# DSLR Upgrade advice



## rich-hill (May 13, 2008)

Evening All,

I curretly have a Canon 400D.


I am looking to upgrade from this, but I'm unsure what to upgrade too.

Anyone have any suggestions? I like the idea perhaps of going to a full frame camera, what sort of price would an entry level full frame cost?

I'm not too bothered by brand.

My plan would be either to sell the 400D or trade it in against the new one.


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

There isn't really such a thing as an entry level full frame, the cheapest would be a Nikon D700 which would cost you about £1700 for the body. Then if you're going to go to that much expense for the camera, then it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever putting a cheap lens on the front so you'd need to buy a 24-70 F2.8 lens as your general purpose lens and they cost £1200 so buy the time you buy a few CF cards, etc you're basically talking about spending £3k.


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## rich-hill (May 13, 2008)

aaah, i didnt realise they were quite so exspensive. Okay changing my mind a little bit. What would be a good upgrade from the 400D?


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

rich-hill said:


> aaah, i didnt realise they were quite so exspensive. Okay changing my mind a little bit. What would be a good upgrade from the 400D?


50d is a good camera.


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## PaulGTI (Oct 21, 2006)

rmorgan84 said:


> 50d is a good camera.


My Bro had just got one of these, very nice!


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## rich-hill (May 13, 2008)

50D, I guess that's canon? I will look that one up. Does any1 else have some feedback for it?


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## Crafty (Aug 4, 2007)

50D is indeed Canon. Its a 1.6 crop and is the replacement for the much loved 40D model.
I've read rumours of a 60D coming out this year, how true they are I don't know, doesn't seem the 50D has been out that long..
You might want to take a look at the 7D as well, still a crop it is, by all accounts a very nice camera. 
If you want to go full frame with Canon you'd be looking at a 5D mk II.


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## richardi734 (Sep 4, 2007)

What lenses have you got? I would rather spend the money on some decent glass before changing the body, if you haven't already.


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

richardi734 said:


> What lenses have you got? I would rather spend the money on some decent glass before changing the body, if you haven't already.


^^ this.

Bret


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## martyp (Oct 24, 2006)

Have a look on eBay for a Canon 5D (mk1), that's what I have.

I upgraded from a 500d and the difference in quality is massive. You should be able to pick one up from 650 - 800 depending on the condition.

Oh, if you have any EF-S lenes you'd like to reuse these won't fit a FF body. You'll need EF lenses instead.


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## rich-hill (May 13, 2008)

I currently only have the kit lense.

The reason i havent gone for buying a lense first is I'm open to changing brand, and didnt want to buy new lenses and then have them not fit.

So now i feel that i want to invest some more money into photogrpahy i am open to chaning brand


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## richardi734 (Sep 4, 2007)

What sort of photography do you do & whats your budget?


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## rich-hill (May 13, 2008)

I have a budget of around £500ish plus whatever i can get for my 400D+Kit lense.

I'm not set on just buying brand new though, i will buy second hand if the right thing crops up and is a bargin

As for the type of photography i do/enjoy...quite general really, Landscapes, transportation/automotive and a small amount of macro is how i would perhaps sum it up


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## richardi734 (Sep 4, 2007)

I would get a Canon 50mm 1.8 prime lens, great for car badges due to depth of field and a serious bargain. 

Use some Kenko tubes for macro.

Get a Canon 10-22mm for transportation and landscapes.

Look on pbase.com for samples but you won't regret it. This will blow your budget and don't forget the UV filters and get a CPL for lanscapes.


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## rich-hill (May 13, 2008)

Are you suggesting keeping my caerma and purchasing the above lenses then?


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

yep. Hit the limits of the camera first. You're nowhere near it if you're still using the kit lens, which has a rep as being.... "not very good". 

Bret


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## richardi734 (Sep 4, 2007)

Get your hands on the "nifty fifty" first. For under £80 it's a bargain of the century.


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## gt5500 (Aug 6, 2008)

What exactly do you wish to gain by upgrading? are you one of these people under the illusion that the more expensive the camera the better the pictures will be? if so I hate to break it to you but that as far from reality as you can get. My advice stick with the camera you have and then buy a better quality lens that suits the type of photography you do.


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## dubnut71 (Jul 25, 2006)

gt5500 said:


> What exactly do you wish to gain by upgrading? are you one of these people under the illusion that the more expensive the camera the better the pictures will be? if so I hate to break it to you but that as far from reality as you can get. My advice stick with the camera you have and then buy a better quality lens that suits the type of photography you do.


^^^^^ Belting bit of advice there.

whilst having the latest cam from Nikon /Canon /Sony is lots of fun and full frame is a great benefit in some circumstances there are a few things to consider first. 
1. An upgrade to glass in the form of lenses is where you will see a good benefit in the canon L lenses and the nikon 2.8 family, more flexibility with aperture and great construction.
2. An upgrade to your photography by taking up a project such as a 365 or a themed series of photos to challenge exactly where you are in your ability right now.

I know at least one detailer for instance who uses a Nikon D40 to great effect (Rob Leys of Gleammachine) and his photos of both cars and other subjects come across brilliantly. Indeed I have had shots in newspaper and magazines from using what some people consider a humble Nikon D80.

Sometimes its more about the bits behind the camera than the camera and the bits in front!!:thumb:


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## rich-hill (May 13, 2008)

The reason I was thinking of upgrading was because I bought the 400D just to see if I enjoyed photography and just to test the water. 

I then decided to upgrade becuase I do enjoy it so thought I would take the next step up to a camera I would keep for many years.

For the sake of £80 I will buy a nifty fifty. Where would you recommend purchasing it? Also the spacers for macro? Where would I get them and what sizes should I get with it?


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## gt5500 (Aug 6, 2008)

rich-hill said:


> The reason I was thinking of upgrading was because I bought the 400D just to see if I enjoyed photography and just to test the water.
> 
> I then decided to upgrade becuase I do enjoy it so thought I would take the next step up to a camera I would keep for many years.
> 
> For the sake of £80 I will buy a nifty fifty. Where would you recommend purchasing it? Also the spacers for macro? Where would I get them and what sizes should I get with it?


Fair enough but I think you are slightly confused in what you will gain by upgrading, unless there is something you dislike about the 400d I wouldn't change it. Think of it like this, a snap on spanner costs say £30, a draper spanner costs £4 both will do the same job but one is a professional item. For a professional the snap on is what he needs because he will use it day in day out, the draper would soon wear out or break, however for us amatuers the draper will be fine for light use and I won't gain anything by upgrading. Now this I admit is not the full story because pro camera's do have extra features, most significantly full frame sensors, better high ISO, faster shutter, faster frame rate etc, the thing is are any of those going to benefit you? that is what you need to ask yourself. The only two things that would make me upgrade from a 400d to something like the 50d is the ergonomics and the brighter viewfinder, if neither of them bothers you on the 400d stick with it and buy better glass. There is this commonly held belief that pro's take good photo's because they have expensive camera's but in reality most pro's could probably put the rest of us to shame using a sub £100 compact. The point is upgrading to a more expensive camera does not magically result in better photos coming out the end. I sometimes hear people saying that, the image quality is higher from one camera to another but usually this is down to internal image processing, if you are serious about your photography you should be shooting RAW and post processing anyway.


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## Scotty Pro (Nov 12, 2008)

rich-hill said:


> The reason I was thinking of upgrading was because I bought the 400D just to see if I enjoyed photography and just to test the water.
> 
> I then decided to upgrade becuase I do enjoy it so thought I would take the next step up to a camera I would keep for many years.
> 
> For the sake of £80 I will buy a nifty fifty. Where would you recommend purchasing it? Also the spacers for macro? Where would I get them and what sizes should I get with it?


good site for buying photog gear
http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk


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## richardi734 (Sep 4, 2007)

Buying from HK is the cheapest via Ebay. Just watch higher value purchases as you will be liable for duty and VAT, normally still works out cheaper though. 

Tubes normally come in a set.


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## richardi734 (Sep 4, 2007)

gt5500 said:


> Fair enough but I think you are slightly confused in what you will gain by upgrading, unless there is something you dislike about the 400d I wouldn't change it. Think of it like this, a snap on spanner costs say £30, a draper spanner costs £4 both will do the same job but one is a professional item. For a professional the snap on is what he needs because he will use it day in day out, the draper would soon wear out or break, however for us amatuers the draper will be fine for light use and I won't gain anything by upgrading. Now this I admit is not the full story because pro camera's do have extra features, most significantly full frame sensors, better high ISO, faster shutter, faster frame rate etc, the thing is are any of those going to benefit you? that is what you need to ask yourself. The only two things that would make me upgrade from a 400d to something like the 50d is the ergonomics and the brighter viewfinder, if neither of them bothers you on the 400d stick with it and buy better glass. *There is this commonly held belief that pro's take good photo's because they have expensive camera's but in reality most pro's could probably put the rest of us to shame using a sub £100 compact.* The point is upgrading to a more expensive camera does not magically result in better photos coming out the end. I sometimes hear people saying that, the image quality is higher from one camera to another but usually this is down to internal image processing, if you are serious about your photography you should be shooting RAW and post processing anyway.


I like that as I only have a P&S Canon G10.:thumb:


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## partrir (Mar 31, 2009)

The 550D from Canon was announced yesterday....

http://www.canon.co.uk/About_Us/Pre...ameras_Accessories/EOS_550D_Press_Release.asp

About £900


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## Scotty B (Jul 1, 2009)

I have a Nikon D40 I bought as my first DSLR. I always wanted a D300 but decided to spend the money on new lenses which make the biggest difference.


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## gt5500 (Aug 6, 2008)

Scotty B said:


> I have a Nikon D40 I bought as my first DSLR. I always wanted a D300 but decided to spend the money on new lenses which make the biggest difference.


You got it in one mate, in order of what makes the biggest difference to improving photos I would say-

1. Skill, no point having a 1d with an L series lens if you still think auto is the only mode the camera has, equally no point spending ours fiddling with settings if you are taking a badly framed or un intresting picture.
2.Lenses, don't waste your money upgarding the body if the best lens you have is the 18-55mm that came in the kit, get some shaper glass with bigger apertures and you will start to see improvements.
3. Learning to use RAW images and post production, some people think post production is cheating which is frankly foolish since even when pro's used film the images were fiddled with during processing, ever wondered why paint packages have tools called dodge and burn? these are old film processing techniques.
3.Decent lighting, now obviously this is not a requirement if you shoot outdoors on nice bright days but anytime you need a flash or set lighting having the right equipment is going to make all the difference, that little pop up flash, forget it you need a gun and some diffusers if you're serious.
4.A better camera body, seriously I believe that if you already have a halfway decent DSLR upgrading the body is not going to net you huge results especially if you haven't reached the above steps. If you are still shooting a compact upgrading to a DSLR will be a big step forward but only if you take the time to learn how to use it to your advantage. Most DSLR beginners actually take worse photo's.

Of course this is just my thoughts, I am in no way a pro or even a good amatuer but I am an expert at spending wisely.


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## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

... one flash? Naah. Three, please, with diffusers, gels, honeycombs, softboxes and brollies. 

"Painting with light", remember?

Bret


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## Scotty B (Jul 1, 2009)

Learning how to use a flashgun and process RAW files for me was the biggest challenge.

People who say post processing is cheating are only cheating themselves out of a better photo and they are dilluded if they think changes weren't made to an image during 'film' days.

Only now is my little D40 starting to hold me back. For one it only has three focus points which is frustrating at track days or shooting birds in flight. I'll never sell it though as the 1/500 flash sync is a godsend and has saved my ass on more than one occassion.


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## gt5500 (Aug 6, 2008)

Scotty B said:


> Only now is my little D40 starting to hold me back. For one it only has three focus points which is frustrating at track days or shooting birds in flight. I'll never sell it though as the 1/500 flash sync is a godsend and has saved my ass on more than one occassion.


Which is a perfectly valid point, you actually know why you want to upgrade so it shows that you have actually reached the limit of your camera rather then just wanting to upgrade because more expensive must mean better right?


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## Scotty B (Jul 1, 2009)

Indeed and the D40 only has 6mp which is plenty for an 20x16" print but still gets sniffed at by the P&S crew with their super duper 12mp pocket monsters. LOL


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