opinions on canon EOS 450D please...

[vaughnie]

I am currently looking at purchasing a digital slr for amateur wildlife photography. i have been recommended a canon EOS 450D with an 18-200mm lens by my local photograhy shop.

i was wondering if any of you can recommend (or put me off) this combination as a good purchase? i am looking to start with something that will allow me to continue taking good macro shots (at which my compact is surprisingly effective) but also allow me to take decent longer-range shots (for which my compact is useless). i will probably later purchase a specialist macro lens. my budget is approx £1000 inc memory cards, UV filter, case etc.

any advice would be much appreciated.
Vaughn

[Geoff F]

Personally, I'm always a bit sceptical of advice from anyone who is trying to sell me something! But life,after over 60 years, has made me rather cynical and I now consider that optimists simply lack experience.

Anyhow back to basics. The Canon 450D is a reasonable camera, although I have a friend who always says nothing beats a Nikon. In reality there isn't a lot of difference between them so I would suggest having a look at both brands if you are starting from scratch.

Also, I would recommend trying the next camera up in whatever make you decide upon. By this I mean the Canon 40D or the Nikon alternative. It is slightly more expensive but you do get a strongly built semi pro camera body with a few extras for improved use. The newest version is the 50D but you should be able to get a good deal on the 40D now. Or Nikon alternative.

I use the Canon 40D and wouldn't want to drop to the 450D range; however, some people find the 40D/50D too heavy to carry around all day and prefer the lighter weight 450D. Both are good cameras.

Now lenses. And this is a really tricky minefield. For me, a 200mm lens simply isn't big enough for wildlife use. I find the Canon 70-300 IS lens a much better alternative as a general purpose/wildlife lens, although still a bit short for those smaller birds.

I do recommend getting Image Stabilised lenses which, although slightly more expensive, take a much sharper photo when hand held. Nikon and Sigma also have similar systems. Third party lenses like Sigma, and others, are usually a fraction cheaper and can offer good value.

Probably still just within your budget. Unless you get an exceptionally good deal I would suggest purchasing the camera and lenses as seperate items instead of what is called a kit lens bundle which all too frequently includes a cheap low quality lens which you don't really want.

So what do I use: Canon 40D with Canon 28-135 IS (general purpose/landscape); Canon 70-300 IS (longer general purpose/ some wildlife); Sigma 150-500 OS (longer wildlife/birds); Sigma 180 macro.

This is now well above your budget and has taken me many years to accumulate by purchasing individual items.

By all means get a proper macro lens when you can afford it. I found that adding a 25mm extension tube to my 70-300 lens worked reasonably well but a proper macro lens is the best option.

A tripod should also appear somewhere in your earlier purchases.

Have a good think about exactly what you really want to photograph and how close you can get to your subject, including a bit of stealth, then work out what will be your best starter lens.

But above all else, shop around on the internet to find the best deals. You can save a couple of hundred pounds on a camera/lens set up. And do come back to this forum for more specific advice before purchase.

I'm afraid that I have rambled on a bit here, but hope it may be of some help.

[charlieb]

Originally Posted by Geoff F

The Canon 450D is a reasonable camera, although I have a friend who always says nothing beats a Nikon. In reality there isn't a lot of difference between them so I would suggest having a look at both brands if you are starting from scratch.

All I can really add to that is if you are going to buy from a shop (or even if not ), then make the most of the stock they have on offer. Try (literally - take photos, use different lenses, filters, fiddle with all the controls, open the battery flaps etc.) every camera in the shop that's in your price range (and as Jeff says ones slightly above). To me, how the camera feels in your hands is more important than anything else - if it doesn't feel right you won't take good photos even with a £2000 camera!

Spend as much time in the shop as possible - could be hours depending on the number of cameras they have on offer. If you buy the wrong camera, it could be a costly mistake in the long run!

[marvin]

hi

i have been looking into this as well and the advice given so far is excellent. if it was me i would go for the 450d, 500d, 40d or 50d with the 40d being favourite given the budget.
the canon 70-300mm with is looks very good for the money and if you then want to get into macro you have the option of the sigma 150mm which can fit both canon and nikon and the canon 100mm which looks too good to be true for the money.

so that's what i'd go for - canon 40d with 70-300 is lens, adding the canon 100mm macro and/or the sigma 150mm macro later, depending on how close you think you need to/are able to get to your subject.

canon 40d body and 70-300mm is around £1k
canon 450d and 70-300mm is around £800
canon 500d and 70-300 is around £900

i know this won't help you with macro initially but if your compact is ok for now why not keep using that when you want to get close to your subject? i think it makes more sense in the long run.

good luck

tim

[vaughnie]

Thanks for taking the time to reply (i would say thorough rather than rambling Geoff ).
Certainly plenty to think about-I'm hoping to have another trip to a couple of camera shops tomorrow; I'll be sure to have a good play to see what feels right as I'm not going to rush such a major purchase! I was thinking of seeing what deals are on during the bird fair at rutland in a couple of weeks. I've never been before though so I was wondering what others' experiences of the event are in that respect? Am I likely to save any money or is the internet still the best option?

Cheers,
Vaughn

[Geoff F]

Do some internet searches first so you will going already armed with plenty of information and prices to compare.

The last few purchases which I made were through Amazon, either direct or one of their linked suppliers. But just search everywhere and compare prices. And don't forget to check postal rates as well.

[ceterach]

hi

Can I make a comment about macro. I don't know what you are intending to photograph with a macro lense but if you are going to do a lot then you should consider a camera with a swivel lcd. Certainly for plant photography it means you can take pictures at low level much more easily and you don't have to leave a massive "footprint" around the subject, i.e. you don't have to lie down to look in the viewfinder or the lcd.

Unfortunately that rules out the cheaper SLRs but the Nikon D5000 and Olympus e620 both have this facility. It really does make a difference if you are doing a lot of low level macro.

[Badllarma]

I'll jump in here as I have both a 40D and 450D If your just starting out the 450 with a sigma 120-400 or xxx-500 (cannot remember the range of the second one ). Would be the way to go BUT if your budget will stretch to it ideally go for the 40D or 50D and the above lens I'd say minimum you need a lens capable of 400 mm for birds.

I use both cameras professionally at my full time job I use the 450D for three reasons 1) The stuff I shoot is in studio and not very taxing 2) It's nice and light when your doing up to 50 setups a day heavy camera wares you out, 3) The final output is for web and delivery is speed led for no post processing in RAW is needed.

BUT
When I'm freelancing I use the 40D (with the 450D for backup) because 1) It has the horse power 6.5 fps to do sports work for example, 2) It looks more a professional tool (with the battery pack on). 3) It's built like a brick out house and can take a good hammering

Hope that helps for many here you will never need more than what a 450D can offer IMO

[ollyk]

The 450d is everything I wanted in the 350d to be honest. Gorgeous little camera IMO!

[vaughnie]

thanks again for all your advice. I am leaning towards the 40d and there is one on camerabox for £575. has anyone used this site, and is it reliable? is their stock generally models for the british market or will parts be an issue if they're originally for japanese market etc.?
Vaughn