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rajlaim2 · Joined: 12 Mar 2012 Posts: 13

Hi everyone,

I have recently taken up photography as a hobby and I would like to get into stock photos. I was thinking of buying the Canon EOS 30D 8.2MP. Do you think this camera would be a good buy for a beginner?

pjmorley · Joined: 15 Apr 2005 Posts: 3300

Yes. I used to have one and it's a great camera. It's a proper DSLR and you can use it in full manual control. Picture quality is more than good enough.

It's relatively easy to use and it still has plenty of growing room as you progress.

How much are you expecting to pay for it? In the UK, second hand price is probably around £200-240 depending on condition. A bit less if you're lucky.

rajlaim2 · Joined: 12 Mar 2012 Posts: 13

Thank you for replying. I saw a new one for $1,200, I wanted to get it new since I expect to have this camera for a long time. I have also looked into the Canon EOS Rebel T2i (500D)which is a lot cheaper. As a photographer do you know if there is a big difference between the two cameras? Thank you :)

chbaum · Joined: 19 Sep 2010 Posts: 387 Location: Karlsruhe, Germany

Hang on... 30D? 1200? AFAIK, the 30D is wayyyyyy out of business, i.e. discontinued, not built and sold any more.

If I'm not mistaken, this is a complete rip-off. At least, here in Germany, you'd get the 60D (as in sixty) with all the most modern bells and whistles for around $1200,- (18 MP). A T2i (550D) or T3i (600D) are on par technically (but not body-wise) and cost below $1000,-!

Be VERY careful what you spend your money on!

Best regards,

Christian

copidosoma · Joined: 17 Nov 2009 Posts: 3796 Location: Canada

Canon doesn't manufacture the 30D any more so it isn't new. Might be "like new" but as above, you can currently get alot of camera for that sort of price. Waay more than you would have with a 30D.

If you are buying it from someone they are likely trying to recoup some of the money they spent on the camera when they bought it. At the time the 30D was out it was quite expensive (DSLRs were relatively new). I spent $1200 on a 300D (digital rebel) including an unfavourable exchange rate. That camera is worth about $200 now.

Definitely DON'T spend that much on a 30D. As above, spend the money on a new rebel or a 60D if you really want. They are generations ahead of the 30D.

chbaum · Joined: 19 Sep 2010 Posts: 387 Location: Karlsruhe, Germany

EDIT: Yep, from 2006 (!), and long discontinued! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_30D

Definitely a rip-off! I was a complete noob 1.5 years ago and started with a T2i for $900,- (stabilized kit lens included and not a bad one). If it's not too small for your hands, this still might be a good start. Cheaper but without good video is a 500D (T1i). Better and a little more expensive is the T3i (check out the movable display). For bigger hands and with better AF goes the 60D. Professional stuff: 7D. All these are crop cameras. Should be best for beginners.

Concerning lenses: Make sure, you get a stabilized kit lens ("IS" in the name). If you're not into kit lenses (but most beginners are and IMO should be), look into normal zooms like 18-55 or 17-50 plus a telephoto lens, e.g. 55-250. Of course, a lot of money can be spent on a REAL good lens from the beginning, but Canon makes very nice low-end lenses (like the 18-55 IS kit and the 55-250 zoom) with great money-performance ratios for beginners.

After kit and zoom, I added a new "always on" lens that replaced my kit (Sigma 17-50 / 2.8 OS HSM). I also added my beloved Canon Macro 100mm / 2.8. A friend of mine just got his Canon 70-200 / 2.8 IS II plus converter for EUR 2500,-. That is a great lens, but way over my budget. I'll horribly cry for not having it on my next vacation, but my cheapo zoom will be okay as well...

Just my $0.05

Best,

Christian

rajlaim2 · Joined: 12 Mar 2012 Posts: 13

Glad I asked the question. The camera I am referring to is this one http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000DZFPKC/photosecretspubl

I am looking to spend between $1000-$1300. I want to find a camera that produces sharp images for stock photography so that I spend less time in Photoshop and more time getting my photos approved. Any suggestions on the best camera to buy using this price range?

Thank you all very much for your advice :)

chbaum · Joined: 19 Sep 2010 Posts: 387 Location: Karlsruhe, Germany

Well, nowadays, EVERY camera could produce stock-worthy images if only the photographer was able to. ;-)

Modern DSLRs are generally great for that task, but if you have bad lenses and/or no clue at all, it's definitely harder to achieve. So get a body you come to grips with (literally and user-interface-wise), add one or two lenses and shoot away like mad. At first, it won't be stock. Maybe SS rejects you first. But you'll learn...

And BTW: Photography shouldn't be about stock in the first place, I think. It's about creativity, art, silence, enjoyment, breathing nature or your subject. Fall in love first, THEN go for stock.

Best,

Christian

Mike Price · Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 2919 Location: South Wales

rajlaim2 · Joined: 12 Mar 2012 Posts: 13

After researching a bit more and with the help of everyone here I am looking into buying the Canon EOS 60D EF-S 18-135mm...hopefully I wont be disappointed :)

Do you know what memory card would be best for this camera?

chbaum · Joined: 19 Sep 2010 Posts: 387 Location: Karlsruhe, Germany

8 GB SDHC upwards. Shooting RAW, 16 GB is advisable. I've got 2x 16 GB Transcend for photos (Amazon reviews claim they're not very fast and not always reliable) and 2x 16 GB SanDisk Extreme for video (including Magic Lantern firmware hack). Like the SanDisks because they're VERY fast and seem to be very reliable.

I'm still working on a backup plan for trips. Don't always want to take a laptop with me. For the next trip, I'll shoot on all four cards, exchanging them. So if one is lost, I don't lose all my images taken so far. In addition, I'll copy the images onto my iPad daily, using it as an image tank. Unfortunately, it still can't copy JPEG only from a RAW+JPEG pair. It always gobbles up both and therefore wastes a lot of space.
Best solution for me would be an app that only downloads the JPEGs from a pair. But that doesn't seem to exist. :-(

Best regards,

Christian

Mike Price · Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 2919 Location: South Wales

I have a 60D and am very happy with it.

Mike

tverkhovynets · Joined: 12 Jun 2010 Posts: 749 Location: Kiev, Ukraine

EF-S 18-135 may be not the best lens for serious photography.

See the link for tests below:
http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/462-canon_18135_3556is?start=1

EF-S 18-55 IS is definitely better kit lens.

Taras

Mike Price · Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 2919 Location: South Wales

I would always buy an EF lens rather than EF-s so the lenses will still work if you upgrad to FF

Mike

rajlaim2 · Joined: 12 Mar 2012 Posts: 13

do you know what lens would be good to obtain extreme close up shots?