How to buy 20D setup?

clv100 · Oct 9, 2004

I'm getting close to a Canon 20D purchase.

I'm pretty certain I'm going to replace my 2 year old Canon G3 with a 20D SLR. The issue as usual is cost. I'm set on an SLR and I'm not really convinced saving a little to get the 300D is worth it, I think the improvement of the 20D are worth the extra. My wish list looks like this:

20D
17-40mm F4 L
50mm F1.8 MkII
70-200mm F4 L
Circular polarising filters all round
2x 1GB CF
Decent case

I'm in the UK, total cost for all this is something in the area of £2500, not an amount I'm willing to spend in one go with Christmas (and car insurance!) on the horizon.

So I'm thinking about getting there on a budget.

Would just getting the 20D, 50mm prime and CF be a good start? There is also the 18-55mm kit lens that can be picked up used online very cheap.

So, I’m looking for advice on how I can get towards my end game in say 6 months time whilst minimising initial outlay and maximising enjoyment/utility of what I get in the meantime.

Should I consider the 18-55mm as a temporary stand in for the 17-40mm?

The 20D body only can be picked up from Germany for £900. Buying in the EU is meant to be easy, Europe wide warranty, no VAT/duty etc... Does anyone have any comments on buying from a German website rather than a UK one, saving over £100 in the process?

How much is my G3 likely to be worth 2nd hand (great condition, boxed with all extras etc...).

macgaspode · Oct 9, 2004

clv100 said:
20D
17-40mm F4 L
50mm F1.8 MkII
70-200mm F4 L
Circular polarising filters all round
2x 1GB CF

Very good choice. But don't forget the CF card reader for firmware updates (haha).

clv100 said:
Decent case

Lowe Zoom toploader are good cases.

clv100 said:
Should I consider the 18-55mm as a temporary stand in for the 17-40mm?

Yeah. Why not. It's only 70 euros at ebay and you can probably sell it for almost the same price when you have to money for the 17-40L.

aidansdad · Oct 9, 2004

Well, i went mad in the UK too when i ordered the 20D. Ended up with the following.

20D+18-55mm £1199
Canon 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Mk2 £230
Canon EF 17-40mm F4 L £570
Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5/5.6L USM IS £1190
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM £300
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX MACRO £240
Canon 2x Extender £280 (a lot considering i only use it on the 100-400)
Canon SPEEDLITE 420EX £180
Lexar 1gb 80x £140
Lexar 512mb 80x £80 (Had it with previous camera)
Sandisk Ultra II 512mb £80 (Had it with previous camera)
Lowepro Mini Trekker £100
2 Hoya Circular Polarizers

So, take off the 2 512mb cards, and it's around £4500, which is a big jump from a Fuji S7000. Also costs me £9 a month for comprehensive insurance for it all. Having a damn good time using it and playing around though, a lot of stuff is on the back seat now i am learning my way, even have a wedding to follow round on 23rd of this month, i will post some to get some feedback.

clv100 said:
I'm getting close to a Canon 20D purchase.

I'm pretty certain I'm going to replace my 2 year old Canon G3 with
a 20D SLR. The issue as usual is cost. I'm set on an SLR and I'm
not really convinced saving a little to get the 300D is worth it, I
think the improvement of the 20D are worth the extra. My wish list
looks like this:

20D
17-40mm F4 L
50mm F1.8 MkII
70-200mm F4 L
Circular polarising filters all round
2x 1GB CF
Decent case

I'm in the UK, total cost for all this is something in the area of
£2500, not an amount I'm willing to spend in one go with Christmas
(and car insurance!) on the horizon.

So I'm thinking about getting there on a budget.
Would just getting the 20D, 50mm prime and CF be a good start?
There is also the 18-55mm kit lens that can be picked up used
online very cheap.

So, I’m looking for advice on how I can get towards my end game in
say 6 months time whilst minimising initial outlay and maximising
enjoyment/utility of what I get in the meantime.

Should I consider the 18-55mm as a temporary stand in for the 17-40mm?

The 20D body only can be picked up from Germany for £900. Buying
in the EU is meant to be easy, Europe wide warranty, no VAT/duty
etc... Does anyone have any comments on buying from a German
website rather than a UK one, saving over £100 in the process?

How much is my G3 likely to be worth 2nd hand (great condition,
boxed with all extras etc...).

clv100 · Oct 9, 2004

Thanks for your comments - I think my 1st move should be buy the
20D+18-55 kit
50mm prime
1GB CF

Then as I save up, go for the 70-200 and 17-40 in that order.

Looking at prices, in the UK the 20D+18-55 kit seems to go for £1150ish whereas in Germany it's only 1450 Euro ( ~~£1000). Seems to be over £100 cheaper. Can anyone in the UK comment on buying from Germany?~~

macgaspode · Oct 9, 2004

clv100 said:
Looking at prices, in the UK the 20D+18-55 kit seems to go for
£1150ish whereas in Germany it's only 1450 Euro ( £1000). Seems to
be over £100 cheaper. Can anyone in the UK comment on buying from
Germany?

You can even get it for less than 1400 Euros.

Don't know if they sell to UK, but very fast and reliable shops are:

http: www.hifi-components.de (They sell to EU, I bought mine at their shop in Munich)
http://www.foto-heisterkamp.de/
http://www.imaging-one.de/

Hope this helps.

clv100 · Oct 9, 2004

Thanks for those links... I've just come across this place:

http://www.digital-versand.de/

They seem to have the 20D with kit lens for just €1,359.00 That seems like a real bargain, but I can't read German and I don't understand how payment works, can I use VISA credit card?

macgaspode · Oct 9, 2004

clv100 said:
http://www.digital-versand.de/

They seem to have the 20D with kit lens for just €1,359.00 That
seems like a real bargain, but I can't read German and I don't
understand how payment works, can I use VISA credit card?

No, you have to pay in advance by money transfer. This propably means they will send the camera when they receive the money which might take some days (banks still work in batch mode...). They ask for 14,- Euros for postage. On their website (click "Lieferbedingungen" and then near the EU-logo) is their IBAN nr and their SWIFT Code so it should be easy to transfer money to their account. And EU-laws says that money transfers within EU are not allowed to cost more than an money transfer in your own country as long as you provide IBAN and SWIFT.

Maybe it is best you just send an email to [email protected] and ask what exactly is nessesary and how long it will take.

Hope this helps.

sheedy · Oct 9, 2004

I have been looking at the same thing - buying from Germany, there was a post regarding http://www.lagu.de which has the 20d kit for 1413 euros but you can view the sire in English.

Please let me know how you get on.

Doc Tonic · Oct 9, 2004

Don't be alarmed when your photos don't look as good as your 50 1.8, that is just a bad lens, when you upgrade to the 17-40 4L, you'll notice the difference. But, yes, the 18-55 is fine while you save up for a real lens.

borderrose · Oct 9, 2004

This is what I would do. The kit lens is underrated on the forum. With 20 seconds work with an edge sharpening action my shots are fully presentable. I also have the 50mm f1.8, the "plastic fantastic" -- sharp as a tack.

Have fun. Post some pictures.

clv100 said:
Thanks for your comments - I think my 1st move should be buy the
20D+18-55 kit
50mm prime
1GB CF

Then as I save up, go for the 70-200 and 17-40 in that order.

Looking at prices, in the UK the 20D+18-55 kit seems to go for
£1150ish whereas in Germany it's only 1450 Euro ( £1000). Seems to
be over £100 cheaper. Can anyone in the UK comment on buying from
Germany?

Nick · Oct 9, 2004

I don't know whether this is an option you would like to consider but it is one I have used in the past when I don't want to part with too much money in one go.Warehouse Express operate such a scheme whereby you place a 10% down payment and have the option to pay back the remainder in full after nine months failing which you enter a credit arrangement.I find the facility of having a nine month interest free period of grace before having to pay for your objects of desire most useful so long as you are prepared to tuck away a little money each month to pay off the remaining cost when it becomes due.
--
Regards,Nick.
http://www.planepics.co.uk

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How to buy 20D setup?

clv100

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