£300 to spend

Neo4

Neo4

Neo4

Associate
Joined
29 Jun 2005
Posts
1,115
Location
Huntingdon,UK
Had a couple of Digital Cameras but nothing fancy.The one i currently use is a Fuji Finepix S304.

It's a nice little camera and great for taking snaps of the kids etc but i want to try something with a few more features [plus the batteries in the fuji last minutes :( ]

I was thinking of a 2nd hand Canon EOS 300D would that be a good starting point?
 
Is £300 your absolute budget? If it is, walk away...

DRZ said:
Are you fully prepared to get into the world of expensive cameras, even more expensive lenses and a whole load of disappointment?

The financial upgrade side of it is one side of it, but if you dont have the skill set (or the determination to improve) then its useless and you may as well get the compact.

The middle ground is an SLR-style camera - a compromise between the two which will bring your skills on while you decide if its for you or not.

You have to remember that its not just a camera you are buying, it is a system - the lens you get with these cameras isnt as general purpose as the lenses that come inside compacts. The Canon kit lens is alright but you would very quickly want at least two other lenses depending on the style of photography you wanted to take up.

For example, as I am a Canon user, lets say you bought the 350D (a great entry dSLR) and accessories that most people think are desireable:

350D Kit inc 18-55mm lens: £499
1Gb CF card of reasonable quality: £60ish
LowePro Nova 1 AW bag: £30
Velbon CX444 Tripod: £35

Thats £625 already...

Then most people get sick of the Kit lens for one reason or another (too soft, too slow, not long enough, not macro enough) and so most people go out and buy:

Canon 50mm F/1.8 lens (a lens that every canon owner should have): £70

Lets say you didnt want to do motorsports, landscapes or macro shots and just wanted a fairly good walkabout lens, you are probably looking at the Canon 28-105mm, which is about £185

So you would have spent another £255 on glass and STILL not covered as much as something like a Canon S2 IS would cover (but at a lower quality, depending on your skill) as well as having to learn how to operate the camera and how to properly post process your images!

Im not saying dont do it, not by any means but please dont just see the initial low cost and think thats your ticket to superb images, it simply isnt that easy!
Click to expand...
 
£300 is the budget just for the camera body.I have another £200-£300 set aside for a couple of 2nd hand lenses.

Just wondered if the EOS300 was a good general use camera.
 
Neo4 said:
£300 is the budget just for the camera body.I have another £200-£300 set aside for a couple of 2nd hand lenses.

Just wondered if the EOS300 was a good general use camera.
Click to expand...

OK :) A lot of people dont seem to realise that :)

As for general use, I am not quite sure what you mean - yes its good for taking snaps of things if you want, but you arent going to get much better results than from a compact because you arent doing anything that *needs* the higher quality. Sticking it in Auto will get you results that you should be happy with.

Obviously, when you want to take more challenging shots, its going to be there for you in terms of manual modes, less shutter lag etc.

I have a 300D myself and I would say that if all you want it for is for snaps then you can do much the same for a lot less outlay. If you want to get into photography then its a great starting point :)

Make sure you buy one that hasnt had many shutter actuations if you do decide to buy one!
 
DRZ said:
OK :) A lot of people dont seem to realise that :)

As for general use, I am not quite sure what you mean - yes its good for taking snaps of things if you want, but you arent going to get much better results than from a compact because you arent doing anything that *needs* the higher quality. Sticking it in Auto will get you results that you should be happy with.

Obviously, when you want to take more challenging shots, its going to be there for you in terms of manual modes, less shutter lag etc.

I have a 300D myself and I would say that if all you want it for is for snaps then you can do much the same for a lot less outlay. If you want to get into photography then its a great starting point :)

Make sure you buy one that hasnt had many shutter actuations if you do decide to buy one!
Click to expand...

Ok thanks for the advice.Just had a quick look and short-listed these cameras:

Sony cybershot H1
Fuji S5600
Panasonic DMCFZ5B
Canon Powershot S2IS

Any of those worth looking at?
 
Neo4 said:
Ok thanks for the advice.Just had a quick look and short-listed these cameras:

Sony cybershot H1
Fuji S5600
Panasonic DMCFZ5B
Canon Powershot S2IS

Any of those worth looking at?
Click to expand...

Got a Fuji 9500 kit for sale in MM (but i notice you dont have enough posts to access) :(

cmt
 
I dont know much about creative compacts but the S2 IS is supposed to be quite good :)

S3 IS is due out soon I think - so either wait and get that or wait for it to affect the values of the S2 IS on the s/h market :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom