Which Canon SLR to buy for around £1k?

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ryanb741

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Ryan
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Greetings all

I have been a lurker on the forum for a few months and I would really appreciate any considered advice you may be able to provide. I have been using to date a Nikon D3100 as a starter SLR, however my fiancee has really got into her photography and is currently undertaking private tutoring from a professional photographer in Thailand. The thing is, she has been buying lenses for her Canon camera and as a result, to save money, instead of buying lenses for both Nikon and Canon formats I may as well sell the Nikon and get a Canon. So I would like to spend around £1k to get a DSLR with lens.

I have been looking at the Canon D60 with either a 18-85 or 18-135 lens which is around the £1k mark, or possibly for a few hundred quid more I could get the Canon 7D.

If I went the latter route is the few hundred quid extra spent on the 7D worth it? I would use the camera as an enthusiast at weekends with my fiancee, I'm no professional and am still in the learning phase. The D3100 was absolutely brilliant to learn on but alas I need to make the switch to Canon for the sake of the bank balance.

Any advice would be gratefully received.
 
If you can stretch to it I'd go for the 7D with kit lens. It's a more powerfull beast and will take a little learning but bang for buck is streets ahead of the 60D.

What lenses does she have ?
 
What do you like to shoot - do you want full frame or crop:shrug:
 
Tractor Boy said:
What do you like to shoot - do you want full frame or crop:shrug:
Click to expand...

If I'm honest I don't really understand the differences between the 2 options other than Full Frame is preferred by many purists. I have only been taking photos sporadically since December when I bought the Nikon and really my purchase is aimed at being able to share in my fiancees hobby. I am very much a newbie and one comment I did receive was that perhaps the 60D might be better as the 7D has a more complicated focusing system more geared towards the experienced photographer. However I took that with a pinch of salt as the shop was out of 7Ds due to supply issues caused by the tsunami in Japan and I suspected the salesman was trying to steer me towards the 60D to get a quick sale.

I have handled the 60D - it's much bigger in the hand than the Nikon D3100 but that's fine, it felt good to handle. I haven't handled a 7D yet though - the salesman said that was a bit bigger.

Many thanks for the replies so far
 
 
60D and 7D are almost the same size.

Yes the focusing system is more complicated but with some help of TP members you'd soon get your head round it.

Thre is a member on here called Kerso, he will email you a list of prices which may include having 7D's available if you wanted to go that way, he'd be cheaper for a 60D too.
 
From my limited understanding; full frame generally will give both overall better quality as well as better high-ISO quality, but at the expense of a lower frame rate.

What camera and lenses does your partner have?
Would seem to be sensible to make a complimentary choice - so consider a full frame if she has a crop.
Similar, might as well choose the lens based on that I'd have thought? Go for something that will add to the range she already has.

I recently got a 60d with the 18-135 IS for just over £800. Ok, it wasn't a UK model and didn't even have a UK charger as was promised (already had an adaptor that fitted however, so no big drama), but otherwise everything is good.

I did consider the 7d, which has a good few features that I wanted. However, using SD cards (just because I've got quite a few already) and the flip out screen for video meant the 60d worked for me.
Would definitely like a 5d II or similar to go with it, but will have to wait for the euromillions results on Friday for that :p.
 
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Is your fiancee using full frame such as the 5D or a crop like the 60D, just asking because her lens collection might make a difference to your choice
 
tijuana taxi said:
Is your fiancee using full frame such as the 5D or a crop like the 60D, just asking because her lens collection might make a difference to your choice
Click to expand...

She is using a Canon 550D so I guess crop. I'm not sure exactly what lenses she has, I do know a 50mm prime, Macro and also has a wide angle inbound (24mm I believe).

She finds the 50mm most useful and ironically that was the cheapest lens (the 24mm was hideously expensive although £500 cheaper in Thailand compared to the UK)
 
Yes, a crop, then.

If you did get a full frame camera, the same lenses would offer a wider view (crop is 1.6x 'closer' than wide). However, some lenses (EF-S I believe) will only fit the crop sensor cameras, however this is usually only those going really wide (wider than the 24mm, which I would guess is a F1.4 canon maybe - which on a crop will be the same as a 38mm, so actually not that wide.)
 
geebus said:
Yes, a crop, then.

If you did get a full frame camera, the same lenses would offer a wider view (crop is 1.6x 'closer' than wide). However, some lenses (EF-S I believe) will only fit the crop sensor cameras, however this is usually only those going really wide (wider than the 24mm, which I would guess is a F1.4 canon maybe - which on a crop will be the same as a 38mm, so actually not that wide.)
Click to expand...

It would be a SIN to put 24/1.4L on a crop. I just couldn't.
 
£1k is a quite a lot to go flying in with as a "newbie".

Why not go for something along the lines of a used 40d/50d and see how you get along with that ?

Unless cash is on the hip of course :cool:

Just my line of thought of course (y)
 
Can I also suggest that (f you haven't already) you test drive your fiance's camera. I tried with a Canon (after shooting Nikon) and just didn't get on the witht the ergonomics. Nikon just fit my hands - and after 9 years there would have to be a REALLY good reason for me to have to relearn a system.
 
Thanks again for the replies.

I would view my equipment and my fiancees as interchangeable and as she progresses faster than me she can switch to my 60D and I can use her 550D, and by the time she has outgrown the 60D I guess there will be something newer and shinier on the market that I could get her in the more advanced range and then I could go back to the 60D.

It's interesting to read one of the posts about jumping in as a newbie with a £1k camera - my fiancee's teacher has advised her that her 550D is perfectly adequate to learn on for a year or two and that anything better at this moment of her learning curve is a waste of money at this point in time and better to spend money on higher calibre lenses, however if I purchased an entry level Canon like perhaps the 600D it would be perhaps a bit too similar to the 550D spec wise, hence looking at the 60D.
 
A couple of things come to mind.

You need to know which lenses your other half has. If many of them re EF-S then they won't work on a FF camera anyway, so you'll be back at square 1. If she has mainly EF lenses, then a used 5D Mk1 is a sensible suggestion as it is wonderful camera, all be it little old compared to the most recent bodies.

Secondly, what do you shoot ? If you are likely to shoot mainly moving subjects then the 7D is the man for the job, otherwise the 60D should be more than adequate. The other thing to consider is memory cards. I think the 550 uses CF cards, while the 60 used SD cards, so you won't be able to pool them together.

Steve
 
The 550D uses SD cards, and the 60D does a great job with fast moving objects.
 
Thanks for all the replies all. I went for the 60D in the end. i just figured that by the time either myself or my fiancee are so proficient that a step up from the 60D is required there will be newer things on the market and instead of making a few hundred quid step up to whatever the 7D equivalent is at the time we could make the leap to a more pro-level machine - particularly as the missus is looking at possible careers in photography one day.

Really appreciate all the feedback and advice, I am confident that the 60D will do the job for the next couple of years or so.
 
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