Help in choosing a camera! (1 Viewer)

[benv]

I have an interest in photography and i am about to buy my first DSLR camera! Now I have a choice between 4 models but i am probably getting one of the Cannon's, so if you know your stuff please help me out or if you have any other preferences, that would also be helpful!
The camera's are:
Cannon EOS 1000D
Cannon EOS 400D
Nikon D3000
Sony Alpha A230

Thanks in advance

 

[sombrero]

I'm also interested in buying a DSLR

Before we can start you need to answer a few questions. Whats your budget and what do you want to take photos of?

Good glass is arguably more important than the body

 

[benv]

Well I guess the most expensive of those camera's are $1500 ish so i guess $1500 or lower would be my budget. What I want to take pics of? well anything really, im more of an oportunistic photographer at the moment and dont have a passion for a single type of photography at the moment so im not 100% sure, but it is a start.

 

[pman]

I use the old 300d, gives awesome pics, great for action shots, beleiev that now the 400d, you'd have to check though, biggest q is how much are you wiulling to spend on lenses as well, a good lense can cost 2-3 times as much as the body of the camera, large cannon lenses often cost 3 grand (useful only for sports shots though).

My other camera is the 10d, which i believ grew into the 1000d, great for pretty much the same things tho, my sugestion is get the lighter one cos my backpack full of lenses and body weighs 4-5 kilo

 

[sombrero]

The Canon 450d is good value with nice IQ

Kit lenses might suffice whilst learning. However, compared to most other lenses they're shit. You defo get what you pay for

Don't forget a tripod, memory card, bag, etc...

 

[benv]

Well one of my uncle's said that if i get either the EOS 1000D or the 400D he would give me his image stabilising lense. You dont need a tripod if you have an IS lens do you?

 

[Grissom]

If you're going to be spending that much money get the 40d. It may be slightly older but it is an amateur level camera that has many features the consumer models dont. If your serious about getting into photography don't buy any of the triple or quad digit models. And don.t just buy a camera with the biggest numbers either. The 40d is the best model in your price range. Which reminds me, they dont make it anymore...I would try and pick one up from eBay if I were you.

If you dont tell us what you want to shoot we cant recommend you any lenses. An IS lens will allow you to shoot at 2-3 shutter stops slower. If you dont understand what a stop is or understand the relationship between aperture and shutterspeed I suggest you look it up before spending so much money. Unless you plan on shooting in low light, shooting long exposures, or shooting at ridiculously long focal lengths you probably wont need a tripod.

You probably best off buying a second hand third party lens off ebay. Sigma and Tamron make excellent lenses that would cost 3 times the price if it had Cannon written on it. As a general walk around lens I recommend the Tamron 28-75. Excellent image quality and they for about $450 second hand.

And yeah, camera accessories quickly add up , lol. If you're after a good cheap tripod the Slik 700dx can be had for $230. Its rock solid.

 

[clo_clo]

I bought the 450D at the beginning of this year and I've been delighted with it.
If you're already spending enough to get a DSLR, I would go for the 450D over the 1000D as it is essentially a better piece of equipment. It's the model up from the 400D which I don't think is actually on the market any more, new at least. I would really recommend the 450D although, if you have enough money I have also heard amazing things about the 40D. Although, if this is your first DSLR, you should probably go with something more entry level.

 

[Kwayera]

Well one of my uncle's said that if i get either the EOS 1000D or the 400D he would give me his image stabilising lense. You dont need a tripod if you have an IS lens do you?

450D > 400D >1000D.

Get the 400 (if you don't want to spend the money on a 450. You could probably find an as-new 400D on eBay or something).

And re: IS lenses, it depends on what you're taking photos of. Even an IS lens won't fix all shake if you're taking at an extreme zoom (or have the shutter speed set way down).

 

[kokodamonkey]

whichever you decide, buy from me i give you good deal!

 

[benv]

Fair Enough! So it would be better if the camera itself had an Image stabilising facility? Rather than the lense itself.

 

[sombrero]

Fair Enough! So it would be better if the camera itself had an Image stabilising facility? Rather than the lense itself.

Canon only has Image Stabilization built into the lens and not in any camera body

In-lens IS is arguably superior, especially with longer lenses

Overall there isn't much of a difference

 

[Stefanie2010]

Where can we see some of your work? Do you have a blog?

 

[benv]

In the process of making one and I also need to watermark them first!

 

[Grissom]

Pretty good deal up on ebay

Canon 40D with 18 - 55 and 70 - 200 F4 lenses - eBay, Digital SLR, Digital Cameras, Cameras. (end time 19-Sep-09 13:09:44 AEST)

 

[kokodamonkey]

450D ftw

 

[Funky Monk]

agreed on chasing the 40D.
i uploaded some photos onto flickr today and one got favourited. so happy.

 

[J.a.d.e :-)]

Nikon D40 if you want something cheapish, however it is only a 6.1MP (correct me if I'm wrong?) Good little camera but...

 

[Grissom]

Would anyone here be interested in starting a photography club?

I was thinking of starting something up for people <25 with monthly meetups and online comps, etc.

It'd be like every other photography club, but without the creepy old geezers.

 

[pman]

Well one of my uncle's said that if i get either the EOS 1000D or the 400D he would give me his image stabilising lense. You dont need a tripod if you have an IS lens do you?

even with an is lens, if you want long exposures, pictures with urself in them (using the timer function) etc, i tripod comes in useful, you can get a decent one for around $75. a monopod also never goes astray