Canon 400d

[Cobra]

Going to Florida on monday to finish my PPL, whilst im there i think it would be nice to get some good pictures (and i have always wanted to get into photography)... which means new camera time! + the exchange rate is extremely favourable at the moment.

Found some really cheap stuff on eBay which i will just get delivered to the house im staying at in FL...what do you think of packages like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/CANON-EOS-Digital-R ... dZViewItem

Obviously the lenses aren't top notch, but neither are my photography skills. Basically...is it a good buy or should i be looking at more established stores/sites?

Help appretiated  :)

[Omag 2.0]

Good choice on the camera, not so sure on the package...

Seems like a whole lot of stuff, but do you need it to start?

If you are on a tighter budget, start with the Rebel + kitlense and buy a Sigma 70-300 mm APO DG Macro. It's the best of the budget telelenses. Look for the one with a red ring around the top of the lens. I'm afraid that the one in the ebay package will be an older version, so lesser quality.

I did a quick search on the web and didn't find any reviews on the Sigma 28-70 f2.8-4

The flash seems to be a white product, no brand. Looks really cheap and weak, better use the build in flash for starters.

The attach wideangle lens is something I haven't seen before, but will probably cost you sharpness and lightstops on the lens you are using. Same goes for the filters. Only highend filters don't affect the image-quality. Putting more glass in front of a lens results in a higher chance of lensflare and reduced detail and sharpness.

Generally I wouldn't recommend buying lenses and camera's of the web. You can always go back to a store where you buyed the gear when womething goes wrong. Trough the internet it will take a whole lot more time...

My advice? Check out you local stores, the camera is good, but start with what you really need and you'll soon find out what othet stuff you need, so you can buy as needed.

I know that the dollar is cheap compared to the Euro, but for that amount of cash you can't buy all that stuff in a reasonable quality, IMHO...



ps: read - read - read before you buy... it will save you disappointment and cash.

Some sites:

Camera's: - www.dpreview.com - www.cameralabs.com - www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews

Lenses: - www.photozone.de - www.fredmiranda.com - www.photographyreview.com

[Cobra]

Thanks for the thorough analysis Omag  :)

Yeh I do totally agree with you actually, I suppose i was just blinded by the 'good value'! Half the stuff there i don't even want, let alone need!

I don't really want to be spending more than $800, with that all i really want is a 400d base and a normal 50mm'ish lense + a telephoto lense going up to atleast 300mm for shooting the aircraft! & obviously the memory card!

Links are great also Omag, don't think i have anymore questions after reading them!  :D

[BAW0343]

I bought a package deal like that once,  Was almost worth it.

The "free Telephoto lens" and the "Wide Angle lens" are both of atrocious quality.  If its only a lens that screws onto another lens don't even bother using it.  I got roped into those and found them stunningly useless.

Lets go through this by letter:

A. Body, Fantastic for beginners, I have one and absolutely love it.
B. Don't know anything about this exact lens other then Sigma is a well known name but you get what you pay for.
C. Same as above.
D. Cool  8-)
E. Crap, As described above.
F. Can come in handy but will reduce image Quality and really aren't necessary for Digital as It can be done on the camera itself or in post-processing.
G. Necessary but a little small, 1G will get around 250 photos on large quality format, around 50 in RAW and obviously more as you get smaller.
H. Although Handy I wont think its a fast reader, and since the camera comes with a USB cord its rather redundant to use this.
I. Great for storage but looks rather small. I'm not sure how much you sill be able to fit. Look around for a camera backpack as they offer the best space with the most comfort.
J. Very useful in low light or long exposures, but the word "Deluxe" should set off alarms in quality and durability.
K. I have this and the little rubber things come off and its not totally flexible but its a great compact item to have if you don't have a full size tripod.
L. Useful but again cheap. Dust cloth produces more then it cleans.
M. The built flash in should be of much better quality.
N. The normal recharger with the standard kit should be of better quality.
O. Useful but not necessary.
P-T. All come with the Kit from Cannon.

What I did was buy the 400D Kit (Black body, Cannon 18-55mm kit lens, other assorted items) then bought a cheap Telephoto (Tamron 75-300mm) all ran for around 900ish total. Nothing fancy (though I've added items) but its more reliable then E-bay items like these.

I hope this helps you make a decision. Its a great camera and the package will get you some nice items but it is not 100% trustworthy and if you do get it you'll find most of the items are totally useless or of horrible quality.

Look forward to hear of your purchase and some of your first images!  ;D

[The Ruptured Duck]

I recomend going to a camera store and trying stuff out.  Consider buying the body separately from the lens.  Then get ready to start buying a lot of accessories.

I puchased the 400D kit - $750
Bag - $50
UV Filter - $9 (must have!)

A month later
Close up lenses (go on front of lens) - $40
Polarizing Filter - $50

Upcoming purchases:
Tripod
Telephoto lens