Canon EOS 500D DSLR

[CANYONERO]

Anyone had one of these? know what there like? im looking pretty serious at buying one.

[sp001in]

I have a 400d eos dslr, Best camera I've ever owned. took a while to learn all about how to use it correctly. but I have had some truly amazing shots with it.

get a 20-300mm lens. don't get the dual lens pack 17-50 & 70-320 (is a pain swapping lenses)

[CANYONERO]

cheers mate, i was tossing up between nikon D90 and the 500D, i went with the canon. ive only had it 2 days so im still learning ( coming from olympus and switching over) i ended up with the 18-55 and 75-300 lenses. but im looking at other lenses. maybe when my bank account recovers in a few weeks i'll look a bit deeper lol. im spendin this week collecting little bits and pieces for it ( lens filters, second battery or battery grip - not sure yet, external flash, remote etc, etc......)

[Hubcap]

Anyone had one of these? know what there like? im looking pretty serious at buying one.

A mate has one (exactly the same model) and people are amazed at the quality of the photos. He posts them on his facebook site and is obviously into the photography scene. I think he also has a telephoto lens as well. He told me that it wasn't considered as an 'upmarket' model, but having seen his photos - you would certainly think so.

Phil

[Stressball]

get a 20-300mm lens. don't get the dual lens pack 17-50 & 70-320 (is a pain swapping lenses)

Perhaps that's a reasonable suggestion for someone who doesn't mind lowering overall quality for the sake of convenience, but surely if you wanted convenience you would buy a point and shoot, not a DSLR? Expecting any lens to be great quality over a focal length range of 270mm is unrealistic. Although, for a beginners lens they can be ok.

A mate has one (exactly the same model) and people are amazed at the quality of the photos. He posts them on his facebook site and is obviously into the photography scene. I think he also has a telephoto lens as well. He told me that it wasn't considered as an 'upmarket' model, but having seen his photos - you would certainly think so.

Phil

Any DSLR can produce fantastic shots if you know how to use it Sounds like your friend certainly does.

[danja]

The Canon 18-55mm is a surprisingly good lens given it's their entry level zoom lens. The autofocus and construction is nothing to write home about, but the image quality is very good.

You've already made the purchase so it's a bit of a moot point, but most DSLRs are pretty good, you'll struggle to get a "bad" one. It's a pretty competitive market, so for a given price range the various brands (Nikon, Canon, Pentax, etc) will all be "good". Best thing is to pick up and play with the cameras you're considering, they all have little idiosyncrasies in the way they operate which you may love or hate. I recently purchased a 50D, after spending a fair bit of time playing around with Canon's. I'd also spent a lot of time playing with a Nikon D80 at work, and decided to go with the Canon because I found it more pleasant to use than the Nikon. Either would have been a fine choice, and both can take great pictures.

Choosing between the brands really is like asking if a Ford or a Holden is better - it's mostly personal preference.

[minux]

Perhaps that's a reasonable suggestion for someone who doesn't mind lowering overall quality for the sake of convenience, but surely if you wanted convenience you would buy a point and shoot, not a DSLR? Expecting any lens to be great quality over a focal length range of 270mm is unrealistic. Although, for a beginners lens they can be ok.

Hmm, 28-300 performs very well as does the Bigma 50-500. Companies are developing low to high lenses every year and each release they get even better.
I just look forward to the day we can buy a 16-800 1.2 lens

Choosing between the brands really is like asking if a Ford or a Holden is better - it's mostly personal preference.

Hmm, mostly personal preference? I have to disagree, it all depends on what your shooting. Theres a reason majority of sporting togs use canon and why the majority of wedding/portrait togs use nikon/medium formats. Honestly, if I could afford to change this year, I would be on to nikon in a flash, sadly, it is just not feasible to do until next year.

[CANYONERO]

I just look forward to the day we can buy a 16-800 1.2 lens

when you find one let me know!!!!! that would be awesome!!!!

[danja]

I just look forward to the day we can buy a 16-800 1.2 lens

When the laws of physics change

Hmm, mostly personal preference? I have to disagree, it all depends on what your shooting. Theres a reason majority of sporting togs use canon and why the majority of wedding/portrait togs use nikon/medium formats. Honestly, if I could afford to change this year, I would be on to nikon in a flash, sadly, it is just not feasible to do until next year.

Perhaps I should have qualified that by saying "for hobbyists/prosumers".

[Rufus®]

cheers mate, i was tossing up between nikon D90 and the 500D, i went with the canon. ive only had it 2 days so im still learning ( coming from olympus and switching over) i ended up with the 18-55 and 75-300 lenses. but im looking at other lenses. maybe when my bank account recovers in a few weeks i'll look a bit deeper lol. im spendin this week collecting little bits and pieces for it ( lens filters, second battery or battery grip - not sure yet, external flash, remote etc, etc......)

Picked up a 500D just before Christmas, and have to say I'm pretty impressed with it so far. Lightweight (compared to the 630 it's replacing) and user friendly.

The 18-55mm lens is average. I'm glad I only went for the single lens kit (was only an extra $40 over the body). It's as sharp as my 20 y/o 28-70mm that has been dropped and repaired countless times, but not quite as sharp as the 80-200mm.

The problem when using the 80-200mm is the autofocus takes a bit to lock, sometimes I need to manually focus first then the autofocus will lock quickly.

Next on the list for me is a 24-105mm followed by a 100mm macro with ring flash. Oh and a new tripod, as mine seems to have grown legs (excuse the pun) and walked...

[Sharoo]

I got one for my 21st in August and love it..
Its really easy to use and I picked up the basics pretty quickly and am starting to get a bit more advanced and not using Auto all the time..lol
Have a look at this website- Canon EOS learn - World of EOS Learn: Video tutorials for DSLR photography I use it to learn about what the camera can do and exactly how to do it.
If you want a look at pics I have taken I can Pm you some links, I've taken pics of pretty much everything with it from babies to burnouts...

The only real thing I hate about it is when using the video, the auto-focus is really loud..

[Rufus®]

If anyone is interested in books or manuals about the 500D or photography in general, I've found a few online. Drop me a PM if you want the link.