Canon 600D and accessories?

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Hi, currently I have a 'point-and-shoot' camera and was planning on buying a DSLR to allow me to get into photography. I've looked around several DSLRs and have found the Canon 600D which seems to be reasonably priced and it has all the features which I require (which isn't much!). Firstly, would this be an accessible camera for a complete beginner? I chose quite a 'high up' model so that I wouldn't need to upgrade once I've learned the basics and etc. If I were to be getting the 600D, I plan on getting the 18-55mm lens kit as well.

Now that's the camera/lens sorted. I have a few questions concerning the filters/lens hoods/bags. So as a beginner, are there any filters which are important to get? I've read a few articles explaining the CPL and UV filters but wasn't sure whether I should wait till I have played with the camera first, before buying them. Also, I've heard that UV filters act as a form of protection for the lens, but the lens hood apparently does a better job? If so, which of the two do you recommend and would you get a circular/petal shaped lens hood (what are the differences?)?

Finally, I've found three bags which seem to fit the bill. I'd like a relatively small bag that is quite discrete- ideal for going on holiday. So I don't want anything that would draw attention to myself. These are the three bags which I have found: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lowepro-Rez...3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364735950&sr=1-3 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lowepro-Dig...5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364735950&sr=1-5 http://www.lovecases.co.uk/tamrac-evo-zoom-14-camera-case-black-5714.html Out of the three, which would you recommend? I know that this would only hold one lens, but I'd rather have a smaller bag. So if I do get another lens (like a telefocus or something) then I'd get a large bag, but for now, I think a smaller bag is great.

I look forward to your responses, and thanks for your help!
 
The 600D is a decent camera to begin with, And should do you a few years. Are you buying the camera and lens as a kit? Or separately? And what is your budget and what you would like to shoot?

Filters I'd maybe suggest would be a Cpl. This wouldn't protect much, but will improve landscape photos. A hood might be a good investment but I dont think you can get a petal verson as the front element of the lens rotates to focus.

Bag's are a different subject. I personally wouldn't go for a single style bag as a main bag. Its good for days out when you dont want to take all your gear. Go for a backpack or shoulder type,gives you tonnes of space to store gear that you will no doubt pick up. A backpack is always good for walking in hills as wont put strain on you much.

Another good investment would be a tripod. Might not need it straight away, but always worth a mention.
 
John Mc said:
The 600D is a decent camera to begin with, And should do you a few years. Are you buying the camera and lens as a kit? Or separately? And what is your budget and what you would like to shoot?

Filters I'd maybe suggest would be a Cpl. This wouldn't protect much, but will improve landscape photos. A hood might be a good investment but I dont think you can get a petal verson as the front element of the lens rotates to focus.

Bag's are a different subject. I personally wouldn't go for a single style bag as a main bag. Its good for days out when you dont want to take all your gear. Go for a backpack or shoulder type,gives you tonnes of space to store gear that you will no doubt pick up. A backpack is always good for walking in hills as wont put strain on you much.

Another good investment would be a tripod. Might not need it straight away, but always worth a mention.
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I am planning on buying the camera and lens as a kit (it works out around £450). I think I'll stick with one lens for now as my budget won't stretch to accommodate much more, but I could perhaps go to £525-ish which is including all accessories. I know they're two very different categories, but I'd like to shoot nature-related items (e.g. animals) and landscape/scenery photos.

Firstly, if I were to get a lens hood, which of these two would you recommend? http://www.amazon.co.uk/JJC-replace...KUJC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364761272&sr=8-2 http://www.amazon.co.uk/EW-60C-EW60...4YHS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364761272&sr=8-1
I guess they are very similar...or would you recommend something completely different?

Which CPL filter would you recommend?

The problem with a backpack is that I don't have enough accessories to fill the whole bag, so that's why I've opted for a shoulder bag (I think that's what they're called?). Out of the three bags which I listed in the OP, which would you recommend (or are they not suitable)? Will all of the filters/lens hoods, camera, extra SD card and etc fit in the bags?

I think when I get to grips with the camera, I'll probably purchase a tripod and maybe a remote control as well? But if I don't need it urgently, I'll wait till I actually need it.
 
They certainly are two different categories. The kit lens will do you for landscapes and general photos. It will be less use for Wildlife, Most animals will often be at a distance, and you'd really need a Telephoto lens to get a decent shot. Something to save for, as there is quite a few out there!

Both hoods are the same to be honest, I'd probably suggest the cheapest. As of recently, I'm in the market of a CPL myself for landscape, I've been advised to buy a Hoya pro-1 digital CPL. You'll need one for a 58mm thread.

As of Camera bags/cases, The Tamrac would be the one I suggest,It'll hold a few bits, but not much. But I couldn't stress the importance of making room for gear before buying it. I've had shoulder and Backpacks, I'm currently using ThisPlenty of space for lenses and gear. Currently got my camera with grip and lens attached. Plus a flashgun and a 70-200 L. That's just in the camera compartment. Top parts got a few filters, filter holder, chargers and manual as well as a few other bits.

For Landscape photography, A tripod is a must for long exposures. And you will usually want to shoot with small apertures. f11-22 to get a lot of detail which means longer shutter speed. Without a tripod, you'd probably have out of focus/blurred images. A cheap-ish tripod will do to begin with. I started out with a cheapo Velborn(I think) Until I bought My Giottos(Which is a heavy S.O.B). I might suggest Thisto begin with. A remote shutter release, isn't all that needed to begin with. Use the camera's timer, I did this for years until I needed to shoot longer than 30 seconds.
 
John Mc said:
They certainly are two different categories. The kit lens will do you for landscapes and general photos. It will be less use for Wildlife, Most animals will often be at a distance, and you'd really need a Telephoto lens to get a decent shot. Something to save for, as there is quite a few out there!

Both hoods are the same to be honest, I'd probably suggest the cheapest. As of recently, I'm in the market of a CPL myself for landscape, I've been advised to buy a Hoya pro-1 digital CPL. You'll need one for a 58mm thread.

As of Camera bags/cases, The Tamrac would be the one I suggest,It'll hold a few bits, but not much. But I couldn't stress the importance of making room for gear before buying it. I've had shoulder and Backpacks, I'm currently using ThisPlenty of space for lenses and gear. Currently got my camera with grip and lens attached. Plus a flashgun and a 70-200 L. That's just in the camera compartment. Top parts got a few filters, filter holder, chargers and manual as well as a few other bits.

For Landscape photography, A tripod is a must for long exposures. And you will usually want to shoot with small apertures. f11-22 to get a lot of detail which means longer shutter speed. Without a tripod, you'd probably have out of focus/blurred images. A cheap-ish tripod will do to begin with. I started out with a cheapo Velborn(I think) Until I bought My Giottos(Which is a heavy S.O.B). I might suggest Thisto begin with. A remote shutter release, isn't all that needed to begin with. Use the camera's timer, I did this for years until I needed to shoot longer than 30 seconds.
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It's a shame that I can't afford the 18-155mm lens as that would probably be useful for wildlife? Or would I still need a telephoto lens for a decent shot? Also, does anyone use a telefocus lens without a tripod? As I've used a few of my friend's DSLRs and even with the 18-55mm lens, image stabilisation is sometimes a problem. I can't imagine what it would be like with a telefocus lens!

Okay, thanks. Do you mean this CPL filter? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hoya-58mm-C...ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3GI79VBNSVFZI

The dimensions guidelines aren't great on either site, but how does the size of the Tamrac compared to the Lowepro Rezo cases? As ideally I'd want the one which holds my camera/lens with as little space left as possible. I understand that it's probably wiser to buy one which could hold several lens, but I think I want a portable case as I'd rather not draw attention to myself too much while abroad. That bag seems ideal when you have enough stuff to fill the bag!

What do you think about this tripod? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manfrotto-MK393S-PD-393-Short-Photo/dp/B0049SZ9YQ/ref=pd_sim_ce_10 Again, this is only speculative as I wouldn't be buying it yet, though it would be nice to know which ones are good. Just did a quick google to take a look at Giotto tripods...over 3kg?! Eek, have fun with those :lol:
 
Ideally for wildlife photography, you're looking at a lens over the 300mm mark. The longer can often be the better. Not everyone will swear by image stability in lenses. I don't kn my standard and short telephoto. But I would certainly like it in longer lenses. I wouldn't use a tripod for all telephoto lenses. A monopod is the general accessory in that consensus.

I'm on my phone, but try both manufacturers websites for internal dimensions.

The cpl would do you fine to begin with aswell.

I do see your point with bags, but everyone in any country knows what a camera case looks like. For something inconspicuous, maybe look at a nat geo shoulder bag. But so it sitting down, last time I checked they weren't cheap.
 
John Mc said:
Ideally for wildlife photography, you're looking at a lens over the 300mm mark. The longer can often be the better. Not everyone will swear by image stability in lenses. I don't kn my standard and short telephoto. But I would certainly like it in longer lenses. I wouldn't use a tripod for all telephoto lenses. A monopod is the general accessory in that consensus.

I'm on my phone, but try both manufacturers websites for internal dimensions.

The cpl would do you fine to begin with aswell.

I do see your point with bags, but everyone in any country knows what a camera case looks like. For something inconspicuous, maybe look at a nat geo shoulder bag. But so it sitting down, last time I checked they weren't cheap.
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Okay, thanks.

Hm, just took a look at national geographic satchels which are quite expensive, but they do seem to work well. Are you talking about something like this? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/National-..._Camera_Cases_Bags_Covers&hash=item2a2b37fe08

And I'm not too sure what you mean by your last point.
 
I'll be honest, I cant remember what I typed. I think I got auto corrected a beauty there!

Back to your link, Yeah, That should do you a while. And if you can get it for that price, great! It's a pretty spacious bag for a small thing, should have you covered for a little while.

Used gear could be something to look into to keep cost down. You could probably pick up a used tripod for half the price you'd pay new, Might be something to look into.
 
John Mc said:
I'll be honest, I cant remember what I typed. I think I got auto corrected a beauty there!

Back to your link, Yeah, That should do you a while. And if you can get it for that price, great! It's a pretty spacious bag for a small thing, should have you covered for a little while.

Used gear could be something to look into to keep cost down. You could probably pick up a used tripod for half the price you'd pay new, Might be something to look into.
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Haha fair enough :p

Okay, hopefully it doesn't go up (too much) as I've seen bags like that going for almost a hundred pounds. Would I have space to perhaps put a few other non-camera related things in there as well? Like a notepad?

One final thing, did you take a look at the tripod which I posted earlier? I'm not sure if you missed it, as if that is a good one, I may well buy it this summer :) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manfrotto-MK393S-PD-393-Short-Photo/dp/B0049SZ9YQ/ref=pd_sim_ce_10 Also, is this tripod compact once it is folded down?
 
Yeah, Let's hope it doesn't rise too much, and you get it at that price. And it should be able to keep a small note pad in it. Look's big enough.

I did look at the tripod, Forgot to mention it. It wont hold alot of weight, 2KG is it's max. It should do you for a while, and will compact to 42CM(With the head on) So will fit in a suitcase. It's not tall though. 100CM height, 119CM with the center column extended(You dont really want to ever extend it, Can often cause unwated shake in the camera, and ruins photos). My suggestion is: http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-hama-traveller-compact-pro-tripod/p1527329 . It's what I plan to get to take on holiday with me. Can hold 4kG, Max height 163CM, Min height 52CM(10 more than the Manfrotto, But I feel would be worth it) It's also cheaper than the Manfrotto, and on sale.
 
John Mc said:
Yeah, Let's hope it doesn't rise too much, and you get it at that price. And it should be able to keep a small note pad in it. Look's big enough.

I did look at the tripod, Forgot to mention it. It wont hold alot of weight, 2KG is it's max. It should do you for a while, and will compact to 42CM(With the head on) So will fit in a suitcase. It's not tall though. 100CM height, 119CM with the center column extended(You dont really want to ever extend it, Can often cause unwated shake in the camera, and ruins photos). My suggestion is: http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-hama-traveller-compact-pro-tripod/p1527329 . It's what I plan to get to take on holiday with me. Can hold 4kG, Max height 163CM, Min height 52CM(10 more than the Manfrotto, But I feel would be worth it) It's also cheaper than the Manfrotto, and on sale.
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Thanks for all your help! In about a weeks time, I should have the camera and accessories, and I'll tell you how I get on. Thanks again for all your help :)
 
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