My First DSLR

hello, I'm interested in buying a new camera, I have always liked what I've read about the canons and I think I will buy a 40D. I have been reading a few reviews and it looks like it is highly rated by users and has all the features to last for years. I want something that I would still find can do everything I need once I'm a more experienced photographer. Other cameras I have been interested in are the Sony A 700, the Pentax K10D, Nikon D300 & the Panasonic DMC L10.

One feature I have noticed seems to be missing of most cameras is bluetooth, I thought this would be a popular technology used for moving pictures between the camera & computer like I do with my PDA (HTC Tyten II). What is the way these cameras are sending files remotely/wireless or is everything USB with cables?

I will be shooting all sorts of scenes so I want a versatile camera, I'm not focusing on any particular sector at this stage, I will take photos of people, landscapes, wildlife, trees & flowers, urban & city, beaches etc, I guess mainly outdoors but I would also like to use it in a studio too at times. I will be taking photos for hours a day for my pastime and for my business websites. I used to take many photos with my old slr Pentax over 7-8 years ago but I never learn't a lot of the technical details but now I have the money & the time to get into photography like I have been wanting to.Your help and comments will be great on selecting the right camera & the correct lens's and accessories.

The 40D is a great camera, but the quality of photos is more closely related to a) the photographer's skill and b) the lens rather than the camera body.

IE, a cheaper body with better glass will produce a better shot than a expensive body with a cheap lens.

As for bluetooth : the transfer rate is utterly poor and needs a fairly close line-of-sight. You will find some camera bodies have attachments for Wi-Fi but they are pretty useless since they transfer so slow still.

People in studios generally shoot with memory cards, or just wire it directly to their pcs as its substantially quicker.

Welcome to POTN! 40D is a great camera. I'm using a TyTN II too.. haha.. I think the reason why they don't have bluetooth on cameras is because it is really slow.. I takes me a few minutes just to transfer a 3mb song.. imagine of long it'll take to transfer 1gb of photos... I wouldn't find it useful at all, plus it'll just make the camera a bit more expensive for something not much people would use. You can transfer images to your PC via usb cable connected to your camera or card reader (which is much faster)

Without a budget it is impossible to give and advice. While certainly the 40D is a very capable body as was already mentioned a 40D with a cheap lens will not produce the photos a less expensive body but better glass.

Give us an idea of how much your looking to invest and the ideas will come pouring forth.

BTW, I forgot to mention welcome to the forum.

thanks for the welcome... that is a good point about the lens been important on the body (plus the photographer of course).. I'm looking at it that I will invest in good body and then purchase the lens's slowly as I learn what I need. So at first I want a good body with just a basic lens & it's not a big problem if the images aren't going to be perfect at this early stage but at least I know I have the body to use when I need, I hope this makes sense!. so I can spend time using & learning the camera features in it's basic form and then I will read up & ask here and learn about the lens & purchase them as I know what I want. That takes me to another question, does the 40D come with a basic lens or is there nothing at all with the body purchase?

As for file transfers: Yes I guess you are right, I can see that you need more speed since photos can easily add up to a few gigs. It sounds like a memory card reader is the way to go then, I will look into that and use usb for smaller uploads. How big can you go with the memory cards ( i have seen 4 gigs etc) , My htc pda can use an 8 gig one? btw, glad to hear of another tyten II owner

I haven't got any set budget, but I can buy the 40d for about $1300 Aussie $ which is around $1100 us - it's was a bit more expensive down under here).. let's say my maximum is $2000 to get started, but I would like to keep it closer to $1500 (I'm talking aussie dollars ). Ive also been reading and hearing a lot about full frame cameras but this could be getting quite expensive I guess, I just hope I don't feel i will need that after a few months of the 40d? Id rather buy what I want first off and not think later on I wish I had spent a little more to get that....

A 40D and kit lens is one option and a good one as the 40D is one fine camera but you might also consider a 400D and a couple of lenses especially if your just getting your kit put together. The image quality between the two bodies is nearly identical though the 40D has some significant improvements. You might want to do a search here and read up on a few of the 40D vs. 400D threads.

bartybates wrote in post #4728756
hello, I'm interested in buying a new camera, I have always liked what I've read about the canons and I think I will buy a 40D. I have been reading a few reviews and it looks like it is highly rated by users and has all the features to last for years. I want something that I would still find can do everything I need once I'm a more experienced photographer. Other cameras I have been interested in are the Sony A 700, the Pentax K10D, Nikon D300 & the Panasonic DMC L10.

One feature I have noticed seems to be missing of most cameras is bluetooth, I thought this would be a popular technology used for moving pictures between the camera & computer like I do with my PDA (HTC Tyten II). What is the way these cameras are sending files remotely/wireless or is everything USB with cables?

I will be shooting all sorts of scenes so I want a versatile camera, I'm not focusing on any particular sector at this stage, I will take photos of people, landscapes, wildlife, trees & flowers, urban & city, beaches etc, I guess mainly outdoors but I would also like to use it in a studio too at times. I will be taking photos for hours a day for my pastime and for my business websites. I used to take many photos with my old slr Pentax over 7-8 years ago but I never learn't a lot of the technical details but now I have the money & the time to get into photography like I have been wanting to.Your help and comments will be great on selecting the right camera & the correct lens's and accessories.

If you want something for outdoor landscapes and people, I would go with the 5D. You can always add the wireless file transfer device, although costly.

I've decided that I will do some more research and maybe wait a bit as there is meant to be a number of new cameras coming out soon. I like the idea of getting a Canon EOS 5D now and this might be worth paying a bit more for the landscapes shots and versatility I would want. The 40d is attractive because it is a new model, great reviews and some nice features. I guess if a new version of the 5d comes out then it will be quite pricy ...

thats good info to know, thanks!

Although I can afford to pay a few thousand it is really a big chunck out of my bank account for a hobby I have yet to really explore, maybe I should look at something that is going to be a bit more economical.

If you shoot any sports, the 40D is the way to go. From my research here, it seems to rival the 1D Mark IIN in many aspects for at least 1/2 the price.

Ever consider getting the 30D, which is a helluva camera, and put the price difference (vs the 40D) towards better glass?????????????