Somebody help me please:confused:

What is the difference between a Tamron 55mm - 200mm lense and a Canon 90mm - 300mm?

Whats the benefit of one over the other?

Also any feedback on the Canon 400d for professional photography?

I have seen package offers for both at local electrical retailers but didn't know which one to go for.

As for the packages, they consists of:

Canon 400d Digital camera
18 - 55mm lense
1 gb CF Card
Bag
Tanmron 55 - 200 lense
for £626.00

The other is

Canon 400d Digital camera
18 - 55mm lense
1 gb CF Card
Bag
canon 90mm - 300mm
for £675.00

There's a fair bit of difference between those lenses, but you haven't given all the detail to compare them completely. The Canon goes further telephoto, so it will provide greater magnification at the far end. The Tamron goes wider.

I've not heard much about the Canon, but the Tamron (I think) is meant to be optically quite good. To be honest I'd expect that at 300mm f\5.6 the Canon may be pretty hard to use hand-held except in really good light.

The 18-55 is the standard Canon kit lens, that's perfectly average.

Of the two, I'd probably go for the Tamron kit, or just save the money and buy a completely different lens elsewhere.

The 400D is a fine camera, though it's not in the professional range, I'd say that that's more the 30D/5D as they use the same arrangement of controls, whereas the 400D is more consumer orientated.

So if I don't plan to use the camera for telescopic photography, then I'm better of with the Tamron lense?

I intend to mainly portrait shots, some close up shots and general photography for magazines.


On the camera side of things, I thought with the 400d having more pixels (10m) it would be better than the 30d which is 8m pixels)

Also on the comparison chart on the Canons website, the 400d and 30d are similiar - yet the 400 is newer and cheaper?

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_SLR/index.asp#

What type of professional photography are you planning on using the kit for?

For portrait shots stay with the Tamron. When I did portraiture I tended to use 50mm to 80mm for 'studio' style shots and 150mm to 180mm for the mor candid shots where I didn't want to be sticking a camera in someone's face. :)

the 55 to 200mm zoom would probably allow you to get away without changing lenses.

The 400d has a plastic body whilst the 30d has a magnesium alloy body.

30D is probably about to be replaced by a new body with similar features as the 400d

400d + 18-55 kit lens is available from Jessops online for £479.99

I want to use the camera for magazine work - which would include shots of models, clothing, people, close up shots - for example food, cars, events etc..

Basically everythin you would expect to see in a lifestyle magazine

would the 400 d and the package be suitable for this?

My budget is around £600 - £650

Thanks

On a limited budget and trying to cover such a wide subject area I would consider a lens such as the Canon EF 28-135mm, you can pick up a second hand copy for about £230 this will give you a reasonable focal length combined with IS to counteract the slower lens.

Dixons online have the 400d body for £429.50

Aside from the lenses (which I suppose i could upgrade) is the camera (400 D)suitable for the type of work I inetend to do?

Depends upon what your editor wants at the end of the day, but 400d should be good for most jobs.

i've heard only good things about the 400d. infact, i'm considering buying one myself.

have a search on the internet for reviews, which might help you make up your mind about the 400d.

On the camera side of things, I thought with the 400d having more pixels (10m) it would be better than the 30d which is 8m pixels)


Really it just means that it has more pixels. The image processor is the same. Unless you're having images printed pretty large, it may not make the killer difference.

The 400D is still a good camera, though. So yeah, if you've held one and it suits your hands better than the 30D, go with it.

For portraiture the 90-300 will be fairly useless, I would expect.

You may want to look at a faster lens, that would allow you more control over depth of field. Other lenses you could consider might be -

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Canon EF 24-70 2.8L. (though this would be expensive)
Tamron 28-75 f2.8

Also bear in mind that all digital SLRs with the exception of the 5D and 1Ds Mk2 (and the other 1D variants) have APS sized sensors. This adds a 1.5x magnification factor on to the lens you're buying, so a 300mm becomes, effectively, a 450mm zoom.

I have a Tamron 70-300 zoom for my 5D and, well, it's okay. The lenses to really go for on a Canon are the sigma EX and Canon L series. They're lush.

Some lenses are created purely for APS sensor sized DSLRs, and they're worth looking out for as they can be a lot cheaper.

Also, the 30D is probably a better buy and does have a £100 cashback offer if you buy before the end of this month. I'd say it's worth stretching your budget that little bit extra.

The Canon 18-55 isn't that hot.

the 24-105 that comes with the 5D, now that is nice.

Try www.warehouseexpress.com as they're usually pretty decently priced.

I have a 400d with the standard 18-55 lens and also the Canon 28-135 IS.
The IS lens is on the camera all he time, the 18-55 is better for wider scenic shots and you get more in.