Canon 1000D + 2 kit lenses - good deal?

[Jonathan]

I have been offerd this pakage for 448 uk pounds.

I am relativly new to photography and was wondering is this a good deal or not, i have been using my canon power shot s5 is for about 3 years and I'm ready to move onto something more advanced.

Canon EOS 1000D with EF-S 18-55mm DC and EF 75-300mm III Lens Kit .

Thanks for your help,

[Donald]

Jonathan

I'm going to give an answer that's not an answer (but, honestly, I'm not a Liberal Democrat).

It depends.

It depends on two primary things.

Firstly - Is it what you want? Don't buy it just because it's available. Have you been thinking about this for a while? Is it a 1000D that you want? Are those the sort of lenses that you want? How much research have you done into camera bodies to see a) what would fit with your budget and b) what would fit with what you want?

Secondly - You don't say anything about the equipment or where it's coming from. Do you know it's in very good or perfect condition? Who is the seller? How does the price compare with what you'd pay elsewhere for these components? If it's a lot cheaper than anywhere else - Why?

I appreciate that when we see an offer that looks so good, we just want to jump in and go for it. But please take a step back and, try and set aside the emotional bit of you and put your hard-headed, objective face on.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Jonathan,

A quick google reveals it isn't a huge bargain, fairly average - in fact Amazon uk seem to do camera and one lens for £399 + £23.65 for the 75-300mm!

I'd echo Donald's caution and questions.

The 1000D is about as basic as a DSLR goes, will it be enough?

[Jonathan]

Hi guys
Donald and Dave thanks what youve said has got me thinking and your right, more research should be done, personally i want a good allrounder u know landscape portrate palnts animals,
i dont know if you have any recomendations as to which camera i should be looking at. the original offer was form wearhouse experss. Im also looking to sell my power shot canon if you could possibly help me with smomeware you know to sell this, thanks again guys youve been great.

[rpcrowe]

I would do some more research if I were you... The Rebel xx0D cameras are themselves quite basic and the 1000D is a more basic and simplified version of the Rebel xx0D series. The 1000D will produce very-good to excellent imagery but, there are several other cameras which are more versatile and would probably run around the same used price.

If the 18-55mm lens is the IS version (which it should be since the 1000D was packaged with this lens) it is a pretty darn good lens (considering its relatively low price). However, the non-IS lens is not anywhere as good as the IS version which came with the camera

The 75-300mm, on the other hand, is a fairly poor example of a Canon lens. The newer 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS lens which is now often packaged with Canon Rebel xx0D cameras is a much better lens.

If you are looking for an older Rebel type camera and if you would be happy with a camera that is without video capability (as is the 1000D), I would suggest that the Rebel 450D (AKA: XSi) just might be the camera for you (however - look at my idea in the last paragraph).

Of course, as you start looking at newer models such as the Rebel 500D (T1i) or the Rebel 550D (T2i) your capabilities will increase, but so will the price on the used market.

The 450D is a fully capable camera but, if I were going to purchase a used Canon DSLR camera, I would lean to an x0D model rather than one of the Rebels. I shoot with the 30D and the 40D and far prefer their control systems to those of the Rebel Series. I don't know how much a used 40D would run in your area but, that is the camera I suggest if it is economically feasible. The 50D did not add any features which made me think of changing and the 60D has actually subtracted some features. If I were to upgrade, I would probably choose the relatively new 7D. However, for now, the 40D is all the camera that I need and in actuality is probably all the camera I will ever need.

Please visit my China galleries at http://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/ to see examples of imagery shot with a combination of 30D and 40D cameras.