Author Topic: SLR Cameras - recommendations and advice (Read 148579 times)

tedthered · « **Reply #280 on:** February 12, 2009, 07:55:34 pm »

Quote from: Slick_Beef on February 12, 2009, 06:29:49 pm

Ok..it's Mrs Beef's birthday on the 1st March and I'm going to get her a new SLR camera, as she's very in to photography and the camera she has now is very old. After narrowing it down I'm planning to buy the Canon 450D.. as it seems to have a good amount of features but then doesnt seem toooo advanced for an amature photographer like the 40d or 50d (which cost silly money too!). Question is just... is the 450D a good choice? any horror stories? anyone want to change my mind? There are some people on the earlier page saying to get the 400D instead and spend more on the lens I notice? My problem is I dont know or understand shit about photography so dont really know much about lenses..

450D will suit her fine and will do a grand job.

Slick_Beef · « **Reply #281 on:** February 12, 2009, 07:58:58 pm »

Cool..thanks lads. Armed with my credit card I'm off to the shops. Hope they have it in stock!

alex. · « **Reply #282 on:** February 12, 2009, 08:01:42 pm »

I have a 450D but need a decent lens for it, any recommendations, want a good zoom on it and will be mostly shooting sports and I was told that, for that, the lower the 'f' number (aperature, I think

) the better, you can tell I'm a total novice, don't want to spend much more than abar £350 though.

Would be willing to buy used of ebay also

tedthered · « **Reply #283 on:** February 12, 2009, 08:12:53 pm »

Quote from: alex. on February 12, 2009, 08:01:42 pm

I have a 450D but need a decent lens for it, any recommendations, want a good zoom on it and will be mostly shooting sports and I was told that, for that, the lower the 'f' number (aperature, I think ) the better, you can tell I'm a total novice, don't want to spend much more than abar £350 though.

Would be willing to buy used of ebay also

The lower aperture the more you will pay. A good lens would be a sigma 70 =300mm f4 - 5.6 APO Macro Super DG Canon fit.
A telephoto zoom lens with tele-macro function and optimised for digital SLR cameras. This performance telephoto zoom lens is capable of shooting with a maximum magnification of 1:2 at the focal length of 300 mm. The Sigma 70-300mm lens is ideal for portraits, sports photography, nature photography, and all other types of photography that frequently use the telephoto range.

Will set you back about £150, my daughter uses it on her canon and it does a great job.

alex. · « **Reply #284 on:** February 12, 2009, 10:01:14 pm »

Thanks for the advice, I think I might opt for it.

ElSheak · « **Reply #285 on:** February 12, 2009, 10:37:16 pm »

Quote from: tedthered on February 12, 2009, 08:12:53 pm

The lower aperture the more you will pay. A good lens would be a sigma 70 =300mm f4 - 5.6 APO Macro Super DG Canon fit.
A telephoto zoom lens with tele-macro function and optimised for digital SLR cameras. This performance telephoto zoom lens is capable of shooting with a maximum magnification of 1:2 at the focal length of 300 mm. The Sigma 70-300mm lens is ideal for portraits, sports photography, nature photography, and all other types of photography that frequently use the telephoto range.

Will set you back about £150, my daughter uses it on her canon and it does a great job.

I own one of those and can vouch for it - unless your sat pitch side on a dark winter afternoon photographing football, where even at 1600 iso, you'll be lucky to freeze action.

Alex if you want some footy images from a 30D using that lens, PM me our email and i'll send some samples through, when I've dug them out!

ds2190 · « **Reply #286 on:** February 12, 2009, 11:16:11 pm »

Quote from: tedthered on February 12, 2009, 08:12:53 pm

The lower aperture the more you will pay. A good lens would be a sigma 70 =300mm f4 - 5.6 APO Macro Super DG Canon fit.
A telephoto zoom lens with tele-macro function and optimised for digital SLR cameras. This performance telephoto zoom lens is capable of shooting with a maximum magnification of 1:2 at the focal length of 300 mm. The Sigma 70-300mm lens is ideal for portraits, sports photography, nature photography, and all other types of photography that frequently use the telephoto range.

Will set you back about £150, my daughter uses it on her canon and it does a great job.

Exactly the same lens that I have. Got it for £115 in Jessops after some haggling with the manager.

Slick_Beef · « **Reply #287 on:** February 12, 2009, 11:35:43 pm »

Right. Had a long talk with the fella in the shop and decided to get her the 1000D instead. Gave it to her early because we're going away to Sintra tomorrow which is a place that's begging for a good camera. She's absolutley thrilled.. and I can't wait to give it a try meself actually..

BRdispatch05 · « **Reply #288 on:** February 12, 2009, 11:39:15 pm »

Quote from: Slick_Beef on February 12, 2009, 11:35:43 pm

Right. Had a long talk with the fella in the shop and decided to get her the 1000D instead. Gave it to her early because we're going away to Sintra tomorrow which is a place that's begging for a good camera. She's absolutley thrilled.. and I can't wait to give it a try meself actually..

Good choice! I worked at a chain digital camera store and now work at a locally owned shop, and I can tell you nearly anything by canon is a safe bet. Their slr's are great first time cameras as well.

If you use filters realize the pictures will only be the quality of however well that filter is made. Extra battery packs are nice to have, and of course a case! Did you get it with the standard lens?

Slick_Beef · « **Reply #289 on:** February 12, 2009, 11:54:24 pm »

Thanks for that reassurance! Standard lens for now. Told her I'd get her a better one for xmas... Will probably order that online because they were quite pricey in the shop. Did get a nice case tho! And yeah.. extra battery packs is a good idea that I didn't think of actually... Ahh well.. I did make sure the case had plenty of space for the charger too :p

NatD · « **Reply #290 on:** February 13, 2009, 07:53:50 am »

For any lenses, check here first.....

http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/

ds2190 · « **Reply #291 on:** February 13, 2009, 10:50:34 am »

Quote from: Slick_Beef on February 12, 2009, 11:54:24 pm

Thanks for that reassurance! Standard lens for now. Told her I'd get her a better one for xmas... Will probably order that online because they were quite pricey in the shop. Did get a nice case tho! And yeah.. extra battery packs is a good idea that I didn't think of actually... Ahh well.. I did make sure the case had plenty of space for the charger too :p

The standard lens is decent for an amateur. I'm a fan of wildlife photography so use the Sigma but if I do landscapes or anything like that i'll use the kit lens.

Would definately recommend using camerapricebuster.co.uk as suggested by NatD - very handy site!

As for an extra battery, i'd recommend getting a decent memory card and accessories first. Canon batteries last forever - i've only charged mine once since I bought the camera. You'll easily get at least 750-1000 pictures out of a single charge.

alex. · « **Reply #292 on:** February 13, 2009, 06:56:28 pm »

Quote from: tedthered on February 12, 2009, 08:12:53 pm

The lower aperture the more you will pay. A good lens would be a sigma 70 =300mm f4 - 5.6 APO Macro Super DG Canon fit.
A telephoto zoom lens with tele-macro function and optimised for digital SLR cameras. This performance telephoto zoom lens is capable of shooting with a maximum magnification of 1:2 at the focal length of 300 mm. The Sigma 70-300mm lens is ideal for portraits, sports photography, nature photography, and all other types of photography that frequently use the telephoto range.

Will set you back about £150, my daughter uses it on her canon and it does a great job.

I've just won it on ebay for £70 from a seller in Liverpool

ElSheak · « **Reply #293 on:** February 13, 2009, 07:01:48 pm »

Quote from: alex. on February 13, 2009, 06:56:28 pm

I've just won it on ebay for £70 from a seller in Liverpool

Still want examples then?

Also Memory card write speeds... if your shooting sport (multi-frames at high quality) then it's worth investing in higher write speed cards. Be careful on ebay though as there are a few blag cards knocking around.

alex. · « **Reply #294 on:** February 13, 2009, 07:10:20 pm »

I have a SanDisk UltraII 8gb 15mb/s at the moment which has done the job so far

with regards to the examples, no need to dig them out just for me

thanks

alex. · « **Reply #295 on:** February 19, 2009, 01:39:41 pm »

Very impressed with the lens considering the price, cheers for the advice lads

mickl · « **Reply #296 on:** March 19, 2009, 10:40:22 pm »

Here's another place to check prices:

http://www.onestop-digital.com/catalog/index.php

They're based in Hong Kong and somehow deliver VAT-free, even offering that if you get a VAT bill they will sort it for you. I have bought a few bits from them and so far have had no comebacks.

youtookmyname · « **Reply #297 on:** March 21, 2009, 01:23:26 pm »

Quote from: mickl on March 19, 2009, 10:40:22 pm

Here's another place to check prices:

http://www.onestop-digital.com/catalog/index.php

They're based in Hong Kong and somehow deliver VAT-free, even offering that if you get a VAT bill they will sort it for you. I have bought a few bits from them and so far have had no comebacks.

I have bought from them too but just be advised that not all of their gear comes with an international warranty. My Sigma 10-20 came from there and when it needed recalibrating it had to go back to HK. All the savings made were pretty much eaten up with postage costs back to HK.

ben138 · « **Reply #298 on:** April 22, 2009, 10:52:31 pm »

Just finished a night course in photography and am seriously considering getting a basic/starter DSLR. I'm still not very good at photography

, and its first serious usage will be in Africa for 6 weeks so i dont want to spend serious money yet.

Looking at photography forums and talking to a few independent retailers the Sony DSLRA200 seems like a decent bet.
It also suits me because i have about 12 Gb of CF and MS cards already and i have a good contact in Sony so i can get a good deal.

I've borrowed a DSLRA700 and a Canon EOS 35 before and found the canon a bit easier to use - (but possibly because i used that more)

Anyone have any good/bad experiences with the Alpha range or alternative suggestions?
Cheers

NatD · « **Reply #299 on:** April 23, 2009, 08:44:49 am »

Am not sure how the Sony fare's, but most photgraphers I come across use either Canon or Nikkon. I don't know if they are easier to use, offer better value for money, or just have a wider range of accessories (with third party lenses like Tamron able to be used, not sure if this is the case with Sony).

I have the Canon 450D which is a great Camera. Very powerful, and I still probably used half of the potential of this camrea yet.

BRdispatch05 · « **Reply #300 on:** May 4, 2009, 10:15:02 pm »

Quote from: NatD on April 23, 2009, 08:44:49 am

Am not sure how the Sony fare's, but most photgraphers I come across use either Canon or Nikkon. I don't know if they are easier to use, offer better value for money, or just have a wider range of accessories (with third party lenses like Tamron able to be used, not sure if this is the case with Sony).

I have the Canon 450D which is a great Camera. Very powerful, and I still probably used half of the potential of this camrea yet.

oooh I like!

Sony's are fairly new to the market, but they bought out minolta so basically any of the bayonet lenses (I think?) made by minolta can be used on only the sony's. I've heard good and bad about the sony's, so I just stick with Canon personally. Nikon is "technically" known for having better lenses, while Canon's have a more fluent body, but I think that is debatable in both senses.

I'm saving up for a 40d

macc · « **Reply #301 on:** June 26, 2009, 02:04:28 pm »

Am thinkin about gettin the canon 1000d, can pick one up with the non IS lens right away.

Is it worth waitin til i can pick one up with the IS lens??

is there a big difference??

Thanks

ds2190 · « **Reply #302 on:** June 27, 2009, 04:36:36 pm »

Quote from: macc on June 26, 2009, 02:04:28 pm

Am thinkin about gettin the canon 1000d, can pick one up with the non IS lens right away.

Is it worth waitin til i can pick one up with the IS lens??

is there a big difference??

Thanks

I might be selling my 1000D if you'd be interested?

It has the IS lens and a Sigma 70-300 lens too with loads of accessories.

macc · « **Reply #303 on:** June 27, 2009, 07:16:14 pm »

How much were ya thinkin of sellin for??

El Phes · « **Reply #304 on:** June 29, 2009, 05:24:06 pm »

(just bookmarking this thread so I can come back to it)

gray-- · « **Reply #305 on:** July 2, 2009, 07:09:33 pm »

Ordered a Nikon 24-70m F/2.8 today to go with my D700, should arrive tomorrow, dead excited!!!

damian · « **Reply #306 on:** July 2, 2009, 10:33:53 pm »

I've got an Olympus E400 Digital SLR, unfortunately I can't afford any decent lenses for it so might be forced to sell unfortunately. Not sure what I can get for it like.

ds2190 · « **Reply #307 on:** July 3, 2009, 12:07:56 am »

Quote from: macc on June 27, 2009, 07:16:14 pm

How much were ya thinkin of sellin for??

Not really sure if I do want to sell but feel free to PM me an offer

mobydick · « **Reply #308 on:** July 6, 2009, 05:38:55 pm »

I'm looking at buying an DSLR and have been looking and comparing the new Canon 500D and the Nikon D90. Apart from the obvious difference in MPs would it make a great deal of difference whichever I buy? Has anyone used cameras from both manufacturers? If so what are the differences in handling? Subconsciously I am leaning toward Canon but that's probably only because I used to own one or two before. I used to do a bit of photography with a standard Canon A-1 but due to business commitments had to let it go. Now I have more time (hopefully) I want to get back to doing wildlife and nature photography and would appreciate any input from anyone with more idea than me. (this probably includes you all)

Hinesy · « **Reply #309 on:** July 6, 2009, 06:46:59 pm »

If you look through the thread, the consensus is this: If you bought a Nikon, you like them and if you bought a Canon, you like them. I got a Nikon and love using it, but it was my first proper camera and I know many people who say the same about the Canon. If its nature, have a look around for a good zoom and see which camera it fits. It might sound like the tail wagging the dog but there's little difference at the level you're talking about.

MolbysBigBelly · « **Reply #310 on:** July 7, 2009, 09:31:12 am »

Pros and cons on both sides.

I had a look a little while back and thought that Nikon was ahead on the bodies but Canon had the edge on range of lenses available at good prices.

However, Tamron and Sigma both do lenses for Nikon and Canon with specific mounts for Canon and Nikon bodies, so if you don't mind going down the non-OEM route for lenses, then that's a good option.

If you still have your old lenses with FD mount, you can get an adaptor to use them on the newer Canon bodies.

Main thing is to go into a shop and try them out. Last year, I went into Jessops to try out a Canon 400D but found that I didn't like the feel - too small and I missed the control wheel my film EOS 5 had on the back. Went up a couple of hundred quid and bought a 40D instead. It's a more rugged body, fits my hands better, etc.

Moral of that story? Spend half an hour in a shop trying stuff out even if you're buying off the interweb.

mulfella · « **Reply #311 on:** July 7, 2009, 09:42:17 am »

Quote from: mobydick on July 6, 2009, 05:38:55 pm

I'm looking at buying an DSLR and have been looking and comparing the new Canon 500D and the Nikon D90. Apart from the obvious difference in MPs would it make a great deal of difference whichever I buy? Has anyone used cameras from both manufacturers? If so what are the differences in handling? Subconsciously I am leaning toward Canon but that's probably only because I used to own one or two before. I used to do a bit of photography with a standard Canon A-1 but due to business commitments had to let it go. Now I have more time (hopefully) I want to get back to doing wildlife and nature photography and would appreciate any input from anyone with more idea than me. (this probably includes you all)

Really not too much difference at that level.

I've got a Canon and my brother in law has got a Nikon and we are both very happy indeed with our purchases.

Though we did go on a course together and he was the only Nikon owner and it got slated for not having bracketing

mobydick · « **Reply #312 on:** July 7, 2009, 09:51:48 am »

Thanks for your help, you guys, much appreciated.

Quote from: MolbysBigBelly on July 7, 2009, 09:31:12 am

If you still have your old lenses with FD mount, you can get an adaptor to use them on the newer Canon bodies.

Interesting, I never thought of that, I'll have to do some investigating.

Quote from: MolbysBigBelly on July 7, 2009, 09:31:12 am

Main thing is to go into a shop and try them out. Last year, I went into Jessops to try out a Canon 400D but found that I didn't like the feel - too small and I missed the control wheel my film EOS 5 had on the back. Went up a couple of hundred quid and bought a 40D instead. It's a more rugged body, fits my hands better, etc.

Moral of that story? Spend half an hour in a shop trying stuff out even if you're buying off the interweb.

You're right there, I'll have to get myself down the town and start playing with some.

alex. · « **Reply #313 on:** October 3, 2009, 04:42:49 pm »

Anybody use ND Filters? I've got a 2 stop (4x ?) one, trying to get the hang of it, to get an effect like this

Is a 2 stop filter good enough to do that or would I need to go further up?

Mavis Cruet · « **Reply #314 on:** October 3, 2009, 09:58:00 pm »

Quote from: alex. on October 3, 2009, 04:42:49 pm

Anybody use ND Filters? I've got a 2 stop (4x ?) one, trying to get the hang of it, to get an effect like this

Is a 2 stop filter good enough to do that or would I need to go further up?

I'm guessing it would depend on how bright it is when you take your photo's as to how many stops you need?

timiano · « **Reply #315 on:** October 3, 2009, 10:06:01 pm »

Basically you need to aim for a shutter of around 1-2 seconds. How you get there is up to you, but low ISO, narrow aperture (but watch out for diffraction), less light and ND/Polarising filter will all help.

Sat1 · « **Reply #316 on:** November 2, 2009, 10:47:36 pm »

Hello guys,

I've read a few times people say "focus on infinity", Is that so your not out of focus when snapping something like fireworks or something in the distance , and how do you do that setting?

I've been hit and miss with my camera but know a fair few functions. Wanna get more into it.

alex. · « **Reply #317 on:** November 2, 2009, 11:46:57 pm »

Quote from: Sat1 on November 2, 2009, 10:47:36 pm

Hello guys,

I've read a few times people say "focus on infinity", Is that so your not out of focus when snapping something like fireworks or something in the distance , and how do you do that setting?

I've been hit and miss with my camera but know a fair few functions. Wanna get more into it.

Funnily enough, I was looking up on some help shooting fireworks the other day when it mentioned 'focus on infinity,' now I assume this is a setting that some slr's have? I don't think mine does, so it recommends to choose the landscape in the picture style settings, I hope that helps (the both of us)

Quote

Focus on infinity

We strongly recommend shooting in full manual mode if you have the ability. Set your focus to just less than infinity (or choose a landscape setting if you can’t manually adjust focus) and use an aperture of f/8 to f/16.

richiedouglas · « **Reply #318 on:** November 3, 2009, 09:29:26 am »

Alright guys - I've got a Canon SLR and the mrs fancies one for xmas.....the only problem being that she wants a smaller one that can fit in her bag haha.

I've basically decided that a 'bridging camera' would work on that account - any suggestions? I know they're nowhere near as good technically but I'm fairly confident she'd never work that out.

El Phes · « **Reply #319 on:** November 3, 2009, 10:18:36 am »

Quote from: Sat1 on November 2, 2009, 10:47:36 pm

Hello guys,

I've read a few times people say "focus on infinity", Is that so your not out of focus when snapping something like fireworks or something in the distance , and how do you do that setting?

I've been hit and miss with my camera but know a fair few functions. Wanna get more into it.

Do you have an slr camera?