# What dslr ?



## lil-lynx (22 Jan 2012)

Hello,

I'm looking to buy a second hand dslr, but not sure which one . At the moment I have a cannon eod20d with a 18-55mm, 20-80mm and a 70-300mm lens . I'm looking to upgrade maybe a eos 350d / 450d ? 
I know I don't need millions of megapixels as I'm.not going to.be blowing it up over A4 size , but I want a crisp clean photo . Going to MotoGP soon and looking to get in to nature photography..... All help is welcome .

Thanks


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## Sentral (22 Jan 2012)

450/500d vote, I love mine. Plus you can use your lenses!


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## greenjar (22 Jan 2012)

A lot of positive reviews for the Canon 550d as well.  Search this forum for 550d reviews.

I've got one, and like it very much


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## George Farmer (22 Jan 2012)

20D to 350D is a downgrade. Well, they have the same sensor, but the 350D is a smaller plastic body with less features.

The 550D is a great camera. Better than my 50D in terms of features. Also consider a used 450D or 500D.

You'll likely miss the chunkier magnesium alloy body of the 20D, but the extra features should more than compensate.

Edit - Another option is to consider upgrading your lenses rather than the body. A decent lens on the 20D will yield better results than budget lenses on a high-end body.  Moto GP/wildlife and you'll need a decent long lens that isn't cheap. A good copy of the 100-400 f4L is a great choice, at around £1000.


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## Greenview (22 Jan 2012)

Ditto for the 100-400 lens, it is very good for wildlife, and it should be capable enough for motorsport too. I would sooner have a first rate lens on an old body than a newer body. While a new body will give lots of helpful features (e.g. bigger rear screen, live-view, movies) the 20d remains a good camera; I used a 30d for some time (basically same as 20d) and loved it.


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## Antipofish (22 Jan 2012)

Depends how much your budget is. But I second what George just said... good lenses are very important.  Just looking on Ebay you can get a decent 7D for very little money nowadays too


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## lil-lynx (25 Jan 2012)

What lens shall I look at guys .... £1000 on a lens is a bit to much lol ...... 
What's a good budget lens , guessing Il have to go down the tamaron or sigma route . My dad has the Nikon d3 and 40d canon and I belive a 18-200mm sigma ad tamaron 1.8 for both cameras . What's your view on these lens


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## Mark Evans (25 Jan 2012)

lil-lynx said:
			
		

> £1000 on a lens is a bit to much lol ......



It is, but lens maketh the camera. 

I've put the canon 135mm f2 on my wifes 550d....It's a whole different beast  8)


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## Antipofish (25 Jan 2012)

If it helps, this guy does some useful reviews...  He is honest it seems, and has no bias apart from experience.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/reviews.htm


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## Greenview (26 Jan 2012)

To decide on the best lens it always helps to do two things. First, to be clear about how your current camera and lens limits your photography. Second, to define exactly what you want to photograph. You say nature, but insects, large mammals, birds and scenery all require different lenses. 

If you want something cheaper than £1000 (and who can blame you) then Sigma have made a 50-500 and a 150-500. Canon have a fantastic 70-200 f4 (non- is) that is a relative steal. It all depends on what you need.


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## Themuleous (26 Jan 2012)

Agree with the better lens on an old body.  I've got the D550 and am looking to get my first 'L' lens for better wildlife shots.  Much better to upgrade the lens first and then the body. Lens' seem to hold their value better and for longer than bodies as well, so you could always resell a lens and expect to get much of the cost back.

Have you seen http://www.eflens.com and also http://www.the-digital-picture.com, both of which I use regularly.

As for a lens recommendation, try the canon 70-300IS (http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Revi ... eview.aspx) which is a great non-pro lens, which you can get for £275 ish on fleabay.  

Sam


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## Piece-of-fish (26 Jan 2012)

If you do decide upgrading a body go for 550D or 7D at least. They both are the same picture quality wise but 7D having pro controls and magnesium weatherproof body, 100% viewfinder as opposed to 95% on entry levels which helps framing tanks better especially on videos. The reason i recommend those is that they already have HD video feature wich is becoming more and more popular now. 500D is the first canon amongst canons  which has it but you dont have full exposure control on video and have to rely on auto. I upgraded my 500d to 7D only because of that and am more than happy with it.


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## lil-lynx (26 Jan 2012)

Right got a few i have been looking at, could people help me out. 

1.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-55-250mm- ... 879&sr=8-4 

2. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-70-300mm- ... 07&sr=8-43

3. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-75-300mm- ... 196&sr=1-3

Or am i going down the wrong route , im thinking number 3 the best bet.


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## Stu Worrall (27 Jan 2012)

They are all pretty good as long as you don't want to do any low light stuff as they don't let enough light in for that. daytime stuff would be fine though.  If you did go for the Sigma I'd look for the APO version instead of the one you listed as it has better glass.


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## clonitza (27 Jan 2012)

Sigma 150-500mm is another good choice if you can't afford the 100-400L but it might need some focus calibration with your camera.


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## lil-lynx (27 Jan 2012)

Right iv been looking to buy the 70-300mm sigma APO. But I have one question, I have the canon 75-300mm EF but i don't think much of it, will the sigma preform better ?


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## lil-lynx (5 Feb 2012)

Any one  ?


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## George Farmer (5 Feb 2012)

The 70-300 APO Sigma is widely regarded as a better lens than the 75-300 Canon.


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## Mr P (5 Feb 2012)

hello.the sigma 70-300 F4 -5.6 APO is a great buy for the price.it is a really versatile lens.it does have a macro setting which is quite good.i have had one for 5years it is past its best now but they really are quite good.low light shots without a tripod are not great,but if you want a fast lens expect to pay a lot more.i have a lot of wildlife shots and some landscapes taken on this lens which have surprised me with their sharpness .its a good little lens http://www.flickr.com/photos/skankypup/


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## lil-lynx (7 Feb 2012)

Lovely photos ! , il give the little lens a go then  

Thanks guys !


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## lil-lynx (8 Feb 2012)

Just a quick one , any suggestions where to get this little lens ?


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## Mr P (9 Feb 2012)

have a look on the web,you should get one for £160 approx


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