Starter SLR - Been offered a few which is a good pick?
Discussion
Hi, sorry for the er recurring topic oh which I am sure this is..
I put a wanted thread up on another forum, and asked on facebook for a decent starter used DSLR. This is what I've been offered:
Package 1:
Canon 400d
Canon 18-55 lens
Canon 19-58 lens
Canon 80-300 lens
Camera rucksack
Tripod
8gb card
2 batteries
Lanyard
He wants £500 and is local.
or £300 without the 80-300 lens and tripod
Package 2:
Nikon D40 with standard 18-55 lens
All the basic stuff, he wants £300 but is negotiable.
Package 3:
original 18-55mm canon lens
28-300mm tamron zoom lens (£300)
fisheye lens
2gb memory card
lowepro carry bag
spare battery
polariser filter
uv filter
screen protector
comes with original manual and usb cable
He wants £400 for the above.
I used a Nikon D3000 at work to take some basic shots, and have always wanted to get in the game since starting with forums when I had a scooter. I can take half decent shots with normal cameras so I want a decent SLR to learn with.
Which of the above is the better deal?
Also, is it lens, or lense?! Everyone is saying lens but it seems odd :\
Cheers!
Danny
I put a wanted thread up on another forum, and asked on facebook for a decent starter used DSLR. This is what I've been offered:
Package 1:
Canon 400d
Canon 18-55 lens
Canon 19-58 lens
Canon 80-300 lens
Camera rucksack
Tripod
8gb card
2 batteries
Lanyard
He wants £500 and is local.
or £300 without the 80-300 lens and tripod
Package 2:
Nikon D40 with standard 18-55 lens
All the basic stuff, he wants £300 but is negotiable.
Package 3:
original 18-55mm canon lens
28-300mm tamron zoom lens (£300)
fisheye lens
2gb memory card
lowepro carry bag
spare battery
polariser filter
uv filter
screen protector
comes with original manual and usb cable
He wants £400 for the above.
I used a Nikon D3000 at work to take some basic shots, and have always wanted to get in the game since starting with forums when I had a scooter. I can take half decent shots with normal cameras so I want a decent SLR to learn with.
Which of the above is the better deal?
Also, is it lens, or lense?! Everyone is saying lens but it seems odd :\
Cheers!
Danny
DannyVTS said:
Hi, sorry for the er recurring topic oh which I am sure this is..
I put a wanted thread up on another forum, and asked on facebook for a decent starter used DSLR. This is what I've been offered:
Package 1:
Canon 400d
Canon 18-55 lens
Canon 19-58 lens
Canon 80-300 lens
Camera rucksack
Tripod
8gb card
2 batteries
Lanyard
He wants £500 and is local.
or £300 without the 80-300 lens and tripod
Package 2:
Nikon D40 with standard 18-55 lens
All the basic stuff, he wants £300 but is negotiable.
Package 3:
original 18-55mm canon lens
28-300mm tamron zoom lens (£300)
fisheye lens
2gb memory card
lowepro carry bag
spare battery
polariser filter
uv filter
screen protector
comes with original manual and usb cable
He wants £400 for the above.
I used a Nikon D3000 at work to take some basic shots, and have always wanted to get in the game since starting with forums when I had a scooter. I can take half decent shots with normal cameras so I want a decent SLR to learn with.
Which of the above is the better deal?
Also, is it lens, or lense?! Everyone is saying lens but it seems odd :\
Cheers!
Danny
Hi I put a wanted thread up on another forum, and asked on facebook for a decent starter used DSLR. This is what I've been offered:
Package 1:
Canon 400d
Canon 18-55 lens
Canon 19-58 lens
Canon 80-300 lens
Camera rucksack
Tripod
8gb card
2 batteries
Lanyard
He wants £500 and is local.
or £300 without the 80-300 lens and tripod
Package 2:
Nikon D40 with standard 18-55 lens
All the basic stuff, he wants £300 but is negotiable.
Package 3:
original 18-55mm canon lens
28-300mm tamron zoom lens (£300)
fisheye lens
2gb memory card
lowepro carry bag
spare battery
polariser filter
uv filter
screen protector
comes with original manual and usb cable
He wants £400 for the above.
I used a Nikon D3000 at work to take some basic shots, and have always wanted to get in the game since starting with forums when I had a scooter. I can take half decent shots with normal cameras so I want a decent SLR to learn with.
Which of the above is the better deal?
Also, is it lens, or lense?! Everyone is saying lens but it seems odd :\
Cheers!
Danny
Firstly, it is indeed 'lens'
Looking at option 1, some of the lenses aren't models I recognise - you can see all the EF mount (the system they have used for ages now) in their Lens Museum
The 18-55 is most probably the 'kit lens' that was often bundled with the 400D:
http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/lens/ef/...
I think its fair to say its not particularly well regarded - one review:
http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/180-canon-ef-s-1...
I'm not seeing any models that match either the 19-58mm or 80-300mm lenses. Here is the range of 'tele-zooms' that have been made:
http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/lens/ef/...
If you use a Nikon camera currently then I would look at perhaps sticking with that system, some people just prefer Nikons to Canons (and vice versa).
I'd use the lens review sites such as photozone.de to check which lenses you want to invest in. Also check the camera reviews on dpreview - 400D and d40
One thing that would steer me away from the Nikon D40 is its lack of focusing motor, meaning that some older lenses won't autofocus. Some would argue that many of the newer lenses have focusing motors built in, but its something to be aware of. This issue is detailed on the front page of the dpreview of the d40:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/
Also iirc the d40 doesn't have a 'mirror lock-up' function, could be an issue if you plan to do long exposures (night shots, astronomy, etc.)
Hope this helps.
If you are just after a camera, got a brand new Olympus E-450 I want £260 for. Comes with all the bits plus a 4gb Compact flash card. Immaculate and works perfect.
Say brand new, bought it brand new in November. Used it for 2 weeks and decided againced it as fancied a high end compact instead as I couldn't be bothered with the SLR bulk anymore. Sold it on ebay. Ebay buyer never collected it from their depot and it ended up in Belfast. 2 months later, I finally get it back this morning so want it shifted as I need the money and I have no need for it now as I have my high end compact.
Say brand new, bought it brand new in November. Used it for 2 weeks and decided againced it as fancied a high end compact instead as I couldn't be bothered with the SLR bulk anymore. Sold it on ebay. Ebay buyer never collected it from their depot and it ended up in Belfast. 2 months later, I finally get it back this morning so want it shifted as I need the money and I have no need for it now as I have my high end compact.
Edited by Deluded on Saturday 29th January 08:19
Package 1 feels very expensive for what it is.
The 75-300 can be had on Ebay for £100 right now on a BIN for instance, and I purchased my (second) 400D this time last year s/h on Ebay £235. S/h 400Ds are now struggling to even reach £200, and there are quite a few at £150+7hours. And that is with the starter 18-55 lens as well.
Given the fact the guy has 'cheaper' kit, I wouldn't reckon on the tripod suddenly being a monster gale force proof tripod either with oil head or whatever they are called.
CF cards and batteries can be had for next to nothing.
The 35-70 is next to worthless in my opinion. It was the standard zoom of film cameras, but 35mm is very long on a crop. Hence kit lens being 18 as the starting point today.
I am a fan of the 400D though, but you could build the kit you want a lot cheaper off Ebay this afternoon.
(Edit - the only gotcha is the camera bag of all things. I never found a cheap camera bag, and ended up buying a quality 25 year old bag off Ebay in the end. Not that age matters at the end of the day, just want something to stop my kit being bashed around in. Admittedly it's not as stylish though, but it's the pictures that count i figure.)
The 75-300 can be had on Ebay for £100 right now on a BIN for instance, and I purchased my (second) 400D this time last year s/h on Ebay £235. S/h 400Ds are now struggling to even reach £200, and there are quite a few at £150+7hours. And that is with the starter 18-55 lens as well.
Given the fact the guy has 'cheaper' kit, I wouldn't reckon on the tripod suddenly being a monster gale force proof tripod either with oil head or whatever they are called.
CF cards and batteries can be had for next to nothing.
The 35-70 is next to worthless in my opinion. It was the standard zoom of film cameras, but 35mm is very long on a crop. Hence kit lens being 18 as the starting point today.
I am a fan of the 400D though, but you could build the kit you want a lot cheaper off Ebay this afternoon.
(Edit - the only gotcha is the camera bag of all things. I never found a cheap camera bag, and ended up buying a quality 25 year old bag off Ebay in the end. Not that age matters at the end of the day, just want something to stop my kit being bashed around in. Admittedly it's not as stylish though, but it's the pictures that count i figure.)
Not sure what this will end at, but it's a nice starting point.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EOS-400D-Battery-grip-...
The big problem with the lower range Canons (can't talk for Nikon as I don't know them) is that they are rather small. The hand grip really does make the camera feel a lot nicer to hold. Plus people take you more seriously as they think it's "expensive".
You can pick up the 18-55 for not a lot. £40 here, and the IS version (which is meant to be even better can be had for around £60).
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EF-S-18-55mm-F3-5-5-6-...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EOS-400D-Battery-grip-...
The big problem with the lower range Canons (can't talk for Nikon as I don't know them) is that they are rather small. The hand grip really does make the camera feel a lot nicer to hold. Plus people take you more seriously as they think it's "expensive".
You can pick up the 18-55 for not a lot. £40 here, and the IS version (which is meant to be even better can be had for around £60).
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EF-S-18-55mm-F3-5-5-6-...
tinman0 said:
Package 1 feels very expensive for what it is.
The 75-300 can be had on Ebay for £100 right now on a BIN for instance, and I purchased my (second) 400D this time last year s/h on Ebay £235. S/h 400Ds are now struggling to even reach £200, and there are quite a few at £150+7hours. And that is with the starter 18-55 lens as well.
Given the fact the guy has 'cheaper' kit, I wouldn't reckon on the tripod suddenly being a monster gale force proof tripod either with oil head or whatever they are called.
CF cards and batteries can be had for next to nothing.
The 35-70 is next to worthless in my opinion. It was the standard zoom of film cameras, but 35mm is very long on a crop. Hence kit lens being 18 as the starting point today.
I am a fan of the 400D though, but you could build the kit you want a lot cheaper off Ebay this afternoon.
(Edit - the only gotcha is the camera bag of all things. I never found a cheap camera bag, and ended up buying a quality 25 year old bag off Ebay in the end. Not that age matters at the end of the day, just want something to stop my kit being bashed around in. Admittedly it's not as stylish though, but it's the pictures that count i figure.)
Thanks, I'll try and banter him downThe 75-300 can be had on Ebay for £100 right now on a BIN for instance, and I purchased my (second) 400D this time last year s/h on Ebay £235. S/h 400Ds are now struggling to even reach £200, and there are quite a few at £150+7hours. And that is with the starter 18-55 lens as well.
Given the fact the guy has 'cheaper' kit, I wouldn't reckon on the tripod suddenly being a monster gale force proof tripod either with oil head or whatever they are called.
CF cards and batteries can be had for next to nothing.
The 35-70 is next to worthless in my opinion. It was the standard zoom of film cameras, but 35mm is very long on a crop. Hence kit lens being 18 as the starting point today.
I am a fan of the 400D though, but you could build the kit you want a lot cheaper off Ebay this afternoon.
(Edit - the only gotcha is the camera bag of all things. I never found a cheap camera bag, and ended up buying a quality 25 year old bag off Ebay in the end. Not that age matters at the end of the day, just want something to stop my kit being bashed around in. Admittedly it's not as stylish though, but it's the pictures that count i figure.)
What do we think to this lens?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
I agree that 400D kit is a bit pricey. the 75-300 is not highly regarded. It'll also have the non IS kit lens, the 400D is also about to become 4 models old.
If you want to go Canon go for a 450D or better, it should have the IS kit lens which is much better optically than the non IS one. I saw a 450D kit (camera, grip, sigma 18-50 & 4 batteries) up for £320 over on TP the other day, if you found a 55-250 lens (very highly rated) second hand you'd be under £500 and have a decent little setup.
The D40 was a pretty cheap camera, £220-240 near the end of its life. Not got any personal experience but it seems many people who bought them moved on pretty quickly despite them being well loved. On the other hand if you are already familiar with Nikons and maybe have the chance to borrow lenses once in a while it could be a plus!
If you want to go Canon go for a 450D or better, it should have the IS kit lens which is much better optically than the non IS one. I saw a 450D kit (camera, grip, sigma 18-50 & 4 batteries) up for £320 over on TP the other day, if you found a 55-250 lens (very highly rated) second hand you'd be under £500 and have a decent little setup.
The D40 was a pretty cheap camera, £220-240 near the end of its life. Not got any personal experience but it seems many people who bought them moved on pretty quickly despite them being well loved. On the other hand if you are already familiar with Nikons and maybe have the chance to borrow lenses once in a while it could be a plus!
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