Camera Labs

Hi guys
I had asked before in the Canon forum but have found these deals, what does everyone think? I am after long range fast moving photos (ie air to air shots from a plane)

Canon EOS 600D with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens Kit + Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS + Sandisk 8GB SD Ultra II
This comes to about 840 euro

or

Nikon D7000 Body + Nikon AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR + Nikon AF-S 55-200mm f/4.0-5.6G IF-ED DX VR + 8GB SDHC Card
This is 1150euro.

or

Canon EOS 60D with EF-S 18-55mm Lens Kit + Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS + 16GB SDHC Class 6 + Canon LP-E6
Also 1150euro

Is the extra money worth the jump? the difference of 300euro is about $420

I would go for the cheapest of those kits and put the cash saved towards a longer lens. 200mm will be barely enough for the kind of shots you are interested in.

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Nikon D300 D80 D40 18-55mm 18-70mm 18-135mm 55-200mm 18-200mm 28mm 2.8f 50mm 1.8f 85mm 1.8f
Panasonic DMCFZ28 Slik Pro 700DX

I know a little about a lot, a lot about little and everything about nothing.

I would forget about the cheap telephoto lenses that come bundled wıth cameras and look at another lens. If you are on a budget and you want a canon camera the canon 70-200 f4 non IS is a very good optıon and ıs only around £400.

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Camera: Canon 550D with battery grip
Lenses: Canon 24-105mm f/4L, Canon 50mm f1.4, Canon 18-55mm, Tamron 70-300mm,
Accessories: Manfrotto 055XPROB with 808RC4 head, Canon 430ex II speedlite, Lowepro Nova 180AW and Lowepro Pro Runner 450AW

Oh that is so lame, every hot girl who can aim a camera thinks she’s a photographer -Stewie Griffin

Hello,

I agree with the others, just get the body and the kit lens (the 18-55), and put the money that you saved towards a new telephoto lens. Both Canon and Nikon make some great telephoto lenses, but in general Canon has a more robust selection. If you go Canon, you may want to look into the 70-300mm (both the non-L and L versions good lenses), the 70-200 f/4 or even the 300mm f/4. There's also the 400mm f/5.6, which isn't as fast as the 300mm, but costs less and gives you extra range only achievable with a teleconverter. If you decide to go Nikon, they make an inexpensive and sharp 70-300 as well, but no 70-200 f/4 (there have been rumors, however). For a Nikon 70-200 you'll need to go for a 70-200 f/2.8 VR, which is very expensive compared to Canon's 70-200 f/4. You could also look at Nikon's 300mm f/4, which is cheaper than Canon's offering, but doesn't include any sort of image stabilization. Nikon doesn't make a 400mm f/5.6.

I hope that I helped,
-Evan

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-Evan

Gear: 7 Nikon Nikkor AI-S and AF-S lenses, SB-700 flash, Nikon D7000, Nikon FM, variety of accessories

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."
- Ansel Adams

Hey guys,
First off I want to thank everyone for their help on this site, its by far one of the best forums (websites) I've used in a long time.

Taking into account the above what do you think of:
A EOS 600d with a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Mk II with a Hoya 58mm Super HMC Multi-Coated UV Filter.
This comes to 1200euro (50 more than the other options above).

I'm told that IS and a filter are musts in the aircraft.

Anything else you would recommend? I have a case and memory card already.
I'm in the hunt for a tutorial book for the 600d if anyone knows of a good one?
Thanks again
Dara

Hey, Dara,

First of all, do you mean the 600D with or without the kit lens? I'd recommend getting it with the kit lens as otherwise you wouldn't have any coverage at the wider angles.
Otherwise, the 70-300 is a great lens (it gives equivalent coverage of about 110-480mm on an APS-C sized camera like the 600D, so coverage shouldn't be a problem. The 50mm 1.8 is an excellent lens for the price, and should work great for portraits with an equivalent focal length of 80mm.I can't comment too much on the Hoya filter as I don't know much about them (I generally use B&W filters) but as long as it's a high quality filter and not a cheapo $10 one, you should be fine. Remember that filters degrade the image quality, so make sure that it's the best quality that you can find.

-Evan

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-Evan

Gear: 7 Nikon Nikkor AI-S and AF-S lenses, SB-700 flash, Nikon D7000, Nikon FM, variety of accessories

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."
- Ansel Adams

Thanks for the feedback Evan I've since found the body and with the 300mm lens and the 18-55 IS II Lens Kit for 1100euro.
I picked the Hoya filter as they were recommended in the filters section of this site.
Is there anything else I should order with the kit so I dont end up ordering more a week after it arrives?