Upgrading from Canon Eos 300d

[Wiredrawn]

I've had my Canon Eos 300d for about one year now, and am currently looking to upgrade.

Firstly, I'm probably looking about a £400 budget.

I'm really leaning towards the Canon 450d, since I've used Canon before and I love their Cameras. But, I'm selling my lens as well as my 300d, so their is no real reason why I shouldn't switch to Nikon... if you can persuade me.

Also, I've had an offer for my Eos 300d for £200, is this a good deal? It's hard to judge the worth of a discontinued camera, but Amazon prices are about £260 used.

Thanks!

 

[Westside guy]

If you're happy with the way your 300D works - meaning the button/controller layout etc. - then there's no real reason to switch, in my opinion. I have no doubt, though, there'll be several posts below telling you how Olympus is just so wonderful the entire pro photographer community will soon switch to it; or how the Nikon D90 "blows away the 1Ds Mark III", etc.

However you do state you're selling the entire kit, so you might as well go into a camera store and try the various competitors out.

I've shot with the 300D, and I can tell you that no matter what you upgrade to, you're going to be very happy. The 300D is the most maddening camera I've ever used. Its interface is just SO SLOW-W-W... even upgrading just to the 350D or the 400D will probably cause you to dance a jig.

 

[Wiredrawn]

Thanks for your input! So you would say that, in the modern world of Photography, that the 300d can still hold it's own?

Hmm, I do like the build and layout. And I do like the size and weight, but if I could sell my current camera and put in as little as £200 of my own money and come out with a camera that is 12mp, as opposed to 6mp, surely it's a wise decision?

As for selling my kit, I'm 17, and currently only have the 300d with 18-55mm lens kit. I've been shooting for about a year, and kind of feel the insatiable urge to upgrade, that I get with everything I buy. But would I be better off just buying another lens for the 300d? If so, any suggestions?

 

[dllavaneras]

But would I be better off just buying another lens for the 300d? If so, any suggestions?

I'd suggest getting another camera, since the 300D is slow as molasses compared to DSLRs today. the 300D takes 3 seconds to start up, new DSLRs take 0.2 seconds, have faster, more precise AF with more AF points, more options, more Mp (useful if you print big or if you crop a lot), larger screens (useful for checking focus), faster burst frame rate, faster interface (if you connect your camera directly to the computer), and more options to tweak.

If you can get by without these features, the get another lens, although I'd strongly recommend you go to a camera store and test the available entry level DSLRs.

 

[Westside guy]

Yes, sorry if I wasn't clear in my reply. When I said "there's no reason to switch" I was referring to switching to another brand of camera. I wasn't referring to whether or not you should upgrade - I think you should, if you can afford it.

If I'd started out with the 300D I'd have upgraded as soon as possible. The slow interface drives me batty. I'm so glad that, when I made my initial purchase, I went with a Nikon D70 - not because Canons are inferior in any way, but specifically because the D70's interface was so much more responsive than the 300D's.

 

[synth3tik]

you know, I was running my canon with a couple zoom lenses for over a year and was getting find of bored with the auto lenses and lack of any good glass under $1000. However recently I have started using some old Nikon primes on my canon and can say that it is a really nice set up. The lenses are rather inexpensive ($100-300), so building up a collection of prime lenses is not all that expensive. They are all manual lenses, but thats half the fun....

 

[bigandy]

I picked up a brand new boxed/sealed UK-warranty'd EOS 400D kit off eBay in July... For £200.

Keep an eye out, you might get a bargain. Out of the multitude of reviews I read, it seemed the consensus was the 400D was as good as the 450D.

 

[carlosbutler]

at the moment ive got a nikon d80 with a few different lenses. from using different peoples camera's, and from what id seen in the shop i found that the nikon was a better cameras as long as you dont go for the really pro ones, like £3000 plus or somthing stupid. ive also been at different photography departments, like RAF and they also used Nikon equipment (at least the one i went to).

but mainly i found that there were so many more features on the nikon. for example the D80 v 400D. well for starters the D80 has got two circular moving button things which i really liked (next to thumb and index finger) because it allows full control when doing complete manual pictures (ie speed and aperture) where as the canon you had to hold down two buttons. then the menus were slower. not as easily displayed. also things insdie the camera. for example the d80 has 13 auto focus points, where as the canon may have only 5. and so forth

another main point was the way it felt. my hands arent small, nor are they green giant sized. but it was good to hold and can easily be held in one hand even with a 400mm lens (bit hard when full zoomed but still). also the materials used are generally better in the nikon than in the canon. the canon was a bit plastic, a bit too many seams. the nikon felt better made and it didnt feel/sound hollow inside either.

still the important thing is that you decide what is best by trying them out

 

[Phrasikleia]

I picked up a brand new boxed/sealed UK-warranty'd EOS 400D kit off eBay in July... For £200.

Keep an eye out, you might get a bargain. Out of the multitude of reviews I read, it seemed the consensus was the 400D was as good as the 450D.

The 450D is a significant upgrade. Here's the list of improvements:

Live View
Larger viewfinder
Larger LCD screen (3 inches)
Spot metering
Improved 9-point AF system
14-bit A/D converter
New processor: Digic III
Faster burst mode (now 3.5fps)
Higher resolution (12.2 MP, and with remarkably low noise)
Addition of dedicated ISO button
ISO now displayed in the viewfinder
Multi-shot self-timer mode
Customizable menus
New menu system with tabs (no more scrolling)
New option for Highlight Tone Priority
New battery that lasts 50% longer
Slightly larger, but also lighter body
Slightly improved battery grip
Uses SD cards
New and improved kit lens with better optics and image stabilization
Playback as 4 and 9 image index

 

[Wiredrawn]

Wow, thanks for all the responses!

Looks like I am upgrading then, which I'm pretty glad about.

To be honest, I'm probably sticking with Canon, but I'll definitely have a look around at some Nikons.

Also Canon have a £50 cashback on the 450d, so it'll bring the total price of the camera to under £400, which is great!

Thanks again.

 

[Wiredrawn]

Thanks!

Thanks to all who posted!

In the end, I upgraded to a Canon Eos 450d, with 18-55mm lens kit.

I also dropped a few extra pounds and got myself a Tamron 70-300mm lens. It may not be the best telephoto out there, but it was all budget permitted.

Thanks again!

 

[Westside guy]

Congratulations! I'm sure you'll love it.

<Random Aside>

BTW don't you just <sarcasm> love it </sarcasm> when you buy a product, and the owners manual starts out with the sentence "Congratulations on buying our product!" They don't say "Thank you" - it's more like "Thank goodness you weren't such an idiot that you bought something else!"

</Random Aside>

 

[localghost]

Thanks to all who posted!

In the end, I upgraded to a Canon Eos 450d, with 18-55mm lens kit.

I also dropped a few extra pounds and got myself a Tamron 70-300mm lens. It may not be the best telephoto out there, but it was all budget permitted.

Thanks again!

good choice, now stretch your budget just a tiny bit more and get a 50 1.8 for under 100!

 

[Phrasikleia]

good choice, now stretch your budget just a tiny bit more and get a 50 1.8 for under 100!

I second that motion, but should note that the number for him is "under 60" (GBP, that is, since he's apparently in the UK).