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Equipment Canon EOS 1200D

Discussion in 'Photography, Art & Design' started by CrapBag, 3 Nov 2014.

  1. CrapBag

    CrapBag Multimodder

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    I'm thinking of getting this camera for the missus and myself for Christmas.

    We currently own 2 Fuji S5600 and they aren't cutting the mustard anymore and seem to be killing our XD cards.

    I'm pretty set on this camera as it has great reviews, is affordable and there's a £20 cash back offer.

    The thing is depending on where you buy it from there's 3 different 18-55mm lenses options.

    EF-M 18-55mm (Tesco's £289)
    EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 III (Amazon £289)
    EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II (Amazon but much dearer £329)

    I'm leaning towards Tesco's as I can collect it myself and return it without any issues, following that amazon would be okay too but curry's are providing a 2 year warranty at the same price.

    What is the difference between these lenses, the EF-M kinda makes it sound likes it's a manual lense by having M in the description.
     
  2. Yadda

    Yadda Minimodder

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    The EF-M mount lenses are designed for Canon's mirror-less EOS M camera so won't fit a 1200D. The 1200D (like all Canon APS-C DSLR cameras) is designed to be used with EF and EF-S mount lenses.

    The two EF-S lenses you list are often supplied by Canon in a kit bundle with their DSLR camera bodies. For this reason they are referred to as "kit lenses" and can often be found fairly cheaply on the used market, often unused, as people make way for a "faster" and generally better lens.

    To be honest some kit lenses are OK. The 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II for example is much sharper than the mark I revision (which is reportedly very poor). I bought a mint, used mk II for £60 some years ago. I have no idea what the mk III is like however, for around £300 they don't seem very good value to me. I'd be looking at something faster and sharper like a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 (be aware there are two versions of the lens - one with image stabilisation (Tamron indicate this as "VC") and one without). I replaced my 18-55 mkII kit lens with the non-VC version and I'm very happy with it.

    Check out some reviews and see what you think. This site is useful for objective lens reviews.

    Edit: are the prices you quoted for each lens or for lens & camera bundles?
     
    Last edited: 3 Nov 2014
  3. CrapBag

    CrapBag Multimodder

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    Thank you for the detailed info.

    I wonder why tesco's list the EF-M being supplied with the 1200D.

    Tesco's
    I read somewhere that the III version utilises Canons image stabilisation system but not sure if that's right or not.

    Would the II lense do me for the time being as I couldn't afford a better one to start with.
     
    Last edited: 3 Nov 2014
  4. Yadda

    Yadda Minimodder

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    No idea what Tesco are playing at but there's no way Canon would supply a EF-M lens with a DSLR body.

    Generally, kit lenses are a perfectly good starting point. Find out the full model names (Canon label lenses with image stabilisation with the suffix "IS") and google for reviews and opinions. Try not to get too bogged down with it all though, researching lenses (and camera gear in general) can become obsessive and gets in the way of taking pictures.
     
  5. CrapBag

    CrapBag Multimodder

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    Think I'll get onto Tesco's tommorrow and find out what it comes with as I'd much rather get it from them.

    I'll get a better lense at some point, probably look to get a decent flash gun with remote facility first though.

    Wish my pentax MX10 35mm was worth something now but I bet I couldn't give it away.
     
  6. Yadda

    Yadda Minimodder

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    That sounds like a good approach, good luck.

    I'm not familiar with Pentax. Is the MX10 a 35mm film camera? Despite the superior dynamic range and "full frame sensor" (the actual 35mm negative) they lose nearly all their value because they're no longer convenient. Crazy isn't it?
     
    Last edited: 3 Nov 2014
  7. johnim40

    johnim40 Minimodder

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    Hi do you get this as I am looking at it too
     
  8. CrapBag

    CrapBag Multimodder

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    Still thinking about it.
     
  9. johnim40

    johnim40 Minimodder

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  10. silk186

    silk186 Derp

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    I think it is best to get the body and lens separate. For Canon I really like my Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS USM. It's fast and gives enough of a range without sacrificing weight, price or image quality too much. The most important thing is to go into the shop and use the camera. See if you like the size, weight, feel and layout. Then try taking some photos to see how you feel about the lens.
     
  11. LennyRhys

    LennyRhys Fan Fan

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    Tesco play at employing monkeys to do website upkeep - I worked at their CS centre this time last year and there was HILARITY (read: chaos) when the glorious IT department accidentally advertised a range of £500+ flat screen televisions at the wrong price of about £120... some customers got real lucky and their purchases had to be honoured. You'd think the product descriptions would be accurate, but think again... there are literally thousands upon thousands of electronic products, so at least one of the minions will have copied & pasted the wrong info several times (we were alerted to several product description errors every day, without fail).

    OT, as for getting body and lens separate it's ok if you really need that extra range or perhaps if you want better optical quality from the likes of Tamron, Tokina, Sigma or a more expensive Canon etc, but for nigh everybody buying a starter DSLR the kit lens is more than sufficient to get you going.

    And without dwelling too much on the Canon side of things, don't overlook other manufacturers and even other styles of cameras... I now use an Olympus micro 4/3 camera which although not the same as a DSLR is a damn sight better than any compact and not far off an entry level DSLR for image quality. Mirrorless cameras are worth looking at if you'd prefer something more compact than the 1200D.

    I'd suggest that you consider budget first and work from there. I used to work as a photographer so I'm partial to DSLRs (LOVE the feel and handling of them, especially for manual capturing and viewfinder composition), but I realise that the current camera market is very comprehensive and caters for a range of tastes and styles...and budgets!

    Just by way of illustration, here's a picture I took with a 1000D and the original 18-55 IS. The optics in the 18-55mm mkI and mkII lenses are (reportedly) unchanged but the build quality of the original lens is superior.

    [​IMG]
     
  12. johnim40

    johnim40 Minimodder

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  13. johnim40

    johnim40 Minimodder

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    I got a 1200d with second lens 75x300mm bag and memory card

    350 from currys

    A big step up from my samsung galaxy camera
     
  14. CrapBag

    CrapBag Multimodder

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    I'm looking at this DEAL

    Seems good value, free bag, card and filter, it only comes with the older MKII lense though but I'm really not sure whether I would notice anything better anyway and if it would be that noticeable I'd probably buy a much better lense further down the line.

    Also the sales rep has told me that image stabilisation is more important for longer zoom lenses, true?
     
  15. CrapBag

    CrapBag Multimodder

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    Sorry missed this, it's bundles.
     
  16. Cei

    Cei pew pew pew

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    IS was traditionally only on the long telephoto lenses, but has started trickling down the range. Thing is, camera shake is lessened as focal length widens - the rule of thumb is you can hand-hold 1/focal (so a 35mm lens can be hand held at 1/35th sec), which obviously means wider lenses are 'better'. Obviously there comes a point where you can't hold a lens steady no matter what (12mm fisheyes?)

    As a starter kit, that deal from Jessops is reasonable. Branded SanDisk SD card (rather than their old Jessops ones which were tat). I'd probably ditch the filter when you can afford a better one, but then I fork out about £80-100 for a clear filter per lens anyway. However you're getting a bag, which is always better than not having one.

    However, I'd be tempted to source the items separately. For the £70 you're being charged you can get a 16Gb SanDisk card for £10.99, a pretty reasonable backpack for £23.99 and a guaranteed quality Hoya 58mm filter for £17.99. Total is less than £55 and you're getting some better kit, and if you want to spend the full £70 you can get a nicer bag.
     
    Last edited: 12 Dec 2014
  17. CrapBag

    CrapBag Multimodder

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    All that stuff is included in the price.

    Amazon have the same camera without the extra stuff for basically just £10 cheaper.

    I already have a really nice case backdating to my 35mm SLR days but I was thinking for the extra £10 the stuff was worth it.

    The other question I have is would it be better to spend the extra and get the IS lense or just make do with the standard lense and buy something even better at a later date?
     
  18. CrapBag

    CrapBag Multimodder

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  19. Cei

    Cei pew pew pew

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    Oh weird, it's slightly confusing as it also says you buy the bundle for £338.99.

    For £10 it's worth it for the memory card.
     
  20. LennyRhys

    LennyRhys Fan Fan

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    The non-IS lens is just fine. Considering the sensor capabilities of a dSLR, you don't really need IS with that lens. Just shoot at higher ISO and that will allow you to ramp up the shutter speed, and that only really applies if you're shooting in low light (which is best avoided - get a hotshoe flash!).

    If you're considering this a long term thing, then save up for some nice glass and a good flash, and you'll never look back.
     

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