards to lenses and prices etc it seems there is less available in terms of minolta stuff on the net and there is also a good hundred quid price difference between say a canon and sony fit lens.
 
If you choose to go with Canon then the 40D is the best choice if you do not need video. If you want to record video then the only, affordable, choice is the 500D.
 
im not too fussed about video as i already have a sanyo hd camcorder that i bought last year and i seem to spend more time taking photos than videos anyway...

another interesting option has arisen, someone i know is selling a sigma 500mm lens. This could be beneficial for the type of photography i do and am looking in the future to get a 500mm...

i hate decisions
 
If you're considering switching brands, don't discount Nikon. You can pick up a D200 + Grip or a D2X for £400-500 now if you look around, and the D2X will likely handle more than you'll ever want to throw at it.
 
spanner28 said:
im leaning more towards buying new than second hand as for some reason i prefer the idea, plus a s/h a700 seems to be hard to find on the likes of ebay etc (havent looked on here yet).
Click to expand...

There's an a700 on here for £500 at the moment. As for lenses, the third party manufacturers make their lenses with different mounts and tend to charge the same irrespective of the mount (according to my cursory check). s/h prices may be affected by the relatively lower new sales in a-mount, of course.

Canon and Nikon definitely make a wider range of lenses for their own cameras than Sony do - Sony are introducing more gradually and their range is complemented by the Zeiss ZA range (not available on Canon or Nikon) but still not close to those two.
 
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