Starter Photographer opinion on canon & lens

cammiedh13

cammiedh13

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Cam
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hey theyre just started a photography course and im looking to buy a canon & lens/s

i was going to go for either the 450d or 40d
450d body is 350
40d body is 650

im wondering which one is better i know obviously the 40d will be more advance.
i got told not to go for the kit lens so im also wondering what would be the best all round lens size to go for ?

what is better to also have a good body ie the 450 and a great lens
or a great body ie 40d and a less better lens ?

hopefully what im asking makes some sort of sense

Cam
 
Lenses are generally always worth more investment than a body. I'd go for the 450D, which is an incredibly able camera, and a good lens.

By the time you will come to upgrading and feeling limited by the 450D, there will no doubt be a newer model out along the 40/50D line :)
 
purpleclouds said:
Lenses are generally always worth more investment than a body. I'd go for the 450D, which is an incredibly able camera, and a good lens.

By the time you will come to upgrading and feeling limited by the 450D, there will no doubt be a newer model out along the 40/50D line :)
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Agreed. Every time.

Regarding lens choice - there's a reason that Canon supply an 18-55mm lens with the camera. Two reasons actually. One is that it's a useful focal length range for people who don't (yet) have more specialised requirements. Another is that it's relatively inexpensive so it's a relatively low-risk approach to getting started. You wouldn't want to buy an expensive lens and then decide it wasn't what you needed.

By all accounts the IS (Image Stabilized) version of the 18-55mm "kit" lens isn't at all bad. You can't go too far wrong with that. Another great beginner's lens is the 50mm f/1.8 - very very cheap, sharp, great portait lens, good for low light, and not being a zoom it makes you work a bit on your composition which is no bad thing.

Other than that, you'll need to tell us what you anticipate wanting to take photos of, and what kind of budget you have in mind, before we can give you any sound advice.
 
I looked at this choice and went for the 40D, I felt it was much much nicer to handle, felt more robust and just better built, thats aside from the other in camera advantages.

If you're UK based you can get the 40D for less than you think. Around £560 and there's £60 cashback until 12th Jan giving you a "net" £500 - that really is a bargain.

Try them both first if you can and see if you feel the 40D is worth the premium, I certainly did but it's personal preference.

Good luck.
 
in the way of lens i want to shoot your general everything from sports to landscape ect....i had been told not to go for the kit lens as it doesnt offer you much .

bar the 18-55 whats the next best all round lens ?

Cam
 
cammiedh13 said:
in the way of lens i want to shoot your general everything from sports to landscape ect....i had been told not to go for the kit lens as it doesnt offer you much .

bar the 18-55 whats the next best all round lens ?

Cam
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Depends what you mean by all round as the 18-55 kit lens certainly isn't an all round lens. The focal length is usefull for landscapes through to portraits but not much use at all if you want to shoot wildlife or sport or in bad light.

The nearest thing you will get to a one size fits all lens is one of the new super zooms such as thee sigma 18-200 OS which is very good at what it does and offers a vast range which is suitable for most applications (perhaps a bit short for birding) it is however a compromise in terms of image quality and certainly not fast enough for low light shooting without a flash.

Personally I'f get a second hand 40D and kit lens.
 
Cam, you don't say where you live, but if you live anywhere near Birmingham, try and make it to the" Focus" exhibition at the end of Feb (if you can wait that long!!) and Jacobs have some good deals on "B" grade equipment, which means it may have been ex demo or something, they had 40D s last year for £450 and I know of one intrepid TP member, (my niece, Sue) who also got the Canon £100 cashback so her 40D cost her £350!!....a real bargain. I'm not guaranteeing anything, of course, but it also gives you a chance to handle and play with all the models. (I presume Canon are there, they returned last year after an absence of a couple of years).
Other than that, I agree with Stewart's comments above.
George.
 
Like others have suggested, the 450D and "better" lens would be the way to go. You could look at something like the Sigma 24-70 f2.8, which at about £250'ish, is a pretty good investment as it gives you a useful focal length range and at f2.8, you get a bit of speed in there too.

I was never happy with the kit lens on my old 350, especially when I ran it on the 40D, it seemed to show up its inadequacies. Like Stewart says, the latest IS version of the 18-55 isn't bad, and I think now comes as the kit lens for the 40D.

Steve
 
thank you for all your point i see myself going for the 450d as it allows me to get more stuff i need at this moment intime ie bag, tripod , cards ect

where would anyone recommend i get lens' from

i was going to buy the body from calumet or is theyre any other place you recommend ?
ps to the person who asked where i live - dumfries - SW scotland :love:

Cam
 
cammiedh13 said:
thank you for all your point i see myself going for the 450d as it allows me to get more stuff i need at this moment intime ie bag, tripod , cards ect

where would anyone recommend i get lens' from

i was going to buy the body from calumet or is theyre any other place you recommend ?
ps to the person who asked where i live - dumfries - SW scotland :love:

Cam
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Shop around for lenses as the prices vary a lot sometimes. On the high street, Jacobs are competitively priced at the moment. Online - try Warehouseexpress. Amazon have reasonable prices on filters.
 
ps to the person who asked where i live - dumfries - SW scotland :love:

Cam[/QUOTE]
Well, Cam, my comments re Focus still apply, quite a few of us meet up there.
Also you could try Kerso...(Ian Kerr) and he used to give good prices as he imported from the US but I suspect with the recent demise of sterling his prices won't be as competitive. there is also a useful comparison site, I'l try and post it.
And keep a look out for our wonderful Scottish meet, usually on September!!

George
 
18-55 kit lens gets 'dissed' an awful lot but its not as bad as people make out.

The 18-55 and a 70-300 APO Sigma or 55-250 Canon gives you a moderately priced twin lens setup to tackle most subjects. This can be added with a 50mm f1.8, extension tubes or close up lens. By then you'll know where your interests lie and can adapt accordingly.
 
i have only one other query and that is for a starter kit what else should i buy ? like bag cards ect ?

Cam
 
Cam, depending where you get the camera body, be careful you don't get ripped off with the CF card (or whatever your body takes). Check the price on 7dayshop or equivalent for reputable makes like Sandisc or Lexar, don't be tempted to buy off fleabay as there are some fakes about. You should start with probably a 2 GHz card, that'll do you for a while.
Also buy a good photography book (if you don't get it on your course), then you'll learn all about taking RAW and/or JPEG files (sorry if you know this already!!)

Just come back on here if you want more help. You can also do a search on the forum, that's quite useful.
George.
 
got a few books and ebooks on exposure ect getting to grips with it all just been using the colleges d200s atm but i prefer canon

would anyone recommend buying anything inparticular except of course the body & lens ? haaha
 
cammiedh13 said:
would anyone recommend buying anything inparticular except of course the body & lens ? haaha
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1. A memory card or two.
2. "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.

That's the absolute essentials covered. Everything else (bag, filters, tripod, blah blah blah) is optional.
 
believe it or not i have that book :lol::lol: thank god !
 
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