First camera?

Jemmy

Hiya fellow picture takers! :P:D

Ok so my question is what to get for a decent first camera?

I do equestrian photography every wknd but its the bosses camera ( canon eos1 or something like that!) Ha you think id know but he has 3/4 and i cant keep up! Anyway hate not having a decent one of my own!

Now his is worth a small fortune, something i cant dish out at the mo for a camera but wondering what can i get a little cheaper but almost as good!

Thanks.x

Fajitas!

How much can you put towards it?

You'll be best off sticking to Canon if the bossman has one too, you can rob his lenses then!

Are you used to using the 1D?

Ricky91t

either a canon 450D or a canon 1000D.great value and good image quaility!

Jemmy

well not really sure how much exactly?

just trying to see what you guys recommended first!

Fajitas!

Give us a ballpark figure!

We can spend a few grand for you in a few minutes otherwise

Jemmy

Fajitas! wrote: »

Give us a ballpark figure!

We can spend a few grand for you in a few minutes otherwise

Ha true, em well not more than 1000 preferably!
Poor student here!

Is that to little to get anything decent?

Creamy Goodness

450D is pretty decent, in fact it's a great camera to price ratio.

best buying online tbh i got mine for about 600euro with a len kit, the same kit costs 999euro in harvey normans (i know not known for camera sales but still.)

shameless plug but http://www.flickr.com/photos/27310711@N06/

all were taken with a 450D

duffarama

Cremo wrote: »

450D is pretty decent, in fact it's a great camera to pice ratio.

best buying online tbh i got mine for about 600euro with a len kit, the same kit costs 999euro in harvey normans (i know not known for camera sales but still.)

shameless plug but http://www.flickr.com/photos/27310711@N06/

all were taken with a 450D

Or if you're still a student how about getting a good deal on the 400D which is rather capable and a better bet than the forthcoming 1000D. Mostly because it'll have better handling. The 400D is being phased out, doesn't have live view (but I guess you're well used to using the viewfinder) and as someone else said, you'll be able to steal (borrow) the bosses lenses from time to time!

Edit: First time I've recommended a Canon... I feel dirty

Fajitas!

Yep, there's nothing wrong with the 450D at all. If you had a bit more to spend though, and you've used the more pro series cameras, check out the 40D too. If you can get your bosses lenses, you've one half of the battle over.

Jemmy

Cremo wrote: »

450D is pretty decent, in fact it's a great camera to pice ratio.

best buying online tbh i got mine for about 600euro with a len kit, the same kit costs 999euro in harvey normans (i know not known for camera sales but still.)

shameless plug but http://www.flickr.com/photos/27310711@N06/

all were taken with a 450D

Thanks Cremo, some great pic there btw!

I dont do much everyday photography but really want to get into it, dont know if id have a great eye for it tho. But very good at the horsey stuff if i do say so myself!

Well I could be back asking what site you used!

Spanks.

Setun

Fajitas! wrote: »

If you had a bit more to spend though, and you've used the more pro series cameras, check out the 40D too. If you can get your bosses lenses, you've one half of the battle over.

I was recommended a 40D by this lad as well. I took his advice, and am absolutely delighted (but simultaneously a bit frightened - where is the money for this 100mm macro going to come from :rolleyes: ) Fantastic camera, and well worth the extra euros for the extra control and power. Mine worked out at €1001 with the kit lens, an extra battery, a 2GB CF card, and a great camera bag with room for extra lenses and accessories.

MataЯ

40d.

If you buy a 400d you will upgrade to a 40d sooner or later so just skip the 400d part and go straight for the 40d. You will be a happy man/woman.

Here's a new 40d body for 593euro incl p&p...

Freddie59

MataЯ wrote: »

40d.

If you buy a 400d you will upgrade to a 40d sooner or later so just skip the 400d part and go straight for the 40d. You will be a happy man/woman.

Here's a new 40d body for 593euro incl p&p...

I have the 450D since April. Good cam. PM sent.

Ricky91t

LOL another newbie gets pm'd about 450D

MataЯ

Freddie59 wrote: »

I have the 450D since April. Good cam. PM sent.

Who are you sending Pm's to? Me or the OP. What are the PMs about?

Hey, OP, get a 40d, the 450d's older and cooler brother!

AnimalRights

MataЯ wrote: »

40d.

If you buy a 400d you will upgrade to a 40d sooner or later so just skip the 400d part and go straight for the 40d. You will be a happy man/woman.

Here's a new 40d body for 593euro incl p&p...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRAND-NEW-CANON-EOS-40D-BODY-IN-SCOTLAND_W0QQitemZ140249841071QQihZ004QQcategoryZ31388QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

By the time you take into consideration P+P Kerso are cheaper...and nearer.

Creamy Goodness

MataЯ wrote: »

40d.

If you buy a 400d you will upgrade to a 40d sooner or later so just skip the 400d part and go straight for the 40d. You will be a happy man/woman.

Here's a new 40d body for 593euro incl p&p...

have you factored in 21% VAT and 3% customs duty and €5 an post service charge into this price?

if you have it's a steal, if not it's 125 euro VAT + 20 euro customs charge + 5 euro an post service charge.

brings the price of the body to 750~ euro.

AnimalRights

Cremo wrote: »

have you factored in 21% VAT and 3% customs duty and €5 an post service charge into this price?

if you have it's a steal, if not it's 125 euro VAT + 20 euro customs charge + 5 euro an post service charge.

brings the price of the body to 750~ euro.

You don't pay any customs or vat on top of the quoted price, he's based in Scotland.
I've ordered 3 items from him
70-200 2.8 IS
100mm 2.8 Macro
1.4 x
3 seperate times.

/edit
thought you were quoting me lol
works out at 750 too
Also you can get it in Calumet in Belfast for a little more too.

Jemmy

MataЯ wrote: »

You will be a happy man/woman

Im a woman!


Ok boys so i think im leaning towards the 450D!
Seems to be the better choice!

what to do?

hey,

for what its worth - i'm a compulsive money spender. I generally spend lots of money on things i dont need that i cant afford.

I have a canon 350d. was trying to convince myself that a 40d was necessary but i couldn't manage it. as far as i can tell - the only advantage of the 40d is the faster frame per second ability - which means nothing if you are only interested in landscape or portraits.

maybe consider buying something like a 400d - its now out of date so you should get a good price. maybe try and buy it body only - i.e. with no lense. then, weigh up what sort of pictures you want to take and buy an appropriate lense.

Jemmy

what to do? wrote: »

hey,

for what its worth - i'm a compulsive money spender. I generally spend lots of money on things i dont need that i cant afford.

I have a canon 350d. was trying to convince myself that a 40d was necessary but i couldn't manage it. as far as i can tell - the only advantage of the 40d is the faster frame per second ability - which means nothing if you are only interested in landscape or portraits.

maybe consider buying something like a 400d - its now out of date so you should get a good price. maybe try and buy it body only - i.e. with no lense. then, weigh up what sort of pictures you want to take and buy an appropriate lense.

Well im into equestrian photography so the speed is important too really.

MataЯ

I'd also agree that the 400d is a great beginner SLR.

I suppose I'm only recommending the 40d since I had a 400d and moved onto the 40d myself.

have you factored in 21% VAT and 3% customs duty and €5 an post service charge into this price?

Cremo, that guy I linked to posts his goods in a way that avoids charges if you know what I mean. *nudge*

I know it's illegal but everybody buys from these Asian guys. I've seen those Kea guys mentioned here in a positive way countless times.

Anyways, I got my 40d from that guy I linked to. For 593euro. Kerso is 150e more expensive. WWJD

Creamy Goodness

i got charged customs from kea last week. i prefer to pay taxes and charges that are due tbh, but that's a whole other story.

Fajitas!

However the charter now states not to talk about tax evasion.

Freddie59

ricky91t wrote: »

LOL another newbie gets pm'd about 450D

Didn't realise that was a crime chief.;):D As a 'newbie' myself (and I'm sure you were one at one time) I am affording other people the same courtesy as I was afforded when I came to this board originally. And very helpful it was indeed.

You've given your opinion on the 40D. I've given mine on the 450D. That's the way it works. And in the interests of fairness here's a couple of good links for the OP to have a look at.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-Rebel-XSi-450D-Digital-SLR-Camera-Review.aspx

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080309043106AAo80Q4

Some say the 450. Others say the 40D. Whatever you choose OP enjoy it. I am!:D

Freddie59

Cremo wrote: »

have you factored in 21% VAT and 3% customs duty and €5 an post service charge into this price?

if you have it's a steal, if not it's 125 euro VAT + 20 euro customs charge + 5 euro an post service charge.

brings the price of the body to 750~ euro.

As Animal Righs pointed out - no VAT or taxes as you're buying within the EU. Fully legit. And he is a great eBayer.

Creamy Goodness

Freddie59 wrote: »

As Animal Righs pointed out - no VAT or taxes as you're buying within the EU. Fully legit. And he is a great eBayer.

can you's please stop mis-quoting me.

i asked did matar build in the extra charges into his recommendation as his ebay seller was based in taiwan.

of course you don't pay these extra charges if bought inside the E.U.

Freddie59

Cremo wrote: »

can you's please stop mis-quoting me.

i asked did matar build in the extra charges into his recommendation as his ebay seller was based in taiwan.

of course you don't pay these extra charges if bought inside the E.U.

Who's misquoting you? Merely pointing out a fact in reply to an issue raised (in reference to someone else's mention of Kerso (Flash Camera) on eBay).

AnimalRights

Cremo wrote: »

i got charged customs from kea last week. i prefer to pay taxes and charges that are due tbh, but that's a whole other story.

Yes Berties brown envelopes are dearer to purchase these days.

MataЯ

Cremo wrote: »

i got charged customs from kea last week. i prefer to pay taxes and charges that are due tbh, but that's a whole other story.

I know we're straying off topic, but if you prefer to pay taxes & charges.... why did you buy from a Hong Kong based store? Why not buy the equipment here in Ireland where taxes & charges are included?

OP, after brewing for a while I've come to the conclusion that a 450d would be good for you. But if you want that fast frame-rate for sports, the 40d is your only man.

challengemaster

MataЯ wrote: »

I know we're straying off topic, but if you prefer to pay taxes & charges.... why did you buy from a Hong Kong based store? Why not buy the equipment here in Ireland where taxes & charges are included

Atleast then, the money isn't going to rip off irish stores. If they lose enough money, they'll eventually cop on.

Ricky91t

Oh else the smaller irish shops will loose money and then close down and when the tax comes in on hk sellers their prices will hike and they'll be very little helpfull local shops left in the country

challengemaster

Well then thats their own fault for being over-expensive.

Ricky91t

challengemaster wrote: »

Well then thats their own fault for being over-expensive.

Small shops aren't to blame.They cant buy big enough stock to get better deals etc
Shops to blame are the likes of Argos,harvey norman,Pc world etc
They buy big stock and then sell it at a rip off cause they match or go slightly lower than local shops prices.OP if you're buying in ireland don't buy from the big retailers as they are over priced best bet to buy off line or locally(even though they are very pricy but you'll get good service off them and you can call in you wont spend hours on the phone to head office explaining your case)

challengemaster

I'll be frank. L glass and bodies cost a lot as it is. I'm not prepared for Irish shops being the rip-offs they are, to go adding to the price of them for their own profits, no matter if they're big or little shops.

The reason prices are so high as it is, is because people pay it, then complain later. If you don't pay it, they're either going to have to lower their prices or go out of business. Survival of the fittest.

MataЯ

challengemaster wrote: »

If you don't pay it, they're either going to have to lower their prices or go out of business. Survival of the fittest.

+ 7 trillion

Does anyone know actually how much shops pay for stock? And how much of a profit they are making?

Hey OP, let us know which camera you're gonna get!

Creamy Goodness

MataЯ wrote: »

I know we're straying off topic, but if you prefer to pay taxes & charges.... why did you buy from a Hong Kong based store? Why not buy the equipment here in Ireland where taxes & charges are included?

OP, after brewing for a while I've come to the conclusion that a 450d would be good for you. But if you want that fast frame-rate for sports, the 40d is your only man.

i like paying my taxes because i like to contribute to the country, i'd like to think if i ever have to go on the dole i'll be like well at least i contributed towards this.

reason i bought from a hong kong store is i don't wish to pay for the irish retailers bmw/merc.

so in buying from hong kong kea gets money, he's happy, i pay customs and vat, the governments happy, i still get the item cheaper than the stores here, i'm happy.

now don't get me wrong i like when a package slips through customs but i think of that as a bonus and not "omgz i have to pay this stupid tax" etc.

MataЯ

How am I paying irish VAT if I buy a camera off some chinese guy?

challengemaster

MataЯ wrote: »

How am I paying irish VAT if I buy a camera off some chinese guy?

Well, its a sort of import tax, where any goods outside of the EU are subject to.

MataЯ

Cremo said "I like paying my taxes".

So he went and bought a camera from a hong kong store, knowing full well that it has a high chance of getting thru the customs net.

Anyways, I'm just saying that he shouldn't be so preachy about paying taxes if he buys from hong kong stores. If he wanted to pay taxes he could buy from some online stores in the EU, which would still be cheaper than Irish stors but would include taxes, but he buys from Hong Kong, and says he loves paying vat and customs. ?????

Unless he requested kea-photo to declare full value on the customs docket, he's not making much sense.

End of my part of the discussion anyways, we've gone a tad off topic. What was the OP talking about aggain? bye bye.

MataЯ

Cremo wrote: »

i like paying my taxes because i like to contribute to the country, i'd like to think if i ever have to go on the dole i'll be like well at least i contributed towards this.

By the way, eh... VAT doesn't go towards the dole mate.

Right I swear I'm gone.:pac:

Ricky91t

Creamy Goodness

right this is my last post off-topic.

when i buy outside the EU i factor in the cost of customs charges into the price of the item.

customs charges - this is made up of three things.

1. 21% IRISH GOVT. VAT paid directly to the irish govt.
2. 1-5%~ Customs duty - percentage depends on the item.
3. €5 an post service charge.

i calculate the price of the item including the above into my final price. if it's cheaper than the retailers either here or in the EU, i will buy. if not i'll buy in ireland or the EU.

i expect to be charged the above and if i happen to get away with it i take it as pot-luck.

ok maybe the phrase "i like paying taxes" was a little OTT i really meant was i don't mind paying any charges as long as they are meant to be charged to me.

MataЯ wrote: »

How am I paying irish VAT if I buy a camera off some chinese guy?

when someone sells something to someone inside the EU from outside the EU they do not charge local government taxes, instead the item is sent tax free and it is then up to the customs office to charge you the relevant taxes.

Jemmy

So where do you all buy your stuff? Is there a site or shop you can recommend?

Paulw

All depends on personal choice, and shopping around.

Kea-Photo on ebay are very good and reliable. B&H in NY have great prices, Calumet in Belfast are very competitive.

Shop around and see.

Creamy Goodness

kea-photo are good, had a problem with another ebay seller (kerso in scotland) when buying that 70-200mm lens i was talking about here recently - i paid him, payment wasn't claimed for a week, told him to claim it within 5 days, he didn't, i withdrew payment, he then strikes me for it, ebay side in my favour, he then messages me saying i wish he could leave negative feedback, ugh! - getting the lens from kea-photo is 5 euro more expensive but i get fed ex delivery which means i can stalk my package all the way to my door

Jemmy

Ok so had first hand experience with a 40D in the last two days...



...Not impressed!

Fajitas!

What didn't you like?

dazftw

Your probably to use to your bosses camera.. Give it awhile

Jemmy

dazftw wrote: »

Your probably to use to your bosses camera.. Give it awhile

Yea usually using the Eos 1 Mark III so it just seems so slow and basically crap compared! lol