What to go for?

mtracerz

mtracerz

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Rikki
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Sure this topic has come up a lot, however I thought there would be no harm in throwing another one out there.
Looking to get myself a decent slr, as would like to start taking my own stock photography for my uni designs.

However, I am completely new to the whole photography side of things, and have been looking through forums for a few days now, and everything is in a total different language to me :lol: Different lenses, shutter speeds etc.

Now I am trying to figure out what camera I should start with. Think I want to go for a Canon after reading a lot of good things about them (especially for starting out) The ones that I think may fall in around my budget (£450?) Would be the 1000d, 450d and 40d.

Now could someone please explain the differences between these cameras (and why the 40d doesnt appear on canons website - discontinued?) and what would suit me best. Also what price range they fall into in the 2nd hand market or new. Also any other cameras that I could also consider.

Then I think il have to start reading up about these lenses... :bonk:

All help appreciated,
Cheers :thumbs:
 
If you limit yourself to new cameras then your choices are limited - if you opt for 2nd hand then you could pick up a four or five-year old Nikon or Canon Pro-Spec body for as little as £200 if you shop around - that'll be around the 6-8Mp mark, but those cameras will happily produce a reasonable photo-quality enlargement up to about A2.
Lenses? Shop around as the same caveat applies.

Remember also, that just because a pro-body looks trashed (mine are about 6 months old now and look like Hell), internally they're still fully functional and will perform just as well as a mint appearance body costing much, much more... we generally carry two or three bodies at the same time and they are forever crashing against one another so all the paint gets worn off very quickly...
 
Arkady said:
If you limit yourself to new cameras then your choices are limited - if you opt for 2nd hand then you could pick up a four or five-year old Nikon or Canon Pro-Spec body for as little as £200 if you shop around -
Click to expand...

Where are the best places to look for 2nd hands? Better getting on-line?
 
desantnik said:
DPreview's side by side comparison tool is very useful... here's a link to a comparison I set up for the three bodies you are interested in:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/com..._eos1000d,canon_eos450d,canon_eos40d&show=all
Click to expand...

Found that quite helpful :thumbs:

However, all 3 seem rather similar, though the 450d has a higher resolution ( i think this would be beneficial for me through needing stock imagery for graphic design?)

Generally the 450d has a couple of better stats than the 40d, so why is the 40d more expensive? What makes it better than the 450d?

Cheers
 
mtracerz said:
Generally the 450d has a couple of better stats than the 40d, so why is the 40d more expensive? What makes it better than the 450d?
Click to expand...

The 40D is from the next level up in Canon's range. It has faster FPS and a much more advanced focus system (including a cross type centre focus point) plus better ergonomics and better noise control at higher ISO's.

None of that might make any sense to you now, but trust me, there is quite a big difference :D
 
desantnik said:
The 40D is from the next level up in Canon's range. It has faster FPS and a much more advanced focus system (including a cross type centre focus point) plus better ergonomics and better noise control at higher ISO's.

None of that might make any sense to you now, but trust me, there is quite a big difference :D
Click to expand...

ha you got me, that is foreign to me atm...

however why has the 40d got a smaller resolution than the 450d?
What kinda size of image will both produce? How far can you zoom in/enlarge image before distortion takes place?

Cheers :)
 
mtracerz said:
Where are the best places to look for 2nd hands? Better getting on-line?
Click to expand...

Grays of Westminster for Nikon - though they deal in mostly very minty examples - like you'd never know they were used...just google "second-hand Nikon/Canon/whatever" and loads of dealers will appear as if by magic...lol
When you make a decision on a retailer - pop back here and ask if anyone else has had dealings with them to make sure they're a reputable dealer...
 
mtracerz said:
however why has the 40d got a smaller resolution than the 450d?What kinda size of image will both produce? How far can you zoom in/enlarge image before distortion takes place?)
Click to expand...

Ahhh resolution isn't everything :D

The 450D was the next step on the evolutionary path for Canon, but its still the next step from the consumer end of the product range.

How big can you make a 10mp image? There is no real answer to that question because it depends very much on how you do it and what quality you are expecting at the end.

For a rough guide, the printers I use recommend this:

http://dscolourlabs.co.uk/imageresizing.cfm

Which suggests a 400D/40D native resolution would be useful up to 12x8... without using software upscaling...
 
desantnik said:
Ahhh resolution isn't everything :D

The 450D was the next step on the evolutionary path for Canon, but its still the next step from the consumer end of the product range.

How big can you make a 10mp image? There is no real answer to that question because it depends very much on how you do it and what quality you are expecting at the end.

For a rough guide, the printers I use recommend this:

http://dscolourlabs.co.uk/imageresizing.cfm

Which suggests a 400D/40D native resolution would be useful up to 12x8... without using software upscaling...
Click to expand...

ah ok, i did think that would be the case.

I shall have a look for a second hand d40 that falls within my budget then, however im guessing both the d450 and the d40 would be ok? Will pass over the d1000 as i dont like having the base model of anything (cars, computers etc :p) and im guessing the other 2 will offer more anway?

What will i be looking to pay for a good nick d40/d450 second hand?
 
with a limmited budget ...think which lenses you need to use too........as they can be more expensive than the body
 
maggieme said:
with a limmited budget ...think which lenses you need to use too........as they can be more expensive than the body
Click to expand...

yeah I have given that some thought too. What are the capabilities of the 18-55mm lens that comes with most of the bodies?
I obviously dont know which lenses are suited to what kind of photography, and dont really know what kind of photos I will mainly be taking, though id imagine landscape, nature and sports (motor and downhill biking) would be where my interests would lie. So I dont know what kind of lenses I would need to achieve this.

Would the 18-55mm be enough to get me started in these areas Or would I really have to invest in a proper one straight away?

on a side note, after flicking through the forum I really like the macro section, some stunning images in there. But im going to take a wild guess that would take a special type of lens that an only be used for that?

Thanks for all the helpful replies btw :thumbs:
 
mtracerz said:
on a side note, after flicking through the forum I really like the macro section, some stunning images in there. But im going to take a wild guess that would take a special type of lens that an only be used for that?

Thanks for all the helpful replies btw :thumbs:
Click to expand...

There are specific macro lenses yes.
Although you could also use extension tubes/macro filters/reversing rings to achieve a similar result :)

The 450D is a great starter body, I have learnt alot from mine, although I am selling up as I now find I need some of the AF and ISO handling abilities of the XXD range.
It really is swings and roundabouts, expensive ones at that :(
 
Software upscaling isn't a bad thing BTW... it can be very good... and remember just like larger TV's the bigger the image the more its designed to be viewed from a distance.

Don't get hung up on mega pixels, the real difference between 10 and 12 isn't really worth basing your entire decision on and sometimes it can be a downside to have more!

One lens won't do all of the things you have expressed an interest in.... my own personal suggestion would be to start with a good "general" lens, something like 18-55 but constant f2.8 aperture (the kit lenses are usually something like f3.5-f5.6), which will be good for general photography and ok for landscapes. For sport you will need something longer... probably something like a good 70-300 will get you going, the Canon 70-300IS is an excellent place to get starting and not mortgage figures! Macro? Thats very specialist, I'd wait and see on that front...
 
desantnik said:
Software upscaling isn't a bad thing BTW... it can be very good... and remember just like larger TV's the bigger the image the more its designed to be viewed from a distance.

Don't get hung up on mega pixels, the real difference between 10 and 12 isn't really worth basing your entire decision on and sometimes it can be a downside to have more!

One lens won't do all of the things you have expressed an interest in.... my own personal suggestion would be to start with a good "general" lens, something like 18-55 but constant f2.8 aperture (the kit lenses are usually something like f3.5-f5.6), which will be good for general photography and ok for landscapes. For sport you will need something longer... probably something like a good 70-300 will get you going, the Canon 70-300IS is an excellent place to get starting and not mortgage figures! Macro? Thats very specialist, I'd wait and see on that front...
Click to expand...

Yeah im not going to let that rule my decision. How much would your recommended "general" lens set you back?

Think im going to try and find a good d40 within my budget, should i try get one with the 18-55 kit lens, or just get the body and buy a 18-55 with the f2.8? (depending on price of course)
 
desantnik said:
my own personal suggestion would be to start with a good "general" lens, something like 18-55 but constant f2.8 aperture (the kit lenses are usually something like f3.5-f5.6), which will be good for general photography and ok for landscapes. For sport you will need something longer... probably something like a good 70-300 will get you going, the Canon 70-300IS is an excellent place to get starting and not mortgage figures! Macro? Thats very specialist, I'd wait and see on that front...
Click to expand...

Any links to these?
 
 
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