I've got a 450D but i'd get the 500D. Full HD video recording as well - you'll need to buy a mic though if you want sound.

just the body from 500D is $579.00. with a 18-55 (standard) f4.5 i think it's about 600$

Ah, well even then it's worth the extra £150 for the 500D with all the 'extras' you get with it over the 450D.

You may want to consider buying it second hand.

Yeah looking at one of these 2nd hand, found for about £400, think I may splash out on it.

Was looking at this Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38, anyone have any views on that as a starter photographer.

imo op you should buy a 500d even if it's 2nd (make sure to know have many shots we're taken with the camera). it's not hard to learn how a dslr works and as soon as you know how to handle it you will want a better camera (in the case of the panasonic after maximum 2 months you will wish you will have a new camera and i think lumix it's a fixed camera, you can't change lenses)

Everyone who doesn't have a full-frame SLR wants one with L lens but it's the old saying "You get what you pay for" and it's so true in photography.

And i'd buy the 500D.

I have one, but haven't used it enough (nor do I know enough about photography) to give an opinion. Bought it based on reviews/word of mouth that it was the best of superzooms in its price range.


Nevermind: I has an FZ35, not 38.

IME cameras hold value quite well, so don't worry about wanting to upgrade your camera in a year or so.

To anyone more experienced, would you say the same about camera re-sale? (I only have my Nikon D50 as experience, bought it for $375 with the kit lens 18 months ago, recently sold the body for $250)

i must say sprinngsteen that i don't agree. cameras lose value very fast. 1st of all it's all about the number of photos taken (canon is guaranteeing 35k photos, nikon 50k), so after 70k you kinda have to change the shutter. that's why always when you want to buy a camera you must ask how many photos we're taken with the camera.

if it's a compact camera you will wish to upgrade it because you can't use another lens. if you have let's say a d50 if you want something new you buy a new lens, and you get some extra months.

It depends on the type/model. Consumer/entry level type cameras usually get upgrades and new models fairly often so obviously they lose value faster.

Also, at least Canon is guaranteeing stutter life expectancy of 100k for even it's lower end consumer oriented models. This is quite a bit more than the 35k you quoted and plenty for most users. Twice or triple that for pro-sumer and professional models.

I'd say it depends on what model it is, if it's a 1Ds MK III or a 1D MK IV for example they will hold there value even if the shutters been pressed 20k times.

Also I don't know where you got your info of 35k shots from.

Definitely not enough pictures in this thread recently, so I thought I'd share a few recent shots. As always, constructive criticism and feedback is much appreciated:




Nothing too exciting about this one, but I included it to show off the capabilities of my new polarizing filter. I'm loving that deep blue sky, and I couldn't pull it off without a good PF:







I initially loved the way this next one turned out. The composition and exposure were just what I was looking for. But then I showed it to some people, and no one really knew what it was :





I took this next shot when I got back from the bar at 5:30am, totally drunk off my ass. Besides correcting the horizon a little bit, I like how it turned out:



Best dog ever:




Once again, any feedback would be great, especially any suggestions on post-production stuff. Thanks.

I really like the fifth one.

my most recent:

good work solids, i like the dog.

also really like the one inside of the boat for some reason.

Partys, was there a reason for the photo or just a random idea?

the one inside the boat -- koh phi phi?

She needed a full body bathing suit shot within like 12 hours at 8PM. So we had 30 minutes of (weak) sunlight to work with. I had a flash die out there and had to do a single light setup. I still don't have very portable light modifiers, hence the harsh light.

Seljalandsfoss, Iceland:

That's amazing.

Nice photo!

What did you use?

Thanks guys. It was a 50d with a sigma 10-20.

Judging from the Sigur Ros avatar i'm guessing you spent significant time in Iceland?

I sure did! And I also love that you picked up on my avatar. Here are a few more of my favorites from Iceland:









And here is my 24-70L after it slipped out of my hands while changing lenses at the top of that waterfall.

Somehow it tumbled over 100 feet and worked perfectly sans the cracked distance scale.

I considered myself to be running hot that day. One time.

Thought I'd post this here
Am selling a whole kit for €1900 or $2,200 + shipping in the marketplace. http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...dition-868286/
Might be convenient to someone