Thread: What Camera??

Hi, Im looking at buying an SLR with £200-£300 and was wondering what was out there. I was looking at the Nikon D40 and the Cannon 300D...Are these any good condisering there only 6-7 megapixels?
Thanks.

I understand the new Sony DSLR cameras are really great.

However I am a Canon man, I have a 400d a 40d and an IXUS.

I love my canon's and would never buy anything else.
If there was one piece of advice I could give you, it would be

DONT BUY A NIKON.

Dont be worried about how many MP the camera is.

For example an SLR with 6mp will piss rings around a compact with 10mp. Its not all about MP, its how the light gets into the camera and the size/quality of the sensor.

My mobile phones 5mp but its got a rubbish lens and a tiny sensor so it takes rubbish pictures. Get yourself a DSLR with 5mp and its got a decent lens, decent sensor etc so takes better shots. Its all about how the light gets through the lens and onto the sensor etc.

Anyway, the D40 is a good camera for the money but be aware you might be limited in lens choice if you get into it due to the mount the lens' use.

If it was my money I'd look at a used DSLR and look at both Canon and Nikons. You'll get some hardly used bargains which are far nicer more capable cameras then the D40.

That doesnt mean the D40 isnt good though, few mates have got them and the 'bang for the buck' factor is high for the money they cost although I have heard they are discontinued now?.

Ahh thanks for the advise guys, Im looking mainly at the 300D now seen one on ebay for £210 or best offer so maybe £190 if im lucky
I already have two 4 GB sandisk SD cards which i got for my birthday yesterday .
So apart from Megapixels what else am i looking for which will make the quailty better?

Sorry for all the Noob questions but i recon after a few days of having the camera il pick it up very quickly. Also theres some great places to take them down in Dorset so why not lol.

Thanks Again.
Adam.

I have just been looking on ebay and i found that some of the 350D camera's are only 30-40 more then the 300D camera's. Is it worth me spending the extra or am i good with a 300D?

Dont get a 300d, they're not too good.
Have a look for a 400d if you can get one, they're discontinued now but are a good place to start. They're 10mp and you should be able to pick one up with an 18-55 and a 55-200 lens pretty reasonably.

Im not spending enough to get a 400D as im not even working at the moment....Im happy with a 300D or 350D tho?....Should be a good starting point?

Find out how many shots the shutter has taken if the previous owner has not reset the counter.

Check this site for a life indicator, you don't want to end up with a duff shutter.

http://www.olegkikin.com/shutterlife/canon_eos350d.htm

Ahh interesting never knew they had them. He did say he had taken under 2000 pictures with it but ill ask about the counter.
Maybe worth me buying a brand new 300D instead of a naff 350D. I will be using it often but when ive got more money to spend i can always upgrade.
Thanks again A4Quattro.

If you get any EOS DSLR then you can always upgrade the body in the future if you want to anyway.

Might be worth taking a punt on a 350D (the 300 is very old now) and seeing how you get on. No point spending the earth at first, just get something that you can learn with. Dont get me wrong though, the 350D will give some great results in the right hands....practice makes perfect.

T

Im confused but looking Tom lol. Thanks for the info.

Originally Posted by A4Quattro

If there was one piece of advice I could give you, it would be

DONT BUY A NIKON.

And if there was one piece of advice I could give you, it would be to try both Canons and Nikons in a good photography store.

They have function/buttons in very different places and the shapes of the bodies themselves are very different. What fits one person's hand perfectly could be an absolute nightmare for someone else. A decent store will let you get them out of the boxes and play around with them for a good half hour or so, to get a feel for which suits you best.

Good luck.

Thanks Mitch, Something else i didnt think about lol. I just dont like the shop prices around here....I had a quick look today and theres a D40 in my local currys and its £249.99.
Im not 100% yet but its between the 300D and the D40. Like Tom said i can always upgrade.
Thanks.

Nobody said you have to buy it from the store you try it out at.

If you've a Jessops near you, they're usually pretty good for letting you try stuff out. Try a few and say you'll have to think about which one is best for you. When you've decided, go buy it from the cheapest place you can find!

I went for Canon as they suit my sausage fingers a bit better than the Nikon.

The D40 is a very small camera for a DSLR in my opinion so it may or may not suit your hands etc.

Go and give some the 'feel test'.

T

Originally Posted by A3Tom

Go and give some the 'feel test'.

The workers or the cameras? lmao.

Errmm ok ill be near a Jessops on my travels tomorrow so ill have a gander then. But in the meantime im watching one on Ebay

A nikon is like an aircraft cockpit with all its buttons, the canon is more like a BMW interior, less buttons but all the functionality.

Ignore the Nikon vs. Canon rubbish - it's an age old debate with very little substance. Ultimately Canon is slightly more popular in the professional photography realm (look for white lenses and you'll see what I mean)..

I had the same dilema when I first got into photography. Fortunately I was smart enough to go into a shop first before committing an online order (which could have been based on a zillion internet opinions). I quickly found that the Nikon fitted in my hand considerably better than the Canon (D50 vs 350D) so I went with Nikon for that single reason. I recommend you do the same.

However, don't be under any illusion that photography isn't an expensive hobby. The camera body is the cheapest part of it, it's the lenses that will sting you once you get into it. A compact camera is considerably more versatile than an SLR (based on cost) but with a compromise on quality and low light performance.

To put it into perspective, a good quality general purpose lens is often the 70-200 f/2.8, which will cost you around £800 for a proper Canon/Nikon one and increasing with VR/IS versions. And that's just one lens.

One of my favourite sites for reviews and opinions is www.KenRockwell.com - the guy is a Nikon fanboy, but offers objective reviews on Canon gear too.

Thanks au_sjo, I know that photograhpy is expensive like any other hobbie. Thats why im starting at the bottom and working my way up....

Anyway im off to Currys and Jessops today so ill try them both out then i got an eye on 2-3 of each on ebay so i can take my pic.

Went to Jessops and the Woman working knew less then me! But let me have a better look with the Nikon D40, But at Currys the salesman told me that the Canon is more camera for money and he said in his eyes that with Nikon you pay for the Logo....

So the one i was watching a few of each on Ebay which were at a good price, Decided to go for the Canon 350D (as in the shop i looked at the Canon 450D but very simular so i was told and i liked it) and got outbid by £5 on one . Then found a bargain that had just been put on and snapped it up Should be here by Tuesday or Wednesday.....

Ill keep you all updated

Also.....Filters, What ones and were to buy?

Thanks again,
Adam.

just get a hoya UV filter to start with, and maybe a polarizer

Ok, Best place to get a Hoya UV Filter?
Also isit worth getting another battery as back-up? How long do the batterys last?
Thanks
Adam.

I think you'll run out of memory cards before the battery dies.

I got two 4GB Sandisks so im good for memory. How long should i leave the battery on charge for? I would of thought the battery would go really quick no?

Canon say about 600 shots per charge (@ 20ºC)

350D spec

Thanks Mitch, Wow 600 pictures sounds good to me

Like I said:

Originally Posted by mitch78

I think you'll run out of memory cards before the battery dies.

Just get a UV one to start with, then a circular polariser.

7dayshop is cheap for filters, whilst you're there pick up a spare battery

I run with 2 in my battery grip and one spare in the bag just in case. Never had it go flat on me. I took well over 300 pictures at Fairford Airshow yesterday and the battery meter didnt move

T

Battery grip is a useful addition, and it makes the camera a bit more steady.

Cool, Thanks for all the info guys, The camera should be turning up thismorning or tomorrow so ill keep you all updated

Its here

Awesome piece of kit but i havent managed to use it on the car yet because of the crapy weather!

Managed to get a couple but this one but the car wasnt clean (Although the car looks clean in the pictures?) but im still getting to grips with it so no laughing! lol. Ill try to get some pictures at the weekend.

Cleaned her up thismorning so heres a few pictures. Still playing with the camera but not 100% sure what settings to use etc but heres what i got.

Not taken any more since?

Good pics.

[off topic]I would get that damp under your window checked, has it only appeared since the tarmac was done? [/off topic]

Originally Posted by A4Quattro

Not taken any more since?

Heres a few that ive taken here and there. After a new lens now though

What you think?














And the walls getting sorted in a few weeks Sidibear

pretty good, would like to see the exif data to see if you could improve the shots, maybe try on aperture priority and lower your f-stop

Originally Posted by A4Quattro

pretty good, would like to see the exif data to see if you could improve the shots, maybe try on aperture priority and lower your f-stop

Sorry A4Quattro sounds good but im not 100% sure about what your talking about lol.
Would you know whether it would be money better spent buying a Sigma lens or would i be better of with the one i have?

Try setting your camera to a low F value when taking pictures of close objects, it makes the background blurry and makes the subject stand out more. On a canon camera that means switching the command dial to Av and then using the dial by the shutter release to adjust the F number.

What lens do you currently have?

So if i go onto Av what button is it im looking for? Seems to just come out in a big blur?

Ive currently got the Canon 18-55mm lens. Maybe its just me needing to set the camera up properly? What should i have the shutter speed at for taking pictures of still's (Like cars etc)?

Thanks.

the shutter speed will sort itself out if you're in AV mode.
When you go into AV, the screen will display a number in the top right, the lower the number the wider the aperture, the more the background will be blurred.
The higher the number the smaller the aperture, the longer the exposure will be and the more of the background will be in focus.

This would be a high F number


This would be a low F Number


The higher the F number the slower the shot, so in lower light, the camera will need a tripod or you'll get camera shake.

Also, If you decide to get a zoom lens, I have one of these spare http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Ta...cro-Di-ll-4278
Brand new, boxed that I will sell if someone wants it.

Anyone any thoughts on the sigma dp2?

Anyone whos interested, I just upgraded to a canon eos 450d from my 350d. 350 is a great camera but wanted the larger screen and 12M.
I am looking from approx £200 for the kit (18-35 EF-s and body plus I'll throw a 1gig cf).

I was thinking about buying another body, to get it converted to infrared.

Not a bad price for that depending on how old it is and how many shutter actuations its had.

I would be willing to sell the body only as I would like to keep a lens.
Its probably about 2 to 3 years old I guess and is in near mint condition (just a small shiny bit on the grip from my hand). Havent used it that much but have no idea how to tell how many actualtions it has had. Also has a spare battery. Used mostly for car shows, pics of the kids and thats about it!..
PM me if interested.

Anyway going back on topic......Ive found out how to do the aperture now but i havent got a tripod yet so im going to order one toinight

Anyone else got any other good tips for camera noobs like myself?


Thanks
Adam.

One bit of advice spend as much as you can on a good tripod the cheap ones just get blown about in the wind monfrotto worth a try but they are expencive well worth it though imo cheers Ian

Originally Posted by heliflyer

One bit of advice spend as much as you can on a good tripod the cheap ones just get blown about in the wind monfrotto worth a try but they are expencive well worth it though imo cheers Ian

Thanks Heliflyer.

I have a Velbon, its a camcorder tripod, very heavy.

And get a strap to carry it.

I've not read the full thread but check out www.cameralabs.com