hello is cannon 40d good for a starter cam

[wchua24]

am planing to buy a cannon 40d dslr camera...do you think its suitable for a newbie. or should i settle with the basic stuff like 450d?

 

[Iron Flatline]

If you think you're going go take a serious stab at it, get the best equipment possible. The 40D is a great camera, have fun.

 

[icassell]

am planing to buy a cannon 40d dslr camera...do you think its suitable for a newbie. or should i settle with the basic stuff like 450d?

Depends on your budget. If you are limited, get the 450 and spend the difference on lenses. If you have plenty, get the 40D.

 

[nynfortoo]

It's a great camera, and a great starter camera. But then most cameras are; the only person who can say if it's right for you is yourself.

Go into some stores and have a play around with several models and makes. Decide which one feels and works best to you.

Objectively, though, you can't go wrong with the 40D. It's a great camera, but whether or not it's suited to you is something I can't answer. It's certainly suited to me; I have one, and I love it.

 

[Bifurcator]

If you think you're going go take a serious stab at it, get the best equipment possible.

Man! Very true words! All this "entry level" stuff scares me. It's like trying to learn guitar with only 3 strings. Why? And if you decide later that an dSLR isn't for you then just sell it and get a P&S or a motorized skateboard or whatever you're into.

 

[Atropine]

am planing to buy a cannon 40d dslr camera...do you think its suitable for a newbie. or should i settle with the basic stuff like 450d?

Yep, if your economy allows it, the 40D should be an excellent choice. Just remember that good lenses are an even bigger investment so if there actually is some budget involved, buy a 450D and better glass.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

All this "entry level" stuff scares me. It's like trying to learn guitar with only 3 strings.

:scratch: Tell me you're not serious about that?

I'll grant you that the 450D has a fewer features and is less robust than a 40D, but it's hardly a basic camera now is it?It certainly isn't intentionally crippled in the way you suggest a 3 string guitar would be.

It even has an 'Auto' setting, so you can get reasonable results whilst you're learning the more involved stuff (which the 450D has lots of as well)...

 

[Bifurcator]

Yeah, I didn't mean specifically between the 450D and the 40D. It just seems like so many 1-post-count users think that some models come with training wheels or something. Like a 450D is somehow going to be easier to use than a 40D.

As I see it there are 3 classes of still digital cameras. The pocketable P&S, the dSLR look-a-like "bridge" camera, and the dSLR. While there's lots of overlapping (a P&S for example might have an all manual mode, etc.) to me this represents 3 basic levels of complexity. Within any one level however why would anyone opt for less features other than budget? I guess there might be exceptions but rarely if ever do our desires or abilities remain stagnant so the person who says I don't need feature X because I'm a beginner or one who associates a feature stripped camera within any one of the 3 basic groups, with an ability level - I don't get.

Get the best you can afford within the class you're going for. I understand about needing or not needing a battlefield grade body but thinking one camera is "entry level", "intermediate" or "advanced" because of the inclusion or exclusion of features? Sounds like a marketing scam made up in order to sell more cameras to me. If I'm buying a table-saw for example, do i think the one with a direct drive motor and only one simple guide is "a beginners saw"? That doesn't make sense to me. If I need a table saw I should get the best one within my budget. There is no "entry level table saw". Know what I mean?

 

[prodigy2k7]

If I could have started over, I would have gotten the Canon 40D with Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM as a excellent starter lens

Body $969
Lens $1190
Total $2159

I wish i coulda started off like that, instead I spent $1000 on some LAME ebay kit with cheap crap. (cheap camera bag, cheap case, cheap everything...lenses are "ok" lol

 

[Hawaii Five-O]

Man! Very true words! All this "entry level" stuff scares me. It's like trying to learn guitar with only 3 strings. Why?.

I use entry level cameras

While a quality camera is important, its not what defines a great photo. Creativity, experience and composition make great photos.

 

[prodigy2k7]

I think what Bifurcator meant was dont let "professional" cameras get ion the way of you choosing one, even if you are a beginner. Meaning, dont let beginners be stuck on just the entry level cameras...

 

[F1addict]

I use entry level cameras

While a quality camera is important, its not what defines a great photo. Creativity, experience and composition make great photos.

agreed, I get great pictures with my $270 point and shot and am now in the market for an "entry level" DSLR.
I'd personaly never think about getting something like a 40d for my first DLSR. I'd rather get something a bit cheaper, get some good lenses and make sure I like useing a DSLR and make sure that I'd use it enough to justify the extra cost of a higher end camera, and then upgrade to something better that I can still use my lenses with. Of course I don't exactly have the funds to start out with a 40d even if I wanted to.

 

[Jedo_03]

......... If I'm buying a table-saw for example, do i think the one with a direct drive motor and only one simple guide is "a beginners saw"? That doesn't make sense to me. If I need a table saw I should get the best one within my budget. There is no "entry level table saw". Know what I mean?

Well you could consider a Gabbet versus a Triton (or worse - a GMC...)
Jedo

 

[Bifurcator]

I think what Bifurcator meant was dont let "professional" cameras get ion the way of you choosing one, even if you are a beginner. Meaning, dont let beginners be stuck on just the entry level cameras...

That's pretty much exactly it. Don't let marketing get in the way as it doesn't actually seem to apply.

Well you could consider a Gabbet versus a Triton (or worse - a GMC...)
Jedo

Ooo, someone knows shop gear! :thumbup:

 

[ksmattfish]

Just remember that good lenses are an even bigger investment so if there actually is some budget involved, buy a 450D and better glass.

How about a 20D and better glass? New 20Ds seem to be valued at about $500 (body only) these days. I own a couple of 20Ds and a 40D; the 40D has some new features, faster fps, bigger LCD, but the 20D is still a great camera.

Advice on choosing gear to buy from H.P. Robinson http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=h p robinson&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

"First, of the camera. This essential tool should be light, strong, and have all the necessary movements. It must at the same time be observed that in some modern cameras there are movements which are not at all necessary, and appear to be added only for the purpose of displaying the ingenuity of the inventors. These clever machines defeat the object for which they are intended. If a camera is efficient, it cannot be too simple. With a perfect camera a photographer of even small experience knows how it works at once, and what to do. The tripod stand should be firm and rigid, as well as light and portable. This you will easily judge for yourself.

The lens is always considered the most important of all the tools the photographer employs. So it is, but I should like to say boldly that, within limits, I do not care what make of lens I use. It is as well to have the best your means will allow, but there has always been too much made of particular variations in the make of lenses. It has been the fashion to think too much of the tools and too little of the use made of them. I have one friend who did nothing last year because he had made up his mind to buy a new lens, and could not determine whose make it should be, and he was tired of his old apparatus. His was of the order of particular and minute minds that try to whittle nothing to a point. I have another friend who takes delight in preparing for photography, and spends a small fortune in doing so, but never takes a picture."