Canon D400 or...?

Village Idiot · Apr 24, 2007

A shot I got yesterday was the first time I've got to use the 3200 iso from my 30d in an "ideal" condition.

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60310

I'm suprised. It's grainy, yeah, but it's not so bad that it ruins the photo. Normally when I've had any chances to shoot with 1600 and 3200 ISO I use my 50 mm f/1.8 and the lighting is still so bad that I get extremely slow shutter speeds and the f/1.8's autofocus is horrible without any light, so most of the photos end up out of focus and blurry from shake unless I manual focus and brace the camera on something....

Then in PP when you have to bump up the exposure a little, it starts ruining the photos.

I think I may buy the 50mm f/1.4 and pawn the f/1.8 off on some one that needs a lens for cheap...

Leukeh · Apr 24, 2007

Ok, thanks heaps everyone. Nobody's actually changed my mind, at this stage I'm still going for the 400D but a lot of people have given me profitable information on what to look for in a camera in the future... which sort of saves me making another thread when the time comes. So thank you!

Odin_aa · Apr 25, 2007

Just remember, if you think you will want to get something like the 5D but are thinking of making due with or settling for the 400D the resale value on DSLR's is generally not good. You would be better off waiting a bit unless you will be satisfied for a couple of years with the camera you are deciding on.

It will just make the 5D that much more expensive...the other way to look at it is you would then have two bodies though.

Village Idiot · Apr 25, 2007

Odin_aa said:
Just remember, if you think you will want to get something like the 5D but are thinking of making due with or settling for the 400D the resale value on DSLR's is generally not good. You would be better off waiting a bit unless you will be satisfied for a couple of years with the camera you are deciding on.

It will just make the 5D that much more expensive...the other way to look at it is you would then have two bodies though.

OP is looking for cameras in the price range of the 400d...the 5d is a tad bit more than we wanted to spend

Actually, the warning should be about buying into a system and not a DSLR. Cameras lose resale value, but lenses generally do not by much...an example? The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 is. The design is 7 years old if I recall correctly and you're lucky if you find them for $100 cheaper than what they sell for, no matter how used they are.

But Canon has a good system, so have fun learning...start shooting with everything on Manual mode until you're comfortable with it. Nothing's worse than buying a dslr as a giant point and shoot.

moss918 · Apr 25, 2007

Nothing's worse than buying a dslr as a giant point and shoot.

Agreed.

Odin_aa · Apr 25, 2007

Village Idiot said:
OP is looking for cameras in the price range of the 400d...the 5d is a tad bit more than we wanted to spend

Actually, the warning should be about buying into a system and not a DSLR. Cameras lose resale value, but lenses generally do not by much...an example? The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 is. The design is 7 years old if I recall correctly and you're lucky if you find them for $100 cheaper than what they sell for, no matter how used they are.

But Canon has a good system, so have fun learning...start shooting with everything on Manual mode until you're comfortable with it. Nothing's worse than buying a dslr as a giant point and shoot.

While you are correct, there is a big difference in price you may not believe the number of people who buy a 500-1000.00 body only to decide they really wanted a better camera within a year and then go spend 2000 or more on a new one.

Village Idiot · Apr 25, 2007

Odin_aa said:
While you are correct, there is a big difference in price you may not believe the number of people who buy a 500-1000.00 body only to decide they really wanted a better camera within a year and then go spend 2000 or more on a new one.

Depends on what they want and practicality. I just got a 30d and the next step up in the Canon line, price wise, is the 5d. Which doesn't make sense as even though it has higher mp, it also has slower fps. If I were to step up to anything else, I'd buy a 1d, which I can't see myself needing unless I start doing photography full time and as a business. That's over $3000 for something that's not needed. I really don't see a lot of people upgrading to a 5d from an XT or XTI a year down the road. If anything, they start looking at a 20d or 30d and a lot of people upgrade without needing to.

A 5d will not do you any good if you're spending all the money on the camera and only have a kit lens. A person that actually needs the features of the 5d will have already purchased a collection of lenses that probably far outweighs the price of the camera. Plus they can always sell the body they had. XT's are going for $500 and XTI's for about $600-$700. There's a decline in value, but it's not extreme...

rs2sensen · Apr 29, 2007

I've been using a 350D for a while now, and truly love it. The kit lens, although not great, is a very good lens to learn on. It's wide enough that you can mess around with basic landscape shots, but long enough that you can do some good portrait work. Biggest disadvantage to it is wildlife photography, but oh well.

You can't go wrong with the 400D. Get it, learn to use it. Don't be afraid to put it on manual settings. Mess with different apertures and shutter speeds, and once you figure out how everything works, then look at other lenses.

GulfVetSAF · Apr 29, 2007

I own a Nikon D80 and I love it. However, I have a few friends who own the Canon and honestly it's just as somparable. What you really need to figure out is the feel of it and what you want to use it for.... I know you know this already, but either camera is great. I think someone might have already listed this link, but try http://www.dpreview.com/