First DSLR

[Joe Ray]

Hi all.
As a camera novice, I'm looking for a bit of advice.
I currently restrict all my photography to digiscoping. Samsung NV10 and Swarovski ATS65HD without an adapter. My results can be seen on my website (see signature).
I am looking to buy my first DSLR, however. My budget is around £700, can't really stretch to any more. I have been looking at the Canon EOS 400D, but am not sure about the lense. Initially i considered the Sigma 170-500mm, but apparently this is not the best? Are there any better combinations roughly within my budget?
Many thanks for any help
Joe

[Colin Key]

Joe,

Your budget is not really enough and I would strongly advise waiting until you can increase your capital. If you had twice that amount to spend at the moment I would advise on a second hand Canon 30D, 400mm f/5.6 prime and possibly a x1.4TC.

I can understand your eagerness, but if you go off "half cock" at this stage you will end up losing money.

Kind regards,

Colin

[john robinson]

The Nikon 40x is pretty good if you can get one but you would still have to hunt around for a long lens and there aren't that many to choose from really
Cheers
JohnR

[Joe Ray]

Joe,

Your budget is not really enough and I would strongly advise waiting until you can increase your capital. If you had twice that amount to spend at the moment I would advise on a second hand Canon 30D, 400mm f/5.6 prime and possibly a x1.4TC.

I can understand your eagerness, but if you go off "half cock" at this stage you will end up losing money.

Kind regards,

Colin
Hi Colin. Found this (http://www.hoitech.com/product_info.php?products_id=1016&language=en&cPath=25). Any thoughts? At that price, I might just possibly be able to stretch to the lense you recommend (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Canon-Telephoto-prime-Lenses-EF-400mm-f-5-6L-USM_W0QQitemZ320195638212QQcmdZViewItem).
Would it be well worth saving for?

[Colin Key]

Hi Joe,

Not sure about either of the retailers you link to (must admit I have never been tempted to buy off ebay) but you must remember that anything bought in the USA will be subject to sales tax and import duty when brought into the U.K. (I know a few people who have been caught out with this when buying "bargains" from U.S. and Hong Kong). The other thing to consider is that although Canon lenses have a worldwide warranty, camera bodies do not and are country or continent specific, so a 30D bought in the U.S. would have to be returned there for any warranty work if it was defective.

I would keep searching a bit more before making a decision. There is a guy (I think he is called Ian Kerso, but could be wrong) based in Scotland who sells Canon lenses (not sure about bodies) on ebay and who has a very good reputation - I cannot remember his ebay seller name but will try to find it later. He imports from the U.S and undercuts U.K. retail prices by a considerable amount.

I know that you are a member of BF so you might try seeking advice there if you have not already done so.

By the way, I am recommending the 400 f/5.6 prime lens rather than the 100-400 zoom because I own the latter (as my "walk about" lens) and am not too impressed with it. I mostly use it at the "long end" so having the 400 prime makes more sense; the prime also has a sharper image and the AF is quicker. I am not convinced that the IS on the zoom is an advantage and normally have it turned off (the prime does not have IS). The ....py plastic lens hood on the zoom is also a cause for dissatisfaction - total rubbish; the 400 prime has a built-in extendible lens hood.

If you do a search on BF you will find a mountain of posts debating the qualities of the 400 f/5.6 versus the 100-400 zoom. Unfortunately the zoom has had a "bad press" mainly because early versions were very "soft" and there are tales of people exchanging three or four (or more) copies before they got a "sharp one".

I have never owned a 30D body (I went from a 20D to a 1D Mk III) but there are a lot of excellent bird images produced with this camera (take a look at Keith Reeder's gallery on BF) and quite a few people who have recently upgraded to the 40D are finding it is, in some respects, not as good.

If I get any more info I will come back.

Colin

[Colin Key]

Joe,

I have done a bit of digging and would advise not to touch that HoiTech firm - they are bogus.

The 400mm f/5.6 is being sold by "kerso" on ebay UK at £659 + £20 delivery. I think that is the best deal you will get on this lens brand new, taking into account the risk factor of buying overseas. Someone on BF might be able to give you his email address; I know that he will do an even better price if you contact him directly.

There don't seem to be many used 30Ds around on the net. Walters PhotoVideo (which is where I buy all my gear) has one at £360 (reduced from £400 in their current sale). It comes with a 18-55mm lens and is described as "superb condition" with the original box and all the bits and bobs. Looks like a good deal to me (this body plus the lens from kerso at a tad over £1,000) http://www.waltersphotovideo.co.uk/useddetails.php?barcode=60091

Go for it!!

Colin

P.S. If you contact Walters ask to talk to "Lee" and tell him I sent you.

[Roy C]

Joe,

I have done a bit of digging and would advise not to touch that HoiTech firm - they are bogus.

The 400mm f/5.6 is being sold by "kerso" on ebay UK at £659 + £20 delivery. I think that is the best deal you will get on this lens brand new, taking into account the risk factor of buying overseas. Someone on BF might be able to give you his email address; I know that he will do an even better price if you contact him directly.

There don't seem to be many used 30Ds around on the net. Walters PhotoVideo (which is where I buy all my gear) has one at £360 (reduced from £400 in their current sale). It comes with a 18-55mm lens and is described as "superb condition" with the original box and all the bits and bobs. Looks like a good deal to me (this body plus the lens from kerso at a tad over £1,000) http://www.waltersphotovideo.co.uk/useddetails.php?barcode=60091

Go for it!!

Colin

P.S. If you contact Walters ask to talk to "Lee" and tell him I sent you.
I got my 400mm f5.6 from Kerso (Ian Kerr), top guy. He has a ebay shop called Flash Cameras but as Colin says, he will knock off the ebay/paypal fees if you contact him direct at kerso1123@msn.com.

[Colin Key]

Hello Roy,

Very nice to see you "on this side".

Kindest regards,

Colin

[Joe Ray]

Thank you for the advice.
My grandmother recently passed away and has left me some money. Therefore my budget has risen to around £1000 (all inclusive) although I could perhaps stretch to £100 or so more if necessary. It would need to be a fairly long-lasting combination though, as I doubt I would/will be able to upgrade for at least a few years. I am also very happy to use secondhand equipment, as long as it is in decent condition. (E.g. a used Canon 30D body only for approximately £400 (http://www.shopcreator.com/mall/productpage.cfm/DalePhotographicOnline/_C4337).

Any suggestions?

Joe

[FayJ]

Hi all.
As a camera novice, I'm looking for a bit of advice.
I currently restrict all my photography to digiscoping. Samsung NV10 and Swarovski ATS65HD without an adapter. My results can be seen on my website (see signature).
I am looking to buy my first DSLR, however. My budget is around £700, can't really stretch to any more. I have been looking at the Canon EOS 400D, but am not sure about the lense. Initially i considered the Sigma 170-500mm, but apparently this is not the best? Are there any better combinations roughly within my budget?
Many thanks for any help
Joe


Hi Joe,

I would not discount the Sigma 170-500mm as it is not the best but is pretty good. I have one and I find that it does require good light conditions and/or a tripod. However, the OS (image stabilised) 150-500mm version is out soon and that should be a decent lens.

Also, if you are looking for decent secondhand equipment, Nikon gear is well worth looking at.

[Colin Key]

Joe,

You will never get a consensus opinion on this (you must have read the BF threads?), but given your budget you will not do better than getting the second-hand 30D and a brand spanking new 400 f/5.6 prime lens (follow Roy's advice above and contact Ian Kerr for the best deal). Adding a x1.4 TC will be something for the future, maybe.

I know I am right, "trust me, I am a birder"!!!:cool:

Just go for it.

Colin

[Joe Ray]

I finally managed to raise the funds for a brand new 40D and 400mm f5.6
Early days yet, but it's a fantastic combination.
Thanks to all for the advice.
Joe

[Joe stockwell]

i just bought one of those too, and a 5D. you've got some good stuff there already joe, keep it up

colin,
im also borrowing a 500mm f4 with 1.4x but im not sure weather i want this one as it is so masive, how do you find the 400mm 5.6 with converter

[Colin Key]

I finally managed to raise the funds for a brand new 40D and 400mm f5.6
Early days yet, but it's a fantastic combination.
Thanks to all for the advice.
Joe

Very nice Joe, I am sure you made the right decision and look forward to seeing more shots uploaded to the gallery.

Colin

[Colin Key]

i just bought one of those too, and a 5D. you've got some good stuff there already joe, keep it up

colin,
im also borrowing a 500mm f4 with 1.4x but im not sure weather i want this one as it is so masive, how do you find the 400mm 5.6 with converter

Joe,

A big lad like you should have no problems hand-holding the 500mm f/4 (but it needs a good quality tripod and expensive gimbal head to get the best out of this lens).

I do use the x1.4TCII with my 400mm f/5.6 and it gives good results (there is certainly less image degradation than using it with my 100-400 zoom at 400mm). Your problem will be that with a 5D (or any non-1D series body) you will lose AF with the TC on this lens. You can get around this by "fooling" the camera into thinking that the TC isn't there by either using a "non-reporting" TC (e.g. Kenko) or by taping over the three reporting pins on the Canon TC. It does work, especially in very good light and with high contrast subjects, but the AF will not be as fast (it might "hunt" for focus) and might not work at all in very poor light.

Colin

[Joe stockwell]

i wont be using the 5D for wildlife thats for my profetional work, so itl be on my 30D i think i may stick too the 500m f4 as a loan until i can aford one for myself as it is quite fantastic, and i think the 400mm will be too slow im also using a manfrotto 679 with it at the moment and its really nice

[Colin Key]

i may stick too the 500m f4 as a loan until i can aford one for myself as it is quite fantastic

Don't wish to be nosy Joe (I lie!!), but how did you persuade someone to "loan" you a 500 f/4? - I wouldn't even allow anyone to breathe on mine, let alone touch it.

Colin :ohdear:

[john robinson]

Hi Joe
Whats your professional work then?
I've been at it 50 years and I aint got none !!
The best gear certainly does not always produce the best results. The bloke selling you the gear may say so but ---
Cheers
JohnR

[Joe stockwell]

i am a freelance photographer for local colleges, they hire me to take photos of events and open evenings

also i have had work published in Superbike, classic boat, mini world, mountainbike weekly, guitar, hi-fi news and a few more but i would have to check my cv for those

joe

nice to see you back john, where you go?

colin, i have a friend of mine with more money than sence, he goes around to london camera exchange and buys all of the really good second hand lenses that come in, including 300mm 2.8 , 16-35 , 180mm macro and so on and thtas just this month!

[FayJ]

I finally managed to raise the funds for a brand new 40D and 400mm f5.6
Early days yet, but it's a fantastic combination.
Thanks to all for the advice.
Joe

Nice one, Joe. I recently switched to Canon from Nikon and I also have the 40D and 400mm f5.6 set up. It's great although I haven't managed to get beyond the back garden with it due to rubbish weather and illness but I am hoping to get further afield tomorrow. :cool: