Okay, so I may soon be in a position to upgrade my camera. I currently have a Canon PowerShot G9.
As this is stretching the limits of 'compact' camera anyway I was thinking of moving up to a DSLR.
I've had a couple of Canons (Ixus and PowerShot) and quite like the layout and way the menus work. I've had a go on my brother Nikon DSLR (I forget which model it is, but it was second hand so not a current one AFAIK) and wasn't overly impressed so I'm leaning towards Canon.

Anyway, I've been having a read of reviews on DPReview and my head is spinning.
I should have enough to skip the EOS1000D so is the EOS 500D a better bet than the 450D? I know it's a newer model but I've been reading that there isn't an awful lot in it in terms of image quality.
If I can stretch to a 50D would it be worth it as a first DSLR or is that taking too big a jump?

Body only and pick my own lens(es) or just go for a kit lens bundle?

How much is it sensible to budget for a tripod, memory cards and a kit bag?

And finally, a (n00b) technical question. I'm somewhat confused about aperture (as in measured in f-stops, not the Apple software).
Lenses quote an aperture or range e.g. f1.8, f3.5-5.6 and so on. Is this aperture setting different from the aperture set on the camera or does attaching the lens to the camera fix the aperture settings that will be selectable? Some zoom lens (those with a variable focal length e.g. 18 - 200 mm) also have a range of aperture quoted while others have a fixed aperture (and are much more expnsive). What is the benefit of having a fixed aperture over the entire zoom range?

All speculative at the moment but I've been enjoying taking photos for the photo comp and have been running into the limits of my PowerShot camera as far as some shots I've wanted to take. Which is a shame as it's a very good camera in most respects.

Snap! Good little - okay, not so little - camera!



I think the main difference between the 450D and 500D is the latter has 720p HD video shooting capabilities.



When I got my 400D, the kit lens was adequate, but a bit cheap. I think the kit lenses have improved a lot. Warehouse Express are currently offering the 450D with a two lense bundle at around £680:
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-can ... t/p1025953

I note a £30 cashback offer on that kit, too.

Those are EF-S lenses, specifically designed for the 1.6x crop factor on the smaller sensor. Bear this in mind if you start to consider EF lenses later: multiply the quoted focal length by 1.6 to give you the effective length on your camera.



If you're serious about this, don't skimp on your tripod. You can get some quality tripods in the Giottos and Manfrotto ranges, with either a traditional or ball head for under £150.

Here's a Giottos 'pod and head at Warehouse Express...

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-gio ... t/p1028259

Bags? Well, whatever your budget can extend to. If you're likely to want to add more stuff to your basic kit, then look to get a large enough bag to hold the camera with a lens attached, padded sections for the other lenses, useful pockets for accessories and stuff. I have a mega bag I bought years ago, which holds everything but is a pig to carry more than short distance. In the summer I got a LowePro backpack, which makes it a whole lot easier to carry it all, including the tripod, and has the bonus it's weatherproof. Shop about and see what's out there - it can be bewildering.

I prefer SanDisk memory cards. I get them online from a variety of places. I also have a card reader to speed up the image transfer. If you're planning on shooting RAW - which you should be - get at least a 4GB card or two. That'll give you about 300-350 images in RAW, I think, per card.

Also consider a spare battery. While I've found my 400D will go all day on a single charge, I carry a charged spare just in case.



Whatever the manufacturer quotes for the lens, the camera's electronics does the magic. Some lenses will stop right down to ƒ/32, others stop at ƒ/22. The zoom lens conundrum is a bit tougher to get over. The lower end of the cost ranges tend to have smaller apertures at the widest end (some start around ƒ/3.5 or ƒ/4), and as you zoom in the aperture decreases (generally no more than ƒ/5).

Now here it gets scary: if you want a zoom lens that gives you, say ƒ/2.8 all the way through the zoom lens (my hand's up here!), then look at spending up to £1500 or so. Third party manufacturers make lenses that match most of the Canon range, at lower prices (Sigma's equivalent 70-200mm sans image stabilisation comes in around £700-ish, similar to Canon's non-stabilised model). I have a couple of Sigma lenses that cost less than £400 each. The 28-300 zoom is adequate, but soft on full zoom, and doesn't have aperture settings that let me get the dreamy bokeh I would like. That's why I'm thinking of that expensive top-of-the-range Canon lens instead!

I think the best advice is to learn how to use the camera with the lens(es) it comes with, and then look around at what you might need (and can afford) to improve your art. For my part, I decided to only spend on top quality lenses because they will stay with me if I upgrade the body. My advice will always be buy the best lens you can afford and don't skimp.

Back to the G9 for a sec. There are wide angle and telephoto adaptors for it. Have you looked into those to as a way of extending it a bit? Oh, and don't ditch it when you move up. You should find the G9 and 450D share batteries, and it's handy having a second camera about sometimes - especially for the cruel macro stuff you'll struggle to do at first with the SLR.

Phew! That's enough from me!

Thanks for the extensive post Heather. Rest assured I have no intention of ditching the G9 any time soon.
It's has been and still is an excellent camera but I had some serious fun trying to take low light shots with it (see last months photo comp entry). And 'burst' shooting mode didn't exactly go well although I suspect having it set for RAW didn't help at all there

I've got a par of SanDisk Extreme III 4GB SD cards when I got the G9 so these should do fine in the future. I presume the RAW files from a 450/500D are going to be roughly similar in size (or a little larger) than those produced by the G9 in RAW mode so I'll get about the same number of shots per card as I do at the moment.

So, the aperture quoted on the lens is the largest value you'll be able to select on the camera with the lens fitted? Smallest is determined by the camera? I think I've got those the right way round.

Much to think about.

I think that's correct.

I didn't realise the 450D used SD cards. My 400 uses CF, like it's bigger uncles. Now I look at the overall specs, I'm not sure if the 450/500 battery is compatible with the G9, but I doubt that's a great loss.

Have fun thinking. DP Review is a good place to compare and contrast, as you know.

Well Heather seems to have covered all your queries so I'll just throw in a few to compliment or confuse - whatever you choose.

Nope, not at all. You seem to have a decent grounding in the G9 and being used to the Canon format of menus etc just means that familiarity is what's making you comfortable. Rumour says it can be an advantage to go for unfamiliar equipment and that in itself will teach you to think more about settings etc.

Having said that, the 50D is a great camera and will last you for ages. Try and not get too hung up on getting the best camera and if you choose to buy second hand, you can get some great bargains. My next camera will be a 50D second hand


Well, it depends on the kit lenses doesn't it? Whorehouse Sexpress market the 50D with either the 17-55 IS USM lens, 17-85 IS lens, 60mm F2.8 USM Macro or the 18-200mm IS lense. Just be careful to look for those small differences like USM - go to a decent lens site and check the differences. Again, great bargains are to be had with second hand lenses.

So, spare batteries, 4Gb+ cards (depending on the system you go for) and a decent camera bag to put your stuff in are the accessories I would choose first and second would be a good tripod/head. I was pointed HERE and can thoroughly recommend this combo (it's in the car at all times).

HTH

Al

Just to clarify/re-iterate: All Canon lenses are spec'd with a 35mm-equivalent focal length, so for effective focal length you need to multiply by 1.6 on both EF and EF-S lenses.


Minimum aperture is also determined by the lens, but is not so widely quoted as it's normally "small enough". My 17-40 only goes as small as f/22, for example, but my 70-300 goes up to f/40 at one end of the zoom range (oddly enough).

So it now looks like I'll have some cash for a shiny new camera in about a month and I was looking at the Canon EOS 50D.
The thing is, there seem to be a few rumblings on t'interweb that the 60D is about to come out, possibly at the start of February.
So, worth waiting to see?

Firstly, by following that logic nobody would buy anything! Second, the 50D is barely over a year old so I'd be surprised if it's replaced that quickly. Finally, for not a lot more you can get a 7D, which to me looks like a much better camera all round. Rumours on new DSLRs are driven more by people saying what they want, and what they think the manufacturers *ought* to bring out, rather than any basis in fact.

This bugs me. And EF lens could end up on a body with a 35mm sensor, so it does make sense to spec in those terms. An EF-S lens won't mount to an EF body (without pointless, expensive modification), so why not just call them what they are? (18-55mm would become the 29-88mm)
Makes I mad, I tell thee.

Once you have your head around it I see no problem with things how they are.

It's not a '35mm-equivalent' focal length; it's an absolute focal length. On medium format cameras, a 120mm lens is considered wide angle, but is still a 120mm lens. Calling a 35mm lens a '50mm' lens on a APSc sensor is technically wrong, as the focal length is a feature of the lens, not the camera/sensor.

True, I'm associating lens focal lengths with the field of view, which is lazy of me, and certainly not helped by practically everyone referring to '35mm equivalent' in print.
It still bugs me though.

Should have gone for a full frame camera then! :-P

Ain't that the truth... maybe later this year.

Yes, I know nobody would buy anything. Still, I won't have the money for a while anyway so I shall see what develops in the meantime.

Not a lot more? £500 (body only) is a lot more in my book. At the moment I am having a look at this combo of camera and lens clickey. The closest equivalent in terms of price with a 7D is this.

I'm not massively bothered by the extra zoom on the 7D's lens and reckon that the faster lens on the 50D will be a better investment long term as it will be transferable to other cameras if/when I upgrade in future. Same lens on the 7D comes to over £2000 which is beyond my budget at the moment considering I want to get a few other bits and pieces (like a tripod, spare battery, a couple of CF cards and a reader) along with the camera.

If the stupidity tax or premium bonds happen to pay out in an appropriate time frame then my plans will change