What to buy

Hi all
I am new to this and have know idea what to buy, I have a budget of around £1000 and have spent the last few weeks on youtube and many diferent forums and think the best value is a canon 60d with the twin kit 18-55 IS 2 and 55-250 is 2 for £727 from ebay (hongkong) with an aditional 50mm 1.4 for £230 . I will be using the camera for stills maining covering most areas Landscapes, portrate, and some motor sports. Is the above the best way for picture quality for money spent .

thanks in advance Davo

That would be a great choice.

That's a great kit to start off with.

Yes, great starter/value kit. You have the 18-55 for landscapes, 55-250 for motorsports, and 50 for portraits. It's a slight step up from what most people get.. being the nifty-fifty.
Just make sure and buy a lens hood for the 50/1.4.. it helps to protect the front element from any bumps, which can damage the AF over time.

Your next purchases, eventually, might include a shoe-mount flash(ie. 430 EX II), and a solid tripod.

thanks, would a cheep uv filter be ok for protecting the lens are will that affect IQ

Uh oh, shouldn't have asked that one. People around here are going to start arguing again. Just search and read, then form you're own opinion.

A UV/Protective filter won't keep bumps away from the front of the lens(on the 50/1.4).A hood will take any hits, and transfer the shock to the body.. not the front element.. the front element protrudes a little, with focusing.

A cheap UV filter will cause much more harm than good. A good quality filter can have its place.

sorry about the filter question and thanks for the help

Just make sure you read the small print on the ebay listing. As you have listed the prices in £ I'm assuming you're from the UK and you may get caught with having to pay Duty and VAT at customs which could make it more than your budget.

Have a look at www.panamoz.com as they have the twin lens kit at £735 and the 50 1.4 at £246 and it would be approx £10 for P&P. They pay all the duty at their end and the price you see stays at the price you pay. I've used Panamoz a few times and they give great service and a great price and are very trustworthy. You can also pay by bank transfer to get a 5% discount by calling them first. I've just arranged a new Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS L MkII for £1361.34 ($2113) delivered to the UK. Happy hunting.

I would consider the 60D and the 15-85 if you can push it.

jcdavo wrote in post #14752685
Hi all
I am new to this and have know idea what to buy, I have a budget of around £1000 and have spent the last few weeks on youtube and many diferent forums and think the best value is a canon 60d with the twin kit 18-55 IS 2 and 55-250 is 2 for £727 from ebay (hongkong) with an aditional 50mm 1.4 for £230 . I will be using the camera for stills maining covering most areas Landscapes, portrate, and some motor sports. Is the above the best way for picture quality for money spent .

thanks in advance Davo

The 60d is a very good camera, but with your budget I would suggest considering just buying the body on its own and a better lens.

The 50 1.4 is a great lens but the other two will leave you disappointed.

I would suggest a Canon 15-85 if you not going to need low light. If you are I would go with the 17-55 f2.8 although that will probably swallow your budget.

If you look at good second hand you could probably pick up a 15-85 for around £180 and a 70-200 L f4 for around £400

That would give you a great pair of lenses and a great body.

Hope this helps.

I think the 60D with some kit lenses is a good start. I will make no recommendation about filters. I started out using them to protect my very expensive lenses. When I got my 100-400L I saw that filters can really negatively affect image quality. My lenses now go naked, but wear hoods in the interest of modesty. I am happier with my IQ since I quit using filters. Do it the way YOU want to. If you need filters, I'll send you all of my UV(0), UV(1) and UV-Haze filters.

Oh, I am not opposed to CPL, ND, GND or other filters for specific uses.