Hi there! Newbie after some advice

[sat1983]

I'm a total newbie when it comes to photography but would love to work my up to eventually becoming a pro, I do mean eventually!
Which camera do you think would fit the bill?
Thanks!

[SAB_Click]

Sat

Welcome to the Forum.

It may help people to advise you if you give an idea of your budget and what type of photography you aspire to get into professionally. It's worth posting this info if you want meaningful replies.

[sat1983]

Oops sorry, budget is £1000 ideally, I can go higher obviously for the right camera. I'd like to do travel, architecture, landscapes. Id like to capture general interesting/arty pictures too if you see what I mean! I would also do portraits.

[DStanic]

Vertually all modern Canon DSLRs are capable of taking excellent image quality. The lenses are really what makes the difference. The XSi/450D can do everything you mentioned very well and at a low price. That leaves room to buy some good lenses. If you want a bigger camera with faster autofocus and better controls then look at a 40D or 50D (which you will probably end up keeping, at least as a backup camera). Of course even the older 20D,30D,350D,400D are still very capable cameras, they just don't have all the features as newer ones. I think that would be the best route for a beginner before looking at something like a 5D or 1D series.

[sat1983]

how has technology moved on in recent years? My friend has a 350d and loves it- does the 1000d do the same job as the 350d nowadays?

[PhotosGuy]

I do mean eventually! For now, you're still in learning mode, so any SLR with good glass would be a good start to build a portfolio. It wouldn't hurt if you told us just what you like to shoot?

Post your best shots from the "kit lens"-EF-S 18-55 (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=185522)

Post your best shots from Rebel/ XT / XTI (300D/350D/400D) (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=496404)

[DStanic]

If you want to compare image quality spend some time looking at reviews on Dpreview. There has been only a small improvement in high-ISO performance from 350D to 450D. So to answer your question a 1000D will be very close to a 350D.

Recent technology on the xxxD cameras:
400D- auto sensor cleaning/dust removal, larger 2.5" LCD. Very similar image quality to 350D.
450D- live view, spot metering, Larger 3" LCD, more megapixels.
1000D- budget alternative to the 450D, less megapixels, less focus points and less FPS in RAW, 2.5" LCD, no live view. More comparable in features to the 400D.

500D- noticeably better high-ISO performance (some reviews say better then the 50D), more mp, movie mode.

450D, 1000d, and 500D use newer batteries then the 350D/400D and have better battery life. I get just over 600shots on a set of 2 batteries on my gripped 400D.


I still love my 400D you can find some bargains on used or refurb units nowdays. I really love my 30D, which only cost me $450 used and has much better controls, faster FPS, but about the same image qualtiy as my 400D.

[sat1983]

40d or 50d seems the way to go if I want it to keep it a long while.

[PhotosGuy]

450D, 1000d, and 500D use newer batteries then the 350D/400D and have better battery life. Keep in mind that all batteries aren't created equal. The one I got from Canon is 1390 mAh. One I bought is 1800 mAh & I've seen even higher rated ones. I've shot an all day v-ball tournament with the 1800 mAh battery & didn't need the back-up battery. (This was with the LCD display turned off.)

[Ephemeral]

Personally, I'd say it matters less what your first camera is, be it bottom of the range or top of the range, what's more important is that you take lots of pictures with it, and are not afraid to experiment with the settings.

At the end of the day a camera is a tool to capture images and it's down to you to know what sort of style of photography you want to develop. You won't know that until you taken lots of pictures and figured out what works and what doesn't for you.

I remember I started off with a 350D. I just wanted a better camera than my point and shoot and didn't really know what this taking pictures thing was all about. (My friends would argue that I still don't. :P) I must have taken around 3000 odd pictures in the first 4 weeks of owning the 350D. Most of the shots were duds where I was trying things out, "Mmm, what sort of picture do I get when I have this shutter speed?"..."Oh, too dark, not enough light...hang on, I can increase the ISO...". After about a month of learning and experimentation, I had a much better idea of what I wanted.

[sat1983]

Got 40d in the end. Happy!

[SAB_Click]

Nice one! - you will be well pleased with it! Now post some pictures. :D

[nimbletechnique]

I remember I started off with a 350D. I just wanted a better camera than my point and shoot and didn't really know what this taking pictures thing was all about. (My friends would argue that I still don't. :P) I must have taken around 3000 odd pictures in the first 4 weeks of owning the 350D. Most of the shots were duds where I was trying things out, "Mmm, what sort of picture do I get when I have this shutter speed?"..."Oh, too dark, not enough light...hang on, I can increase the ISO...". After about a month of learning and experimentation, I had a much better idea of what I wanted.

I have just started taking photos over the last few months and I bought a 350D on Craigslist. Your experiences with it have been similar to mine. I've taken 1000+ images and am just starting to feel comfortable with the relationships amongst ISO, shutter, aperture, etc. I have had a smallish but significant number of "whoa" shots where I can obviously see that the equipment is not limiting me, but my experience which I'm improving upon.

Also, I've been lurking this evening, and can see this is a really good forums. I'm glad to have signed up and I'm looking forward to posting more in the future.

[ncphoto]

Sat

I broke down and finally bought the 40d last feb ( actually 2 of them). I have been shooting since 1986 and put in 22yrs in graphic arts. I am so happy I waited thru all the hype of going digital. I also recommend getting the BG-E2n battery pack, they are worth the money. I have made more money than ever with these cameras and will now get the 5d2 when they come in