400d for £350 (after cashback) at Tesco.com

[1966]

It's already mentioned in this thread (http://thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=470050), but the title isn't specific, so don't want anyone to miss it.

Tesco.com (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://clkuk.tradedoubler.com/click?p(898)a(60823)g(19972)url(http://direct.tesco.com/search/default.aspx?search=400d)) have the 400D for £399.97, which after the canon cashback is less than £350! I also used some coupons tesco sent me in my clubcard mailing to get another tenner off, and using my tesco credit card will get me £48 of deal vouchers from this, so all-in-all, quite a good deal!

Original thread suggests that this is only available online, not in store.

[spearce8]

I'm slightly tempted by this, was thinking of going for the 30d (again) and if memory serves there was a rather good comparsion site between Canon's models, would like to know the differences between this and the 30d :)

[Coolio]

Ok, so which lens is best to buy with this. I really don't want to spend too much because I only bought a Sony DSLR at Xmas

[Art Vanderlay]

Ok, so which lens is best to buy with this. I really don't want to spend too much because I only bought a Sony DSLR at Xmas

Hard to say - depends what you will use it for. It does come with a kit lens with a useful range, though it is fairly basic.

A lot of people buy the 50mm f/1.8 lens which though slow to focus and feeling a bit cheap, is a stunningly good portrait lens for the price (£60ish) but as it is not a zoom it is to complement your 'main' lens rather than replace it.

Canon 28-105 USM II is a nice cheap upgrade to the kit lens, though maybe not wide enough on a crop camera as your only lens (£140, but often under £100 used on eBay). Though if you are planning to buy an ultra-wide lens such as the Tokina 12-24 in the future and don't mind swapping lenses around, then the lack of wide should not matter, and there is a wide choice of zooms with 28mm at the wide end.

But assuming you want something a bit wider as a walkaround...

The Canon 17-85IS is a good deal with Canon cashback at the moment bringing it down to £260 or so. But some people do not like it because of barrel distortion at the wide end, and some chromatic abberations. I am wavering on buying that myself at the moment.

Or there are various wide walkaround zooms from Sigma (17-70) and Tamron (17-50) that get very good reviews here that are priced between £200 and £250.

[Coolio]

Thanks Art

[Radiohead]

Why do you want this if you have a Sony DSLR as well - assuming it's the Alpha 100 it's hard to see what you're getting here that you don't already have, other than having to maintain 2 systems.

I'd stick with the Alpha.

[AndyWilson]

..or if your thinking of selling the alpha I have a small collection of minolta lenses looking for a new body ;)

[Art Vanderlay]

..or if your thinking of selling the alpha I have a small collection of minolta lenses looking for a new body ;)

It is already up in the classifieds, but it is not a DSLR, rather a prosumer type with fixed lens

[Coolio]

its the dch1, so not a patch on this

[Radiohead]

Well no, being that it's not a DSLR and all that ;)

[Coolio]

anyway, how much zoom can I get with the lense that this tesco one comes with?

[wseed]

The kit lens is is a basic starter lens if you imagine that 30mm is about the starting point on as no zoom. the 18mm end is a wide angle and the 55mm end is the telephoto. You're ending up with less than 2x magnification. or there abouts.

You can get reasonably cheap zooms for extra magnification for eg sigma and canon both have 70~300 mm zooms for a £ton and change.

[Coolio]

Im totally new to this, hence all the basic questions so hopefully you guys will cut me some slack ;)

The Sony digicam I currently have has 12x zoom and I love using it. We use it a lot more than the OH's v compact canon. So realistically how much would it cost to get maybe 8x+ zoom lens? Any recommendations?

Also, are these lens considerably cheaper in the US?

Really appreciate all help

[Radiohead]

The obvious solution is probably one of the Tamron/Sigma 18-200mm consumer zooms. Expect to pay £200-350 depending on the model.

What is it about your existing camera that you don't like though - that should help with any advice.

[Art Vanderlay]

Also, are these lens considerably cheaper in the US?

Most are a fair bit cheaper. It varies but they can be as much as a third cheaper than the UK price, though sourcing through the likes of OneStop Digital (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://www.onestop-digital.com/) means much less of a difference in price to the US shops as OneStop are a lot cheaper than UK suppliers for most lenses

You can check out likely US prices at www.bhphotovideo.com.

The '12x' thing is a common question but a hard one to answer, as it doesn't really mean anything as far as SLRs go. As a rough guide I would say on a 1.6x crop camera (which the 400D is).

Less than 24mm = wide angle (officially less than 31mm - the 50mm equivalent - is wide but I don't think it 'seems' wide to the eye)

24mm - 80mm = normal range - roughly what you would expect on a compact digital with zoom

80mm - 175mm = telephoto zoom - what you would get on a compact with more of a zoom

175mm + = serious zoom ;)

All those are guestimates to give a rough idea, and are all IMHO. To get an equivalent range to your Sony in one lens I would guess you would want something like the Sigma 18-200mm.

Of course there is the multi lens option - which is the way to go with an SLR really - but it depends on how much you have to spend, whether you want to change lenses, and whether you tend to know what you are going to want to shoot before you go out if you don't want to carry 2 or 3 lenses.

[Duk]

Just placed an order for the 400D couldn't resist at this price. :thumbs:

I've just been looking for a starter telephoto zoom lens and found these two :-

Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM £89.99 (http://www.rgb-tech.co.uk/product/1047)

TAMRON 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Di II LD MACRO £71.89 (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://clkuk.tradedoubler.com/click?p(20266)a(60823)g(634508)url(http://www.cameras2u.com/products/details.cfm?product=5590))

Are either of those a good starter telephoto lens or is anything else recommended for around £100.

[RedDolphin]

Can you use a 2X Converter to double the zoom range with either of the above len's, if so what would be recommended?

[Radiohead]

In a word, no.

[RedDolphin]

In a word, no.

Does that mean you have to use a converter with a non zoom lens?

[Sprout Crumble]

The Tamron 55-200 is a pretty well regarded bit of kit. The price is a reflection of the unambitious focal range.

[Radiohead]

Does that mean you have to use a converter with a non zoom lens?

No - you can use them with zoom lenses such as the 70-200 f4L, the 70-200 f2.8's, and so on, and with many primes such as the 135 f2, 200 f2.8, 300 f2.8 and so on.

Canon say - "TC's can be used with fixed focal length lenses 135mm and longer (except the 135mm f/2.8 Softfocus lens), and the EF 70-200 f/2.8L, 70-200 f/2.8L IS, 70-200 f/4.0L, and 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS zoom lenses."

[sworrall]

Just placed an order for the 400D couldn't resist at this price. :thumbs:

I've just been looking for a starter telephoto zoom lens and found these two :-

Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM £89.99 (http://www.rgb-tech.co.uk/product/1047)

TAMRON 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Di II LD MACRO £71.89 (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://clkuk.tradedoubler.com/click?p(20266)a(60823)g(634508)url(http://www.cameras2u.com/products/details.cfm?product=5590))

Are either of those a good starter telephoto lens or is anything else recommended for around £100.
youd be better off stretching your budget slightly and getting this - OneStop Digital (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://www.onestop-digital.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=275).

[Sprout Crumble]

Unless you need the extra reach of the Sigma, the Tamron is a great lens.

http://www.ephotozine.com/equipment/tests/testdetail.cfm?test_id=411

http://whatdigitalcamera.com/equipment/review/Tamron_55-200_Di_II_LD_11319.php

[Coolio]

Thanks for the advice guys. One v basic question I have is, am I right in thinking, if I am going to be doing a range of zoomed in and almost 1:1 shots, I just adjust one lens between shots?

Radiohead - I think it's moreso the bargain that's dragging me in. I like the Sony point and shoot aspect. I LOVE the zoom on it. I just want something that would create a slightly better quality picture.

Art - Would the SIGMA 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 lens also be good for a bit of zoom?

[Art Vanderlay]

Art - Would the SIGMA 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 lens also be good for a bit of zoom?

If you want an all in one zoom I would go for one of the 18-200mm lenses that has already been mentioned. IMHO the wide end is more important than the extra reach, as you can always crop the picture taken at 200mm to enlarge something (albeit at the cost of pixels) whereas there is nothing you can do about things missing off the sides and top.

Though saying that you will still have the kit lens to swap to if you need to go a bit wider, so maybe the 28-300mm is a nice range. I have no knowledge of that lens in particular, though, so I cannot recommend it specifically.

[Sprout Crumble]

Tamron have an 18-250 either out or coming out I believe.

[tz]

I'm looking to upgrade from my trusty F10.

At the moment i take photos mainly of - close-ups of cars, track cars in motion and general scenery (travel).

My budget isn't that great, so as a starting point would the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro Lens and Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens be OK for now?

As you can guess I'm not that clued-up on lens coming from the F10

[Coolio]

Also, without an IS stabiliser how easy is it to take a good picture? I have one on my point and shoot at the moment and without it on I take bad pictures.

[Art Vanderlay]

The 70-300 is nowhere near wide enough to be used for most 'normal' portraits, so you would need to switch to the 18-55 kit lens for those I expect. With the other two, it is a case of whether you want more at the wide end (18-200) or more at the zoom end (28-300)

IS can be a great help, particularly with the high zoom lenses. But to get a zoom with IS you are talking big bucks so you may as well forget about that for the time being. With good technique, and an understanding of ISO and shutter speed, you should not need it for the majority of pictures, certainly at enthusiastic amatuer level.

[Sprout Crumble]

IS on a long, slow zoom would be of great benefit but its obviously more expensive. Sigmas 18-200 OS is available shortly but over £300 and maybe nearer £400.

I've said this time and again, but both Canon and Nikon need a low-end body with in-body IS for just this kind of photographer. Most enthusiasts have already gone digital and thus more and more new people are buying. Its a killer feature when the cheapest IS lens in the range is several hundred pounds.

[Coolio]

.

[bigp2]

If any of the new 400D owners want to get a better lens to replace the kit lens I would whole-heartedly recommend the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 (and it's not just because I'm trying to flog mine in the classified forum...).

I think it's a fantastic lens, it and the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 are excellent lenses and great value for money.

Phil

[Radiohead]

28mm isn't that wide on a crop body - the 17-50/2.8 would be my choice if funds prevent the superb 17-55/2.8 IS being considered.

[bigp2]

That's why I'm selling mine, I want the 17-50/2.8 (the 17-55/2.8 IS is too rich for my blood).

Phil