Any camera buffs that can help?

Thanks John.

I do have the camera to play with for a few days.

It doesn't have a cf card so I don't think it will store pics? May need to get a cheap one to test it.

After taking pics at different settings and put them on computer would I be able to see if there are any problems in the pics? Or only rely on the camera screen?

I will double check all lenses but they look spotless, the whole kit is in a Pelican case, the lenses have caps on each end and it looks as though the last owner was quite fastidious.

Camera club, great idea!

Thanks very much for your input.

Hi Barry.

If the moneys right I can start out with the 300 then maybe hunt for a 400 if necessary, I think this kit may suit me though.

I'm not exactly sure what I want to take photos of yet, probably wildlife at the moment.

From what pics I could see of teleconverters on the net I don't think it has one, most had teleplus on the pic, mine doesn't, they allow 2 lenses to be joined together?

If I buy it I might also watch some youtube vids to get some pointers.

Thanks again.

Might be a lens filter Wayne is seeing the name on, teleconverter don't join two lenses together, they increase the focal length of a lens and they go between the camera body and the lens. Most teleconverters come in a 1.6 or 2 multiplication.

No teleconverter then.

You don't want a teleconverter anyway

Hi Hg, that Kogan deal looks really hard to beat for the money, and with a warranty.

I'm a bit of a thickhead with the grey thing?

Thanks for the heads up!

'grey' means imported outside the official local distributor channel. Means the warranty they offer is from them not Canon.

Yep, 40D is a bit old, but, for a first steps into the world of DSLR, not a bad one. Not too much to lose, and easy to step up the ladder.

Kogan are a right PITA to deal with, though. I absolutely refuse to have anything to do with them after they refused to post a 7" tablet to my PO Box, and insisted that it be delivered to a street address. The fact that AusPost took the parcel to the PO, and put a card in the RMB which meant a 30km round trip "detour" when i got home is what p'd me off.

Thanks.

You're obviously not a Canon man, what brand do you prefer to use?
What would you recommend around the $700- $800 mark?

I'm new to it so don't need a super high spec camera at the moment, I would like something with great zoom and a reasonable pic.

Cheers.

here goes... most typing I've done in one go for a long time!

I use a Nikon (and also have a Pentax). Anything (Canon/Nikon/Pentax/Sony) these days are good. Be careful wanting something with 'great zoom'. A lot of p&s and Bridge cameras (look a lot like a SLR but you can't change the lens) have huge zoom capability but you can't actually take a decent pic with one zoomed all the way in. The lens quality is terrible and you can't hold it still enough either! Same goes with the 18-200 and 18-300 superzooms that are available for SLRs. Convenient but not great image quality compared to a zoom of more modest range, however if image quality isn't on the top of your list of 'wants', these type of lenses can be a good choice.

Having another look at the lenses in this 2nd hand package they are not an ideal combo really for a APSC sensor camera. Why I say that is for an everyday 'walkaround' lens, you want a range from 16-18mm up to at least 50mm. This gives you a range from slightly wide angle suitable for scenic views, indoors and areas where you can't back up more to get everything in. The longer end of the zoom range is good for portraits and when you can't walk up closer to something. I have a 16-85mm lens as my general purpose lens and on holidays that covers 95% of my needs.

So, what would I recommend… I’d start with saying I think technology has come a long way quickly and that a new ‘entry’ level camera is a better choice than an older ‘prosumer’ camera. The prosumer camera is built better and will feel better in your hands along with having better controls, however, the newer camera will take better pics. Especially in darker environments. So, having settled on the new camera I’d then work out what I can buy for my budget. For $700-800 you can buy a ‘grey’ twin lens kit (like the Kogan linked 700D above). I haven’t looked but pretty sure there will be a Nikon deal at the same price point. I did notice they do another Canon deal that includes a 55-250 lens that has inbuilt stabilisation. That makes me question what the 75-300 one was in the 1st kit I linked to. A little bit more goggling indicates the 75-300 is an older lens and the 55-250 is much newer & has the inbuilt stabilisation. So, I’d immediately say although you miss a little on the long end, the 55-250 would be the better choice. This one http://www.kogan.com/au/buy/canon-eos-700d-18-55mm-55-250mm-is-ii-lens-kit/

The Nikon kit of D3200 plus 2 VR lenses (VR is Nikons term for lens stabilisation) is $669. Eg. http://www.kogan.com/au/buy/nikon-d3200-dslr-camera-18-55mm-vr-ii-55-300mm-vr-twin-lens-kit/

Either one would be fine IMO. Complicated isn’t it!

Lol, complicated alright!

Thanks very much for your input, as mildly complex as it is it does help me a lot being a novice.

The 2nd hand kit I have here at the moment has 'image stabilisation' on each of the 3 lenses, are they decent stabilisers or average oldies?
It's just that you mention it in the above links.

I will take a serious look at the last 2 links, I might even save a little more and buy something a little better although probably not necessary.

Thanks again for for detailed response.

Thanks Pop, it all helps, add to the confusion!

Cheers.

According to an app from a post below it has 9300 shots taken so sounds reasonable for its age?

Just a matter of getting a cf card and taking some shots.

Thanks Sandman.

How do I tell if they are quality lenses? One of the big ones has canon on it.

After looking on ebay at 40d and lenses the whole kit could be bought pretty cheap by the looks of it, but off different buyers and its a bit of a guessing game.

If these lenses are okay I do like the idea of being able to upgrade the camera while keeping the lenses as they obviously are the same fit.

Sandman said " the 28-135mm is the lens most likely to be used the most.
The 70-300mm is a telephoto lens of moderate zoom capability and the 18-35mm is for close up macro work "
---------------------------------------------------
That Camera has a 1.6 crop sensor the 18-35mm can not be considered a Macro lens , it will have the field of view of a
28.8 - 56mm

Nutta if you are happy with the price you probably should just buy it

You say you know nothing about cameras that makes shopping for a DSLR difficult you will only get more confused

I use Nikon cameras , Nikon , Canon make no difference . If you were a mate of mine I would just say buy a Nikon and I could teach you what all the buttons and different settings do

Do you have any friends that use either Canon or Nikon DSLR's

I know if I had any problems with it within a few months; he'd help me out with something.

I'm kinda happy with it because it's all in a nice solid case.
I might see whats the best he can do with the price.

I don't have any friends that use those kind of cameras.
It'll most likely stay in some sort of an auto mode.

Cheers.

I would just like to add, it will take good pictures. I've got images taken on worse cameras which I've had printed at 11x14" and they look great! Sounds like you should squeeze him for a few dollars off to put towards a CF card!

Talking about lenses …… it doesn't matter how good the camera body, the glass is where the light has to go to make the image, and an average body with good glass will give better results than a good body with average glass. Also, most DSLRs are half frame cameras, which means that a 300mm lens will give the same size pic as a 450mm lens on the old SLR cameras.
Always use a tripod when using a long lens …. do as I say, NOT as I do LOL …. and you will get good shots when photographing distant targets. Also closing a lens (using F11-16) will possibly give a sharper pic than opening it up - means a slower shutter speed - tripod. Once you have taken the pic, use your screen and zoom in and look at the edges of the subject matter to ascertain sharpness.
Because the auto exposure may wash out your sunsets and the like, learn to use the exposure compensation dial to make corrections to your photo settings.

cheers
Laurie

Hi Laurie.

I ended up going with the the 2nd handy, I can drip feed it for a while and it seems reasonable overall.

I purchased a tripod and back pack camera bag off Kogan, a real quality tripod too by the looks of it.

Thanks for the advice, I'm still struggling with all of the camera thing, I'm going to try to do a course in the next couple of weeks just to get the hang of it a bit.

I'll report back after I gain a bit of experience.

Cheers Wayne.

G'day Wayne

You seemed to be getting all sorts of advice from everyone, but you wrote "If these lenses are okay I do like the idea of being able to upgrade the camera while keeping the lenses as they obviously are the same fit.". So I thought well, I'd put my 2 cents worth in, and make the point that the glass is more important in the overall picture, and that if you find that you want to improve picture quality, that keeping the body and changing the lenses could be a better option ….. but that is a long way down the track. I feel that you have made the right decision, and doing a course and gaining an understanding of how it works is the best way to go. Good luck and have fun. You will get hooked, I have no doubt :-)

cheers
Laurie

Thanks, low shutter count means it hasn't taken many shots?

If so is there a way to tell?

Cheers.

One other thing you want to do is take a shot of a clear blue sky at the lowest aperture F4.5-5.5 with all the lenses and then view it on you computer, this will show any defects with the mirror or lenses like scratches or dust particles.

blue sky (or blank wall) shot at min aperture (f22 or f32) shows up dust on sensors

Yes correct...... thinking of too many things at once.

This link also great with other links in there to importance of SC, how high a SC is too much, ec . . .
More shutter count info

Re camera and learning, it won't help much NOW buying the camera and testing, but in most regions there are great short courses to get you an understanding of the basics like shutter speed, aperture, iso, etc.
WEA in Adelaide is one such place, lots of hands on, and pretty reasonable prices . . . check out Unis and Tech colleges of the Arts too, the one in Adelaide has modules of their full photography courses that can be done.

Hi Pk, that shutter count app is a ripper!

Turns out it has 9318 shots taken with 4 294 967 295 available.

That rates it at around 98% which hopefully is pretty low with a bit of life left in it yet?

Thanks for your help.

Cool, glad it worked out ok.

Nutta ,( with 4 294 967 295 available ) where did you get that number and what dose it mean ?

I got it from an app made for the canon cameras, it shows how many pics have been taken and how many are left, thats what it said was left, seems like a lot.

that's hardly used!

my Pentax has done 80638
my Nikon 55350

I think the app is fibbing a bit, most dSLRs are rated for more like 100K-200K shutter actuations.

I wouldn't be doing that... he might have bought it all new!

Hi Tom.

Thanks for your input.

I already have a couple of point and shoots which are great.

I wanted something a bit more challenging as I enjoy playing around with cameras and was also getting a bit bored so it gives me something to study.

It is big but comes in a solid case, I will be taking it away on holidays and won't be lugging it to far from the car anyway.

I was lucky enough to pick up a couple of good eos40d books off ebay for $15- so I'm sure they will be invaluable.

Regards Wayne.