Newbie needs buying advice!!!

[sota]

Hello everyone (it's nice to be here!)

I was hoping for a little advice on some purchases I intend on making in the next couple of months if that's alright?

My current camera is just a bog standard compact - a Canon Powershot A640 which I've had now for about 5 years. I've been reasonably happy with it, trying to use some of the manual settings and such, but as it's my big 4-0 birthday in a few months time, the good lady wife wants to buy me a special present, so I thought this would be a good time to upgrade and get myself a nice camera.

After speaking to a few people and doing some research I've decided on buying a Canon EOS 550D. It sounds like a decent camera for a willing novice like myself and hopefully should see me fine for a good few years to come.

So the crux of the matter is this: I've seen the 550D being sold as a kit with a 18-55mm IS lens for about £550 at Jessops. (I have seen it considerably cheaper at other online retailers, ie. buyacamera.co.uk, but some reviews are really worrying saying they sell 'grey imports' and so on, so I'd be a little dubious about giving them my business). Would this camera with this specific lens be a good starting point into the world of SLR's? What other lenses would you recommend? I want to take pictures of run of the mill things like landscapes, family portraits, buildings, abstract etc... so I know I'm going to need other lenses at some point - but which? I could probably stretch to about £180/£200 for another lens.

Also, what other accessories should I be buying at the off? A bag for definite (I've been looking at the Lowepro Nova 160 all weather bag). UV filters? Polarised filters? I already have a decent 32GB SDHC card so I'm fine for memory cards

Obviously I'm not going to be buying everything all at once, but I reckon I could scrape together about £800 for the camera, a lens (may be two), and a bag.

Any thoughts, suggestions or ideas would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Sota

[wave]

Hi and welcome the 550d is a good choice and the kit 18-55is lens isnt a bad one I would start there get used to it and then make your mind up what other lenses to have. The 50 1.8 is a good and cheap prime and I think you should have it in your bag it under £100. A good polariser for landscapes isnt a bad idea and a good bag i use a lowepro fastpack but what ever suits you. Good luck

[sota]

Thanks for that Wave.

Could you tell me what the advantages of prime lenses are? I'm afraid I get totally confused when it comes to lenses. All the talk of F-stops, focal lengths, wide angles, telephoto's and zooms make my head spin!

[canismajor]

Thanks for that Wave.

Could you tell me what the advantages of prime lenses are? I'm afraid I get totally confused when it comes to lenses. All the talk of F-stops, focal lengths, wide angles, telephoto's and zooms make my head spin!
Hi Sota. The general consensus of opinion is that a Prime Lens is optically superior to a Zoom Lens, and also they are available with much faster apertures for much less money. Fast apertures such as f1.4 or f1.8 mean that they will allow in more light because of their wide opening, which in turn will allow you to select a faster shutter speed making your pics much sharper. I hope this helps you, all the best.

[sota]

Thanks for the input guys.

Due to the fact that I'll probably be taking quite a lot of pictures of the kids indoors in quite low light conditions, I think I' may have to add the 50mm to my wish list then!

[aircanman]

As long as you are using the flash, it is surprising how good the images are from the 18-55 lens. If you are looking to buy stick to amazon, Jessops, Currys, Argos. For peace of mind more than anything.

It is a great camera but if you decide to buy more lenses, have a look at the sigma 17-70 and the tamron 17-50. Lovely lenses, nice and sharp, lovely colour.

Hope you enjoy your new SLR.