Kirislin Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 I want to buy a good camera to take action running shots of whippets, as well as using it for close ups. The running shots could be head on so obviously they'll be coming towards me at about 55kph. I am a camera dummy but on a whippet forum alot use the Canon eos 400d. That camera is currently on sale with 2 lenses 18-55mm & 75-300mm it's selling for $1149. I need to know, is this a good price and are these lenses the sort I'd need. can someone tell me, preferably in moron simple terms please Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 (edited) Hi........... Do you really want a DSLR? Are you going to publish/sell your prints? If not....I use a fuji finepix S8000.. and have successfully captured running dogs The finepix is 'only' around $500 and is NOT a DSLR.so you have no extra lenses etc to worry about http://www.photoreview.com.au/Fujifilm/rev...ix-s8000fd.aspx I will try & take a couple of shots later..waaay too hot now. Edited March 16, 2008 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShesaLikeableBiBear Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 I have the Canon 400 Rebel XTI, I had the lenses which you have posted and have recently up graded to a 100-400mm. If you scroll thought here all of the outdoor shots were taken with the 75-300mm lenses http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=79422 as were the shots on http://www.sheepherdingqueensland.com/participation.html We also used to go Lure Coursing and have some great shots from that as well. You can set the camera to sports action to freeze the action until you get used to the manual settings. Its a great camera and worth the $$$ if you can afford it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rysup Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Unless you are pretty good with an SLR I would just go with a high-end Compact. Thats what I did - ended up getting a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ 50 and I love it so far. I can use it like an SLR, but it can also do it all itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkitaSam Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 If you can afford a dSLR then get one, it will give you more options for the future. With the lenses you indicate they are good lenses but slow, meaning they require a good amount of light to take action shots. You would be pushing it to get good results if you were taking action pics inside (low light) forinstance, with them. For normal everyday shooting they are fine. Nikon, Canon, Pentax ... it doesnt matter as they are all pretty much the same ... Nikon and Canon have the biggest range of lenses though. An SLR will last for years and you can add or upgrade lenses (new or second hand) as money permits. As for the operation entry level SLR's are no different to use than compacts, both are very user friendly, but SLR's are infinitely more flexible. SLR's also have optical viewfinders (much better) where compacts are generally CTV electronic (bad by comparison to optical) At the end of the day any good camera, compact (SLR style) or true SLR (changable lenses), will take good pictures if you use it right. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle. Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 (edited) I agree with AkitaSam. While DSLR's appear to be complicated, they are actually far easier to use than a high end compact cam, due to almost all of the controls being driven by dials and buttons on the body of the camera, rather than menus accessed via the LCD screen. My husband started out with a Canon S1 IS which in it's day was a lovely big zoom compact cam. But it drove him nuts cos he was continually having to access menu's to change such simple things as white balance or ISO. I bought a second hand 10D and taught him to use that and after a 10 minute lesson, he was away! And rapt cos it was so much easier to navigate than his compact cam, and the pics were a hundred times better even though he didn't have a clue what he was doing. The lenses you mention are similar to the lenses I started out with. They are not bad for bright daylight and with a bit of patience the 18-55mm lens can be quite useful indoors, but there are much better lenses available when you want to upgrade. They do come at a cost though, and you'll find eventually that the camera was the cheap part of the bundle! Edited March 17, 2008 by GayleK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rysup Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 My Lumix has all the buttons and dials on the outside.......I dont need to go into the menus and such for the most part. But yeah if you can afford an SLR go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 Thanks very much everyone. I've noticed on ebay (dont think I'll buy one there but looking) that some ads stress MADE IN JAPAN does that mean some Canons aren't made in Japan, perhaps China?? If so, would there be a difference in quality? Canon are a good name, logic tells me they would have pretty strict quality control where ever their cameras are made but is this the case? Linda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanova Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Unless you are pretty good with an SLR I would just go with a high-end Compact. Thats what I did - ended up getting a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ 50 and I love it so far. I can use it like an SLR, but it can also do it all itself. Sounds like the type of camera I need Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezzyr Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 (edited) sorry - I had misread your question yesterday and then found some informative links but lost them Edited March 19, 2008 by chezzyr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PossumCorner Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 (edited) I want to buy a good camera to take action running shots ... Replies are all good, but missing your main requirement being action shots. All point-and-shoot and compact cameras have shutter lag. So you press the shutter, there is a pause while the separate viewfinder talks to the lens, and the moment is lost. You might get a fantastic shot anyway, but it will not be the one you "thought" you took with a compact, ever. DSLR cameras don't have that roundabout communication within them, so they do not have shutter-lag. When you click is what you get. Maybe not so critical for head-on shots as the dog is still in the frame (just not in the focus area you wanted). It is a huge difference in side-on shots, you might need to pan the camera with the dog to keep it in the frame with a compact. Whether you are trying to capture a full extension of stride or a compressed hind-legs-forward shot, a point-and-shoot disadvantages you. A DSLR will give you a more consistant result with action shots, with less guess-work. We have two good compacts, Lumix and Konica Minolta, lovely for portraits and flowers, but not for running/jumping subjects. Some of the ebay shops are quite okay: PhotoBuff stocks Nikon and Canon at reasonable prices with excellent follow-up service (for Nikon anyway) and you can pick up from them (Narre Warren area). Edited March 19, 2008 by PossumCorner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacee Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 They are great cameras and this is a good price however the lenses will only be basic and not have the fast aperture needed. To give you an idea on lenses and quality/price.. canon lenses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 I ended up buying it. I need to learn how to use it before I consider upgrading lenses I think. thankyou all for your advice. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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