Canon EOS V's Other Digital Camera

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Hi all,

I hope you can help me in this dilemma. I currently have access to my fathers Canon EOS (3 or 5 I think, can’t quite think now but it is quite a recent model) and am looking to get into photography again after a spell away from it.

Trouble is there are many thoughts going through my head, which are confusing me to the point of insanity, here are the requirements/thoughts I am looking for, which option do you think I should go for, digital or 35mm....

I would like to be able to adapt the camera to occasions with lenses and filters etc.

I don't want to have to wait 3 days for my pictures to be viewable and have to pay every time I want to see them.

I want the camera to produce outstanding quality pictures, these can at times include moving objects (people/cars) but not to fast (no race days/sports) at the most pictures of people bowling, my previous digicam used to blur even a hand moving during a conversation....

As for size, I don't really know, do I want to go for small and cheesy, or bug and pro looking ?

As you can probably see I am very confused !! In an ideal world a SLR digital would suit me perfectly (well 95%, still got the size problem), but not having access to £3000 that is ruled out. I can use the EOS no problem at all.

Hope you can help me out here, my maximum budget is around £500. I am also trying to weight up the processing costs, now clearly digital has an advantage here IF you don’t want to print your pictures out. For example hundreds of pictures can be stored on one CD, not in a big pile in the corner of your room (a lot of space). I personally feel though that the costs of printing are about the same for 35mm and digital. A colour cartridge for my printer is £30 (!!), plus glossy paper at around £10 for a few sheets. I would expect around 6 lots of 34 prints for this from the processors.

Cheers, Rick

-- Rick (rickdeaville@hotmail.com), April 08, 2002

Answers

On your budget, digital isn't yet a possibility in an SLR format, as you observed.

My recommendation would be to go with a second-hand EOS 50e, which should come in around £200 with the optional grip/battery pack. This then leaves you £300 for lenses.

You could blow the entire budget on a single "do it all" lens, like a 28-200. This would not be a good choice though, as optical quality is poor.

The best solution is to buy two lenses: The well-liked Canon 28-105 USM Mk2, and the Canon 50mm F1.8 mk II. At Jessops' prices, this pair of lenses comes in at £310, but shop around (LCE can be good), especially at pro centres, and remember the phrase "And that's the best price you'd be able to do on that?". You won't get much off the 50mm, but the 28-105 probably has some movement possible.

This then gives you a good-quality, ring-USM standard zoom in the 28- 105, and a great quality, low-light, etc 50mm fixed. Then, if you do want to build on the hobby, you can add more lenses (70-200 F4L USM would be the next obvious addition, or a second-hand 70-210 F3.5-4.5 USM), and even have the option of picking up a digital body later (we will soon see D30s come into the second-hand market under £1000).

That would be my way of spending a £500 budget now, with an eye to the future.

-- Isaac Sibson (isibson@hotmail.com), April 08, 2002.


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