Canon 350D

[woodsac]

OK, I'm really considering getting the 350D. Since I've never used a manual camera before, I know nothing about *manual* features, like zoom and focus. I've always had that auto stuff :mrgreen:

Here's what I'm looking at:
Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 IS

For just general shooting of abstract, landscape, wildlife, just everyday photos...will this be a good package? Any other suggestions? I notice that the 1st lense only goes to f/3.5, any problems there not being able to go f/2.8?

The things I really feel limited on with my FZ5 are shallow depth of field and shutter speed. It's hard to get shallow depth without using the macro!! And macro doesn't make for nice pics sometimes. And I would really like those faster ISO's

 

[Big Mike]

The 350D is by all accounts, a great camera. Quite a few people here have it..and seem to love it. As always, try to get your hands on one before you buy...just to get a feel for it and compare it to other similar cameras.

The 350D can be just as automatic as the camera you are used to. Auto everything (not auto zoom though)...but if you want to manual focus, just click off the autofocus on the lens. There are plenty of shooting modes but the most important are the main 4 modes. Auto exposure, shutter speed priority, aperture priority and full manual exposure.

As for the lenses...those don't give you a wide field of view. You will want something wider for landscape. If you don't plan on getting a full frame SLR anytime soon...you might consider one of the EF-S lenses. The cheap kit lens 18-55 EF-S or maybe the better 18-70 EF-S IS. The EF-S lenses only fit onto a few cameras (300D, 350D & 20D) but they offer a less expensive way to get a wide view on these cameras.

Yes you might be limited if your widest aperture is F3.5 ~~ 2.8 would be great but if you want that in a zoom lens, it will cost more than the camera. I suggest the 50mm F1.8...or maybe 35mm prime. A prime lens does not zoom but the bigger aperture is wonderful and the image quality is hard to beat.

 

[woodsac]

Thanks Mike. Can you explain the benefits of the *18* series lenses. Also the benefits of the 50mm 1.8. What would each of those lenses be used for? I think what I'm probably not understanding is how the mm relates to actual picture view...maybe :scratch:

It seems like I'm always far away from my subjects? That's why I chose the other lenses (and I read good reviews), but if I need to add another lense to the list, like the kit lense or the 50mm I will.

 

[Big Mike]

I'll try to explain...but it may be tough because you are used to your DMC-FZ5 and not 35mm SLR.

On your camera, the widest the lens can zoom to is equivalent to 36mm (on a film SLR)...on the 350D, to get that wide of a view you would need a lens with a focal length of 22mm. And that's not very wide for landscapes. So 18mm on the 350D is about the same as 28mm on a film SLR...which is at the wide end of the normal range. (notice the other lens starts at 28mm) Of course, you don't need that wide of a lens...but if you don't have it...you may miss it.

The 50mm F1.8 is good because the wide aperture lets in 4 times (two stops) as much light as those other lenses. This means you get get faster shutter speeds in lower light, shallower DOF and the viewfinder gets more light, which makes it easier to see and helps autofocus work better. Also, it's a simple lens compared to all the glass in a zoom lens...so the optical quality is great. The best part is that it's less than $100.

I don't know your budget, but I think that the 18-70 EF-S IS (supposedly a great lens) plus the 75-300 IS would be a good combination. The 50mm f1.8 is cheap so you could add that to your bag as well.

 

[woodsac]

Thanks again Mike!

I did a little reading and have a little better understanding of the lense ratios. I think the 17-85 is going to be a little out of my price range right now...but maybe not? I found the body alone for $420. I found a package with the 2 lenses I mentioned, 1gb CF and some other stuff for $1200.

So with prices like that, I might be able to fit it in there. I'll definately add the 50mm f/1.8 to my list

 

[Big Mike]

You found the body for $420? That sounds fishy to me. There are a lot of semi-scams out there with these cameras. From what I've heard, they advertise the camera only at a super low price but that's without the stuff that is usually included, the battery, charger, neck strap, connecting cords, instruction manual...and then they give you the hard sell on extras like memory card etc. Check the links at the bottom of the page...those two places almost always have the lowest 'credible' prices. If you find it cheaper somewhere else...it's probably not on the level.

 

[Peanuts]

Just thought I would post on this one. I bought a 350D end of April, after using a Pentax from the early 1970s, and though the transition was tough for the first few weeks, I love it now. :thumbup:. I am sure you will get a hang of the manual rather easily, even though it is all experimenting.

I tried the Canon 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 IS for a week, and it is a good lens, but I found it very 'stiff' to focus with if that makes sense. Try it out at the store would be my best suggestion.

Good luck

 

[Marctwo]

I'm no expert but the range you've chosen (28-300mm) seems ideal for the subjects you've mentioned. Although I'm sure you can get one lens to cover this range itself.

Don't worry about DOF, you'll get much better options with a larger senser.

The 350d is apparently very good at high ISO so you should have few worries regarding shutterspeed.

 

[woodsac]

Thanks for all the feedback...really helps!!!

You found the body for $420? That sounds fishy to me. There are a lot of semi-scams out there with these cameras. From what I've heard, they advertise the camera only at a super low price but that's without the stuff that is usually included, the battery, charger, neck strap, connecting cords, instruction manual...and then they give you the hard sell on extras like memory card etc. Check the links at the bottom of the page...those two places almost always have the lowest 'credible' prices. If you find it cheaper somewhere else...it's probably not on the level.

Actually the 2 links at the bottom of the page were 2 of the most expensive anywhere! I've been a newegg.com customer for a long time. They have some of the best service around. They deal mainly in computers and computer components, but they were still $60 cheaper out the door than B&H.

I found it for $420 at Royal Camera. And I found it for under $500 @ 2 other places and under $600 @ 3 or 4 other places. $799 @ B&H? The kit was from expresscameras.com for $1279. But I did price the lenses from the 2 links here and they are about the same price wise as everyone else...cheaper than a few.

 

[Big Mike]

I still think that buying from a store is the way to go...you save on shipping and you get person to person service.

I've heard bad things about Royal Camera and I think expresscameras as well. Check resellerratings.com but if you have a place that you feel comfortable with...by all means buy from them.

 

[woodsac]

I've heard bad things about Royal Camera and I think expresscameras as well.

Thanks for the heads up. Should have known that it was too good to be true I'll check into it some more before I buy.
Closest camera store is a 2 hr drive. So for the price of gas out here ($3.75 cheapest) I'm better off paying for shipping. Especially from newegg...fedex 2 days under $10

 

[woodsac]

Soooo...I checked out expresscameras at resellerratings.com If I order from them, I'll need to take this guy with me
http://resellerratings.com/seller1805.html

6 month Customer satisfaction rating - 0.53 :angry1: These guys are smoking crack..not selling cameras! So it looks my price just went back up to about $1600

Thanks Mike, I owe you one.

 

[Big Mike]

No problem...I can't say that I've leaned this from personal experience but I'm always keen to read what other people have to say. Time after time, on a many different forums/sites I see the same thing again and again. These cameras are expensive and people obviously want to get a good deal...that's why these crack smoking places exist.

From what I have heard, B&H and Adorama are the biggest sellers of camera gear in America...millions of dollars worth of stuff per month. If you find a price that is significantly lower than theirs...buyer beware.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Becky]

Well I might as well throw in my pennys worth since I have one.... not that I've had it for long, but still, I'm extremely happy.

Anyway... its a long shot but if its any use I can get a Canon 350D with 18-15mm 1:3.5-5.6 and a 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 for £765 sterling, which is the equivalent (according to xe.com) to $1377 us dollars, from where I work. I know its not quite the kit you had mind but its always nice to be offered.... I'd be happy to help if you're interested.

Good luck!

 

[woodsac]

Becky, thank you very much for the offer!! Very nice of you. I'm still looking at and pricing different lenses right now. It'll probably be a couple weeks before I could purchase.