cannon slr 450d

the-lad

Hi all,

I am looking for some advice. My brother bought a cannon slr 450d this year and I was hoping to buy him some accessories or a new lens as a christmas present.
He is a beginner so nothing too complicated.
All suggestions greatly appricated.

davenewt

Budget?

If you're thinking of a lens... the 50mm ("nifty fifty") either 1.8 or 1.4 version... or the canon 10-25mm EFS lens for the 450D if he's into street/landscape photography.

Flash unit (580ex/580exII) if he wants to experiment with a bigger/better light source than the on-camera flash (need to get one of these myself)...

BG-E3 grip with additional battery so he can shoot for longer...

Good size CompactFlash card if he doesn't already have one so he can perhaps shoot more in RAW...

A copy of Photoshop Lightroom so he can get more into post-processing his images if he has the time/inclination...

I have all of the above (with exception of a decent flash unit) so would recommend them all - I could keep going but this will turn into my own wishlist

homerun_homer

Would he be interested in additional accessories like Tripods or anything like that?

the-lad

Thanks guys nice suggestions.
Budget is about 250.
I think he needs a tripod alright, do you have to get a canon one?
Also where is good to get this gear?

Sleepy

davenewt wrote: »

Good size CompactFlash card if he doesn't already have one so he can perhaps shoot more in RAW...

the 450D uses SD Cards.

Sleepy

the-lad, at your budget I'd go for the Canon 1.4 50mm mentioned above.

It's the first thing I intend on buying as an upgrade to my own 450D.

Tripods vary wildly in price and quality but are generally interchangeable so you wouldn't need to get a 'Canon' tripod. Search this forum for my thread about ebay retailers and you could buy him a load of small and handy extras (batteries, shutter releases etc.) for next nothing and if he hasn't got one yet, probably the most vital accessory - a decent camera bag with room for extra lens.

AnCatDubh

here's a useful thread on tripods.

luic

hi lad

What lens or lenses does your bro have in his camera? I haven't used a tripod for years now. It depends on what kind of pictures you make and if you have light enough. In low light the diaphragm is kept open for a "long" time, and the picture can get blurred due to hand shake in which case a tripod is handy. But, all in all, if he only has the 18-55mm lenses, I think he will appreciate more to get a telephoto range lenses than a tripod. A tripod will be much cheaper though, and has its value. A reasonable telephoto lens seems to be the EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5,6 IS, according to some reviews (for example, see http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-55-250mm-f-4-5.6-IS-Lens-Review.aspx) It should cost around 200something euros. You can also get the (much) cheaper equivalent from Tamron or Sigma, but then you have to have a look at the reviews (google for it); I don't know about the quality,issues of full compatibility and price of these ones. Good luck !

Sleepy

luic wrote: »

A reasonable telephoto lens seems to be the EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5,6 IS, according to some reviews (for example, see http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-55-250mm-f-4-5.6-IS-Lens-Review.aspx) It should cost around 200something euros.

I got this lens in a kit deal with my 450D and while I'm a complete novice it seems quite good once it has decent light.

the-lad

luic wrote: »

hi lad

What lens or lenses does your bro have in his camera? I haven't used a tripod for years now. It depends on what kind of pictures you make and if you have light enough. In low light the diaphragm is kept open for a "long" time, and the picture can get blurred due to hand shake in which case a tripod is handy. But, all in all, if he only has the 18-55mm lenses, I think he will appreciate more to get a telephoto range lenses than a tripod. A tripod will be much cheaper though, and has its value. A reasonable telephoto lens seems to be the EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5,6 IS, according to some reviews (for example, see http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-55-250mm-f-4-5.6-IS-Lens-Review.aspx) It should cost around 200something euros. You can also get the (much) cheaper equivalent from Tamron or Sigma, but then you have to have a look at the reviews (google for it); I don't know about the quality,issues of full compatibility and price of these ones. Good luck !

Ordered him this lens.
Anyone know any good books or other stocking fillers i can also get him.
Thanks all

Bertie Bassett

'Understanding Exposure' by Bryan Peterson seems to be a popular book on these posts. I have just bought myself a copy (yesterday), so I haven't had a chance so read it yet, but it looks good and as I say there are a lot of very positive comments on it.

stevoman

the-lad wrote: »

Thanks guys nice suggestions.
Budget is about 250.
I think he needs a tripod alright, do you have to get a canon one?
Also where is good to get this gear?

Hi!

First time poster one this part of boards. I dont know a lot about cameras but i bought this for my girlfirends dad this week and it was posted to me from england in three days. from what i can see i saved about €200 on it and he has a top class service. Its a long lense that he has been looking for for ages. i paid €150 for it.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EF-75-300mm-75-300-f-4-5-6-III-Lens-UK-seller_W0QQitemZ350140323624QQihZ022QQcategoryZ30070QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262

Scruff

is €475ish a good price for a 450D + 18-55mm lens from 7dayshop.com plus there is an additional €65 you can claim back from canon making it around the €425 delivered mark.
If it is i'm thinking of getting it though doubt i'll be here before chrimbo.