Calling all photographers

[cessie]

Pls advice.. I'm planning to buy a dSLR soon.. and I need you two cents worth. Should i buy a Canon 400D or 30D? What is the price range for dSLRs here in HK? And where should i buy? Thanks!

[TaLL|dUdE]

check out ygdragon.net for some price info
there's a price list link up top...

either way you can't go wrong... depends on what your needs are.

[PhilE]

Try reading up on some sites/ forums like www.dpreview.com, www.fredmiranda.com etc - you'll find a lot of details there.

If you're looking for a solidly built (= quite heavy) DSLR with a decent size hand grip and a few more features, the 30D is great. You may find it balances better if you use some of the heavier lenses too.

From what seems to be emerging on the 400D (only 1 review so far), it looks like it will continue the Canon tradition of being an amazing quality and value DSLR. If the smaller grip, lighter weight and slightly reduced features are ok - I would get this and spend your savings on lenses.

Phil
(30D owner)

[LostArt]

You did not specify how you are going to use the DSLR so.....

Generally if you are a prosumer and with a budget, I'd highly recommend getting the 400D and saving the rest of the money to invest on a quality lens.

Do you have any specific question or concern? How are u going to use it? What type of photography? Are u going to be printing them out frequently on large format?


PS I agree with dpreview.com being an excellent website.

[cessie]

well, i travel a lot.. and i want to take good pictures of the places i go to.. i also do some parttime photography for some clients i deal with.. i actually am thinking of getting a 400D instead but since it's relatively new i havent heard much about its pros and cons over the other canon eos cameras.

thanks for the comments! really appreciate it!

[LostArt]

I have a 300D myself because back then it was all i could afford for a DSLR (it was groundbreaking for its price / features). I have done a few travel trips with it and it's served me very well. The only things I don't like about it is the lack of USB 2 and the slow browsing speed, which seem to have been addressed by 400D.

Have you thought about what lens you will be getting? If you don't mind getting an EF-S lens, i'd recommend this

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/co...&modelid=10511

I got this for my 300D about a year or so ago....... and it's a very versatile quality lens. It's definitely not the "L" pro-line quality but it's high enough quality for me hehe.

[cessie]

still thinking whether getting the canon EF 17-55mm F2.8 IS lens or the EF 24-70 F2.8 IS lens. which do one do you think i should get?

[LostArt]

still thinking whether getting the canon EF 17-55mm F2.8 IS lens or the EF 24-70 F2.8 IS lens. which do one do you think i should get?

If you are thinking about getting an all-purpose lens, then you have to go with the 17-55mm. For all but the most expensive DSLR, Canon bodies have a 1.6x factor of mulplication. That means the 17mm is 27.2 while the 24 is 38.4. I don't know about you but 38.4mm is certainlly not wide enough for me ;-)

[PhilE]

I wouldn't necessarily get either - when paired with a 400D they're both expensive lenses to consider as a first purchase. Do you really need f/2.8 in that range and IS as well. IS is very useful on longer telephoto (e.g. 70-200, 70-300 or 100-400). In the mid and wide range, other lenses such as the 10-22mm AFS (WA) and 3rd party lenses like the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 (non-IS), or even the kit lens can be enough. Add a cheap 50mm f/1.8 or slightly more expensive f/1.4 for low light portrait situations - both are ultra sharp and can give awesome bokeh (out of focus highlights/shapes).

[MotoHK]

Wing Shing has good prices.