Is an EOS 550D a good place to start out?
Discussion
Hello one and all!
With the arrival of our twins last August and a nagging interest in photography so far unfulfilled, I am planning on getting myself a DSLR for my birthday.
I am a complete novice (and therefore will be gleaning technical gems from this forum) and therefore am unqualified to decide what I should get. All I know is that my stepdad has a Canon EOS and I like the feel of them.
So, with that in mind, I noticed that the 500D gets good reviews and that Jessops currently have a bundle deal with a 18-55mm and 75-300mm lens kit:
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/80640...
Is this a reasonable deal for a beginner? Do I need the 75-300mm lens?
Or would it be more prudent to buy a 500D from the Ebay Outlet for less and get a different size additional lens? I am clueless as to what lens is appropriate for my needs (essentially being photos of the family, car shows and holidays).
Any help gratefully received (appreciating that there seem to be threads like this every other day!)
Ed
With the arrival of our twins last August and a nagging interest in photography so far unfulfilled, I am planning on getting myself a DSLR for my birthday.
I am a complete novice (and therefore will be gleaning technical gems from this forum) and therefore am unqualified to decide what I should get. All I know is that my stepdad has a Canon EOS and I like the feel of them.
So, with that in mind, I noticed that the 500D gets good reviews and that Jessops currently have a bundle deal with a 18-55mm and 75-300mm lens kit:
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/80640...
Is this a reasonable deal for a beginner? Do I need the 75-300mm lens?
Or would it be more prudent to buy a 500D from the Ebay Outlet for less and get a different size additional lens? I am clueless as to what lens is appropriate for my needs (essentially being photos of the family, car shows and holidays).
Any help gratefully received (appreciating that there seem to be threads like this every other day!)
Ed
Recommended one of these to a friend and they love it. Good to get you going and all you need do is buy the twin lens kit like this.
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-canon-eos-550d...
55-250 will give you better quality images than the cheaper 70-300's
Oh and as regards your link, the 18-55 included in that deal is the cheaper non IS version of the 18-55. You will find that images wont be as sharp as the IS versions, its a fairly soft lens as they go. (nothing to do with IS but quality of glass/construction).
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-canon-eos-550d...
55-250 will give you better quality images than the cheaper 70-300's
Oh and as regards your link, the 18-55 included in that deal is the cheaper non IS version of the 18-55. You will find that images wont be as sharp as the IS versions, its a fairly soft lens as they go. (nothing to do with IS but quality of glass/construction).
Edited by 350Wedge on Friday 17th February 15:31
It's an OK deal - but it's old kit - everything in that box has been replaced by something newer/better.
The 500D is a very good camera - but 2 generations behind Canon's current consumer level DSLR which is the 600D. They're also selling the 550D in parallel.
There was a new sensor when they went 500D -> 550D which upped the resolution from 15MP to 18MP which is of little consequence - but significantly improved the low light/high ISO performance, which is something you might want.
The 2 lenses in that package aren't great and have both been replaced by much better regarded lenses at equivalent price points. The 18-55 is the original model without image stabilisation, the more recent IS equiped model is a much better lens, not just becauase it has IS, mainly becuase it has much better optics. Likewise the EF 75-300 is old and poorly reviewed, as stated above the EF-S 55-250 is a much better lens for similar money.
I'd be putting my hand in my pocket a bit deeper and getting a 550D with 18-55IS (~£530) and adding an EF-S 55-250 (~£150) at some point.
http://www.camerapricebuster.com/ is the place to look for the best deals.
Buy the Magic Lantern guide for whichever camera you buy - same level of detail as the user manual but much more digestible.
Be warned - you're standing at the top of a steep, slippery and expensive slope.
The 500D is a very good camera - but 2 generations behind Canon's current consumer level DSLR which is the 600D. They're also selling the 550D in parallel.
There was a new sensor when they went 500D -> 550D which upped the resolution from 15MP to 18MP which is of little consequence - but significantly improved the low light/high ISO performance, which is something you might want.
The 2 lenses in that package aren't great and have both been replaced by much better regarded lenses at equivalent price points. The 18-55 is the original model without image stabilisation, the more recent IS equiped model is a much better lens, not just becauase it has IS, mainly becuase it has much better optics. Likewise the EF 75-300 is old and poorly reviewed, as stated above the EF-S 55-250 is a much better lens for similar money.
I'd be putting my hand in my pocket a bit deeper and getting a 550D with 18-55IS (~£530) and adding an EF-S 55-250 (~£150) at some point.
http://www.camerapricebuster.com/ is the place to look for the best deals.
Buy the Magic Lantern guide for whichever camera you buy - same level of detail as the user manual but much more digestible.
Be warned - you're standing at the top of a steep, slippery and expensive slope.
Legend83 said:
Any thoughts about the Nikon D3100 or Pentax K-r over the equivalent Canon?
Canon, Nikon, Pentax, other brand users will respectively give you good prompts and supports around this forum. All the wonderful kit you see on the real or virtual shelves these days is really good and very technologically advanced.The moment you open up to the question of "do I want one that begins with a P or a C or an N?" the best answer has to be: go and handle them somewhere - beg Jessops, or some mates, or meet PHers at a gathering or find out if one of us is just down the road or steal them from somewhere....... OK, maybe a bit over the top to advocate that.
The reason is, you want to get your hands round them see where the switches and buttons are and get a first look at the viewfinder and screens to get an idea what you like.
Personally, a lot of these smaller dSLRs are a bit to small for me, and I am only average hand size, 'onest Guv', but the ergonomics of the Nikons have been just right for me over the last 15 years. All of them just hang from your fingertips too (don't try this at home without the aid of a safety net!) - but you might find one feels right and the others you just can't get on with. Others hate the shape of Nikons and love Canons - but there's no right or wrong. So pick 'em up - stick the sort of lenses you're thinking of on them, compare them and then decide which you can live with........
Just in case you didn't get the message yet dump the 75-300 for the 55-250
Pentax I have no experience of.
Nikon - all that faff with AF and AF-S gets a bit confusing, Canon is simpler - on a crop camera any lens will fit and work
As the last poster said, goo and have a grapple and see what suits you.
OP: have a look at my "dipping a toe" thread to see what even an incompetent buffoon like me can do with a proper camera. I recently got a 550d and am finding it to be very good. I have the 18-55mm kit lens and this week the 50mm prime arrives. Feels cheap and the autofocus is loud but it's sharp as a razor and goes up to f/1.8, which makes it unstoppable in low light.
I have just recently looked at the Nikon D3100 & D5100 - both are only a little smaller than my old D50 but both feel considerably smaller - so I have gone for the D90.
I tried the D550 & D600 ttoo - more in keeping with the size feel of my old Nikon, and probably would have gone with this had all my accessories not been Nikon!
I tried the D550 & D600 ttoo - more in keeping with the size feel of my old Nikon, and probably would have gone with this had all my accessories not been Nikon!
I got my 550D in similar circumstances to yourself about 12 months ago. 17,000 shots later and I still love it! I'd recommend getting into a camera shop and trying the feel of different brands/models. I chose Canon because it felt more comfortable in my hand and I've not regretted the decision. In fact 3 mates out here have bought a 550D based on trying mine 
Thanks for all the info guys, although don’t think my wife will thank you! What with wanting a new fast estate as my next car too...
Had a play with my FIL’s 500D over the weekend and really liked the feel of the Canon. As stated, I am a total novice, but even I managed to get some nice pictures of the kids (just on Auto with flash-off). Really wanted to have a play with AP and SS but was worried I would screw his settings up!
So, between now and birthday in May I will be on the lookout for the 550D on a good deal!
Look forward to joining in and contributing more to this great forum.
Had a play with my FIL’s 500D over the weekend and really liked the feel of the Canon. As stated, I am a total novice, but even I managed to get some nice pictures of the kids (just on Auto with flash-off). Really wanted to have a play with AP and SS but was worried I would screw his settings up!
So, between now and birthday in May I will be on the lookout for the 550D on a good deal!
Look forward to joining in and contributing more to this great forum.
Legend83 said:
Thanks for all the info guys, although don’t think my wife will thank you! What with wanting a new fast estate as my next car too...
Had a play with my FIL’s 500D over the weekend and really liked the feel of the Canon. As stated, I am a total novice, but even I managed to get some nice pictures of the kids (just on Auto with flash-off). Really wanted to have a play with AP and SS but was worried I would screw his settings up!
So, between now and birthday in May I will be on the lookout for the 550D on a good deal!
Look forward to joining in and contributing more to this great forum.
550D with 18 - 55 kit in £516 on Amazon. Had a play with my FIL’s 500D over the weekend and really liked the feel of the Canon. As stated, I am a total novice, but even I managed to get some nice pictures of the kids (just on Auto with flash-off). Really wanted to have a play with AP and SS but was worried I would screw his settings up!
So, between now and birthday in May I will be on the lookout for the 550D on a good deal!
Look forward to joining in and contributing more to this great forum.
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