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Decisions decisions
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Hi
Im interested in buying a superzoom and am considering two at the moment..
1. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 ( €376 pixmania )
2. Fuji Finepix S100FS ( €480 pixmania )i like the idea of having a wide range zoom as opposed to changing lenses. I also want to experience some manual photography before taking the plunge into DSLR
my photo interests lie mainly in motor rally/ sports, and sometimes in nature…so, which of these would you recommend or indeed, should i look at the Canon Eos 1000D ( € 483 inc kit lens pixmania )
my head aches from looking up reviews of the above , so i have the best unbiased view is to ask the experts….
thanks guys
stiggy
Go the DSLR route. You will end up buying one anyway. The Canon EOS 1000D looks like a great entry level DSLR, but you should check out Nikon’s offerings as well.
I agree, go with the DSLR. You’ll probably find that you’ll want to sooner than later and will regret the 2 choices above.
It looks like you have a decent budget, ie up to €480?. I’m sure in the stores here in Ireland, I’ve seen the D40 + kit lens (18-55)
go for that or less.You’ll have much more control with a DSLR and will not regret it ! :)
I see from your profile that you have an Olympus 550, would the two cameras
you mention not be very similar? If you think this is just a stepping stone to a
dslr then I would definitely go for the dslr now, it is not such a big step up as you
think and with the auto and semi auto modes they really are very simple to use
and before you know where you are you will be trying out manual.If you like to shoot motorsport then definitely go with the DSLR. The instant shutter will be a revelation.
It is also nice to be able to create a blurred background with a DSLR.
The 1000D is a cracking camera for the money, as is the Canon 450D.
Shop around and you should find some good prices.
yep…i had a 550 but sold it some time ago. the EVF viewfinder annoyed me, with its purple hue in bright sunlight, ( apparantly its on them all! ) so i moved it on.
i agree and know that i will get a dslr at some stage, but as im learning at present, maybe now is the time.
What drew me to the fz50 was the manual focus and zoom, plus the fact that its compact.
The 550 was a nice camera and really it was this that got me interested, but it has a few niggly things that prob stopped me using it as much as i had hoped.I know the dslr route is the way to go, but for a novice its a minefield….not so much picking a body, but trying to understand the differences in the glass available.
all the F numbers and tech spec is great IF you understand what it means and the differences they produce. The manafacturers take it you know what youre buying when they suppy them.I suppose thats why they supply a kit lens, to get you started, and anyone buying glass is expected to know the ins and outs of what the specs mean….just for beginners its quite daunting!!
its a pity there is not an easy way to depict the differences each lens produces, ie sigma 18-50 f3.5 to 5.6 compared to a sigma 18-50 f2.8 { first one is over 400 euro while second on is 142 euro}
this is where is daunting for a beginner !!I felt exactly the same way when I took the plunge, but I can honestly say
it was the best thing I could have done, I have learnt more in the last year
and a half than I have in the previous 20 years of taking photographs, both
by reading and asking questions, I did an on line tutorial, which although very
basic was very inspiring and encouraged me to get out and try all the new
fangled settings, yes I made some spectacular blunders but when I took a
half decent photograph I was soooo chuffed.I’d have to vote for the DSLR option as well. I love motorsports and tend to take a fair few photos at the different road races or tracks that I go to. For me having a DSLR has been invaluable and whilst it seems daunting at first its amazing how much you learn with a quick read through the manual and taking as many photos as possible. The biggest problem when you use a compact style camera is that there is usually a delay between when you press the shutter button and when it captures the image. In motorsports this often means your subject has been and gone before you’ve got your shot. With a DSLR I can press the shutter and the image is captured in that instant. Even better I can get around 3 frames per second in burst mode. Best of all, one day I can be shooting bikes racing round Kirkistown and the next day I can be shooting long exposures in the Mournes. The flexibilty is great.
I dont think you could go far wrong with the 1000D but there are some good deals on the 450D at the moment and with the Canon cashback offer I dont think its too far away from the 1000D price wise. Back to the motorsport thing you will really need a telephoto lens to go with it so look for something around the 55-200 or 70-300 range. If it was me I would be tempted by the 450D Twin Lens kit which comes with the new 18-55 IS (image stablised) lens and the new 55-250 IS. This would give you plenty of flexibility whilst keeping the cost down. I’ve never used Nikon myself but anyone I have spoken to seems to speak very highly of the D40. On paper it maybe doesnt have the most dazzling spec’s but in real terms I’ve heard the images are very good and at the price it would certainly be worth a look.
cheers suspectmonkey
have you a link to that 450d & twin lens kit by any chance?
getting closer folks!!
the stig wrote:
cheers suspectmonkey
have you a link to that 450d & twin lens kit by any chance?
getting closer folks!!
Warehouse Express have it here:
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=1025953Not sure what your budget is, but 7dayshop.com are selling the 400D which is still an excellent buy with a 18-55, 55-200 and a battery grip (basically will hold an extra battery if you need it and make the camera physically bigger which some people prefer) for a pretty good price:
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=102545Hope this helps, might be worth a quick Google to see if you can find any cheaper but I would say they are fairly competitive prices.
Definitely get an SLR. You’ll learn a lot quicker and a lot more. Buy a few books to teach yourself and you’ll come on in leaps and bounds.
cheers suspectmonkey…
just learned two things so far
1. the fuji is off the menu
2. the 400D wont work with apple osx 10.5 ( leopard ) ; only spec for 10.4 ( tiger ) :(….i will not be reinstalling tiger ,, ,
so i guess the hunt continues. the fz50 ( within budget) ,100D or the 450D with lens bundle? ( s t r e t c h the budget ) !
my budget WAS 500 till i posted!!
needs to be reviewed i think?Don’t worry about the 400D and Leopard. I never connect the camera to my Mac. I just use a card reader. I don’t believe that the software with the 400D won’t run on Leopard
John
400D should work with Leopard 10.5 no problem, I would suspect that the spec page just hasnt been updated as Leopard hadnt been released when the 400D hit the market. I actually use a 350D (older than the 400D) with Leopard, although I dont actually use the supplied Canon software. I just hook the camera to my Macbook via. USB and then use Image Capture to import the files. After that I use Adobe Lightroom but if you dont have that you can always use iPhoto to organise them and do some basic editing.
PS: Just had a quick check on the Canon website and in their Software Centre they seem to have updates for all the software to run in 10.5 ok. You can check it out and even download the software in advance to test it here: http://software.canon-europe.com/products/0010371.asp
If you really want to keep things below £500 you could always go for the Nikon D40 (approx £270) and add a Nikon 55-200 lens (around £165) which would bring you to £435 (all available on Warehouse Express etc.). This would give you the same focal range as the Canon twin lens pack for less money with the trade of being a slightly lower specced camera. In real terms though the photos you could take using the D40 would be every bit as good and a quick search on Flickr for D40 users brings up some impressive stuff. Also the D40 will still, in my opinion, blow away the image quality from a super zoom compact.
Hope this helps a bit!
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