Looks like DSLR Funding has been approved by Head Office!

cmt · 1 Apr 2007 at 20:43

Got 2 weeks in the Domincan coming up in may and to make the best of it photography wise i have been given approval from head office to get a DSLR and a decent lens.

Means the Canon G7 and one of the Fuji F30's will have to go to help to fund it though (Watch out on MM ;D)

looking at either the Canon 400d or the Pentax K100d (I think thats the model).

lens wise probably the 17-40 range will do for what i want or something similar.

any advise on the appropriate lens would be a great help. the decision on the camera is easier.

thanks

cmt

J1234 · 1 Apr 2007 at 20:47

The Canon 400d body and Canon 17-40mm L f/4 will probably be good, or you could get the Canon with the kit lens and the 17-40mm if you would prefer two lenses instead of the one. Depends on your budget really.

Darryn · 1 Apr 2007 at 20:52

The 400d + EFS17-85IS would make a great one lens solution imo...

cmt · 1 Apr 2007 at 21:15

DreederOcUK said:
The 400d + EFS17-85IS would make a great one lens solution imo...

thats one that i was looking at, but the 'body' IS of the Pentax keeps drawing me to it.

Anyone on here have any experience of the new Pentax range?

Howski · 1 Apr 2007 at 23:31

I think its Samsung that do a model with the same insides as the Pentax and is a lot cheaper. I remember reading reviews and most people (only just) chose the Samsung over the Pentax. Mind you I got a feeling that its the K10D so I'm not sure if thats out of your price range.
-how.

danza · 2 Apr 2007 at 00:19

cmt said:
thats one that i was looking at, but the 'body' IS of the Pentax keeps drawing me to it.

Anyone on here have any experience of the new Pentax range?

Generally speaking, lens IS is superior to body IS.

yak.h'cir · 2 Apr 2007 at 00:43

Stick with canon (or nikon), you'll be glad of it in the future as the lens range of this two companies beats all else by a long way.

Canon 400D with 17-40 f4 L was a good suggestion, i'd also consider something in the range of 10-22mm as it comes in very handy for landscape style shots. If you want to spend a bit more money on the camera the 30D feels a lot nicer and is a better camera, but I think the difference in photo quality between them is minimal.

cmt · 2 Apr 2007 at 09:46

danza said:
Generally speaking, lens IS is superior to body IS.

Forgive me for being a little bit thick,but why would that be?

On a slightly different note, how much do you think i would get for my F30, with leather fuji case, and a 2gb XD card, and the G7.

Both boxed complete as new - mint condition. - both are about 4 months old.

danza · 2 Apr 2007 at 17:37

cmt said:
Forgive me for being a little bit thick,but why would that be?

On a slightly different note, how much do you think i would get for my F30, with leather fuji case, and a 2gb XD card, and the G7.

Both boxed complete as new - mint condition. - both are about 4 months old.

There are comparisons quantifying this on the net. The IS system in cameras is less effective, especially when using longer focal length lenses, as the sensor needs to be moved more to compensate for the greater effect that camera shake has when using said lenses. Proper IS lenses obviously have dedicated systems built in to suit their focal length. They perform better. The real obvious bonus is that all lenses have some degree of IS with the in-body systems, and you save money compared to dedicated IS lenses form Canon/Nikon.

I'll try to find the link I read a while back.... Dang, can't find it. Someone might know what I mean though.

As for camera values: The G7 ~ £230-250 on eBay, the F30 ~ £120. That's a fair whack towards an SLR.

BUFF · 2 Apr 2007 at 20:10

danza said:
Generally speaking, lens IS is superior to body IS.

there's very little in it & they both have pros & cons e.g. how many f1.4 or f1.8 IS lenses are there available?
On the other hand there are plenty of f1.4/f1.7/f1.8/f2 lenses available for bodies with in-body IS (Minolta/Sony/Pentax etc.) which can make them a better bet for low available light shooting.
& of course in-body IS continues to improve (as I'm sure does in-lens) but most people change bodies more often than they replace glass ...

Bottom line is that you are better off with some form of IS than none & the particular type doesn't really matter to the average user.

cmt · 2 Apr 2007 at 22:32

is £300 a good price for a refurb 350d and kit lens?

or am i better off paying the extra for the 400d?

J1234 · 2 Apr 2007 at 22:51

Yeah that is pretty cheap, but the 400d would probably be better, if your willing to pay the £150 extra.

cmt · 4 Apr 2007 at 19:38

Justin said:
Yeah that is pretty cheap, but the 400d would probably be better, if your willing to pay the £150 extra.

the £150 is not a problem if it warrants it. Or would the £150 be better spent elswhere?

Richdog · 4 Apr 2007 at 19:42

cmt said:
Got 2 weeks in the Domincan coming up in may and to make the best of it photography wise i have been given approval from head office to get a DSLR and a decent lens.

Means the Canon G7 and one of the Fuji F30's will have to go to help to fund it though (Watch out on MM ;D)

looking at either the Canon 400d or the Pentax K100d (I think thats the model).

Hi Chris,

Do you mean the K100D or the newer, more sophisticated K10D? I have the K10D and can vouch for it being an incredible performer... and the lens range isn't bad, and improving all the time now that Pentax are back with the big boys.