Equipment Should I buy a decent camera?

Get the Nikon well worth the money

 

Haha, I must admit I am leaning towards it

 

Well if you're still looking for a good starter kit at a good price, from a Bit Tech seller:
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=227079

 

Already got a far better off from Flame for a D3100
Just trying to work out if the slightly nicer feel (IMO) is worth the extra cost and the worse lens for the 550D over the D3100

 

Remember if you're shopping at Jessops and have some Tescos vouchers you can double them up £5 vouchers - £10 in store (or order online and pickup) clicky.

I'm happy with the Canon 1100D & IS lense I picked up, that's mainly because it only cost me £180 after all of the lovely vouchers.

 

Yeah I saw your post, am trying to find out whether the parents have lots of them, since I don't.
But it would have to be a fair amount to make it worth shopping there, since I've been looking at getting stuff 2nd hand.

 

Well, today I decided to take the plunge and got a 550D with 18-55mm for £350, will be here Friday

 

Yay congrats!

 

NOOO!!!

You've gone to the dark side of the force!

Enjoy it, its great fun being able to take decent quality pics

 

Haha, the canon felt better in the hand for me, more natural, and the price was good, I'm sure I would have been happy with either to be fair

 

So now that I've got me camera, one of the first purchases I think I'll make it another battery or two.
I've been doing some reading, and it seems like going for 3rd party batteries is the way to go, anyone have any experience with any?

 

Personally I avoid third party. Why skimp out on a cheap battery if they are bound to not last as long over the original. You need MAX two batteries imho.

 

Save your receipt for the Canon - There's currently £30 cashback available.

 

Bought my canon 2nd hand.
And Greg, even if it dies in half the time of an original, still saves me a lot of money since I cann by 6 for the same price.

 

Up to you mate. I've had my EN-EL3e battery (plus three other originals) since 2007 and it's still showing 100% in the battery indicator. Genuine battery for ya. Cost me £35 for one. You get what you pay for tbh.

 

** Disclaimer - I'm by no means an expert in any way shape or form when it comes to photography/camera use - this is just personal opinion and i'm probably missing something **

Just wondering why you feel the need for additional batteries?
DSRL's shouldn't chew through them like compacts will. I've never run out of battery - even shooting a large number of pictures over the course of a few days. Flash use & video will probably burn through the battery - but the onboard flash probably isn't worth using anyway

Obviously there are times when spares are handy (if you're away from a power source for a long period and plan heavy use) but these may well be few and far between. Maybe save the battery purchase for now unless your current one is totally shot and put the cash towards other accessories/kit which maybe of more immediate use?

 

Because I shoot paid work every so often and I may need a spare battery..

Also, if you go on holiday, it's more convenient to have a spare battery than worry about running out of juice.

 

Congrats on taking the plunge, I did the same just before Christmas and have enjoyed playing around with the 1100D i bought immensely.

I'd agree with getting a backup battery. Third party ones are cheap and I like having the peace of mind of knowing I've got a second one to hand, especially as I seem to always forget to charge my main one before going out. You'll also chew through the battery quickly if you use the liveview mode or long exposures a lot.

I'd also strongly recommend getting the Canon 50mm F/1.8 as it's cheap and great at things like parties and other indoor locations when you need a larger aperture than the kit lens can provide to keep the shutter speed up. The shallow depth of field you can get with it makes flattering portraits almost embarrassingly easy to take too.

Also consider picking up a magazine or two to give you some ideas about what to do with the camera. Yes you can learn plenty by having a play around yourself but I found it helpful to get some pointers on how to do more creative things like light painting, traffic trails and HDR images.

 

The reason I was thinking of getting one, was because I don't like the idea of charging the battery till it's dry (probably just a mental thing) and so having a backup would be good for times when I run out.

Yeah that lens does look good, the canon ebay outlet thingy had some for sale a while at £60 or so, with warranty etc, so I'm going to keep an eye out.

PM'd

 

I wouldn't buy third party batteries, based on my experience with them. When I got my 1Ds2 a while back, the seller threw in two extra batteries with it, both unbranded. They held their charge well, but their physical fit was appalling and they sometimes lost contact at the terminals so the camera would cut out. So it didn't matter how well they held their charge...I never used them, because I couldn't afford to have my camera cutting out in the middle of a job lol.

My "other" battery experience is with second hand genuine Canon batteries, and I've never had any problems with them. They are cheap and reliable and still work just fine.