Advice/Questions on buying Cameras & Accessories. **Please read OP first**

T0mmyM

glasso wrote: »

start with kit lens I would say. maybe consider the 135mm over 55mm if u need extra zoom ability

Thanks. I think I'll just go for it. I'll drive myself mad if I keep comparing cameras.

Have you any experience with simplyelectronics?

hbr

T0mmyM wrote: »

Have you any experience with simplyelectronics?

The first thing you need to be aware of is that SE is a Hong Kong company.
Despite the .ie domain, they have no physical presence here.

I bought a lens from them recently. I had no problems except that it took a
bit longer than the time suggested on their web page. The lens arrived in
8 days. It was shipped from the UK via DHL six days after I placed my
order. I received the package in good condition two days later.

I would have some reservations about buying a camera body from
them unless I could be sure it came with a European warranty
card.

sickofcats

I would appreciate a bit of advice guys on a Camera purchase.

Budget circa 250
Use Nothing special just Family events, Holiday snaps, etc

I am looking at the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 and the Olympus SP-800 UZ.

Is one a better camera than the other? should the 30x zoom on the Olympus affect my decision? or is there something else on the market I should look at?

Thanks in advance

T0mmyM

hbr wrote: »

The first thing you need to be aware of is that SE is a Hong Kong company.
Despite the .ie domain, they have no physical presence here.

I bought a lens from them recently. I had no problems except that it took a
bit longer than the time suggested on their web page. The lens arrived in
8 days. It was shipped from the UK via DHL six days after I placed my
order. I received the package in good condition two days later.

I would have some reservations about buying a camera body from
them unless I could be sure it came with a European warranty
card.

Ah, I didn't know they were hong kong based. I'll dismiss them then.

Any other suggestions on where to buy?

mayo.mick

Have a look here,

http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/home.html

hbr

T0mmyM wrote: »

Any other suggestions on where to buy?

I always go out of my way to check local prices before ordering online. More
often than not, I have found that local prices are too high. On a few occasions,
I have been pleasantly surprised. Small camera shops are often willing to
haggle over prices. Just tell them you have cash, you don't want any extras
like training courses and you would prefer to buy local if they can give you a
good price.

Take the Argos, PC World and Conns Cameras prices as a baseline.
For the Nikon D5100 with 18-55mm kit lens:
Argos €800
PC World €740
Conns €820 (including some bells & whistles you may not want)

Prices in Asia and the US are around €600 including shipping.
You are likely to end up paying VAT which will bring the final
price into the same region as the PC World price.

Canon, Nikon and Sony have regional warranties. If you buy
direct from outside Europe or if you buy a 'grey import' even
within the EU, you won't get warranty support from the manufacturer.

T0mmyM

hbr wrote: »

I always go out of my way to check local prices before ordering online. More
often than not, I have found that local prices are too high. On a few occasions,
I have been pleasantly surprised. Small camera shops are often willing to
haggle over prices. Just tell them you have cash, you don't want any extras
like training courses and you would prefer to buy local if they can give you a
good price.

Take the Argos, PC World and Conns Cameras prices as a baseline.
For the Nikon D5100 with 18-55mm kit lens:
Argos €800
PC World €740
Conns €820 (including some bells & whistles you may not want)

Prices in Asia and the US are around €600 including shipping.
You are likely to end up paying VAT which will bring the final
price into the same region as the PC World price.

Canon, Nikon and Sony have regional warranties. If you buy
direct from outside Europe or if you buy a 'grey import' even
within the EU, you won't get warranty support from the manufacturer.

Cheers hbr, I'm going into town today. I'll check out what's on offer.

sickofcats

sickofcats wrote: »

I would appreciate a bit of advice guys on a Camera purchase.

Budget circa 250
Use Nothing special just Family events, Holiday snaps, etc

I am looking at the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 and the Olympus SP-800 UZ.

Is one a better camera than the other? should the 30x zoom on the Olympus affect my decision? or is there something else on the market I should look at?

Thanks in advance

ask yourself - do you really need the zoom? seems nice to have but will you use it that often? also - the quality at the end of the zoom range won't be that good. for getting the nicest photos the canon s95 should be considered. it has a much better quality lens built in than most cameras do and takes great pictures. it is fully automatic but if you want you can also do semi-manual and full manual.
it's only 25 over your budget here: -

http://www.simplyelectronics.net/mainproduct.php?pid=11468&setcurrency=eur

(12 month warranty on this site).

hot to trot

hbr wrote: »

Canon, Nikon and Sony have regional warranties. If you buy
direct from outside Europe or if you buy a 'grey import' even
within the EU, you won't get warranty support from the manufacturer.

From the Nikon website regarding regional warranties..." YOUR NIKON EQUIPMENT IS GUARANTEED AGAINST ANY MANUFACTURING DEFECTS FOR ONE FULL YEAR FROM THE DATE OF THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE"

I rang simplyelectronics.net mentioned above, to ask about guarantee given that they are imports from HK as stated above. They provide a shop guarantee of one year.
So whats the difference?????? If there is a problem it will be taken back andn repaired or replaced according to consumer law. Does it make much difference where you buy then if the guarantees are pretty much the same?
A friend bought a nikon in UK ( she lives there) and had a fault with it in the first month. She had no satisfaction from Nikon and 3 months later was still without her camera.

CabanSail

Firstly - IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER A TOSS WHICH CAMERA YOU BUY.

Secondly - IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER A TOSS WHICH CAMERA YOU BUY.

>

>

>

Twentyethly - Look at what system the person you know with the best range of glass and buy a compitiable body. Then borrow their glass until you can buy your own.

Seriously .... All the brands are pretty close. Canokon are the market leaders, or is it Nikanon? They have the biggest range of glass and other accessories, as well as being supported by all the third party makers too. You will not go wrong with either one of them. Next on the list is Sony then Pentax etc. All of these make good gear too but don't quite have the range of toys like the big two.

Whatever you buy you will sort of join that tribe. You will become loyal to it and follow it, a bit like someone who follows a sport team. In threads like this you will come and wave your tribes colours etc. This also holds true for many reviewers out there too.

I am in one tribe. I know people in the other tribe and I pretend they are friends and will even acknowledge that they occasionally grab a good snap shot, despite their choice of gear. As deviant as they are I will say one thing positive for them, they leave my quality glass alone as it doesn't suit their puny bodies.

So ..... I now have said a LOT and not helped with your choice. If your in it for the long haul then have a look at bodies from each system. Pick them up and see which feels most comfortable to YOU. Do this for the entry level bodies as well as the Prosumer bodies and the Pro bodies. I know you don't have the budget now, but that is where you are headed and this way you will get a feel for the system. After that flip a coin, read the entrails of a chicken, play some Tarot cards etc. Go back to rule one at the top and pick one and lay down your cash. Next do something which will make a difference, learn about Exposure unitil it's second nature, study composition until it's intuitive, teach you mind to see the world as your camera does and TAKE LOTS OF PHOTOGRAPHS! These are the things which are important.

Lastly, and most importantly, HAVE FUN AND ENJOY IT.

hbr

hot to trot wrote: »

I rang simplyelectronics.net mentioned above, to ask about guarantee given that they are imports from HK as stated above. They provide a shop guarantee of one year.
So whats the difference??????

There are a number of differences. A 'shop guarantee' can be a problem
when the shop is in Hong Kong.

If there is a problem it will be taken back andn repaired or replaced

Yes, but it has to be repaired in Asia.

....according to consumer law.

According to HK consumer law.

Does it make much difference where you buy then if the guarantees are pretty much the same?

Items purchased from HK are not subject to EU distance selling regulations.
Particularly the "cooling off period".

Having to ship a camera to another part of the world is not
just inconvenient, it can also have customs implications.
Can you show that VAT has been paid on the item? If not,
you may have problems with customs.

A friend bought a nikon in UK ( she lives there) and had a fault with it in the first month. She had no satisfaction from Nikon and 3 months later was still without her camera.

Unfortunately, poor service is not confined to HK. I have heard a
few other tales about poor customer service from Nikon recently.

I believe Olympus cameras have an international warranty.
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/world_warranty_home.asp

That looks like a good reason for buying an Olympus.

ThOnda

CabanSail wrote: »

Firstly - IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER A TOSS WHICH CAMERA YOU BUY.

If you buy a Canon

CabanSail

ThOnda wrote: »

If you buy a Canon

I have..... a few times. *groan*

Fr Tod Umptious

Hi
I am thinking of getting a Fujifilm FinePix S3300 bridge camera (DSLR is too expensive) and I have a quick question about the max exposure duration on it.

The spec says
Shutter speed 1/2000 to 8sec.

Does anyone know if there is a the availability on it to open the shutter for as long as the user requires, like I used to have on my old Cannon film SLR, or will I be limited to a max of 8sec ?

Thanks for your time.

peckerhead

I don't think any of the Fuji bridge cameras has the equivalent of a B or T setting, unfortunately. Check the manual.

I've another question - can anyone recommend a good, reasonably-priced compact for close-up (dental) photography, something that will autofocus without searching madly at distances of maybe 6" or so? I've looked at a few of the available models out there (including today's iBood offer and similar Lumix compacts) but in the short form of the specifications none of them says "Macro" or gives a minimum distance, and tracking down the full manual for everything is a bit of a chore.

Anybody out there using something that fits the bill?

zero19

hbr wrote: »

The first thing you need to be aware of is that SE is a Hong Kong company.
Despite the .ie domain, they have no physical presence here.

I bought a lens from them recently. I had no problems except that it took a
bit longer than the time suggested on their web page. The lens arrived in
8 days. It was shipped from the UK via DHL six days after I placed my
order. I received the package in good condition two days later.

I would have some reservations about buying a camera body from
them unless I could be sure it came with a European warranty
card.

Thanks for that, i was wondering why they're so cheap!

alowe

Help please ...

I want to get a camera that I can have with me at all times, so am looking for a nice little compact. I have a canon dslr and numerous lenses, so for proper shots, I'm sorted, but i've found myself caught out of getting pics as the phone on my camera is too slow (and needs the object still!)

Ideally this camera will live in my handbag or pocket. It needs to be able to take photos quickly, i.e. of kids moving or who don't pose or stay still for any length of time. Also, I don't want to have to wait an age to take a 2nd and 3rd shot, etc. A good optical zoom would be good too.

My mother has a sony cybershot DSC-W380 which i've found great, so something as good as this would be nice. However, budget is an issue, so if a cheap and cheerful camera will do a similar job, then thats fine. However, if I spend a little bit more but get a brilliant compact that will last for years, then please advise away.

Any guidance, greatly appreciated. (even if just to know exactly what spec I should look for to ensure I get a quick reacting shutter speed and lens.)

athtrasna

I'm also looking for a compact. I'm not much of a photographer but like to capture special moments. Had a four year old Casio Exilim that was broken when someone knocked it out of my friend's hand when they were taking a photo of us and the lens jammed.

Replaced it with a Samsung PL210 which went crazy when a single drop of rain hit the lens. The second PL210 which replaced it then seemed to have moisture in the LCD when I opened the box and the shutter would take 30 seconds to open. So that went back too.

Heading to the US soon and figured I might get better value there, any recommendations..all purpose compact, rechargeable battery a must.

FewFew

When it comes to compacts, tis hard to beat an aul Canon Ixus, or so I've always found.

athtrasna

Thanks..will keep an eye out for one

dmckenna50

Hi guys,

I have the Canon 450D and I want to buy a new lens for it. I have the one it came with, the 18-55 lens but could someone suggest another? I don't have a specific use. Mostly family shots and landscapes. And does anyone know if there are reliable sites to buy second hand because I don't know that I could afford a brand new one. Any help is appreciated anyway!

Thanks

shemwhistler

Hi folks,

I've been seeing so much on here, and elsewhere about getting a 50mm prime lens, it seems to get a lot of love.

I wanted to check a couple of things;

1) Is this the offending beastie? http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/EF_Lenses/Standard_and_Medium_Telephoto/EF_50mm_f1.8_II/

2) Will this fit on by 1000D body? (pretty sure it will as it's an ES mount)

Thanks
Matt

jpb1974

Adverts.ie is the place to look for used photography gear.

In relation to what lens to buy... well it really depends on what you want to use it for... and your budget.

Some basic lenses would include -

Portrait
Canon 50mm F1.8

Landscape
Sigma 10-20mm

Sport
Canon 70-200 F4 L

But there are tons of other options out there.

the_tractor

Try a 50mm. I think the Canon ones are not expensive new, and everyone should have a nifty fifty.

Everytime I use my 50mm I wonder why I don't use it more.

Obviously a 50mm is no good for landscapes, cause with the crop factor it's around 80mm in old money, but it is great for portraits and indoor low light.

shemwhistler

the_tractor wrote: »

Try a 50mm. I think the Canon ones are not expensive new, and everyone should have a nifty fifty.

Everytime I use my 50mm I wonder why I don't use it more.

Obviously a 50mm is no good for landscapes, cause with the crop factor it's around 80mm in old money, but it is great for portraits and indoor low light.

Hi,

I'm thinking of getting a nifty fifty, but I'm completely clueless when it comes to sensors and crop sizes and, well, stuff. I've seen it mentioned a few times here on the boards, but it just hasn't sunk in.

Is there somewhere on the interwebs that I can read where it will succinctly tell me why that lens is no good for landscapes?

I find the wikipedia pages on some of these topics to be extremely maths heavy and mind boggling, was hoping for more of an idiot's guide.

Thanks
Matt

dinneenp

shemwhistler wrote: »

Hi,

I'm thinking of getting a nifty fifty, but I'm completely clueless when it comes to sensors and crop sizes and, well, stuff. I've seen it mentioned a few times here on the boards, but it just hasn't sunk in.

Is there somewhere on the interwebs that I can read where it will succinctly tell me why that lens is no good for landscapes?

I find the wikipedia pages on some of these topics to be extremely maths heavy and mind boggling, was hoping for more of an idiot's guide.

Thanks
Matt

No good for landscapes as the focal length doesn't suit. e.g. when you look through the lens you won't see wide enough to get in all the landscape.
If you have a zoom lens currently set it to 50mm (take a pic, check the data to know when you have exactly 50mm). Then try some shots with it and you'll see what the focal length is like.

People like the lens as it's:

1. small
2. fixed focal length so you have to 'work' and think about the photo you want (walk to frame your pic instead of zoom in)
3. has good/fast aperture which can produce shots with blurred background/select focus area
4. get great photos*
5. others probably

This photo is f2.8, most nifty fiftys lens are 1.7 or thereabouts so you can blur background even more.

some people love them, some don't use them that much. I have a 30mm f1.4 which I prefer as it's better for indoors as it's better for low light and I don't have to step back as much (with a 50mm indoors I often find that you can't get all your subject into the frame unless you step back a lot)

hbr

dmckenna50 wrote: »

Hi guys,

I have the Canon 450D and I want to buy a new lens for it. I have the one it came with, the 18-55 lens but could someone suggest another?

If you have the 18-55mm IS, you already have a fairly good lens.

I don't have a specific use.

Well then you should keep your money in the piggy-bank
for now.

Mostly family shots and landscapes.

The 18-55mm is pretty good for that.

The 18-55m is not so good for low light and/or fast action. Because
if it's limited focal length, it is not good for some types of wildlife or
sports photography.

I get the feeling that you have a few quid burning a hole in your pocket
and you are not sure what you should do with it. This leaves you at
risk of buying something you don't need or won't use. You should only
buy a new lens when you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve.

A few examples:

Low light portraits: Fast prime lens. The 50mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.4 USM.

Macro and close up: Canon (or other brand) macro lens. Canon 100mm f/2.8 or Sigma/Tamron/Tokina equivalent.

Sports/wildlife Canon or Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8

And does anyone know if there are reliable sites to buy second hand because I don't know that I could afford a brand new one. Any help is appreciated anyway!

Thanks

I find adverts.ie and eBay are very good. You need to be alert for fraudsters.
Some of the adverts.ie sellers are regular posters here on boards. Check feedback
and posting history carefully.

hbr

shemwhistler wrote: »

Hi folks,

I've been seeing so much on here, and elsewhere about getting a 50mm prime lens, it seems to get a lot of love.

A 50mm lens has something close to a normal field of view on a 35mm
film camera or a full frame DSLR. On a camera with a smaller image sensor,
it has a narrower field of view. It will be equivalent to about 80mm on your 1000D.
If you want a 'normal' lens for your 1000D, you might consider a 35mm or even
a 28mm lens instead. If you are happy with a narrower field of view which is well
suited to portrait photography, you should find 50mm is a very useful focal length.

I wanted to check a couple of things;

1) Is this the offending beastie? http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/EF_Lenses/Standard_and_Medium_Telephoto/EF_50mm_f1.8_II/

That is the popular and reasonably priced 50mm f/1.8 aka 'nifty-fifty'.

2) Will this fit on by 1000D body? (pretty sure it will as it's an ES mount)

Yes it will.

shemwhistler

dinneenp wrote: »

No good for landscapes as the focal length doesn't suit. e.g. when you look through the lens you won't see wide enough to get in all the landscape.
If you have a zoom lens currently set it to 50mm (take a pic, check the data to know when you have exactly 50mm). Then try some shots with it and you'll see what the focal length is like.

People like the lens as it's:

1. small
2. fixed focal length so you have to 'work' and think about the photo you want (walk to frame your pic instead of zoom in)
3. has good/fast aperture which can produce shots with blurred background/select focus area
4. get great photos*
5. others probably

This photo is f2.8, most nifty fiftys lens are 1.7 or thereabouts so you can blur background even more.

some people love them, some don't use them that much. I have a 30mm f1.4 which I prefer as it's better for indoors as it's better for low light and I don't have to step back as much (with a 50mm indoors I often find that you can't get all your subject into the frame unless you step back a lot)

Thanks for that, I have a follow on question from that, hopefully someone can she some light on it for me.

Poor focal length for landscapes: Am I right in thinking that the focal length is the 50mm part of the lens description?

I have the kit lens of 18 - 55mm which gives me a pretty good amount of magnification, but also can be wide enough for landscape stuff. Is it a case then that when I'm doing landscapey stuff (zoomed out) this is the 18mm end of the range, and when I'm doing portraits (zoomed in) this is the 55mm end?

Or have I hopelessly oversimplified it and missed the point of focal length.

shemwhistler

hbr wrote: »

A 50mm lens has something close to a normal field of view on a 35mm
film camera or a full frame DSLR. On a camera with a smaller image sensor,
it has a narrower field of view. It will be equivalent to about 80mm on your 1000D.
If you want a 'normal' lens for your 1000D, you might consider a 35mm or even
a 28mm lens instead. If you are happy with a narrower field of view which is well
suited to portrait photography, you should find 50mm is a very useful focal length.

Thanks hbr, so in real simple terms on the lens the larger the mm the narrower it is?

And the sensor you have can reduce the 'actual' lens mm to I guess a 'perceived' mm value.

So a more expensive body with a better sensor will use all of the lens.


I hope that's right, and if it is it's finally starting to sink in

If not, bugger.