First DSLR, is there any point saving up?

Sensayshun · Sep 15, 2009

Hey guys, first post on these forums although I'm hoping to be quite active soon enough.

Essentially I've gone out and bought a few magazines and read reviews of sub £500 (that's GBP) DSLR's. I read the reviews and decided that the Canon EOS 450D would be a good choice for me. I then read more reviews and I like the way that Canon think.

Looking at some second hand stuff, I can get a Canon EOS 300D with kit lens for £170. Which is something that I can actually afford.

As this will be my first DSLR, is it worth buying the EOS 300D? Or is the jump to something like a 450D really worth double the price + a few quid.

Thanks for any help given, I don't know if you need to know what type of photos I take, but at the moment it's just a hobby. So there's lots of indoor stuff so I like low noise at high ISO's. Also in England it's never very bright anyway :lol:

I also take photo's of my dogs alot so I like a high shutter speed.

At the moment my camera is a Panasonic DMC-FZ8, which I find adequate. The lens is 36mm-432mm so I don't know if a kit lens is really going to satisfy me. I like the idea of it being nice and wide though.

Village Idiot · Sep 15, 2009

The 300D will definitely show it's age. I was playing with the one I gave to a friend about two weeks ago. The LCD sucks, it only adjust ISO in full stops, and it's slow.

It was one of Canon's first consumer level DSLRs.

With that being said, it's cheap and it's still good enough to learn on. I could do some of the stuff I'm doing now with a 5D MKII on a 300D and you would only be able to tell a difference in large print.

Photography is mainly about the photographer and not the equipment.

Sensayshun · Sep 15, 2009

Yes I am aware they're getting slightly old. Thank you for your help.

I really just want the adaptability of it, at the moment I can't put an ND filter on my camera, or chuck a wide angle lens on it. And these are things which I'd like. Also noise on my camera at high ISO is pretty bad.

Anyhow, thank you again, I'll bear in mind what you've said

NateWagner · Sep 15, 2009

Yeah, you could definitely go with the 300d, though I might almost suggest trying to go even for the 350d. Just so that you could avoid the 1st generation of consumer dslr's that Canon made.
The key though is that if you're going to spend money, spend it on the lenses, they will help your photos more than your camera will.

PhotoXopher · Sep 15, 2009

I have to ask, have you looked into the Nikon lineup? You could pick up a D40, D50, D60 or D70 with lens in your price range or for a hair more a D80.

Just something to think about.

Plato · Sep 15, 2009

N0YZE said:
I have to ask, have you looked into the Nikon lineup? You could pick up a D40, D50, D60 or D70 with lens in your price range or for a hair more a D80.

Just something to think about.

The D80 is a fine machine but I doubt that the OP can find a new one anywhere. I'd check B&H and Adorama for used ones.

Sensayshun · Sep 15, 2009

I'm quite happy buying second hand, I feel I'd be getting much better value for money that way.

bigtwinky · Sep 15, 2009

You will be disappointed with the high ISO noise in the 300D and even in the 450D. With the 450D, you can shoot cleanly at 400, 800 in some instances. While its probably better than what you have, don't expect any miracles.

What will also help the high ISO is having good, fast lenses. I would seriously consider the 50mm f/1.8. Its a great lens, great image quality and wide aperture to help with low light shooting. It cost only $100 new.

If budget is a big concern, then I would probably go with a 300 or 350, maybe even a 400 and get the 50mm f/1.8 along with the kit lens. The basics of photography haven't changed... aperture vs shutter vs iso... composition and so on. You can do some great photography with almost any camera. You are obviously better off with a newer model, and I second the idea of not getting the 1st gen 300D. I did some quick googling and found posts saying that :

- the 350D has more manual controls on the metering (compared to automatic),
- shoots a bit faster at 3 fps vs 2.5 fps,
- the 300D has a lag when powering on, while the 350D is much quicker

So yeah, get the cheaper, second hand one and the 1.8.