Review of Camera Equipment


    Canon Digital Rebel (EOS 300D)

    Canon Digital RebelAfter originally using a film SLR - Canon Rebel (EOS 300) - I upgraded to digital in Jun 2004 with the purchase of this camera from Carmen's Photo Source in Canada (via ebay). Whilst my film SLR proved to be a very good camera I had constantly been disappointed, after developing my prints, with the number of blurred or unusable photos. This was proving to be expensive since I was only keeping a few out of each roll of 36 exposures! As a result I decided to step into the digital SLR realm and I haven't regretted it!
    Although initially put off by the cost of digital SLRs I now consider it a worthwhile investment especially for wildlife photography and other types of photography that involve moving subjects! The main advantages of digital SLRs, in my opinion, are:


    • The ability to instantly review the photos you have taken
    • 1.6x FOV crop turning my 500mm lens into a nice 800mm lens excellent for nature photography!!
    • Size of the prints - 6.3megapixels easily gives prints up to A4 without any loss of quality
    • Easy editing of photos before processing e.g cropping, exposure adjustment, dust removal etc
    • No limit to the number of exposures you take - increased possibility that one will be good!
    • Development costs are reduced since you only develop good photos

    I have been very pleased with the camera however in August 2006 (just over 2 years after I bought it) the autofocus and sub-mirror broke which was quite disappointing, especially as I didn't have an extended warranty!! Jessops wanted at least GBP200 to look at it so I decided to save the money and put it towards a new EOS 400D!! I attempted a repair of broken pin for the sub-mirror and was partially successful - the camera now takes photos without half the screen being black however the autofocus, metering and flash don't work so I can only use it in full manual mode!!
    My advice if you are buying an expensive DSLR is to get a decent extended warranty, especially considering the number of actuations (I took over 25,000 in 2 years) you do with a DSLR compared to film SLRs, resulting in more frequent shutter and sub-mirror failures.


    Sigma 50-500 lens

    Sigma 50-500mmI bought this lens and a Canon EOS 300 film SLR from AAACamera in the States and had it shipped to Botswana! It eventually arrived in one piece after a few phone calls.
    I chose this lens primarily because I wanted a telephoto zoom lens but could not afford anything over GBP1000!! This lens was used to take the majority of photos on this site and I have been very pleased with the sharpness of the images produced. Considering the difference in cost between this lens and a Canon prime lens the quality of the images is impressive. I have had no compatibility problems with either the Digital Rebel or the EOS 400D, even though this is not the later DG model developed by Sigma to be more compatible with DSLRs.
    If you want a good telephoto lens, but don't want to re-mortgage your house to buy one, I strongly recommend this lens. The 50-500mm range is great as you can take the same shot from a number of perspectives without having to swap lenses or change cameras all the time. The main issue I have faced is that autofocus can be slow at times which can be a problem when photographing fast moving objects. A faster lens for faster shutter speeds (e.g f4) would also be nice but the cost means they are not an option.
    Overall I have been very satisfied with this lens and, 4 years on, continue to use it for all my wildlife photos.


    Canon EOS 400D with kit lens

    Canon EOS 400DAfter my Digital Rebel packed in I was forced to go DSLR shopping!! The only options were going for the latest Canon 400D or the slightly lower spec and cheaper price of the 350D. After looking around I got a good deal at Dixons for the 400D so decided to buy it in November 2006. So far I have been very impressed with this camera and would recommend it to anyone entering the DSLR world or upgrading from the 300D. The major advantages I have found over the 300D are:


    • 9 focusing points instead of 7
    • 10.1 megapixels instead of 6.3 megapixels
    • The camera is much faster starting up and reading/writing to the memory card resulting in impressively fast download speeds
    • Smaller size - easier to carry around though some people might find it too small
    • Dust removing sensor - yet to test how well this works but sounds good!!
    • Large LCD screen
    • More functions - metering modes, autofocus modes and custom functions

    Canon EOS 400DIn my opinion Canon have once again excelled with this camera, producing a camera that is affordable without compromising on too many of the functions essential for semi-professional photography. This camera is simple enough to use for people new to SLRs while also giving the more advanced user almost total control over the images produced. The kit lens is regularly criticised by alot of people however I could not afford a more expensive lens and feel that, when bought with the camera, it offers excellent value for money.



    Other Accessories

    Manfrotto 144 & 141Manfrotto Tripod
    After I bought the Sigma lens it became obvious I would need to invest in a good tripod to get decent photos. Due to the long focal range of telephoto lenses, any shake at the camera is magnified by the zoom resulting in blurred photos. After looking at the various options I chose Manfrotto as they were highly recommended by Jessops. I bought the Manfrotto 144 legs with a 141 head which I have used in numerous environments and have found it to be suitable for a wide range of different photography uses from wildlife to weddings! The legs are admittedly quite heavy to carry around, however this lends stability to the tripod when using a heavy telephoto lens which is essential.



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