Upgrade lens (from kit lens) for 300D

macbuz wrote:

Thank you 'all'. It's interesting, I no sooner ask the question and it occurs to me that perhaps an upgrade to the camera may be the way to go and sure enough that's the suggestion I get.

Jim and Digirame - When considering a camera upgrade can I assume the T5i is what would be referenced?

R2D2 - She likes to shoot whatever is in front of her - she spends a lot of time at the beach, as well she shoots outdoor shots from a flower bud to a moon rising, portraits, sunsets, wildlife, ...

R2D2 - The little bit of Googling around told me that in order to replace her current telephoto my budget should be in the $700 range. It's more than I would like to spend, but I know it costs to get decent quality. I've never been satisfied when I tried to save money.

Soufiej - Regarding the 'loyalty' aspect, are you saying Canon gives a refund on a trade in of your old camera?

I like the idea of upgrading the camera especially if the newer camera kits come with better lens'.

Thanks again to all of you for your thoughts on this.

Check the refurbished prices, when I made my purchase last week, the price difference between the SL1 and the T5i was $200. The SL1 is a very compact body which fits well in many "female" sized hands. There is very little functional difference between the SL1 and the T5i. Image quality is all but identical between the two cameras. There's more difference in image quality between you and your wife taking the same shot than there is between those two cameras. Ideally, your wife should handle both cameras to determine which best fits her hands.

I'm going to disagree regarding the kit lens. The kit 18-55 STM lens is fine for the average shooter. Buy a good camera with a good lens and then determine what other lenses are suitable for your photos as need arises. Two things to consider IMO; 1) you can crop a clean image to represent a longer focal length and, 2) unless you are physically handicapped, you can always take a few steps with any lens. Look at a focal range comparator and view the difference the longer lens would provide. How often can you not walk that same difference? Nothing against the bigger lens, but most (actually, all) zooms are a compromise and the more range a lens has, the less overall quality it will have at the extremes. Read up on the lens options and decide.

If she likes to shoot a wide variety of subjects from close up flowers to distant wildlife, maybe you should consider a super zoom such as the SX40-50-60; http://stokesbirdingblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/canon-sx-50-hs-for-bird-photography-i.html

The SX50 is available for about $200 refurbished and makes for a great companion to a quality DSLR; http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/55500949

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/55501370

With the SL1 and a prime lens plus the SX50, I can remove most of the lenses and accessories from my DSLR bag, carry both in the same bag and still have room for the SL1's kit lens. Weight is minimal if you go out for a full day of shooting.

The Canon "loyalty" program gives you some money for your old camera. Not much but my ten year old XT isn't worth much and no local shop offered to take the XT in on trade. Canon intends to keep the camera from being trashed in a landfill. But don't expect a lot for an old camera. If you care to give your old camera to a young relative/friend, you'll probably feel better about the transaction. Check with the local schools, many have photography classes or groups who would love to have a donated camera.