[Amarillaa]

Hello,

I want to buy a camera for my husband. He is very good at taking pictures (official photographer for family and friend’s events, wonderful landscapes, and incredible macros).

It has to be a surprise but I really have NO idea about cameras. PLEASE help me!

I was thinking of spending about £1200 for the camera body only.

My husband has two Canon cameras (Powershot I think). For that reason I thought about the Canon EOS 30D. But then I read the reviews about the Canon EOS 5D and I think that perhaps I should just get him one basic lens and the EOS 5D instead.

My husband needs an SRL camera. He is always complaining about the bad quality of the pictures when there is not sufficient light. So, I would like to get him a professional/semi-professional camera. The camera also has to take good macros (I discarded the Canon Digital Rebel XT/400D because I read bad reviews about the macros it takes).

My questions are:

1) Is it worth it going over my planned budget and buy the Canon EOS 5D instead of the Canon EOS 30D?

2) Is there any other camera (any other brand) that you would recommend for about £1200?

3) If I were to buy a “basic lens” or two. What should they be? What is important to know?

Thank you very much in advance for your help and all the best,
A.

[stepheno]

Hi Amarillaa - welcome to Pixalo. Forgive me for saying this but I think you are going about this the wrong way. One can't just say "what camera for £1,200" - there are so many variables like megapixels, which brand, which type of sensor, ergonomics and last but not least, will your husband want the one you have bought. I'd go blue if my wife spent that money on a camera for me without asking me which one I would prefer.

Sorry to be the harbinger of doom but here's the second "forgive me for saying" - a camera is just a receptacle for recording images and all DSLRs do a very good job of that. Other than your husband the other main factor is lenses. A camera doesn't take a good macro, it's your husband's ability and the lens he uses. You've got to tell him and let him decide.

For that money I would consider a Canon 30D, Nikon D80 and put the rest to a couple of good lenses, not basic ones. Hope that helps and you'll get other opinions besides mine.

[Dave]

Hi Amirilla & welcome to Pixalo.

One lucky husband to be getting this pressie I'll leave the Canon users to advise on body , but I'll try my best to cover some other important points.

With a DSLR the body is only part of the cost. If you expect your hubby to build up a set of lenses to cover different types of photography then he could well end up with at least 3-4 lenses. The more expensive the camera body, the more it justifies having decent lenses.
Myself I have a £900 body & 4 lenses at circa £100, £300, £500 & finally £900. From this you can see it's easy to spend double the cost of body on lenses & you'll find lots of people spending much more

I'll now hand over to Canon shooters to advise on bodies & lenses

[Soupdragon]

Ok, I'll cut to the chase, Nikon D200, Unbeatable for the price.
And you'll still have enough cash for a nice bit of glass.
Nikon D200, Corrrrr! drool dribble.

[Dave]

Just seen Stepheno's post, which is a fair point. But if you are adimant you want to surprise him, then we'll do our best to help you out with some packages

A few questions which will help the other members help you :-

- Will you print any of the photos beyond A3 size ?
- Can you place a % of type of photography you think hubby will take, to make up 100% for following :-
--- Landscape
--- Portrait indoors
--- Portrait outdoors
--- Macro
--- Fast sports photography
--- Wildlife photography
- Will hubby get annoyed at having to changes lenses , carry a bag of lenses around, or do you think he would want a lens that covers large range of shots, albeit at slight decrease in image quality.
- Chance of hubby wanting to spnd more money on lenses moving forward
- Maximum complete budget before you divorce him
- Will hubby shoot in wet weather, or sports that could get camera covered in dirt
-

[stepheno]

Dave's got a fair point too. More information from you and better advice from the members. Ok I'll talk Canon for a moment - assuming that £1,200 is the budget here is a possible scenario....

• Canon 30D (stonking camera) £742 body only from Warehouse Express. Buy before Christmas and get £100 cashback from Canon PLUS a free 512mb Compact Flash memory card. Total £642.
• Tamron or Sigma 18-200mm lens - cost about £260. This will give your husband a decent all-round walkabout lens so he can shoot most things straight away.
• Battery grip - £100 essential for portrait shooting and gives better balance to the camera.
• Camera bag - say about £100 to put everything in.
• Allow £50-100 for extra memory cards and spare batteries

Grand total £1,202. If you shop around for the bag, batteries etc you will probably have enough left for a 50mm f1.8 lens. I'm sure Dave or another member could come up with a similar package for Nikon or other brands. If you need help about explanations or sourcing any items just fire away.

[Dabhand16]

Hi Amarillaa. What a lovely thought! I'll just add my view to the mix. When I was looking for my last camera, I came down to two that were in my price range and had the facilities I wanted. For me, it was either a Canon or a Nikon. Both excellent cameras, and both more than capable of doing what I wanted.

The final choice came down to the way the camera felt and handled. The way the controls were laid out and functions were selected. I preferred the way the Nikon felt, so that is the one I bought. If I had been bought a Canon as a gift, it would do what I wanted, but I would always have had in the back of my mind that the other one would have been better or felt nicer.

You say that he has a couple of Canon compacts, so that is probably a good clue, but I suggest that you find somewhere that stocks the cameras that you are considering and take him there to let him choose. He will also be able to choose the lenses, as said earlier, this is just as important as the choice of the body. It might be that the next model down from the ones you are looking at along with a better lens or lenses would be a better choice for him. A Canon 5D with a cheap lens is probably not as good as a cheaper model with a really good lens or lenses. A bit like buying him a Ferrari with a Fiesta engine! (If that means anything to you).

I know this will spoil the surprise you want, but a camera is such a personal thing, I fear your good intentions could in reality end up missing the target.

Whatever you do, don't forget to get him to sign up to Pixalo!

[Dave]

Warning re 5D ...... without baffling you with techcnical details, this particular camera requires very decent lenses, so unless you're willing to spend similar money on lenses you are best to drop this one from the list. It's a stunning camera, but requires the lenses to go with it.

[Dave]

You may find this helps re prices :- Camera Price Buster - UKs cheapest camera gear

[Dave]

Pound for pound I would have to say the Canon 400D with kit lens 18-55 at £499 is best value. This gives hubby a cracking camera with reasonable lens to play with over christmas. You could then give him £700 to buy lenses & accessories. If you told him to register on here & list his requirements, I'm sure lots of people will help him spend his money

From a Nikon perspective I think the Nikon D80 with 18-135mm lens at £714 from Jessops, via this link is good value :- Camera Price Buster - D80 Lens Kit 2 (AF-S DX 18-135mm)
This provides a camera that is slightly better build quality than Canon & usually wins tests between the two....but in reality most people wouldn't tell the difference in resulting shots. This would leave you £500 to give to hubby for lenses.

If you think hubby is going to get seriously into photography, then you could treat him to the Nikon D200 at £834 from Currys, via links above. This is a semi pro camera, which isn't quite as friendly for the beginner wanting to flick between auto modes, but is an awesome camera (can you tell I have one ) & then buy the Nikon AF-S DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G for £179 (see above links again ). This is a good starting lens, which hubby can sell s/h for near same amount if/when he wants to upgrade. Leaves you enough then for the Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8 lens at £77, which is compulsory for everyone. This lens will allow him to take stunning portraits indoors with only window light (eg. no need for flash)

Choices choices

[Amarillaa]

Thank you very much for your warm welcome and your prompt and detailed replies!

I will try to answer your questions as well as I can.

Stepheno, you are absolutely right, but if I ask my husband before buying he’ll go blue immediately and there will be no semi-professional camera at all (he’s “conservative” with our money decisions and needs a little push from me and my non-informed decisions from time to time…. He’s usually very fond of my “common sense-deficient” surprises in the end!). I shall review the Nikon D80 as well. Thank you for all your tips. The package you propose seems great.
I was a bit concerned about the mega pixel craze (the 30D only has 8.2 and many SRLs have around 10). Is it possible to tell the difference between 8.2 and 10 if the photos are printed at A3 or beyond?
I am also surprised that the 30D still uses Compact Flash. I thought that it was on its way out. I thought that SD was faster. Is the 30D model going to be updated soon by Canon?

Dave, Graham, thank you for guiding me with your questions and suggestions. I really want this to be a surprise, but all your “Ferrary-Fiesta” warnings got me thinking. This is much more difficult than I thought. I may have to change my strategy. Perhaps I should not go over board with the body and concentrate also on good quality lenses as well! Dave, thank very you for the camera & lenses alternatives!
Time is ticking away before Christmas, but I will try to go shopping with my husband this week and find an excuse to slip into a photography shop… -I have him thinking that he’s getting a watch… so, he may not realize…).
Re your questions, Dave:
- Will you print any of the photos beyond A3 size ? – I think that A3 is as far as he goes. But he does like printing posters.
- % of type of photography-
--- Landscape - 25%
--- Portrait indoors - 25%
--- Portrait outdoors – 10%
--- Macro -30%
--- Fast sports photography -? (once only – Formula 1, but it is not his usual type, I think).
--- Wildlife photography -10%
- carry a bag of lenses around, or do you think he would want a lens that covers large range of shots, albeit at slight decrease in image quality. He likes taking pictures at the beach, from a canoe/boat etc. Water is one of his favourite topics. I think that a lens that covers a large range of shots will be less cumbersome for him.
- Chance of hubby wanting to spnd more money on lenses moving forward I guess so. (Otherwise, I already have ideas for his birthday present).
- Maximum complete budget before you divorce him. £1800 tops or he’ll leave ME for his new camera!!!
- Will hubby shoot in wet weather, or sports that could get camera covered in dirt. No dirt. Just rain and sometimes splashes from sea/lake water, but so far his other cameras have survived.


Pound for pound I would have to say the Canon 400D with kit lens 18-55 at £499 is best value. This gives hubby a cracking camera with reasonable lens to play with over christmas. You could then give him £700 to buy lenses & accessories. If you told him to register on here & list his requirements, I'm sure lots of people will help him spend his money

From a Nikon perspective I think the Nikon D80 with 18-135mm lens at £714 from Jessops, via this link is good value :- Camera Price Buster - D80 Lens Kit 2 (AF-S DX 18-135mm)
This provides a camera that is slightly better build quality than Canon & usually wins tests between the two....but in reality most people wouldn't tell the difference in resulting shots. This would leave you £500 to give to hubby for lenses.
Thank you for the alternative Soupdragon. I shall also review the Nikon D200, as you suggest. I just went for Canon because that is what I think my husband is familiar with.

Thank you all for your patience with me.
A.

[Soupdragon]

Sorry, got a bit excited there, the D200 is my target camera so I am a bit biased.