i am facing a semi agonising decision here. By next month i'll have about £800 to blow. My current camera is a 300D - i've had it for about two years, i don't really HATE it, but there are some issues that stop me from really liking it when i go ou shooting - those are its general slowness (especially when shjooting RAW...), poor manual control and basically terrible high ISO noise in comparison to the 20/30D my current lens setup is: canon 50mm 1.8 II (cheap n cheerful but oh so lovely... the day this breaks will be a sad day indeed) canon 17-85mm IS USM (just got this, swapped it for a 28-135mm IS USM so need time to earn its idiosyncrasies) canon 18-55mm (which will be sold along with the 300D when it goes) now, my question is, do i sell the 300D and get a 30D, especially considering that i can still get a reasonable amount for it on the 2nd hand market, or keep it and buy a couple new lenses (thinking of a wide zoom like the sigma 10-20mm and a macro prime lens)? i would absolutely definitely take advantage of the extra functionality of the 30D. the fact it offers that much more accessible control (and SPEED!) when shooting manual (even AV mode, which is what i generally shoot in, i love the wheel on the back and the multiway thumb button for focal points) is a huge boon for me, but i can't help thinking that the lenses would be more fun to use, and be a more satisfying buy. your thoughts?
It's a very personal thing I think and you're comfortable with what you're comfortable with. I honestly do not like the 300D at all. Apart from it's size advantage over teh 350D, I wouldn't touch it with yours. Whilst I haven't owned one, I've used a couple and I can honestly say, from reading your grievences with it, you'll love the step up to the 30D. I'm currently shooting with 20D and whilst I have my niggles (many the 30D would rectify) I really enjoy using it. I think basically what I'm trying to say is that more glass, and good glass, will, theoretically, improve your shots more than a new body but I think if you're more comfortable with a new body and enjoy using it more than your current one then that will do as much to improve your shots as any new glass will. You'll perform better using something you love than using something because you have to. INSERT INTO `works` VALUES ( `Spanner `) Could you save enough getting an old-stock or second hand 20D to get some glass as well?
thanks for your opinion, it makes sense. i guess i could try and find a cheap deal on a 20D, but i dont really want to go 2nd hand with camera bodies (lenses, fine) and new 20Ds are about £700. the cheapest 30D is £765, so that's a saving of £65, enough for... a 50mm 1.8 II...
tough choice, i'd go with the lenses though personally. Sigma 10-20 (i love mine) and Canon 100mm macro then a flash gun, battery grip and tripod. but that's just me. Unless you reaaally need the extra speed for sports photography or whatever then i wouldn't upgrade. Don't know how the 300d and 10d compare speed wise but i presume they are quite similar?
Get the glass. The only time I'd recommend the body, is if you shoot a lot of things that require the extra speed of the 30D. The 30D won't take better images (apart from the higher res chip of course), and certainly won't really offer you any more creativity. It's a very personal choice. I would get the glass, but that's me. I've never really given a damn about cameras.. they're just tools to me. I care for them, and look after them the same way a mechanic would look after his Snap-On tool cabinet, but they're still tools. I'd always buy the tools that would make my work better, easier, and allow me to do things I can't currently do. If the body fulfils that role for you, then get the 30D.. if it's the lens that does it for you, then get that. Think about your photography, and what IT needs, and that will be the right choice. Try not to let the "I want it" factor cloud your decision. Many times I've had to stop myself getting a 1D just because I WANT it... it would have actually been a waste of money, as once the novelty wore off, it would be used very seldomly. I did that with the Nikon F5. It was an impulse buy, and after a while, it just stayed at home, because when I did need 35mm, I'd end up using the FM2 most of the time.
well i generally do available light photography - havent really gotten my head around flash yet - and i am quite often frustrated about having to take a pic at iso1600 and having it look like a dog due to noise. the high iso noise performance of the 30D is, well, godlike. i know things will progress and the 30D will end up looking lame noisewise next to some cam in a couple years, but really, aside from resolution (which doesn't particularly bother me anyway) noise can't get THAT much lower. am i just being a spoilt brat in that regards? i feel like someone's gonna tell me to stop moaning, enjoy my cam and don;t care about the noise, which i guess is true, but i dunno. me is an indecisive person... i've al but decided to go the 30D route, the reasons being that the body will annoy me far less than the 300D i have now, give me more confidence to shoot in places i was reluctant to before, and prompt experimentation, added to the fact that i just got a new lens which i want to play with before i really figure out what direction i wanna take my pics in.
I personally would stick with the 300d and get the glass, if the noise is really a problem get a tripod, then you can look really silly in public like me I try never to shoot above iso 200 (nikon min)
I have a 300D as well, a 50mm f/1.8, and the kit lens. I'll be going the glass route soon. I just got the cam 4 months ago and am loving it. I've played with the 30D, and it kicks the 300d. I too agree about the noise and other aspects. I can't use anything above ISO 400 (and hate using ISO 400 as it is). I use noise ninja from time to time, but it doesn't compare to a true ISO 100 pic. Once I have some more lenses, then I'll likely get the 30D. Not too sure which lenses I'll get. maybe some kenko extension tubes for the 50mm, some filters, and hoods. I'd also like to get a nice flash. I've been thinking the 17-40mm would be nice (F/4 all the way through), or maybe the 17-85mm IS USM. I also adore the 85mm F/1.8 USM. Renting lenses is a great way to find out which one is best for me. All in due time
I use Neat Image, lol. 3 different progs, excellent. Whilst I agree with Pookey about glass, I firmly believe that if you don't enjoy using your cam then you're less inclined to actually use it. Makes no difference if you've got great glass for it, and regardless of the fact that the body is just a tool, if you don't like using it, you're not going to. Personal analogy time; So I'm riding a mountain bike (300D) in triathlons. Hey, it does the job, right? It's got wheels, pedals, moves, ticks all the boxes, right? Yeah, sure, but I'm not going to enjoy racing on a mountain bike (300D) when I would be more comfortable and perform better on a road-bike (30D). Ok, I could get some race-wheels (lenses) and fit them to my mountain bike (300D) 'cause surely the wheels are one of the most important parts - more aerodynamic and less friction. Well, yeah, I could, but it ain't gonna be a whole lot of fun to ride. Bah, that probably makes no sense, but I know what I mean.
right, decision time, its gonna have to be the 30D. i can sell the 300D and get a fair chunk off, maybe with luck i'l be able to squeeze a new lens into £800 as well (we'll see eh). just have to wait to get paid now, and enjoy the last days with my 300D
In Fod's case, it might be better to upgrade to a 30D, rather than glass. (you've already got some nice lenses) I myself enjoy my camera a lot, but and have even refused to use my friends 30D simply because I'll never want to use my 300D again. I've found this most useful. I however have now found my kit lens to be rather poor in quality compared to the 85 prime and the 50 prime. One thing I forgot to mention in my last post is that you can turn the 50mm you have in to a macro by getting extension tubes. They cost around 200 Canadian (likely a lot less in the UK.)
thanks mate, i'll look into the extension tubes. anyone wanna buy a well looked after 300D and kit lens? i'll throw in 58mm UV/CPL filters too...
Something you may or may not consider, I'll likely keep my 300D as a backup camera. Or maybe give it to my Dad. I'm leaning towards keeping it though. I need to get some more glass first!
We have one fewer 300D owner now My 300D has just broken (mirror box - £200 fix = not worth it) so I might buy a new body. I don't think I want a 350D, mainly due to the small size, so I might splash out on a 20/30D. Is that stupid?
Not really. Though it would be nice to have another body. I would be tempted to get it fixed. Course in Canada/US it should be cheaper I myself couldn't go for the 350D as its just too damn small. The 20/30D is GREAT! If you like the extra screen size, better battery life, MANY more ISO steps, then the 30d is a better buy over the 20d. Otherwise there is no difference really. Curious, tomm. How many shots have you taken with yours? I've put between 4 and 5k on mine in the last 4 months or so. (I've only had it that long) Curretnly there are around 12k on the cam. Also, I'm really thinking I'll grab some glass in about 3 months. The 24-70 and a circular polarizer is so tempting!
