One for the Photographers

[warrenpfo]

I am currently using my old Canon 20D and the wife a Canon S95. The 20D has served its purpose and got me into photography all those years ago but it is time for an upgrade and I plan on getting the new 70D once it is release at the end of August.

The wife uses the S95 which is a great little camera BUT it takes ages from pressing the button for the shutter to release and we have missed many moments with our daughter due to its lag.

My thinking is to get the wife the Canon 700D which is not a P+S but a great entry level DSLR along with the 24-105 lens. We can then use it for our trip to Italy in August and when my 70D is released we will have two very nice cameras.

My question is where does one buy there cameras these days as I have always managed to get them from the US when a friend or family is going over but that does not look like its going to work timings wise.

Secondly would I get a better deal buying the 24-105 lens on its own, or as a kit with the 700D or the 70D.

 

[grantw]

The 24-105 is a great lens but more suitable for full framed cameras. I was talked out of buying it by a pro who showed me the amount of barrel distortion you get when I was buying my 40D. When compared with the result on a 5d with the exact same lens it was enough for me to not buy it.

Second camera (not what you asked I know) I'd take a serious look at the current Sony detachable lens series 5N etc - they are very very good.

Jessops have always been pretty keen on pricing - not sure how many stores they currently have as I think they went into administration.

Becareful of "grey imports" when buying (especially if you go to tottenham court road) as warranty wise Canon Europe won't honour the warranty for them.

 

[warrenpfo]

Thanks Grant

Funny you should mention the 24-105 not being great for the bodies mentioned as i have just got off the phone with Wex an online retailer and they too said the same thing.

Perhaps best if i get the 700D with the 18-135 STM kit lens which is supposed to be very good and then make a final decision on which "L" series lend to get with the 70D later on. I want to get something that takes me to 100mm as i have a 100-400 for the top end.

I am very keen to remain with Canon if I can but will take a look at the Sony.

Keep the info and thoughts coming

 

[warrenpfo]

To update it looks like the wife now wants the 100D as its very similar to the 700 but much smaller.....and cheaper thank goodness

 

[Chas]

I thought Jessops had gone bust? but I just googled them they seem to be up and running now.

 

[Leopard]

The 24-105 is my go to lens. I use it on both the 40d and 5d. Not had any problems with it on the 40d, but then again the 40d is my second camera or spare really.

The 60d was a really good camera, so you can't go wrong with the 70d.

I have a contact that imports cameras/lenses into the UK from the US. I've always found his prices are always lower than anyone else online. I'll PM his details.

 

[froggy Steve]

I have an 1100 D that does everything and more that I need. I have a 55-250 and the standard 18-55 + macro's etc. I did a photo course for beginners in the last winter, and will do the intermediate this coming winter - it never stops surprising me what it will do in 'manual' rather than auto!

Steve

 

[Gary Stockton]

Do yourself a favour and look at the Canon Powershot G1X or G15. SWMBO uses a G12 and its awesome stuff ...


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[Craig Yeoman]

I bought a camera and package deal and added another lens at the same time. Also bought it from Jessops. At the time, I did my searches and only found a very limited few that could beat like for like price. However as an expensive item I wanted a more reliable or reputable shop to make my purchase. Jessops did go into administration, but has now been acquired by Peter Jones and still running. The next best bet might be curries, but their range may not suit to what you are after. Good luck and enjoy your upcoming trip.

 

[grantw]

Do yourself a favour and look at the Canon Powershot G1X or G15. SWMBO uses a G12 and its awesome stuff ...

I second this. The G line of canons are used by loads of professionals as backups and or in certain circumstances (large DOF for example)

Nigel - would be interested if you took the same shot with both cameras and specifically looked for barrel or pin cushion distortion around the edges.

 

[warrenpfo]

Thanks all for the comments. I would really appreciate your comments on shutter lag with the G series if anyone has any first hand experience as this is the main reason the wife wants a DSLR

 

[grantw]

Warren, if you can. Head into this camera store http://spectrumtcr.com/

If the owner is in he is a 30 year veteran and really really knows his stuff. It's more of an old school camera shop than anything else. I'd personally avoid anywhere else on tottenham court road. He will generally also price match most things you find on the web (Jessop's prices for instance)

Any modern "point and shoot" I've used in the past 2 years or so hasn't really suffered from shutter lag - well not to the point I've noticed it when using it.

Lens wise my absolute favourite is a 30mm F1.4 sigma prime lens. It's absolutely brilliant. Makes an SLR reasonable to carry around and not a huge chore. It's amazing in low night and super sharp at anything above F2.0. When travelling I have this lens on 98% of the time.

 

[Leopard]

Nigel - would be interested if you took the same shot with both cameras and specifically looked for barrel or pin cushion distortion around the edges.

I'll take some shots with both when I get the chance and post them up here.

 

[BRE Fabrications LTD]

If you want something compact and comparable to an entry level DSLR the Nikon 1 looks great and is still compact enough to fit in most wives handbags.

I have a D90 and often find it cumbersome to carry when put and about so the 1 would be perfect for occasions when you want something compact. Seeing as you are going to be upgrading yours do you really need two DSLR's in the same household?

Just a though to ponder.

 

[Gary Stockton]

Thanks all for the comments. I would really appreciate your comments on shutter lag with the G series if anyone has any first hand experience as this is the main reason the wife wants a DSLR

Hi Warren - the G12 is excellent - pretty much 0 lag I think. Not like a fast top of the line DSLR (my Sony SLT-A55 drills it at 10fps) but way better than most others in its category.

Actually - go look at the Sony SLT-A77 - awesome stuff. Slightly more compact body which will suit SWMBO more readily too. Very fast picture speed as there's no mirror to move - it's translucent.

Cheers

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[warrenpfo]

Went home with a G15 today and had a good play with it. My hands are just too big and I could not get to grips with it so back it went and ended up with the 100D and my 17-85 EFS lens.

If anyone wants a mint condition s95 let me know otherwise eBay here we come.

 

[Dark Dude]

I still shoot (professionally) with my 2nd generation DSLR, the Canon 10D and I love it. There are plenty of good quality used low mileage DSLR's to be had but only if you look in the right places. Apreature Camera's in Museum Street, in London would be my first port of call, closely followed by Fixation and Calumet. Canon 30, 40 and 50D still stand the test of time and are real bargains. As for lens, the Canon 24-105 F4 L is my backup to my primary lens the Canon 24-70 F2.8L. The 24-105 F4 is one of the few lenses which disproves the theory that the faster the glass, the better it's optical performance. It's why this lens has become a trade secret (along with the Canon "Plastic Fantastic" 50mm F1.8). that's my two cents worth....

 

[IRLGW]

Lets face it- no matter what camera/lense you buy a modern DSLR will only see a 10th of what the human eye sees (in terms of colour and contrast) I bought a 450d with standard 18-55mm lense (now with two chips on it) about 4 years ago and planned to upgrade once I got the swing. To be honest I never did (upgrade), and invested my time and money in Lightroom and photshop. I only shoot in RAW and thus saving the 75% of the image detail that the jpeg compression looses. You can then recover any shot so long as its in focus. My next lense will be a fixed aperture 70-200mm L series just to increase the range but then you may need to use a tripod as the zoom factor increases.

Image stabilising doesn't always appeal to me and often can make the image worse as the range of stability is quite limited if you compare it to the range of movement of an unsteady hand! I have also grown away from auto focus as it depends on you having all the other digital features set correctly to help it focus efficiently.

Unless you have exceeded the shutter count about 150k for a 1100/450/550/650d etc and about 400k for the £1200+ bodies I would buy the lense first and if you still are not happy then invest in a body. The 70d will be an awesome piece of kit but how many features do you actually need. I think its quicker to apply settings in batch, using PS/Lightroom than to keep changing the camera settings for each scene etc.

I guess its all down to preference but I always try to weight the importance of the features before committing to buy. Also do you buy the c't digital photography magazine? Its a german publication that has been translated in english for about two years and on sale in easons quarterly. It is technically brilliant and does some very in depth evaluations up to 20 pages long! No ads just pure detailed information. You can get all the back issues in digital format so there will probably be a review of your respective kit somewhere in there

 

[warrenpfo]

Likewise i too generally only shoot in RAW if i can help it and agree that its best to try and find a camera that suits your requirments rather than the latest and greatest.

We ended up with the canon 100d in the end which the wife is very happy with and i am still trying to get to grips with coming from a 20D. Its a very small camera with lots of features and is nice and light to carry around all day when traveling.

Thanks for all the input and advice on the subject, now all i need to do is get shot of the two older lenses i have and get some good glass to cover up to 100mm as i have a 100-400canon lens for the top end.

I have head that sigma do a very nice lens along with the newer canon 18-55 STM lens so need to investigate

 

[Shayne]

Spindrift or Reinhard just posted the best photo i think i've ever seen perhaps you should ask what camera he used ?