Looking for camera and lens recommendations please:-)

S

Saiper

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Hi. First post!

I need a little advice. I currently own a Cannon EOS 400D fitted with the kit lens. For the most part it fulfills my casual photography requirements and has served me well for the last couple of years.
However, recently I have been tasked with completing some corporate photography and I am finding that my camera setup isn't really meeting the high standards that are demanded.
I have therefore decided to buy a new one. I have a budget of £700 which should include the body and lens. Although if I can get a decent cam/lens setup for less, that would be good.

My only real requirement is that it (cam and lens) must be capable of producing high quality professional standard shots (of course I realise some of this relies upon my own skill as a photographer;)). In short, a professional standard camera and lens that wont let me down.

Any recommendations?


Thanks for reading.
J.:)


Edit -I should have added. 2nd hand cams/lens are fine.
 
My first thought is that your camera should be capable of good results. Have a mooch around the internet and look at some shots taken with that camera, you'll probably be impressed.

My second thought is that if you intend to go for a body and lens I don't think that £700 is enough.

I think that you should keep your 400D and look at a better lens, maybe a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. Once you have a decent lens you can begin to guage what the way forward may be and what you want to do next.
 
Unless you're struggling with high ISO's i would say you need to look at the glass first mate. A nice F2.8 lens (17-55 or so) would produce good results indoors without a flash but depending what you need to photograph would help give better advice

If you want to get a new body, a second hand 40D or 50D would give you a better image using higher ISO's and it's a much better "feeling" camera. I gave my wife my 400D and bought a 50D and i think it's a much better camera
 
LOL, looks like woof woof and I were typing the same thing at the same time so either great minds think alike or fools seldom differ!! :D.
 
Is the £700 including the money you could get if you sell your current camera and lens?

If it does, and this is your upper limit, I'd say a very good body and general-use lens combo (albeit the body 2nd hand) would be the Canon 40D and Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. The 40D would be an upgrade compared to your current 400D; same amount of pixels, but more flexibility; a highly regarded camera body around these parts. The Tamron covers almost the same range as your current kit lens (I'm guessing the 18-55 non-IS), but has much better image quality, and is faster.

Seeing as you sound like you're going to dump your current kit, then you could also consider what Nikon have to offer at this price point, as you'd not be tied to any brand, but you'd have to ask others about that ;) I will say that £700 isn't a huge amount of money when thinking about a semi-pro kit, but the combo I've recommended above will certainly get you closer to that than you currently are! :thumbs:
 
I agree as well that with a budget of £700 you should get 1 or 2 good lenses (depending on the subject you want to photograph and if you are buying used or new) and keep the 400D which is a very good camera for most purposes.

Can you please give us some more information on the type of photography you wish to pursue?

Oh, and WELCOME TO THE FORUM :)
 
Thanks for all the advice:)
I was actually considering keeping the cam and buying a new lens. Indeed, that would probably work out better for me. I was just a little concerned though that the 400D might not have the technological power / spec to give me what I need. I have to admit that when it comes to knowing the intricacies of digital camera tech, I am a little behind the times.:D

The majority of shots I will be taking are interior architectural shots. All shot during the day, all in well lit environments. Although I have found my cam and lens to be fine when it comes to exterior and landscape photos, I have found in the past that it doesn't seem to produce sharp enough images when used indoors. And, despite numourous attempts using different settings, I never seem to be able to get the quality/sharpness that I am looking for at the resolution/s demanded.

If this can be resolved with the aid of a nice new lens, then that would be superb. The tamron 17-50 looks like my best bet so far, although the Canon EF S 17-85 also seems good. Does anyone have any experience with either of these lenses?
 
I've got the 17-85 and it's been my walk about lens for a while until i got the 24-105 F4L. Very good lens in my humble opinion but not really pro quality glass. Obviously a few steps up from your kit lens so if that's not quite sharp enough for you it'll certainly be an improvement. How much of a crop are you looking to do. Have you thought about something like the 10-22 so get some wide angle shots and then crop if you need to?
 
The Canon 17-85mm can produce excessive distortion at the wide end and this may show up if your subject involves straight lines. Distortion can often be corrected in post processing, but you might want to start off with as little distortion as possible. This lens is considered by some to be a decent enough general purpose lens but optically nothing that special.

I wonder why you are having problems getting sharp images? Are you shooting hand held or are you using a tripod? Flash? If you're shooting hand held without flash is it possible that your shutter speed is falling and you're getting a little blur as a result?

I wonder also if you're shooting RAW or JPEG and how you're processing your shots?
 
Hi Saiper.

As stated above, definitely go for a better lens first! I have very recently upgraded to the Tamron 17-50 2.8. Using it on a Canon 40 D and the results are amazing! The lens is pin sharp and at 2.8, means you can shoot in much lower light.

I picked mine up on these forums for just over £200 delievered - so plenty of room in your budget!!

Also, just a thought, but would you benefit from a flash too ? A flash and new glass will give you much more (and cheaper) options than simply replacing your (already decent) camera.

Anth
 
Personally, as well as a good lens, you'll need a good tripod and cable release because you'll need long exposures to capture the correct amount of DOF (depth of field) thus getting maximum sharpness, so you'll need a solid base from which to take the images. As for a lens, that's difficult, it depends what you are taking images of, do you require wide angle, telephoto

For indoor photography, a minimum of f2.8 is required, you also have to take into account you have a crop factor on your camera, a 50mm frames like an 80mm lens, lots of factors to consider.

The interior view: a challenge in lighting - exposure tips for indoor photography
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1306/is_n10_v57/ai_11489335/

Perhaps hiring a lens and / or equipment (lens/tripod/flash etc) could be a better option, will you use it again, alot of money to handover for something you might never do again http://www.lensesforhire.co.uk/ could be a better option
 
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