Equipment upgrade advice

Currently own;

300D - needs replacing for 400d/450d really
70-200F4L - perfect
kit lens - die

Anyway, i've got a budget of around £200. And need to fill some voids, I want to start using flash, but it needs to be manual really, so 580ex II kinda thing.
Again, I need a replacement for a kitlens or similar area, anything from mental wide to 70mm really

And then the body, urgh. Why must the 300D be so slow.

Basically, i'm looking for pointers to good lenses for £200~ cos i'm not sure atm

 

Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 are both fairly solid bets for a walk-around lens. If you're after a bit more reach, the Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 might be a more suitable option, but 24mm isn't particularly wide at all on the 300D.

Also just with regards to the flash, why does it need to be manual....and why does that lead you to the 580EX II? It's a pricey flash to be using just in manual mode - you could get away with a cheapo £30 flash off ebay in that case.

 

Thanks for your reply Nath, where can I pick up the first two lenses for around £200? They are exactly what I was after actually, struggling finding good prices though.
Which is better too?

The flash thing is simple, once I delve into the flash route, I wanna take it quite seriously - been reading up on strobist for some time, so don't wanna waste my time with a flash thats just not gonna cut it. Even more so when I'm using 2-3 flashguns at once

 

I never really saw any point in 'upgrading' from one xxxD series to another. IMO it may be time to look for a good used 30/40D--or even better, if you can afford it/save up for, a new 30/40D. As for a kit replacement, as always, try out a Tamron 17-50, Sigma 18-50 macro, or a Sigma 17-70 (great range, but variable aperture)....trust me, if you go with one of the **-50mm's you will not miss the 51-69mm range all that much as long as you have your 70-200 with you. For flash, look into the new 430EXII--it should do everything you ask. Also, while it may not rank that high on your priority list if you like to shoot in natural low light perhaps its time for a fast prime? Nifty 50/50 f/1.4 and or 85 f/1.8 are all excellent choices

 

Thanks Vers
Yeah the 70-200 is very versatile indeed! As I noticed yesterday (see photos).
I'll give those lenses a look over now.

What sorta control does the 430EXII offer me? I know it can act as a slave, which could prove useful in the future I guess

I also was tempted to get a 30D second hand, but for some reason i'm put off because of the shutter life. Not many people on ebay list these!

 

http://www.onestop-digital.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24_28&products_id=87
http://www.onestop-digital.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24_29&products_id=301

Its worth paying for fedex delivery though.

 

Xen0 you legend! Thanks!

 

430EXII

Look to see if you can find a refurbed 30D...or perhaps some overstock.

 

That 430EXII does look good Vers, I think I'm gonna spend some time deciding between that and the Tamron.
I've just noticed you have one of the Tamrons infact, any sample photos that you mind sharing?

Thanks!

 

I use it for work, outside of that I really haven't used it all that much--here and there messing around, but nothing worthwhile. If we get some decent weather here in NY I'll make an attempt to get out and shoot a thing or two, until then there are plenty of others here on the forum that can provide you with some samples. Here are some samples posted on FM

1
2

Review
Photozone

 

Thanks again Vers, 430EXII or the Tamron now then. I'll weigh up my options
Oh, and i'm gonna start saving for a 30d/40d now. Will I notice a difference, in image quality when I upgrade at all?

 

If you are serious about this and don't want to waste money, forget the 430EX. It lacks even the basics for an off camera flash. I doesn't have a PC Sync port and it doesn't have a dummy optical trigger. To get the 430ex off camera you are limited to the Canon IR system, for which you'll need to buy a master unit and learn to work with it's limitations. Or you'll have to get an eTTL extender cable, which is pretty short and expensive. Or you'll need to get a PC sync-hot shoe adapter that fits on the bottom of the flash, which for me, is another point of failure and added expense.

Decide if you want to use radio triggers or the IR eTTL system. For the IR system, just buy the 580 now and save yourself the hassle later. If you want to go with the radio triggers, then head to ebay and look for any flash with a PC Sync port. A lot of Canon shooters are using old Nikon SB-26s and SB-28s due to them being so common, although I understand that they have become more scarce due to the Strobist site.

Check this discussion for all your 430 off camera questions. There are 1,332 threads about it, so you should find what you need.

 

Thanks for that JJ, just what I wanted to hear really. I'd much rather get the 580EX II at the end of the day, it might be overkill right now, but its better than outgrowing the 430EX II

Those radio triggers i've seen on ebay/gadget infinity are apparently fine. I know a lad who uses them with a 40D/2x580EXII/550EX setup with no problems at all, and for the money you can't go wrong. I'm sure you know which I'm harking on about!

 

Overall...yes, I think you will--even more so with the 40D. Handling and ISO performance alone is enough for most to upgrade.

 

Good! Yeah the ISO bit is mostly what I crave, its awful on the 300D, more so compared to my girlfriends D80 which is quite impressive!

 

Don't expect miracles...but it is a noticeable difference.

 

I think you need to hold a 300D again.
The step up for me from the 350D to the 40D was almost miraculous when speaking of ISO. With the 350 I couldn't stand the noise when I went above ISO400. 800 was only just bearable but not really an option unless I planned on going B&W.

Then again: I didn't expect the degree of improvement that I saw so I was of course very very impressed.

And as someone posted in another thread the 40D is now $100 cheaper than the 450D... IMO it would be crazy not to opt for the 40D then.

 

There is a difference...there is no doubt, but its not like the difference between the 300D and a 5D--that's miraculous.

 

I love the photos my 300D takes at iso 100 & 200, beautifull! When i get the focus right anyway... my excuse is the viewfinder is a little too small making it hard to be accurate with a shallow dof

How much larger is the viewfinder on the better canons, such as 40D, 5D?

 

40D is 95% (0.95x mag), 5D is 96% (0.71x mag)--both are brighter than the 300D.