WTB: Decent used Digital SLR camera

[manual63]

I am trying to figure out what the features are called. But I want to be able to switch out lenses and I know I want to be able to have the option where it takes multiple shots on one frame. Most I see do 2fps, so that is probably fast enough for what I want it for. Also it has to have an external flash, not built in. Brands I know are good are Canon, Pentax, and Nikon.

[Lezgo Cycling]

you planning on taking some ACTION shots :D :nono:

[berrywise]

frames per second means how many pictures it can take in a second. Two frames per second is not very fast. My fastest camera does almost five and it you still need to be pretty good with your timing to say get someone doing a no hander or a no footer at the right moment.

I'd look at Nikons and Canons. If you don't want a ton of megapixels you'll find some older cameras that are great and at a good price.

[Ogre]

I am considering getting a Canon 40D or 5D and would
then sell my Canon 20D.

Also have a couple lenses to go with it 17-85mm IS and 75-300mm
After being spoiled with a couple L-series lenses I never use these.

Make offer.

[Disaster on Wheels]

I am considering getting a Canon 40D or 5D and would
then sell my Canon 20D.

Also have a couple lenses to go with it 17-85mm IS and 75-300mm
After being spoiled with a couple L-series lenses I never use these.

Make offer.


Shad- the 20D would probably be a nice option for what you are looking to do. I have a co-worker who does recreational photography and really likes it.

I have the Canon Rebel and I like it for me. I don't think I need much more than that, but make sure you invest in nice lenses. Image Stabilized are the way to go, especially if you are like me and cannot hold the camera still to save your life.

[manual63]

especially if you are like me and cannot hold the camera still to save your life.

I thought that is why it's nice to have a camera that has a shutter speed of 500,000?

Oh.....and you would need a pretty nasty light to go with that too....something brighter than the sun.....:D

[THUMP!]

I would get a used Canon 20D. You would probably be safer with the magnesium body over the rebel and you can pick them up pretty cheap used. Also, there are tons of used and new lenses out there at many different price points.

[Disaster on Wheels]

Oh.....and you would need a pretty nasty light to go with that too....something brighter than the sun.....:D


I bet Bob could build you one...

[manual63]

I am considering getting a Canon 40D or 5D and would
then sell my Canon 20D.

Also have a couple lenses to go with it 17-85mm IS and 75-300mm
After being spoiled with a couple L-series lenses I never use these.

Make offer.

I would have no idea what to offer since I don't know enough about camera's a prices. When Bill says cheap........that could mean $500.00 for all I know.

[Thewavebb]

I am considering getting a Canon 40D or 5D and would
then sell my Canon 20D.

I bought the 40d when it came out....its sick. It blows my 20d/30d out of the water. However the 5d is an entirely different beast and has very different uses.


Shad...

Whats your budget?

When your comparing camera's, also take a look at the sensor's they use. Until recently, Canon was pretty much the only company using the CMOS sensor. Nikon, sony, etc were using the CCD sensor. CMOS sensors are worlds better when it comes to shooting in challenging lighting conditions (indoor/lowlight). Nikon and Sony just started incorporating the CMOS sensors in their nicer cameras that are coming this fall.

The 20d is a great camera and they can be found pretty cheap now. I have one of them as a backup camera and the speed(fps)/quality of them are great. They are pretty good in low light and I shoot at ISO 800 with little noise. You can shoot at ISO 1600 and have decent results as long as you nail your exposure. The screen on them are just tiny compared to whats around now, but thats not a huge deal. You could probably find one for around 500 used on some various forums. Be carefull to get one that is not really used though.

If you are on a tighter budget you could get a used Canon XT for around 350 used. Its smaller and slower then the 20d, but still a good entry level camera.

If you have the coin, I love my 40d. It shoots at 6.5 fps for up to 75 photos...which is unreal. The quality is great and its a huge upgrade to the 20d/30d for me. They go for around $1200 or so.

Make sure you pick up a couple gigs of Compact flash, a nice bag and an external flash as well. If you think biking gear is spendy, prepare to be shocked at the cost of quality camera gear.

If you ever want to test drive my stuff, bug me when i'm out shooting a bike event and i'll hook you up. Also feel free to email me if you have any questions

~Ben

[Thewavebb]

I would have no idea what to offer since I don't know enough about camera's a prices. When Bill says cheap........that could mean $500.00 for all I know.

You are actually really close. I ahve seen them around 500-600 for a body with less then 25,000 shutter clicks.

here are some ads right now

$475
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=414064

$550
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=412328

$560
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=409813

$500
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=413452

$550
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=413559

[Ogre]

You could take mine for a weekend and see if you like it.
(only with a cheap lense though!!)

I'm just looking for fair market value.

[kabbie_cache]

When I was looking for a digital slr I went to National Camera Exchange. They were very helpfull in the fact that they would let you test the camera right there.

Not saying you would have to buy from there but you could get the feel of a few diffferant cameras.

[THUMP!]

I would have no idea what to offer since I don't know enough about camera's a prices. When Bill says cheap........that could mean $500.00 for all I know.

$500 is really cheap for a digital slr.

[THUMP!]

Canon 20D with a starter lens for $625
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/pho/492829654.html

This model is considered pro-sumer but I know lots of pros that use this as well as the 5D or 1D.

[jitterjepp]

I bought the 40d when it came out....its sick.
Erdmann and I have one for Gen-0. I love it.

I used it to take these photos. If I remember correctly I took every other photo out for the animation because it seemed too long.

http://generation-outdoors.com/gobeta807/node/75

It fires pretty fast.

I would also recommend an external flash.

[jeffgude]

You'll have a hard time going too wrong with any DSLR. You will be amazed how much better the picture quality is than a point and shoot camera. My lowly Nikon D50 takes fantastic pictures.

They are not kidding about the investment though. We joke about bikes that cost more than a good used car, but if you become serious about photography you see that there are lenses that cost more than a car.

[martini]

Like Jeff, I've got a D50 that's blown me away. I can only image what the D300 is like! Camera's are like bikes in other ways than just money matters too. Theres the Canon guys(which have swarmed this place!) and the Nikon guys. Just like Shimano/SRAM. FWIW, they're both really nice systems. I recently picked up a 50/1.8 for mine and am loving the shots I've gotten so far.

Here's a small selection of my shots: http://picasaweb.google.com/home

One interesting thing to note - if you get one Shad, be sure you also get some external memory if you don't already. I've got 13,000 images in two years. And thats small. Some of the semi pros here probably shoot twice that in a year.

[lostboy]

if you are looking in the $500 range then why not go with something like this, granted this is crutchfield and you could find it cheaper locally

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=309150&i=054D40KIT&tp=263

or a step up in mega pixels
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=309150&i=054D40X55&tp=263

anyway, that should give you a good idea of a new priced camera and you can base a used purcahse off of that.

I own 3 nikons and never had a single problem, 1 old SLR an N80, and 2 digital point n shoots (4mp and 8mp)

[Ogre]

Here's the "extra" stuff to sell to support a new camera:

Canon 20D
Canon 17-85mm IS lens
Canon 75-300 mm lens
Canon 420EX flash
Sandisc 4 GB Extreme III


"extra" meaning you can always find a use for camera stuff,
just like bike stuff.


I use the 420EX on a tripod in slave mode with a 580EX.
But the 580 is so good, I really don't need the need the 420.

[manual63]

I am hoping to pay less than $500.00 for a camera with a good lens....maybe extras. There are a lot of choices. Sounds like the 20D is a decent camera for what I want right now.

How many MegaPixels is it? What year is it?

[Ogre]

How many MegaPixels is it? What year is it?

It's 8.3 MP. I have a pdf of the manual at home,
I can email. Or you can download it from www.canoneos.com (http://www.canoneos.com)

I'd throw in one of those 2 lense for $500.
I'd give really good deals on the other
lens and 420 external flash.

I had it for 2 and a half years. I have a spare battery if it's
not good on the new camera.

[Ogre]

with a good lens.


Unfortunately "good" zoom lenses cost more than the camera,
but good prime lenses are a little more reasonable.

[Thewavebb]

Here is a good review: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos20d/

How many MegaPixels is it?

Megapixels does not equal performance. Cheaper camera's with CCD sensors that have higher megapixels have bad image quality when you shoot at higher ISO ranges. The more megapixels you try to squeeze out of the same sensor size, the harder it is to keep the quality high. Nikon uses a lot of noise suppression software that is built into the camera to try to manage this. The result is a image that is lacking detail and looks soft. The D40 is an okay camera for your person who will be shooting in bright days and more landscape oriented. it isn't meant to be a sports camera. The d40x is an upgrade and has a better autofocusing system, but still not great. If you are looking at Nikon's, I would try to get your hands on an older d70 or d70s. They were good and have a similar build to the canon 20d/30d.

[jp_photog]

Shad,

I may just have a camera for you too. As Ben mentioned, the slightly older D70's are really good cameras - lots better than the d40's - especially for the money. Mine has pretty much just been sitting around unused lately. If you wanted, I could make you a very good deal on the body (I don't have any spare lenses right now, but I could maybe help you find something nice) because of a little damage the body sustained a while back. The top of the camera (below the flash shoe area) has been cracked. In order to fix it, it would require replacing the entire top section, when only a little bit was damaged. The repair was more than I thought was worth paying, so I epoxied the crack. All the functions still work, the flash shoe and built in flash are fine, it just looks a bit uglier than it could. I'd sell it to you as is with 3 (or maybe 4 - I can't quite remember how many I've got for it) batteries, the charger, cables, box, software and a 512mb card to get you started for $275. If you wanted we could also try to schedule a time to go out and shoot and I could walk you through some basics of using the camera.

If you're interested, let me know. As I said, I can also make some calls around and probably find a good lens to go with it.

Hope this helps,
John Pedersen

john at john pedersen photography dot com

[jenkemfr]

eos 1d mk2 you'll never look back...