So what to buy next?

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hydra

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After lots of thought and waiting for the Canon 450d to be released I today made my decision and purchased the 400d with 18 - 55 lens. On sale online at Tesco Direct for under £360, with the £45 cashback from Canon and the triple clubcard points worth another £50 off it was a bargain I couldn't turn down and leaves me with money to spend. :D

I've just bought a 4GB CF card - so what next? I've got a couple of hundred what should be my priority? I know the lens it's supplied with won't be much good, so what would be a reasonably good all rounder - ( for portrait, landscape).

I'm off to the Far East next month, so could spend there or here!

Also, second hand?

I know this will not be a cheap hobby, but what are the things you wouldn't be without?
 
tripod, hotshoe spirit level
 
A decent bag. If you're carrying a laptop I would suggest the Lowepro Vertex series. Depends whether you want a backpack style or quick access...

As far as lenses go, I've been fairly happy with a tamron 18-250mm as a walkabout. Not the best by any means but delivers good bang per buck and I love the speed at which I can go from wide to zoom on the hoof.
 
If you want a lens for landscape fo for the sigma 10-20mm although i have done many with the canon 18-55mm and i have been very happy with the results
 
Another (y) for the tripod and head particularly if your looking at doing landscapes, what part of the far east are you going to ? as it may not necessarily be any cheaper, and you may not get full warranty back in the UK.
 
tel48 said:
Another (y) for the tripod and head particularly if your looking at doing landscapes, what part of the far east are you going to ? as it may not necessarily be any cheaper, and you may not get full warranty back in the UK.
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Thailand

Why are tripod prices so different - I saw some today for under £10 with split level etc. How do they differ from ones costing £100? And the head? What is the difference?
 
To be honest you would have to compare yourself, but if you pop into somewhere like digital depot in stevenage and look at there selection you will see exactly what i mean, if you get a tripod get the absolute best you can afford and it should last you a lifetime.

On another note you won,t find thailand really any cheaper than the UK for camera gear, funnily enough i am going out myself early may, is it your first time and what parts are you going too ?
 
tel48 said:
On another note you won,t find thailand really any cheaper than the UK for camera gear, funnily enough i am going out myself early may, is it your first time and what parts are you going too ?
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Early May too - going to Bangkok and the Bay of Siam. Been a few times before. For photography it's amazing.
 
hydra said:
Early May too - going to Bangkok and the Bay of Siam. Been a few times before. For photography it's amazing.
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Yes been before myself in 2004 but wasn't to much into photography then so particularly looking forward to this trip, never been to the bay of Siam sounds interesting, i plan to take a trip to the river kwai as I've been there before so should be great for photography, also Ayatthua another great site for photo opportunitys.
 
If you haven't been, then the Kings Palace is spectacular even if it's been done millions of times before. Even with a 'snap camera' my photo's were good!

And if you travel around the canals in Bangkok there's one photo opportunity after the other.
 
Yes done the kings palace last time,and as you say amazing, i will also be travelling to phuket, are you going to any of the islands ?
 
Not this time, the weather isn't brilliant for it. That's why we're going to the east coast - drier! There are some small islands in the area that we'll just take a boat out to for day trips.

But I love the islands in the Andaman Sea - can't wait to go there again, but it will have to wait for another trip.
 
I think i've bought a 400L

i'll know i've bought it when
A.Royal fail actually let me have it!!!
B.I get the credit card bill :(
 
I'm going to go the opposite direction to all the others and say don't buy anything yet, with the possible exception of the tripod (and as others have said, if you do get one, get a decent one!). If it were me, I'd stick the money in savings and wait a few weeks. Once you get the camera, you can start shooting and see what you really enjoy; I had my camera for about a month before I started buying lenses. Unfortunately I quite like nature/wildlife photography which means telephotos :) From there, you can invest in whatever gear you need to further your photos.
 
mattyh said:
Quality, basically :)

My first tripod cost around £20... and I got £20 worth of tripod, it was wobbly and couldn't take the weight of my camera. I spent £100 on my 2nd tripod, and it's far more stable, and can easily take the weight, plus it's a lot more sturdy (y)
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That's good advice ! ;)
I did the same and bought a £19 tripod a few years ago. I've now got a Slik Carbon Fibre. There's no comparison
Buy quality !! :)
 
Don't under estimate your kit lens. Th ef-s 18-55 will give you some great results.
Because you can buy these lenses for buttons, It's usually the first thing that is replaced,
but you can get some quality shots from this lens.
 
This months Practical photography has an article on lenses and shows what can be achieved with a kit lens...
 
One important thing:
UV FILTER!
fab for protecting the lens' frontal element... and obviously for the main job!! hehe
Really, it will be the first thing i buy when i get my new kit
 
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