Second Hand 350D

maggie1969

Hi all.

I am a relative newcomer to photography and I currently have a Canon Powershot A620. But I now have the chance to buy a second hand Canon 350d (won't know all the details until I speak to the owner tomorrow).
Could someone advise me if it would be worth going for this model as a first dslr?
Is a second hand model a bad option?
How much would be a reasonable price to pay?
Have read bad reviews of the kit lens so which lens should I get instead?
(Am really interested in landscape, and macro)
Which macro lens should I enquire about?
Or as a beginner, would I even notice the problems with the kit lens?
Is the lack of spot metering a big negative?

Any other advise about this camera would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

PurpleFistMixer

I got a 350d as a first DSLR, and, well, tbh to me it was a giant step up in terms of technology and whatnot. That said, it's not difficult to use and the size is perfect to me. Some have problems with the size of the grip but it fits me very well. : p

I don't have any problems with the kit lens, tbh. People talk about how crap it is but unless you're going professional or really pedantic about quality and sharpness, I don't think there's any reason to replace it. Unless you're rich, I suppose. I've had my 350d for over a year now and I'm still using the kit lens...

B0rG

Sold mine for E550 recently with the little baggy and 3000+ pics taken. Mine was very well cared for.

Pricewise anywhere below that will be a good deal. Mind you they only do about 20 000 pictures max, then it's shutter replacement costing around E100, not much to worry about, but if the camera has 10 000 pics on the meter, I'd bargain down to E400.

Second hand is good option price and camera wise.

Stick with the kit at least for 3 - 6 months, it does landscapes with tripod Macro, uhm... well... it'll do flowers allright, but no ants or spiders i'm afraid. You'd probably be dissapointed with the sharping and color untill you'd learn about postprocess with photoshop or elements or any other digital suite.

And definitely don't worry about spot metering for now

Borderfox

I put about 30,000 on my 350D since Feb this year and still going strong. Great first DSLR

Fionn

Hi maggie
ok the powershot is not too disimilar in it's layout to the 350D
i think it'd be a great intorduction to a DSLR
the second user option is a big bonus - they not old enough to have had that many actuations most of them!
the price is sorta subjective.. i sold mine with an extra zoom for €650 but i thin one went on the adverts the other day for €450 or something! so i guess something bleow €500 would be pretty ok
the kit lens is an ok lens but you'l probs find that the results are somewhat soft but still generally ok for most shots that are not gonna be printed bigg
thing is for dedicated lens - your going to have to spend money.. really theres no way around it some of the Tamron range have very nice macroS like the 90mm DG Macro
but beginning at this thing stick with the basic setup for a while and add to your knowledge and experience and you'll be grand!!
if you can get a Canon EOS 350D at a good price i'd say go for it big time, i sold mine recently and i still am suffering withdrawl symtoms

and lots of help here on the boards too

good luck!!

maggie1969

Thanks to everyone for their replies and good advise. This board really is a great help to newbies like me! Hopefully if I purchase I'll post a photo at some stage!

Fajitas!

Hey, good luck with buying the camera, 350D is a great piece of kit. Second hand shouldn't be a problem as long as it was treated ok.

The kit lens is grand while you're learning. You won't really see the faults until you have another lens to compare it with.

Budget wise, I'd be advising you to get the 50mm 1.8 You should be able to get it at about 110 in Ireland, cheaper online. For your macro work then, you can buy what are called extension tubes, that go behind the lens, and allow you to do focus closer up. The 18 end on your kit lens should do you for landscapes for a while (The Sigma 10-20 is a handy number when you decide for an upgrade though)


Good luck.

Edit: If you want to see examples of the 50mm and extension tubes, check out this lovely lady's flickr, she's also known as Elven on Boards!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/julieodonnell/

B0rG

hmmm... strange thing... everybody says: you need 50mm. I've got 1.4. Thing is since I bought 17-40 in august I only put on 50 once... But then again I also have 24-70...

Roen

The 17-40 will give you a 50mm focal length alright, but at a max aperture of ƒ4. The 24-70 of course is better with ƒ2.8.
Besides as Maggie says she's relatively new, the 50mm can be got for about €80 and when she feels ready to move on she'll be able to sell it for a few quid.

No big money lost if she ever does decide to go for the 24-70 or 17-40 or whatever.

Fajitas!

Exactly. I got the 1.4

But there's no need if you're just getting into photography.

maggie1969

Thanks again guys for the extra responses. I have to say I'm a complete thicko yet when it comes to lenses, and which one is needed for what. You all seem to know so much about them and which one to use for different situations. How did ye all learn about them? Is there a website I could go to?

Also,at some stage, I would like to set up my own little light studio to do the macro work. I have been looking at the EZcube and tabletop lights kit on ebay and wondered if anybody has used this? Would it be worth the money (approx €400!!) to get one of these kits? Or could I set up my own make shift one for now? In my stupidity I thought I could use an ordinary 60w bulb but as you might have guessed, when I took some shots there were everywhere and the hightlights totally blown out!!! I obviously have a lot to learn! Any advise welcome!! Sorry for totally noddy questions!!

Fajitas!

Well, I always have a look at the reviews section at www.fredmiranda.com before making a purchase.

For your macro studio, you could always use your bulbs to start out, but put some white paper over them to diffuse the light. Dosn't have to be expensive. Alternativly, pout some white paper against a window with plenty of light coming in and shoot against that. I'd wait until I was pretty comfortable and happy with macros before moving on to pricy lighting

B0rG

maggie1969 wrote:

Also,at some stage, I would like to set up my own little light studio to do the macro work. I have been looking at the EZcube and tabletop lights kit on ebay and wondered if anybody has used this? Would it be worth the money (approx €400!!) to get one of these kits? Or could I set up my own make shift one for now? In my stupidity I thought I could use an ordinary 60w bulb but as you might have guessed, when I took some shots there were everywhere and the hightlights totally blown out!!! I obviously have a lot to learn! Any advise welcome!! Sorry for totally noddy questions!!

how macro is macro?

3 x E16 solution is here
https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/496/35863.jpg
3 halogen lamps for 150W in any diy. they also come in 500W flavours twice the price, but I'm afraid that power could burn the wall...