looking to purchase 2nd hand DSLR your advice please

My wife and I have dabbled around with compact digital cameras, we

now feel ready to delve into DSLR's and have decided to seek a Canon

EOS, however we are on a budget so have been looking for second-hand

equipment in excellent condition.

 

1) Can anyone reccommend one of the these EOS D60, 10D, or is it

really spending a bit more for a 20D.

 

2) Can anyone explain the lens issues are these EF lenses? are they

interchangeable betwee al the above models.

 

3) Anything I should avoid?

 

Thanks for any advice you have to offer.

 

Jeremy

If I were you, I'd look into the Digital Rebel. There are a ton of them on the used market because of drones thinking they need to upgrade to the 20d to be "professional" You can probably get a good deal on one.

 

The EF lenses work on all Canon Auto Focus bodies and all their DSLR's.

Jeremy it really depends on you and your wife. Each camera is a little diffrent in feel and settings. All three DSLR's are excellent(in my opinion), and all except EF lenses (only the 20D takes EF-s lens).

 

Good Luck

Really your choice should be between the 10d and the 300d. The 300d is a consumer level camera the 10d is a bit more robust. They have the same sensor and produce the same quality of image, there are a few features missing from the 300d, namely;

 

Flash Exposure Compensation

 

Mirror Lock Up

 

Choice of Focus Mode

 

Choice of Metering mode.

 

Some of the above are available with hacked firmware, some are 'virtually' available by choosing from the simple modes on the camera (not available in the creative modes). These features may not be important to you, that's where your choice comes into it.

 

All EF lenses fit all Canon SLRs (including digital), however there are some EFS lenses available which will only fit the 20d and 300d.

 

The d60 is the same build quality as the 10d, the autofocus isn't as good (particularly in low light), and it isn't as fast in use as the newer cameras (10d, 300d 20d).

 

However they will all seem like lightning in use after the P&S.

I would (and did, for a 2nd body to my 10D) buy a new Digital Rebel/300D over any used DSLR. This is simply because you don't know if the shutter is nearing the projected failure point of 50,000 clicks (people have a habit of "machine-gunning" the shutter on DSLRs because it's "free", unlike film), and replacement of the shutter is several hundred US $$$.<p>Other than a few whiz-bang features, the 300D and the 10D are basicly the same and provide the same high quality images as they have the same sensor. Add the <a href="http://www.bahneman.com/liem/photos/tricks/digital-rebel-tricks.html">"Russian Hack Firmware"</a> to the 300D, and the differences are fewer.<p>EF lenses fit all EOS cameras, digital or film.<br>EF-S lenses only fit the 300D/Digital Rebel and the 20D. Those 2 cameras still take all other EF lenses though.

You are unlikely to get a 20D on the second hand market - and if you do find one, you should question verrry carefullly why it is up for sale. The model has only been out for a very few months and it is unlikely that too many people are selling for legitimate reasons such as wanting to upgrade. if they were, why would they have bought the 20D in the first place? This of course does not apply if you were considering a new 20D.

 

Other than that, get a used 10D - prices are low because the 20D has just been released, but obviously, you pays your money and takes your choice secondhand.

 

I have a 20D, and with the fast startup time and good results at high ISO ratings, I am soooo happy ;-) I think I will shortly be donating my 50E to a friend of mine who has need of an autofocus SLR - I won't be using it again in the near future. (And the 50E was no slouch either.

 

Lenses - ANY EF lens can be used with ANY EOS camera, digital or film.

 

The EF-S range on the other hand (and currently this comprises only 3 lenses - the 18-55mm 'kit' lens, the 17-85 Image stabilised lens (a good all round choice, but overpriced), and the 10-22mm wideangle lens), can ONLY be used on the 300D (Drebel int the USA) and the 20D. The basic view on these appears to be that the 10-22mm is very good indeed, the 17-85 is overpriced and is basically a 28-135mm IS 'cut-down' for the smaller sensor size, and the 18-55 is very good value for money, and optically not bad when stopped down, but is cheap as chips and feels it to handle.

 

Avoid? Better informed people than me can give you a long list of potential pitfalls in the lens area. Which versions of which focal length to get and which to run a mile from. You didn't mention your budget so it's hard to be sure what to suggest. Equally, you didn't mention what type of photography you were into , so again it's hard to suggest anything without suggesting top quality kit for all eventualities (and this generally doesn't stack with a budget!)

Do look at Canon's rebates though if you are lucky enough to be in the US, as they are very good but will be ending in a couple of weeks.

 

All the best and happy hunting

 

DAmian

PMA - www.pmai.org - is coming at the end of February: Do not buy anything before then!

 

Most folks are expecting Canon to introduce a new entry level DSLR at PMA and this will have a significant effect on the used DSLR market values.

 

Spend the next few weeks doing research and asking DUMB questions.

 

--

I still use my D60 for paid projects. I don't think there is enough of an advantage to buy a drebel or 10D over one so you are better off with a low actuation D60 or a 20D.

 

if you really want to buy a brand new body on a budget, the Drevel is a good buy and about $775 with a 18-55.

 

All EF lenses work on EOS bodies. Canon has come out with EF-s and those only work on the Digital Rebel and 20D.

 

Canon makes over 50 lenses and some of them are outstanding, some are very good, and a few are dissapointing. Just search on a lens and you will find a lot of posts on it.

Subject: Answer to Bob

 

Someone else suggested that the AF on the D60 was nothing compared to the 10D. I can't comment, as I have neither. But last night I took some portrait shots of my wife in low light using the internal flash (no illumination for the AF - I turned it off) on my 20D with a 200mm f2.8L. I will confirm that at the distance I took these the Dof is about 1/2" based on previous experience in good light and the camera a) autofocused correctly on her eyes and b) WAS actually in focus when I reviewed the shots this morning. I didn't think about it too much at the time, but later on I realised how low the light had been and was suitably amazed at the speed and capability of the AF system. I don't doubt the D60 capability, and AFAIK, the imaging sensor was unchanged until the 20D came out.

 

All you are proving is that the capability of the photographer is much more important than the body or lens. But this does not change the fact that the 10D / 300D are at least as capable as the D60, and the 20D is more so.

 

By the way, is it possible to interrogate these cameras to determine the number of shutter actuations?

 

All the best

 

Damian

I think any of the above used DSLR bodies would be good, D60, 10D, 300D etc. That's the great thing about the Canon world, SO MANY CHOICES. Keep in mind that a brand new 300D body is now $670 (or there-abouts) after rebate. Also keep in mind the the 300D is essentially the same camera as the 10D with a few less feaures but equal image quality. Go for the best price; used is good!

 

Also keep in mind, lenses will hold their value longer than bodies. DSLR bodies change like women's fashion but lenses tend to remain more or less the same and hold their value longer.

 

Invest in used lenses, providing they are in excellent condition.

Its interesting looking at the 2nd hand pricing of the dslr's. Because the price is falling so fast on the new models people are trying to flogg send hand d30 and d60's for prices you can buy new.

 

Don't bother just buy a digital rebel plus rebate or if you can afford it a 20D new.

 

OR wait till Feb when there could very well be a digital rebel replacement and hence shops will have a lot of old stock to clear.

I don't care what brand or kind camera you buy, there will be scenes where the AF simply

will not work. That's where the full time manual comes in handy with USM lenses.

 

All EF lenses are compatible with all EOS cameras. You can take the oldest EF lenses and

mount them on the newest body, or vice versa. There are a few specialty 'EF-S' lenses

which are being produced, but I wouldn't buy them unless you doubt you'll go to a larger

sensor camera.

 

I have a 10D, and have shot it alongside a 20D. I feel no need to upgrade yet.

<p> <i>Can anyone reccommend one of the these EOS D60, 10D, or is it really spending a bit more for a 20D. </i> </p>

<p> It depends on your total budget. Each model is better than its predecessor. However, you need to leave money for good lenses. Search. there's a lot of info on all topics. </p>

<p> <i> Can anyone explain the lens issues are these EF lenses? are they interchangeable betwee al the above models. </i> </p>

<p> <a href="http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#compatibility">Any Canon EF-mount lens will work with any Canon EOS camera</a>. OTOH, <a href="http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#efs">EF-S</a> lenses will only mount on 20D or 300D unless <a href="http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/efs-10d.html#efs">hacked</a>. </p>

<p> <i>Anything I should avoid? </i> </p>

<p> I advise you to avoid any <a href="http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#kitlenses">cheapies</a> or <a href="http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#28200">hyperzooms</a>.</p>

 

<p>Happy shooting, <br>

Yakim.</p>

<cite>20D with a 200mm f2.8L</cite>

 

<p>There are a couple of issues at play here. One is that, without AF assistance, your camera obtained focus in very low light. That's definitely a good thing :-)</p>

 

<p>The other is your statement regarding how accurately it focused. Assuming you were using the central AF point, you had a high-precision cross sensor, which focuses to within 1/3 of the DOF with lenses of f/2.8 or faster, which is the case for you. If there's enough light for AF to work, then you should get very precise AF with the central sensor with this fast lens.</p>

 

<p>Canon claims that the 20D's AF system is superior to that of the 10D. Reviewers seem to agree. Canon also claism that the 10D's AF system is superior to that of the D60. Reviewers wholeheartedly agree; the D60's AF system was never all that popular.</p>

I would just like to thank everyone who has contributed an answer to our questions, everyone's advice has been very helpfull. We will be buying one of the above in the next couple of weeks and will choose wisely from the advice you have given and our Budget.

 

ONCE AGAIN ...... THANK YOU >>>>

 

We never anticipated such a useful response to our first posting

 

Jeremy & Karen Owen

 

Worthing,

England.