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I'm looking to purchase my first DSLR. I have a friend with a ton of surplus Canon lenses, that he'd be willing to sell for quite cheap, so I'm looking for a (probably used) lower level canon dslr.
List of possibilities: EOS 350D (Rebel XT) EOS 400D (Rebel XTi) EOS 450 (Xsi) EOS 500D ( T1i) 40D 50D Nikon D40 I don't want to spend over like 350 for the body. Where should I look for cameras. Craigslist? Ebay, amazon? Also do you guys own any of these/have any input?
   
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are you looking to buy a used one? most decent bodies still cost well over 500 last time i checked. i have a t1i and got the kit lens (have more lenses as well) and it works really well.
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On September 16 2010 10:30 Dr3w wrote: are you looking to buy a used one? most decent bodies still cost well over 500 last time i checked. i have a t1i and got the kit lens (have more lenses as well) and it works really well. Yeah, looking used. I'll spend what I need to though...
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konadora
Singapore66117 Posts
Depends on what you might be using mostly for. If it's just outdoor shoots, XTi does the job fine (I own one too). However, if you are willing to spend a bit more and get better quality images + video recording function + better indoor shots (XTi has terrible noise control, especially at ISO1600), I recommend getting the T1i. 50D is obviously better but for a beginner, the 500D/T1i does all you need.
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From personal experience ( I have been doing photography since 2004 and now use a 40D + 5Dmk2 and do photography for a living by shooting bands/portraits/weddings ), my first dslr was the rebel xt. I found it absolutely amazing, until I had my hands on the 40D.
XT I will always cherish the XT as my first dslr, but it was seriosuly crap ( once i grew out of it ). The viewfinder is awfully small (you'll be spending more time squinting), and considering the fact it's pretty old, it's ISO is really bad ( but ok for a consumer-level dslr ) -- starting at ISO640.
XTI/XSI No hands on experience with any of them, but I believe one of them use SD card instead of CF cards. If you're gonna get that make sure you think longterm, because, eventually, you will decide to upgrade, and all other Canon dSLR offers only CF card.
40D Excellent semi-pro level camera. it's LCD screen is pretty crappy compared to the 50D, but the ISO is slightly better than the 50D. But hey! the LCD screen should be the least of your concerns because you should be spending more time shooting, and less reviewing.
50D Not really worth it. The only major upgrade they did to it was the LCD screen. The rest is practically the same as the 40D. Same features, etc.
PS. Personally, you should go in a store and try your hands on various dslr and to see what fits you best. Test them over a few days or even weeks if you have to, because most people jump in too quick.
My taste ≠ your taste.
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My dad got a 40D and is happy with it.
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for 350 you won't get beyond the xt/xti/xs.
lens are what make the shot. i promise you don't go for the crap lenses. i see pro's work all the time with older bodies but their lenses are always high end.
personally if you can get a xti for 350 or less do it, the xs is meh. also compact flash cards are what are you used in the xt/xti/40d/50d the rest are sd cards
good places to look for used is on fredmiranda or photo.net used sell forum. way better than ebay imo.
linky
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/10
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=14
or do it big go 7D or 1dm4 I personally don't see a use for the 5dm2 unless you really need the full frame.
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nikon for life! a used D40 is a better deal than anything listed, in my opinion
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On September 16 2010 11:40 benjammin wrote: nikon for life! a used D40 is a better deal than anything listed, in my opinion Explain. I"m fine with nikon if it's a great deal. I'm just thinking that becausem y friend has an epic 18-200, as well as a 18-55 he's willing to sell me... Still, go ahead and praise the D40 and convince me :D
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D40 might go for cheap, but obv, you get what you pay for.
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the 18-200 from both canon and nikon are pretty bad. they have poor sharpness, are big and heavy, and are way overpriced. consider starting with 18-55 + 55-200 (or other similar zoom) as a starter.
i think craigslist would be a good place to start for used camera gear, alot of photographers post on there. you also can meet the person/see the gear before you buy it.
as far as brand, at this level, you cannot go wrong with most manufacturers. sony, nikon, canon, olympus, pentax, they all have good entry level cameras.
though, newer entry level cameras come with video capability, such as the T1i/D5000. the more popular brands like nikon and canon, you'll find alot more used deals for them just because more people buy them.
i think you should hop onto ebay, do some quick research as to what people are paying for bodies, then search of CG for local deals for that pricing.
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The reason I"m trying to stay with canon/nikon is that they have the best lens compatibility, if at some later time I want to upgrade.
Anyone have other thoughts, or thoughts on lenses/cost benefit ratio.
Or thoughts on the nikon d40?
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20D and 30D from canon are also great starter cameras. Invest in lenses, not bodies, however. I'd get a "crap" body like any of those you listed or the 20/30D and spend the extra few hundred on lenses. There are lots of good sites around where you can find reviews on which lenses are good. I'd start with a 50/1.8.
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Not to steal the op's thunder, but what do you guys think of the a33 by sony?
I think it just came out recently so im not sure if anyone is familiar but i have my doubts as Sony is not really known for their cameras. was it a good buy?
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Isn't the 60D coming out soon? Wait out a bit and you might be able to get a better deal from people upgrading? (even though the 60D is *so not worth it and I lol at people who upgrade to it)
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I would say get a used Xti or Xs (1000D). I really don't think the Canon 10X "pro" series are worth the money or heft. The only real upgrade is to the 5-series or the 1-series imo.
If you are willing to look outside mainstream, I also think Pentax k10d or Samsung gx-10(which is identical) is good choice.
I like shopping on ebay or craiglist. You can also try photo forums like fredmiranda, photo.net, pentaxforums etc.
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I refused to get he 1000d lol. Such a fail camera (in build that is, it seems really chincy when I've dealt with it)
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The build is identical to all rebel series. Otherwise, your only option (at least in canon) is to get a 10D or 20D, but I would rather really get a newer Rebel. Trust me, they are better built than they feel.
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Pentax is making the best consumer level DSLRs right now. Obviously the Canon and Nikon full frame bodies and semi-pro stuff like D7000 and 7D are a huge step up. But, if you have access to Canon lenses, pick up a second hand Rebel XSi or something with no lens and have at 'er.
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On September 16 2010 13:28 phosphorylation wrote: The build is identical to all rebel series. Otherwise, your only option (at least in canon) is to get a 10D or 20D, but I would rather really get a newer Rebel. Trust me, they are better built than they feel. Alright, thanks for that. I've heard misc bad things about 1000d, but maybe it's fine.
Pentax is making the best consumer level DSLRs right now. Obviously the Canon and Nikon full frame bodies and semi-pro stuff like D7000 and 7D are a huge step up. But, if you have access to Canon lenses, pick up a second hand Rebel XSi or something with no lens and have at 'er.
What specific pentax models?
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K10D or K20D You can also match them with older pentax lenses which are cheap and good (also possible with canon).
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I'll take that into account.
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Any other advice on where to shop/lensese?
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I suppose I"ll look for all of the above, as they seem to eb decent choices.
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konadora
Singapore66117 Posts
Call me biased but I'd stick with Canon for life.
Their prime lenses are just the real deal. Nikon can't match up to them at all. Bought a 85mm 1/8 recently thanks to lilsusie and nevergg at a cheap price, god I love this lens. Though my friend complained of AF going haywire at times on his 5D. Hasn't happened on my 400D/XTi though.
50mm f/1.8 II is an excellent, cheap portrait lens, especially if you're going to get a 1.6x crop. Pay a bit more and the f/1.4 is just wow.
You have to ask yourself what you're going to be mainly shooting first though!
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On September 16 2010 21:23 konadora wrote: You have to ask yourself what you're going to be mainly shooting first though!
for a beginner, 18-55+55-200+50mm should cover all their needs. so yea, if you can get a T1i, you get a very capable modern camera, and video capability. my recommendation.
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konadora
Singapore66117 Posts
or rather, you can get a 55-250 :D that's a pretty good beginner telephoto zoom lens 
forgot to add this in: if you're planning to go FF (full frame), then this won't work. but i don't think that'll be the case for you just yet, which is why i suggest this lens. decent price too!
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Yeah, I don't want to do full frame yet. I think most of my pictures would be outdoors, I don't think I"ll be doing a whole lot of portraits. Doing photos for a relative's soccer team, taking pictures on vacation, yadda yadda yadda. I'd want some decent zoom, but I don't need anything ridiculous.
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konadora
Singapore66117 Posts
then 18-55, 55-250, 50 1.8 II. those are excellent for a starter's kit set, covers a wide range and is not that costly either. i'm not sure about USD, but kit lens comes with the body, 55-250 costs around SGD400~450, 50 1.8 II costs around SGD130.
and 50 1.8 II's wide aperture helps in indoor shoots, even just hanging around with friends in a mall, because artificial light < natural light.
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I'm sitting on a 50D, bought it new instead of used (maybe a mistake but oh well.) Really happy with it, but I hear the 40D is better. 50D has 5 more megapixils or something but that's not really important at all. In the end, you'd probably be happy regardless of which one you choose.
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On September 17 2010 00:30 konadora wrote: then 18-55, 55-250, 50 1.8 II. those are excellent for a starter's kit set, covers a wide range and is not that costly either. i'm not sure about USD, but kit lens comes with the body, 55-250 costs around SGD400~450, 50 1.8 II costs around SGD130.
and 50 1.8 II's wide aperture helps in indoor shoots, even just hanging around with friends in a mall, because artificial light < natural light. What would you think for a body?
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I would not be so bent on trying to cover all ranges; working with 2-3 primes will force you to think about your shot more. Also, you can shoot panoramics, which is the superior approach for landscapes imo.
Since you are going to be on crop body, 50mm might feel too tight for most use. 35mm or 28mm would be more versatile imo. Of course the problem is finding affordable AF wideangles. That's why I recommend you take a long hard look at manual focus lenses, which are typically 10-fold cheaper. The optics are often just as good as modern canon offerings and build quality is often better. You only lose AF, which does limit the types of photography you might do.
So, if I were in your shoes, I would invest 230 dollars on either used Xti or Xs or K10D. Get the 50mm 1.8 AF (80 dollars). To cover the wide and telephoto angle, I would grab two manual focus primes, possibly a 18mm (should be able to get a decent on for around 150 dollars) and a 135mm or 200mm (should be able to get a decent one for 40 dollars).
Take a look at some photos I have taken with 5D and some manual focus lenses (the three lenses COMBINED costed me less than 200 dollars) on this thread: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=151759
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my best advice to you would be to buy lenses 1 at a time unless you are getting a GREAT deal on a package.
I have a d40, and the only thing I shoot with 95% of the time is my 35mm 1.8. Everyone is talking lenses, but I will beg you to delay all lens purchases and get a good FLASH. a good bounce flash will give you great, even lightning that makes everything in your pictures look 10x better. You are usually working with really shitty, off-color light when you are indoors. A quality flash will make a huge difference, and you don't have to get expensive primes to shoot indoors (just shoot at 5.6 or something with the flash). I have a cheapo SB-400 flash I got for about $100.
So for me, if I had to do it over again I would have gone d40 body ($350ish) + 35mm 1.8 AF-S Lens ($200) + SB-400 Flash ($100) = $650. Obviously if you look for bargains or used, you can get this for much cheaper.
I never ever use the kit 18-55, and very rarely use my 55-200 vr. Just take a few steps forward and back, and it will cover most of your needs. This setup is extremely compact as well.
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konadora
Singapore66117 Posts
but you guys have to note that if he's just going to use it for casual photo taking, he WILL need the zoom lenses. Primes are good, but sometimes they are quite restrictive, especially for starters. They'd rather just stand/sit at wherever they are and zoom in/out and shoot. Once he gets the hang of photo-taking, then he can always convert to prime lenses.
as for a body, 500D/550D would be what I'd get, if I had the money. (though it's primarily also because of the video functions :> )
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Heck. I have a 50mm canon prime from 15 years ago (not even sure if it's compatible lol) But I want good pictures, and fairly decent ease of use, and don't want to mess with primes.
I'll rarely take pictures inside, to be honest. And the stock flash is fine for any indoor pictures I take. (They'd be casual)
Wait, I have a 90mm prime T.T
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By the way, what do you have konadora?
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Hey, if you don't want that 90mm prime, I will gladly put it to good use.
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On September 17 2010 14:20 phosphorylation wrote:Hey, if you don't want that 90mm prime, I will gladly put it to good use.  Ahaha. Nothing against primes, but I'd like some zooms.
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konadora
Singapore66117 Posts
400D/XTi, 85mm f/1.8, 18-55mm kit lens. i borrow most of my stuff from friends cause it's free and i'm poor :p
thinking of getting a 20mm f/2.8 or a 28mm f/1.8 or a 50mm f/1.4 at the end of the year though, the kit lens doesn't cut it at all for wide-angle shots, and the large aperture will definitely help in my indoor shoots :D i wanted a wide-angle zoom but being a poor student, i can't afford those :<
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a 50D might be aa bit out of your budget if you only want to spend 3-400 on the body.
kona, the 20/2.8 is an awesome lens. its cheap too. id def recommend that to replace the 18-55.
there is a good inexpensive wide zoom, the sigma 10-20 is around the same price as the canon, but its alot slower at f4. still pretty good image quality imo
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konadora
Singapore66117 Posts
but i might need the f/1.8 for 28mm, since on the XTi ISO1600 is pretty nasty. and it's rather slow too.
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Hmmm. I'll look on Craigslist/ebay/amazon and chekc back.
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Here are the prices: EOS 350D: $600 new, $295 used EOS 400D: $800 new, $350 used EOS 450D: $530 new, $395 used EOS 500D: $580 new, $510 used EOS 40D: $1000 new, $550 used EOS 50D: $950 new, $720 used Nikon D40: $700 new, $260 used
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i am sure you can do better than 350 used for 400d i got one for 290 around a year ago with 5 batteries and kit lens
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konadora
Singapore66117 Posts
used 400D for 350? lol
you can probably get it around 250~300USD nowadays, i bought mine at SGD500 earlier this year.
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On September 18 2010 14:32 konadora wrote: used 400D for 350? lol
you can probably get it around 250~300USD nowadays, i bought mine at SGD500 earlier this year. I'm trusting amazon rofl.
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konadora
Singapore66117 Posts
try searching for a photography community or something, one good example for singapore's would be clubsnap (google it up), lots of good deals for buying/selling 2nd hand stuff. there may be one in your area?
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OK, thanks. I'll look into all of this.
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How good is 30fps for video? I"m considering getting hte dslr instead of a dedicated video camera (teh video would all be very casual)
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konadora
Singapore66117 Posts
i haven't tried out video with the DSLRs seriously, only just some casual plays with a prime and focusing around. Can't really comment on that, but quality is excellent. Just remember to take A LOT of CF cards with you, preferably a few 8GB CF cards. 3.5 minute video at 1920x1680 is around 400~500MB.
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goto vimeo.com and type in any model name
i personally am saving up for panasonic gh1 (or gh2, if that ever comes out) ^^
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Ermk. Good to know. Still looking online/craigslist. I found a camera store, but it's a long ways away: I'll stop by when I'm there later.
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