Jessops flash or 55-250is for my Canon 550D

jason7579

jason7579

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Jason
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I have about £100 to spend and was looking at the Jessops 360AFD now that it is slightly discounted. I have also been looking at the Canon 55-250is as I have read it is the best Canon lens for those on a budget.

My current set up consists of:
Canon 550D with 3rd party battery grip
18-55 kit lens; 50mm F1.8; Canon 70-210 usm (no IS) old lens I picked up cheapish
A large and small bag to carry my kit in
Giottos rocket blower and a few filters remotes etc.
Cheapo tripod that needs replacing, but doesn't get much use anyway.

What would you go for if you had my kit and £100 - or would you look at something else completely? (not a new camera).

The Nissins flashes seem quite reasonable for the money - so many gadgets and so little budget!

Thanks
 
I have the Jessops flash that I bought here for £40. I think it's a good flash, BUT I wouldn't spend £100.00 on it. It feels very light weight and it doesn't feel like it would take the slightest knock. I also find that the the TTL metering from it can be a bit off at times. If I was to spend £100 on a flash I would look for a used Canon TTL flash
 
Thanks, its about £70 at the moment but I'd rather pay more and buy once than get the cheaper option and fork out later for a better unit. May invest my pennies in the 55-250 and see how much I can get for the 70-210 to go towards it.
 
jason7579 said:
Thanks, its about £70 at the moment but I'd rather pay more and buy once than get the cheaper option and fork out later for a better unit. May invest my pennies in the 55-250 and see how much I can get for the 70-210 to go towards it.
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That was going to be my suggestion. The lens is a belter and you should look in the classifieds on here for one. They come up all the time. When you have some money to spend after selling your 70-210 get either a used canon flash or a Nissin. I bought a Nissin di866 off the classifieds here recently and I am very impressed with it to the point where I haven't used my 430exII as my main portable lighting unit since I bought it. :thumbs: I have read very little good things about the Jessop unit, best avoided.

Be patient, save up and get decent gear.
 
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Gazamonk said:
That was going to be my suggestion. The lens is a belter and you should look in the classifieds on here for one. They come up all the time. When you have some money to spend after selling your 70-210 get either a used canon flash or a Nissin. I bought a Nissin di866 off the classifieds here recently and I am very impressed with it to the point where I haven't used my 430exII as my main portable lighting unit since I bought it. :thumbs: I have read very little good things about the Jessop unit, best avoided.

Be patient, save up and get decent gear.
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Thanks, once I can get onto the classifieds I'll have a look. I'm not in any urgent hurry to get any more gear but I do have the bug - I can see that this hobby will get very expensive. Will keep my eye out for the Nissin I think, but not before I read a bit more as I'm not sure how compatible it is with my 550D. I think it will work but only in manual mode?
 
The di 866 is fully compatible with the 550d. I used the di866 just as an example but they have a di622 which is cheaper and equivalent to the canon 430. The nissin guns are definitely not manual only and both th above will work fully with you 550d in all modes.
 
Excellent, thanks. Think a nissins flash may be the best bet depending on what is available in classifieds.
 
Thanks. I have just missed it on Amazon at £135 ish. It's back up to £180 or so now but I'm sure it will come down again soon and I will grab it then.

I have seen it for slightly cheaper but can trust Amazon.
 
SsSsSsSsSnake said:
I got my 55-250 from Big Normans for £150ish pounds next day delivery.very happy with it
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jason7579 said:
That's a good price, but I'm very tempted to wait for Amazon as every now and then they do the 55-250 isII for just £15 more. Is the II much better than the original?
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As I understand, only cosmetic differences.

Why not PM Kerso and ask which model he has if you really want the markll?
 
I used to have a Jessops flash for my 550d, didn't like it at all. It had one small knock once which knocked the screw drive (that drives the flash zoom) off its thread and consequently chewed the thread off of it. If this doesnt work the flash is dead as the head needs to move during its power up cycle to work. Since bought a 430Ex II and it is a WAY WAY better flash. A friend has a Nissin flash which is probably better than my Canon one, and cost less money.
Don't waste your money on the Jessops flash...
 
If it is only cosmetic and offers nothing extra then I don't mind which version I get. I'd rather get something cheaper if there is no benefit to getting the more expensive version other than its a bit more pleasing to the eye. It seems that I have just saved myself £15 - thanks.

I think I have decided to get the 55-250, sell my 70-210 and get a Nissins flash with the money from the sale.

Thanks all for the input and if anyone has any more advice please let me know as it will be a few days before I do any of this.
 
The mkII is apparently made cheaper than the MkI to cut production costs, yet its dearer. Go figure, and stick with the MkI
 
Yes, it's only cosmetic changes.
The silver/grey focal length ring is now black and there's a slight change to some lettering but the internals and optics are identical.
Good choice of lens, you'll be well pleased with it. :thumbs:
 
Thanks all, that has made my mind up. Can't argue at that price.

For anyone that has bought from him before is it better to go straight through the flashcamera website or contact Kerso on here first?
 
jason7579 said:
Thanks all, that has made my mind up. Can't argue at that price.

For anyone that has bought from him before is it better to go straight through the flashcamera website or contact Kerso on here first?
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Contact him via here, he often says he can do a small discount for BT to TP members (may not on such a cheap price though).

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=401380
kerso said:
Hi everyone. Just wanted to let you know that I recently launched my website http://flashcamera.co.uk selling Canon, Oympus, Pentax, Panasonic, Sony, etc..

Discounts are available when paying by bank transfer. Feel free to contact me if you are looking for something not listed on the website.

Give it a look and see what you think. Thanks.
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jason7579 said:
Thanks all, that has made my mind up. Can't argue at that price.

For anyone that has bought from him before is it better to go straight through the flashcamera website or contact Kerso on here first?
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Dave1 said:
Contact him via here, he often says he can do a small discount for BT to TP members (may not on such a cheap price though).

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=401380
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As Dave says, drop him a post on his thread, he does generally offer a slight discount.

Ian (Kerso) is well very respected on here and I'd certainly recommend him :thumbs:
 
A pair if broken glasses has dented my budget slightly. Have pm'd Kerso but as said above thus is already a cheap price so it can't be dropped.

Have seen a 2nd hand one for sale, depending on the final asking price I will either get that one or wait until pay day and get one from Kerso's site.
 
Not sure you're allowed to point to your sale threads but even if so, the OP can't access the classifieds yet anyway. :nono:
As said, Kerso's price for a brand new one is only £119. :thumbs:
 
Thanks for the offer but as mentioned I cannot yet access the classifieds. £119 for a brand new 55-250 with a years warranty is going to be a hard price to beat.
 
I think I paid more than that for my used one!
It was a little while ago and it gets a lot of use so I'm not bothered.
 
The is and is ii are both £131 on Amazon at the moment too but I have been told that the ii is not built as well as the original.
 
On the 55-250 the difference is purely cosmetic. ;)
The build and optical qualities are identical, canon made some slight changes to reduce manufacturing costs.
The 18-55 IS I and II are a little more different, according to Canon the IS II has a revised IS system as well as the cosmetic changes but the image quality is identical (and actually very good!).
 
I should use my 18-55 more often. I always seem to have the 50mm or the 70-210 on at the moment.
 
I take it yours is the non IS one? If so then the IS one will be a revelation to you, I couldn't believe how much better it was.
I've still got mine and use it with my Raynox macro adapter.
Minimal focus distance (MFD) is really short on it so even without an adapter you can get up close and personal with things.
 
Sorry, I replied to the wrong thread! :bonk:
I'm also discussing the 18-55 and 55-250 combo in another thread.
Old age (and cider) creeping in! :lol:
 
No problem.

I know how you feel I took this about an hour ago - while it was still full ;)

7236282138_5df722734b_z.jpg
 
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