The agony ...

[Ski-man]

Hi everyone,

I need some advice.

Im just about to sell my G5 for a good price with a view to upgrading to the 10D. Im just trying to justify the upgrade. Im still quite an amateur but im really starting to enjoy my photography. Am i jumping into the deep end with this camera ? Is it adviseable to buy 2nd hand cameras considering previous use and handling is unknown ?

Im loathe to retract the sale of the G5 but upgrading without the extra $ is not an option.

Please advise EOS gurus ! :?

[martcol]

Go For It!

I went from a G2 to a 10D and it was the most nerve-wrcking thing I have done in my spending/social life (they call that use of "disposable income"). It was a leap in technology and a leap of faith. I'd had a SLR as a kid and enjoyed it so thought I knew the basics. The G2 helped a bit because its features are based on SLR photography.

The 10D is a wonderful piece of kit and I imagine you will be getting a good price on one now I bought mine when they were first released. The next thing that you have to contend with is lens purchase. I have now just got 3 L lenses at well over twice the cost of the camera in total... It just goes on and on....

Get the gear and have fun!

Matin

[Ski-man]

Thanks for the reply Matin. I guess im still feeling a little sentimentally attached to the G5. I was originally going to keep it as a backup point-and-shoot camera.

Your advice is sound mate. I had an SLR as a kid too.

Now - what about the 2nd hand camera issue ? Id hate to pay a load of cash for a camera and then for it to fail in a month (i would go beserk). Do the shutters in the 10D's fail that easily ? I recall reading CyberDyneSystems post about his 10D failing at 18K actuations. Maybe insurance is the key. If it fails, i get a replacement. I know Canon dont do extended warranty.

Lenses ... Mmmmmm ... i would LOVE to do some surfing photography.

[ron chappel]

I'd recommend buying new.
Obviously you don't want to get a lemon and have no warantee to fall back on.
another factor is that the going 2nd hand rate is not a whole lot less than discounted new prices

oh...and matin is right :D :D -you ARE going to want to spend more on lenses,etc later :? :?

[theflyingkiwi]

You know I went from a G3 to the 10D and I have found that was the best thing that I could have done regarding my photography.

the 10d is the first SLR camera that I owned, the G3 was the first real camera that I owened. the I had only used cameras etc in the past and had no real photography experence. But it was always something that I had wonted to get in to. When a friend of mine showed me his first digital camera I thought that is what I wont. I was well over 6 years ago.

so I am a guru? I some how don't think so, but I know that getting the 10d was a dam good idea. :)

I had found that the g3 was somewhat limited in regards to fast moving objects, didn't have the zoom that I wonted and at the end of the day I wonted no restrictions regarding what I would like to shot.

Is the 10D more than what I need to start, ohh hell yes, and if I was to do it all again, I would get the 10d first and never had touched the G3.

I am still an amateur, but I have a camera that I enjoy to use. I never have thought once that it was a bad buy.

as for the 2nd camera, if you can afford it, then yes. You might just have a use for it. I sold my G3 at the moment I still don't have a need for it. I am still learning my 10d. Which I have had for 10months.

One thing is for sure, this forum helps a great deal :D

I hope this helps.

Mark

[Ski-man]

This forum is worth its weight in gold. Thanks very much for all the comments guys.

Ron - you may be right and if i buy locally then at least i have someone to cry at if something breaks. They might also be inclined to give me a discount on a lens ;) But then again ... how about buying new from overseas ? ... gooorr ... i am my own worst enemy sometimes.

And thanks nzl - i look forward to seing some of your work in the critique forum :)

Take it easy guys - and thanks again.

[msvadi]

I went from a G2 to DRebel a couple of month ago. It was quite expensive for me, but I'm extremelly happy with my decision.

I are going to be shocked by the quality of images. I'll be amazed by the camera performace at higher ISO settings. I think that ISO 400 on the DRebel is much cleaner that ISO 100 on the G2.

If you really enjoy photography - do that, you are not going to regret. But, keep in mind that upgrading to a DSLR does not necessary mean better pictures. Naturally, a DSLR is much more capable than a G, but it also may be more demanding.

By the way, if you ask the same question at the G cameras forum, I believe that the majority will tell you to stick with your G5 and you'll see a number of suggestions to go to the Pro-1 ;)

[Belmondo]

At one point I had two G2s for work. When I bought the 10D, I figured I'd never use them again, so I 'loaned' them to friends (expecting never to see them again). Then, it became obvious I'd made a mistake; there were times when I just didn't want to drag along the big DSLR but still wanted a camera 'just in case'. So I bought a G5 which I usually keep in the truck for emergencies.

Admittedly I haven't used it a lot, but I do use it occasionally. Obviously I could have saved myself a fair amount of money if I'd just kept one of the G2s.

[martcol]

I'm hanging on to me G2 as well. I love my 10D but I do sometimes feel geeky lugging it around the shops and to parties (not that I get invited to many these days). It's a good camera and despite it being worth less than 25% of it's original value, still feels too good to sell off for next to nothing. Probably different for the G5 though?

And heck, I wish I hadn't called myself Matin. I'm not even sure how to say it!

Martin

[CoolToolGuy]

I hung onto my G3 when I got the Digital Rebel, because I want a 'walkaround' camera without the bulk of an SLR. As mentioned above, parties and other events are better handled with something less obtrusive. The money can be an issue, but I knew from the start that I did not want to get rid of the G3.