Help on Canon EOS models please!

[~AJ~]

Ok, so not sure how many of you saw my last thread.... for those who didn't: http://digital-photography-school.co...ood-price.html

Now I'm really confused. Someone told me that the EOS1000D is absolute basic & that I should get the 450D.

I think I've decided not to worry about the 30D for now... I think I'll stick to the ones I already know, which is the "entry level" DSLR's. I'm using mum's 400D and the 450D & 1000D menus are pretty similar for me....

So - I guess what I really want to know is... if you Canon fans out there could by ANY canon camera, which would you get?

[digirebelva]

First off, are you serious about photography, or is it a passing fancy..?

The camera body is nice, but honeslty good glass is where you want to spend your money. The body's get updated all of the time, glass a whole lot less. And good glass holds its value, while the body's do not. Most of the the glass can transation from body to body (F.F. being the exception here)..as you gain experience and find the body limiting what you can do. If you are just starting out I would recommend a rebel (XSI or T1I) body at first and spend the savings on good glass..you can always sell the rebel to help finance an upgrade later when you are ready to move up..

[SoxAddict]

I totally agree with digi above - I've been using SLRs for a couple of decades now, but I'm just a hobby photographer. I currently have a T1i - it's a great intermediate level camera & has never limited me in any way. My guess, because you're confused about the different options out there, is that you too are a hobby photographer - if this is so, consider also choosing one of the intermediate levels bodies and invest your money in the cool lenses that you want.

At the end of the day, it's the person using the camera who mostly makes the shot, not just the camera itself. If you should ever outgrow an intermediate level body, it's easy enough to upgrade then. In the meantime though, I have no doubt you'd have a lot of fun with the T1i or XSi or something.

[Samanax]

Originally Posted by ~AJ~

So - I guess what I really want to know is... if you Canon fans out there could by ANY canon camera, which would you get?

I'd get a 1D Mk IV .

[BCampbell]

I don't think the difference between the 1000D and 450D are big enough for you to worry about.

There are basically two paths for you to take. The first is that you have some fun with the camera but it's "just another camera" to you, and you pull it out now and then. In this case, you'll never notice the difference between the models, and that camera will last you a long, long time.

The second is that this becomes a serious hobby, you collect a few lenses, and then want to upgrade the camera body. Having the 450D will not really make you want to upgrade your body any later -- it will not necessarily hold you over any longer than the 1000D -- and you'll be stepping up to something like a T1i, 7D, or 5D series anyway (or whatever the market segment equivalents are down the road).

So, for an introduction to the hobby, save a couple bucks, get the 1000D, and sock that money away in case you want to buy lenses down the line.

[RustySterling]

If you are serious about photography I agree that you should invest in glass first. That's what I did initially. And because I knew that eventually I'd be going FF I did not waste my time and money on EF-S (or whatever the third party lenses call it) lenses. I also invested in L glass as often as I could because when you go FF you need the best glass you can get -- it tends to show the flaws of a poor lens much more than the crop sensors.

So that really what you should think about: are you serious and will you stick with it. If so, get the glass first. If you are not serious it probably doesn't matter one way or the other.

[Athas_orm]

why didn't you get the 30D everyone told you it was a good price. less than you pay for the 1000D?

[~AJ~]

Thanks everyone. At the moment I am a hobby photographer, but I'd loke to go somewhere with it eventually - not majorly far, but I guess make it more of a serious hobby & be able to offer my services to friends for their newborn shots, weddings etc....

Originally Posted by Athas_orm

why didn't you get the 30D everyone told you it was a good price. less than you pay for the 1000D?

I guess because some other advice I received on another forum I'm on (not another photography forum, but in a budding photographers thread), made me think otherwise... They made me question a few things - like has the camera ever been dropped etc....

This friend - as much as I love him - has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it. So, tends to buy the most expensive thing on the market, but not look after it a great deal. He doesn't trash things, but I remember seeing his 4yr old nephew carry it around at his wedding.... so, it just made me think twice.....

[Athas_orm]

Okay not knowing the condition is a good reason

[inkista]

The thing to know about the difference between an entry-level dRebel and a mid-grade "prosumer" XXD model is that there really isn't a helluva lot of difference image-quality wise within the same generation. Generally, the XXXD body inherits the XXD sensor and processor with six months' worth of additional tweaks added. The 300D inherited from the 10D, the 350 from the 20D, the 400D from the 30D, the 450D from the 40D, and the 500D from the 50D.

What this means is that the image quality is roughly the same, or even a little better in the dRebel bodies. All the advantages that you pay a higher price for in the XXD line come down to usability features: dual wheel control, faster shutter rate, etc. They're nicer cameras to use. But the image quality is pretty much the same. So if you don't need/use those features, or you want to save money, you're sacrificing usability. NOT image quality.