Discussion
I'm currently thinking of buying a second hand Cannon 400D from my local camera shop. I fancy having a go at taking motorsport pictures, mainly rallying.
I've not got much experience with cameras so I thought I would ask on here as there seems to be a wealth of experience.
I understand that the 400D is a few years old, has anybody used one or currently using one? Would it be any good as a entry level camera and wil it do what I want it too? I understand that my ability or lack of, will also affect the final result!
The chap in the camera shop seems to think that it will do everything required. All I need is a telephoto lens along with the standard one.
It comes with all the relevant pieces and warranty from the shop. Iv'e had a bit of a play with it this morning and everything seems to work fine. It appears too be in good condition with no obvious damage etc.
Thanks,
Darren.
I've not got much experience with cameras so I thought I would ask on here as there seems to be a wealth of experience.
I understand that the 400D is a few years old, has anybody used one or currently using one? Would it be any good as a entry level camera and wil it do what I want it too? I understand that my ability or lack of, will also affect the final result!
The chap in the camera shop seems to think that it will do everything required. All I need is a telephoto lens along with the standard one.
It comes with all the relevant pieces and warranty from the shop. Iv'e had a bit of a play with it this morning and everything seems to work fine. It appears too be in good condition with no obvious damage etc.
Thanks,
Darren.
I still use mine quite frequently. In fact just back from holiday and chose the relative lightness and small size of the 400D over my 1D3 for travelling.
I'm happy to use the 400D as a second lens camera for motorsport. The faster 1D3 offers more speed and facilities for track overall and feels better balanced with larger lenses, though it weighs a lot of course. However the 400D with the same quality lenses produces perfectly good images. I haven't shot a rally for a while but even with a kit lens you can usually get close enough to the action to get decent shots (not so easy at many circuits these days) and 3+ fps should be fast enough to capture a decent sequence at typical rally speeds. In fact it's about right for most track action too unless you are lookinig for a precise moment that is difficult to react to.
I bought mine as a refurb in, iirc, 2007 and despite some abuse over the years and probably about 30k actuations (at a guess, may be more) it still works as it always did.
Buy a couple of spare batteries. Non-Canon versions can be bought for about 4 or 5 quid each. I got a pair from 7dayshop when I bought the camera and they are still going strong and perform just as well as the original - perhaps better.
Shoot RAW and use large memory cards. 4Gb will likely give you just under 200 RAW on a card. I would go for 8 or 16Gb cards at current prices. Get a card reader for downloading from the CF card. Check if the camera comes with a software CD. It will be out of date (probably) but having a licence key can make installation and updating easier.
I have no idea what a 400D sells for these days but should be around or under 200 I would think since you can get a 450D for a little more money. Anything over that and you are looking at the retailer's warranty cost coverage. IMO.
I'm happy to use the 400D as a second lens camera for motorsport. The faster 1D3 offers more speed and facilities for track overall and feels better balanced with larger lenses, though it weighs a lot of course. However the 400D with the same quality lenses produces perfectly good images. I haven't shot a rally for a while but even with a kit lens you can usually get close enough to the action to get decent shots (not so easy at many circuits these days) and 3+ fps should be fast enough to capture a decent sequence at typical rally speeds. In fact it's about right for most track action too unless you are lookinig for a precise moment that is difficult to react to.
I bought mine as a refurb in, iirc, 2007 and despite some abuse over the years and probably about 30k actuations (at a guess, may be more) it still works as it always did.
Buy a couple of spare batteries. Non-Canon versions can be bought for about 4 or 5 quid each. I got a pair from 7dayshop when I bought the camera and they are still going strong and perform just as well as the original - perhaps better.
Shoot RAW and use large memory cards. 4Gb will likely give you just under 200 RAW on a card. I would go for 8 or 16Gb cards at current prices. Get a card reader for downloading from the CF card. Check if the camera comes with a software CD. It will be out of date (probably) but having a licence key can make installation and updating easier.
I have no idea what a 400D sells for these days but should be around or under 200 I would think since you can get a 450D for a little more money. Anything over that and you are looking at the retailer's warranty cost coverage. IMO.
I have the 350D which is 6-12 months older than the 400D - it works very well as a camera and is relatively cheap (was around £200 including kit lens).
i think it is an excellent way to get started and dip a toe in the water...they are also very very good cameras - better than I am as a photographer.
Main thing when buying used is the condition of the camera and a rough stab at the number of shutter activations...
The shutter is the only real moving part, and can wear out - I just took a complete punt on mine and it has been fine.
The website you really want is www.dpreview.com - lots of advice there.
Lastly - DON'T expect the camera to just take amazng pictures right away - you need to do a certain amount of learning re ISo/Shutter speed/Aperture to take the style of photo you want.
Rallying you will (probably) want fairly long lenses with a wide aperture so that you can keep the shutter speeds high in gloomy woods...but I only have a little knowledge which is a dangerous thing!
EDITED to say - see posted at the same time as above and they know what they're talking about!!
i think it is an excellent way to get started and dip a toe in the water...they are also very very good cameras - better than I am as a photographer.
Main thing when buying used is the condition of the camera and a rough stab at the number of shutter activations...
The shutter is the only real moving part, and can wear out - I just took a complete punt on mine and it has been fine.
The website you really want is www.dpreview.com - lots of advice there.
Lastly - DON'T expect the camera to just take amazng pictures right away - you need to do a certain amount of learning re ISo/Shutter speed/Aperture to take the style of photo you want.
Rallying you will (probably) want fairly long lenses with a wide aperture so that you can keep the shutter speeds high in gloomy woods...but I only have a little knowledge which is a dangerous thing!
EDITED to say - see posted at the same time as above and they know what they're talking about!!
Many thanks for the prompt reply's. He's asking £275:00 for it with the kit lense, battery etc. I did ask about the sotfware, he said that it was with it. Iv'e had a look on Ebay etc and they seem to be selling for around the £200/250 mark. I don't mind paying a little bit extra to a local shop. If it goes wrong it's a lot easier to return it to him rather than sending it back to an address from Ebay.
It seems to be a decent little camera for a beginner, I can always upgrade!!
Cheers.
It seems to be a decent little camera for a beginner, I can always upgrade!!
Cheers.
Dobbin78 said:
Many thanks for the prompt reply's. He's asking £275:00 for it with the kit lense, battery etc. I did ask about the sotfware, he said that it was with it. Iv'e had a look on Ebay etc and they seem to be selling for around the £200/250 mark. I don't mind paying a little bit extra to a local shop. If it goes wrong it's a lot easier to return it to him rather than sending it back to an address from Ebay.
It seems to be a decent little camera for a beginner, I can always upgrade!!
Cheers.
Invest wisely in lenses - they have a life all their own as bodies are cast aside or upgraded. If you buy good lenses they will cost but you should see them as an investment. The values of many popular well respected quality manufacturer lenses seem to hold well over the years. Probably get a better return over 5 to 10 years than a pension fund would offer.It seems to be a decent little camera for a beginner, I can always upgrade!!
Cheers.
I have the 400D too. Over the few years of owning it I've teamed it up with a canon 70-300mm lens which works very well, and replaced the kit lens with a Tamron 17-55 f2.8 which is a vast improvement over the kit lens.
Have a look here for some of my results if it helps
Any questions just ask away
Have a look here for some of my results if it helps
Any questions just ask away
PGD5 said:
I have the 400D too. Over the few years of owning it I've teamed it up with a canon 70-300mm lens which works very well, and replaced the kit lens with a Tamron 17-55 f2.8 which is a vast improvement over the kit lens.
Have a look here for some of my results if it helps
Any questions just ask away
Were all your pictures taken with the 400D, if so they have sold it! I'm sure the second lens was a Cannon 70-300mm. Nice pictures by the way. If I can caputure images like(after some practice) I'll be a happy boy!Have a look here for some of my results if it helps
Any questions just ask away
I've been having a read up on appature, ISO etc. It's a bit of a minefield. Is there any decent books that explain it well (an idiots guide) or is just a case of getting out there with a camera, taking pictures and altering settings as you go?
We (the missus and I) found we outgrew the x00D series quite quickly. Might be worth seeing if there is a 20D knocking about for the same money - IMO.
Kit lenses vary massively. We've had 4x 18-55 kit lenses over the years and one of them was crap, one was spectacularly good, and the other two were pretty average. Luck of the draw I guess.
Kit lenses vary massively. We've had 4x 18-55 kit lenses over the years and one of them was crap, one was spectacularly good, and the other two were pretty average. Luck of the draw I guess.
Podie said:
Might be worth seeing if there is a 20D knocking about for the same money - IMO.
20D's should easily fall into that price bracket and if you keep your eyes open so do 30D's!I just got a mint 30D boxed with all original accessories for £170 on Ebay. No lens but I picked up an 18-55IS (better than original non IS) for £50!
ks, there's me thinking I was doing well. Lesson learnt. Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff