jsheldon Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 Agreed, my work colleague wants the Coolpix 5000, but not potentially until the summer, so I have a bit of time to think about it. I paid £200 second hand, it is in mint condition and came with fisheye, wide angle and telephoto x 2 adaptors. Before I sell the Coolipix I want to get hold of the slide/negative adaptor which will allow me to easily digitize all my old negatives. The picture of my daughter was just one of those lucky snaps with a 4mp Pentax compact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 This camera game is seriously expensive! I am talking to someone about buying his Leica M8 off him, just don't know whether it is really worth spending all that extra. I know I will get £900 back on the Leica Digilux 3, and £500 for the 25mm Summilux lens, but an M8 and 35mm lens is still going to be £3k all day long buying privately. I have just sold my Canon 20D, Fuji F30, Lumix LX2 and the Leica C-Lux 2, only one I wish I had kept was the 20D funnily enough, not any of the compacts, for low light work and higher isos the Canons are superb. I may buy an Olympus E-410 if I don't swap over to an M8, as it is tiny for an SLR and it can use the Leica lens's. But don't think I will buy another compact, the times I actually want a compact camera they can't hack it, and the times they can is the times I don't mind having the SLR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsheldon Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 I've just signed the order for my kit, circa £1150 which includes the body, 2 lenses, a new memory card and a couple of filters. ouch. Should be worth it though. All coming from Warehouse Express which seems about the cheapest. Would have bought outright, but they do 12 months interest free, which to me is like reverse saving for something! I lent the Coolpix to my work mate this morning, he is now contemplating buying it next week, so that will at least just pay for the 2 filters and memory card!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 haha, reverse saving, nice one!! Well I have just about decided on the the M8 and 35mm Summicron lens. Anyone want a nice mint, boxed, Leica Digilux 3 with 2 years, 11 months and 2 weeks warranty for £900?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingpongpo Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 [ QUOTE ] Missus has an Olympus E510 - bloody amazing bit of kit. £470 ish from Ebuyer at the moment with 2 lenses. [/ QUOTE ] Is this a good deal guys? I am looking to get a better digital camera than the one I have had for the last 2 years but I don't want to go silly and start spending £000's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Simon, the Olympus is a great camera, the images did very well and seemed to retrieve more detail than the Canon 400D in the dpreview test. http://www.dpreview.com/ In fact it may have even been the E-410, the E510 adds a better battery, more direct access buttons and built in image stabiliser but is a little bit bigger, but still more compact than the other brands smallest offerings. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-OLYMPUS-E510-D...1QQcmdZViewItem UK seller at £409, you would have to think long and hard about buying anything else under a grand when you can get this camera at that price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingpongpo Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Are the lenses any good? I want to be able to take all sorts of photos in all conditions. I realise there will be some compromise unless I spend a small fortune but I'd like to know if this will cater for my needs as £450 is a lot of money to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Depends what you mean by any good, and all sorts of conditions really. The 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 Lens is sharper than the Canon or Nikon Kit lens and is just as fast too, so you can shoot in just as low light as either of the other brands. if you want to shoot people in lower light conditions though you will need to buy a faster lens, somthing like a 20, 25, 28 or 30mm prime lens that goes down to at least f/2.0, but ideally f/1.4. Sigma do a four thirds fit 30mm lens. You have to remember that these use the four thirds system sensor, so you need to double the focal length of any lens, so a 25mm on these cameras is like a 35mm in a Canon or Nikon crop sensor camera or 50mm on a regular film camera. So the 14-42mm is like a 28-84mm (pretty good for 90% of use) and the 40-150mm is really an 80-300mm zoom, which is going to get you up very close to things. The lenses are worth more than the price of the camera to be honest. Other option would be to buy the E410 and a nice prime lens for it for about £500 if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingpongpo Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 That sounds great. It looks like it would satisfy my needs. I just need to get to look at it in a shop and then buy it off the internet at half the price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted February 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 I went out today and had my first play. The camera is amazing, the shots that it can take are amazing and the 17-85 lens is great as an everyday play thing to have in your kit bag. I've got so much to learn and looking forward to getting to know it a lot better, I've hardly touched the surface. Got myself a Crumpler Pretty Boy Large today to carry it around in not the full on kit bag I will get in the end but something to carry it in when I take it for a walk. Its like this inside. I'm taking it easy for now and don't need to spend any more money, but its NOT a cheap hobby but it can be very rewarding, just don't expect to be stunning on day one or to have all the kit you need for years unless you have plenty of money to spend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 You noobs just don't know what you've let youself in for! It's one heck of an expensive hobby (professionals can butt out - you make money from it, and you get to claim costs back for tax purposes! ) I started out with a 10D, and "a good lens" as advised by a professional - the rather nice 17-40mm f/4 L; still my favourite walkabout lens so far. Then it was a telephoto 70-200mm. Then a Lowepro Nova bag. Then a flash. Then a set of screw-on filters. Canon 6x4 printer. Tripod. Monopod. Battery grip. Photoshop CS2. 50mm f/1.4 and a 10mm macro. Wacom tablet. Lensbaby. Lowepro Trekker backpack. Lee grad ND filter set and polariser. Remote release & timer. 1.4x Extender II. Lowepro Stealth bag. Canon A4 inkjet printer. More screw-on filters. Compact camera. Reflector. Flash diffuser. Chargers. 5D. Battery grip. Peli case. HDD picture viewer. Screen calibrator. Panorama software. Lowpro Slingshot pack. Photoshop CS3. Lightroom. GPS recorder. Geotagging software. I'm deep into thousands of pounds, and still nowhere near done. I need a few more lenses (particularly a tilt/shift), a faster PC for Photoshop and of course a 1Ds Mk III! It's terribly addictive, especially if you like gadgets, because there's a lot of them out there to buy, and new ones coming out all the time. But, boy is it good fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted February 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 I know I'm off to Hong Kong early next year on a cruise, I wonder if I can pick myself some nice bargains up. Next 'big' purchase for me will be a 70-200 IS USM F4L I think but thats going to have to wait a good while yet. There are so many smaller things to get and soooooo much to learn. Any tips on what not to get or is a waste of time would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 HK used to be pretty good for bargains - my dad once bought a huge 400mm beast out there that was so big, it came with it's own hard carrying case. It came in at well under half the European price apparently. Not sure if it's changing out there now, but I'd hazard a guess that it's still noticably cheaper than here. As for what's good and what's not, well a lot depends on what you're aiming to shoot. The 70-200 lenses are good though - I've got the f/2.8 IS and although it's bulky and heavy, it is a cracking lens. Not sure if I'd go for an f/2.8 non-IS over an f/4 IS though - the IS certainly helps when shooting handheld, but f/2.8 does as well by giving you a faster shutter speed. Probably worth Googling out some comparative reviews? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted February 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Yeah I have looked at some of the reviews and both the f/2.8 non IS and f/4 IS have great reviews it comes down to personal preference. The significant extra weight of the 2.8 is a big factor but also the non IS lenses aren't weather proof only the IS are it seems so again another factor. A friend has the f/4 L non is 70-200 lens and he loves it I guess I will see how far my budget can stretch at the thime. A cracking place for I found for general reviews is this place. FredMiranda Reviews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 With regard to the photography section question, it is definetly something I would read/contribute to, and have broached the subject before. I seem to remember there was some concern over the bandwidth it may take, with uploaded pictures especially as TSN hosts unpload images and gallerys free. Whilst i still only have a Ixus, I have a admiring interest in photography/hardware with a view to eventually get into it, when the time and money permit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontyslapper Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Simon130 - I bought the wife hers when it was listed on ebuyer at £518 - at the time that was a hefty chunk of money to be spending on 'a toy' as we were waiting for our re-mortgage to come through while I was doing a temp job and she had just started 'proper' maternity pay of just over £400 a month - so financially we were a bit strapped. That said - I'd buy the camera again at the same price - its amazing! I sometimes get the chance to use it and it takes amazing shots. She's on a photography evening course at the moment just to pick up some technical stuff reagrding ISO, shutter speed etc as she has always been keen on photgraphy with a good eye, she's always had decent point and shoot/compact stuff to play with rather than decent kit. Now she has decent kit and is learning the technical ropes - the photos that she's shooting are amazing. We were out for 'a blast' last tuesday with friends and ended up at Coney Beach, Porthcawl and we took some pretty amazing shots that would have come out wanting on the old kit, but are stunning on the E510. That ebay price is certainly a steal - chances are it'll be the North American model - which is identical but is always called EVOLT E510 - terminology! I'd be wary of guarantee/warranty side of things - thats why I 'paid extra' if you like to get it from ebuyer - I've never had problems returning stuff to them - They are doing it for £428.28 at the moment - so its actually cheaper than the ebay deal at £435 (if you include P&P and insurance) Hope this helps http://www.ebuyer.com/product/133784/show_product_overview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 [ QUOTE ] the non IS lenses aren't weather proof only the IS are it seems [/ QUOTE ] Interesting; I didn't realise there was a difference. To be honest, unless you've got one of the magnesium bodied EOS range, I would suggest that most lenses, especially L lenses, will survive pretty much anything the camera will. What you need to look out for are lenses (like the 17-40mm f/4 L) that don't have a fixed front element, as this can allow moisture and dust to get into the lens as the front element slides forwards and backwards when zooming and focussing. I keep a filter on the front of my 17-40mm for this reason; usually a skylight, but swap it out for a circ pol when shooting in sunlight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted February 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Yep it seems the non IS L lens at 70-200 aren't fully sealed. Also the f/4 IS len has the later image stabilisation tech so could offer an extra stop as a result. Canon 70-200 L series lens info. I've only got the 17-85 IS USM at the moment fitted to a 40d, thats more than enough for now to get me going and to learn the basics. But you know I need to dream about my next purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Oh, and I just renewed my insurance today - bear in mind that expensive camera kit might not be insured on your regular home and travel insurance! The insurance I used was http://www.photoguard.co.uk/, as their rates didn't seem too bad, and they're quite flexible. You specify anything over £100 in replacement value, and lump the rest into 'others', and you can get UK only, UK/EU with 30-day worldwide, or full worldwide, and with or without in-vehicle cover. I went for UK/EU with 30-day worldwide, and in-vehicle cover, and a voluntary excess to keep costs down. Took me a while, but I ran up a spreadsheet of all my gear (actually, I copied and modified one I use for all the weights, used for planning what I can take as hand luggage on holiday!), the serial numbers and replacement costs from Park, Warehouse Express or the like, and it's quite incredible how much it would cost to replace with new kit now, even though some of it's a few years old. Some of my gear, like the CF tripod, have actually gone up in replacement value since last year! Just check your insurance policy details and make sure you're covered guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted February 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Thats a good point will have to see what my insurance covers. I've not got much stuff yet but then again I've not had it for a week yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingpongpo Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 I've been reading a lot of reviews off the internet regarind the Olympus E510 and it seems none of them have a bad thing thing to say about it given the price. I think I'll be getting it off Ebuyer as I've used them a few times in the past and never had problems. The other site I was looking at was Pixmania (again i've never had problems using them) but they were a little bit more expensive. I asssume this is because they come in from France perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingpongpo Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Sodding typical!! Just about to order the camera and its now out of stock!! Grrrrrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelsea Mick Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 [ QUOTE ] Sodding typical!! Just about to order the camera and its now out of stock!! Grrrrrr [/ QUOTE ] 79 in stock now for next day delivery clickety click Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biturbo Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 I'd like to see a photography forum and would contribute, but I do see the problem with hosting the images unless they are not on the TSN servers. Re the 70-200: I originally bought the f4L version (before IS was introduced to that model) and I found it was not quick enough in low light, even on a tripod, although great outdoors etc. The majority of my images are indoors with variable light, mostly exceptionally low but with localised highlights which can easily overexpose. I traded in the f4L and splashed out on the f2.8L IS and it runs like a dream. Super fast on focusing and locks on tight even in very low light, although I will need to upgrade the camera when funds allow. Here are some samples I took the other weekend at the Pro Pool tour linky. All are with the f2.8L IS My equipment is all covered under the home insurance, worldwide, only need to detail items over £4k and covered for accidental damage As I bought into the Canon kit, because of low noise at high ISO, I don't have much knowledge of how good the others are in comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingpongpo Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 It was 80 in stock I was checking the site and it refreshed literally as I was looking around. Arrives tomorrow all being well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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