Canon 350D a good starter choice?

[andyxxx]

My daughter is wanting to practice photography with a DSLR camera.

She has used my old damaged Canon G13 and I have always been happy with the brand.
I am thinking on the lines of a 350D with a 35-70 or 18-55 lens.
Decent ones seem to sell for about £100.

My questions are: Is this a good choice or would a bit more money buy a nicer camera and if so what?
Thanks for your time.

[Simpo Two]

Seems good to me. A first DSLR is a bit like a first car - you don't want it too complicated or advanced while you're still learning the basics.

18-55mm arguably more useful of the two lenses due to the wider angle.

[andyxxx]

Thanks, I have a few weeks to source it and live near Harrisons cameras so will pop in there and keep my eye on ebay

[Simpo Two]

If she has a say in it, it might be an idea to take her along too.

An alternative to consider might be the Nikon D80, eg: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154806755856

Or the one I did many weddings with: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144382824817

Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 26th January 21:59

[Rogue86]

Try MPB Photographic online; they're showing stock of 350Ds in good condition for £25 - they come with a warranty for that too.

[andyxxx]

Rogue86 said:

Try MPB Photographic online; they're showing stock of 350Ds in good condition for £25 - they come with a warranty for that too.

Thank you for the suggestion. Sorry if this is a silly question, but will this lens fit the body?

https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-phot...
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-phot...

[Wonderman]

andyxxx said:

Thank you for the suggestion. Sorry if this is a silly question, but will this lens fit the body?

https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-phot...
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-phot...

Yes it will.

[andyxxx]

Thanks everybody - ordered from that site (camera and lens described as excellent) and paid £85 (+p&p) which I am well happy with,

[yellowjack]

Damn it. I came here to see what the advice was for the OP, thinking I'd also want a 350D from mpb.

I've got my father-in-law's old kit, a Canon 35mm SLR, and a couple of what I think are EF lenses (I need to dig them out and check). Typically, though, I've been suckered in by "mission creep", partly due to a current lack of 350Ds on the mpb site, and now I'm looking at a 550D for £139... https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-phot...

Some questions need answering, though, before I plunge head-first into a purchase. Obviously there's Google, but some of the reviewers on the search results don't seem to understand the term "complete Digital Photography beginner".

It's been a while since I was "into" photography, but I know my way around a manual 35 mm SLR (Yashica stuff mainly). So the big questions are 1) If I buy a 550D what sort of memory card will I need, and how much will that cost? 2) What's a reasonable shutter count to look for so that I'd have a few years of reliable use out of a camera?

Any advice appreciated from D-SLR users on converting, pitfalls to avoid, and lenses, accessories, etc that are essential, desirable, or a waste of time/effort would be appreciated...

[Rogue86]

The main issue you're going to face with a camera that age is its low-light performance. By that I mean anything where you're needing to max the aperture/shutter out and head upwards of 400-800ISO - which to be honest is not an unusual scenario in even average UK weather or when shooting indoors. Your lenses will therefore be determined both in terms of the flexibility they will give your exposure (max aperture) and what it is you intend to shoot. But 35mm/50mm f/1.8 lenses are usually the first go-to setup for people in that sort of price range.

[Simpo Two]

yellowjack said:

It's been a while since I was "into" photography, but I know my way around a manual 35 mm SLR (Yashica stuff mainly). So the big questions are 1) If I buy a 550D what sort of memory card will I need, and how much will that cost? 2) What's a reasonable shutter count to look for so that I'd have a few years of reliable use out of a camera?

Any advice appreciated from D-SLR users on converting, pitfalls to avoid, and lenses, accessories, etc that are essential, desirable, or a waste of time/effort would be appreciated...

According to https://www.canon.co.uk/for_home/product_finder/ca... it uses SD cards. Cheap as chips.

As you're familiar with an SLR the new bit for you will be digital imaging and the panoply of adjustments that open up. JPG, pixel dimensions, file sizes, RAW, white balance, sharpening, the list is endless.

Rogue86 is right about low light performance, but coming from film, any DSLR will be no worse than what you're used to, and you'll have the magic of being able to change film speed halfway through the roll...!