£400 to spend. What would you buy?

fatmarley

fatmarley

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My brother-in-law would like to be kitted out with a max budget of £400. I suggested a secondhand Canon 450d, Canon 18-55mm mk3 and a Canon speedlite 430EX II flash from www.mpbphotgraphic.com. That lot would take him a little over budget though.

Has anyone else got any suggestions?
 
What does he want to be kitted out to do?

Personally, unless you know he will need it, I would lean away from the flash and instead include a 50mm F1.8. Might even be able to go up to a 500D then.
 
He said he's been looking at some old photographs of the kids and he's dissapointed with the image quality and would like something better than the compact camera he currently uses. I should imagine he will use it for holidays, days out and pics of the kids at home. I very much doubt he'd use it for anything like landscapes, flowers or wildlife.

I did suggest a prime lens as a possibility but I think a zoom would be better for what he wants to do.

Before I suggested going secondhand he was considering a new Nikon D3200 but he didn't realise that the one he was looking at, was body only.

The reason I suggested a flash is because it made a big difference to the quality of my photos. Focus speed and accuracy in low light improved no end as well.
 
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Your original suggestion sounds pretty sound for 'family' photography. There are equally good alternatives, but it will probably come down to personal preference - there are some handling/ergonomic differences between brands - but they won't make any difference to the end results. I'd suggest your brother in law try a few cameras in a store and see if he likes one more than the others.

Canon's f1.8 50mm is a cheap, entry level, fast prime. Build quality is poor, optical quality is surprisingly good, and it punches well above its weight. OTOH, I find 50mm is too wide for a walk about lens on a crop body, and it's really too short for a telephoto. I'd stick to something in the 18 - 55mm range for now. It's very versatile and he'll soon discover what it's 'missing', which will guide him towards a second lens.
 
Thinking about it, if he does go the Canon route, he could borrow my Canon 17-55mm f2.8 to see if it's a worthwhile investment.
 
Second hand micro 4/3rds - Panasonic or Olympus - depending on ergonomic preferences.
 
A tamron 17-50 f2.8 would be a pretty big improvement on the kit lens for low light. They're £220 from Digitalrev at the moment, leaving £180 for a second hand body (450d or maybe a 30d or something like that).
 
Does he actually need a DSLR?

"dissappointed with the image quality and would like something better than the compact camera he currently uses. I should imagine he will use it for holidays, days out and pics of the kids at home. I very much doubt he'd use it for anything like landscapes, flowers or wildlife.


Wouldn't an X10, RX100 and the like do what he needs? (assuming he has a low rent compact currently)
 
ernesto said:
Does he actually need a DSLR?

"dissappointed with the image quality and would like something better than the compact camera he currently uses. I should imagine he will use it for holidays, days out and pics of the kids at home. I very much doubt he'd use it for anything like landscapes, flowers or wildlife.

Wouldn't an X10, RX100 and the like do what he needs? (assuming he has a low rent compact currently)
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Wise words...
 
An iPhone 5?

Depends whether has the appetite to learn... Otherwise buy second hand d40 and 35 1.8 and an sb400- did me for a few years.(althoughIdid cheat by adding 18-200 for holidays!)
 
mrodgers said:
A tamron 17-50 f2.8 would be a pretty big improvement on the kit lens for low light. They're £220 from Digitalrev at the moment, leaving £180 for a second hand body (450d or maybe a 30d or something like that).
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I think that's something to consider in the future.
 
MIKEROPHONICS said:
Depends whether has the appetite to learn... Otherwise buy second hand d40 and 35 1.8 and an sb400- did me for a few years.(althoughIdid cheat by adding 18-200 for holidays!)
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He was on about doing a photography course, so i'd imagine he's pretty serious. He's a clever bugger too.
 
Personally, i think a 40D would be a better investment than a 450D. Just better build quality ergonomics and overall a better camera, for not a lot more than a 450D. As mentioned earlier a 50mm 1.8 would be a good choice also. You could probably get both and still have a little cash to play with.

In fact i have just offered my 40D with a 50mm 1.8 and a canon 90 - 300mm to a friend for £400, so you can get some good bargains out there on the 40D.
 
pwal1 said:
Personally, i think a 40D would be a better investment than a 450D. Just better build quality ergonomics and overall a better camera, for not a lot more than a 450D. As mentioned earlier a 50mm 1.8 would be a good choice also. You could probably get both and still have a little cash to play with.

In fact i have just offered my 40D with a 50mm 1.8 and a canon 90 - 300mm to a friend for £400, so you can get some good bargains out there on the 40D.
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I think you're right about the 40d but that would mean he'd have to forget the flash (thinking about getting a 40d myself though). TBH i'm sure he could easily afford a 5d mk3 and a 24-105L + flash but he's decided on a max budget of £400. Who knows, If he gets the bug, he may decide to get some seriously good kit.
I don't think the 50mm would be much use to him. I had the 50mm f1.4 attached to my 450d for about 3 years and it was great but I didn't take it out much because of the fixed focal length. Now I have the 17-55mm i'll happily take it anywhere.
 
Well, he managed to get a brand new Canon 600d with 18-55 kit lens for £390. If it's the one i'm thinking of, it comes with three years warranty from the seller and it's a grey import.
 
Pentax k-30 £300 body only £350 with kit lens including £50 cashback. Same sensor that you find in the d7000/d5100 so out performers and canon aps-c sensor. Weather sealed, in body stabilisation, 6 fps, 100% Pentaprism viewfinder, 1/6000s shutter speed.
 
rjbell said:
Pentax k-30 £300 body only £350 with kit lens including £50 cashback. Same sensor that you find in the d7000/d5100 so out performers and canon aps-c sensor. Weather sealed, in body stabilisation, 6 fps, 100% Pentaprism viewfinder, 1/6000s shutter speed.
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Too late i'm afraid.
 
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