Photographers...

Hi all, I know there has been much talk about photographers etc on here but I have a dilemna..

My girlfriend is a student and University studying photography in fashion. Now she has an Olympus, which is apparently quite complicated to use and her uni uses the Canon EOS 1000D.

Being someone who knows nothing about cameras.. What is the best camera out there which would suit her needs for now and well in to the future?

I have a price range of around £800. Its either a good camera for the money or a new macbook (which she has an old one anyway).

Apparently Canon are good because you can get lots of addons?

The 1000D write up says this:
With a 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor and technology inherited from Canon’s professional models, the EOS 1000D offers EOS imaging power in an affordable, easy-to-use package.

Which tells me its just on the market for general purpose and not professionalism...

HELP!

[fizzwheel]

Looks like Canon's Entry level DSLR. Which if thats the case I'd be inclined to consider it seriously.

the advantage of using something that her University already has is that her University might have a stock of lenses that she can borrow or use that will fit straight onto that camera body.

Remember with a DSLR, its not just about the camera its about what Lens you stick on the front of it.

I'm not a canon man, I have Nikon, but IMHO you wont go wrong with a Canon, just like you wont go wrong with a Nikon either.

Is it something that she is going to use alot during the course of her study ?

She will be using it all the time, the camera seems to be attatched to her 24/7...

Ive done a little research and alot of cameras seem to have video capture on them which she isnt interested in at all.

She has also mentioned Nikon aswell!

Would the 1000D last her a long time even after finishing uni and then on to making a living with the camera? 10.1mp enough? Or with fashion will she require more for more zoom or to blow a picture up?

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

I'm not a canon man, I have Nikon, but IMHO you wont go wrong with a Canon, just like you wont go wrong with a Nikon either.

This is the crux of the matter, Nikon and Canons have different plus and minus points but if you buy one of the big two you'll get a top model and plenty of support later on that you may not with less common names

My beef with Canons is the size of the lower level models, my normal sized hands swamp the things, but obviously your GF probably won't have that issue (unless she's got man hands?)

For a student course you won't *need* a professional model (and she could end up spending more on the camera than the course fees!), an decent mid or entry level model will do everything she'll need, I'd be looking around the Canon 550D and Nikon D7000 level

The 550d looks better than the 1000d? Its certainly more expensive... Not that its too much of a problem, ill just need to find out what lens she uses at the moment. This bundle ive found seems good apart from the lens which i dont know about:

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/...8110/show.html

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by Stuuk1

The 550d looks better than the 1000d?

From what I remember when I was looking the 1000D was pretty old then, unless they've updated it I'd be wary buying such an old model...

Before she spends the money go and molest a few in Jessops, no point buying a technical masterpiece if you can't get a comfy grip on it - that was the decider for me when I went and played with the 550D and the D5000

Well, im paying.. its an xmas present. Ok ill head out to a Jessops soon, thanks so much for your help!

[the_lone_wolf]

Take her with you, or at least her hands...

Also check out www.dpreview.com for extremely detailed reviews of cameras...

[jambo]

We bought my dad a 1000D a last Christmas if memory serves and he's been very happy with it. My 400D (now discontinued, the 1000D shares the same sensor) has taken many thousands of photos without issue.

Whet lenses and accessories she ends up using will depend on the type of photography she ends up doing. The higher end models allow access to more features without going into menus.

Ultimately the amount spent on the camera will probably pale compared to lenses flashes etc if she ever wants to make a living from it...

Jambo

[SIII]

Bought a 400D about 18 mths ago and am very pleased with it. My only critisism is the images are a little 'soft'. Not quite as sharp as I would like but this is only really noticable on large print and can often be sorted on editing software. If your GF is used to using Canon I would stick to that as once you have learned how to access all the menu's it is difficult to learn the Nikon menu style. (the only reason I chose the canon over the similar nikon at the time)
I would suggest you go for the 500D or 550D as she may well 'outgrow ' the basic 1000D very soon and the 15/18meg will print better than the 10meg of the 1000d.
Not sure the jessops flash included in the kit, is as good as the genuine canon unit which is fantastic.
Hope this helps a little