[The sniper]

I want to get into Photography,mainly for record shots of birds but i am also keen on taking photos of places i go to,landscapes,basically places of interest.
I have a limited budget,am not worried if i buy new or second hand but i do want to be able to get decent shots etc.
I have no previous experience with a camera apart from taking shots either on my phone or on an old digital camera which my mother gave me about 8 years ago.
I want to get a decent lense with it but don't consider myself taking it too seriously at the moment.
What would you recommend for me to start with,maybe adding extra lenses as i go.
I looked at a cannon EOS500 yesterday with a 75/300 for around £500,i nearly bought it as i liked it but decided not to rush into anything and the shop salesperson also advised me to do the same.
As i say,its mainly for record shots of birds but i do also want to take pictures of landscapes as well.
I am going out with a friend next week who is a professional cameraman but he focusses on sport and i thought i would see what birders recommended???
Budget is around the £500 mark,a bit more if needed but ideally i would like to spend less,sorry if this sounds a bit silly but have no previous experience and really don't want to go into it spending shed loads to start with (the missus would probably kill me!)
Thanks in advance,rob

[jimthomson]

I'd recommmend a good point and shoot superzoom such as the Canon SX40 or the Panasonic FZ150. For your budget these will give you better range than you would get with a DSLR and lens. There is nothing wrong with the EOS500, but the 75-300 is one of canon's poorer lenses. There is no lense in your price range that is really good for birding. The superzooms will give you around 800mm equivalent with image stabilization and they give perfectly good record shots and better when used well.

[RyanEustace]

Hi Rob

The minimum length of the canon (75mm) is going to be too big for most landscapes, the canon kit lens 18-55mm is dirt cheap (about £30 second hand) and although not the greatest lens ever it is going to give you more opportunity for landscape photos than the canon 75-300mm, have a look here at some great photos taken with it http://www.gavinvarney.com/Landscape...111570&k=rNZhG.

For record shots of birds you don't need to go buying expensive big lens, 300mm would be sufficient length for relatively tame birds and for the wary species with crops you would end up with record photos of suffcient quality depending on just how far away you are away, i mean obviously if the bird is 4 fields away you'll struggle, but for most scenarios that would be fine. So I'd say go with the canon 75-300mm (not sure which model you are talking about I, II, III), lenses keep their value generally speaking so if after a while you find that the 75-300mm isn't what you expected and you want to spend a little more money then you can always sell and upgrade, plus that way you would see the improvement that you are spending your money on, alot of people are quick to put the blame of poor photos onto the lens, which in some circumstances may be correct but field-craft and technique also play a big role in attaining good photos.

As for the camera body i am not too sure, I don't keep track of all the bodys out there, however the 2 bodys i have owned the 40D and 50D were both great and you can pick up a 40D for peanuts now days. I would say read through reviews on the web and try and get your hands on them before you make a final decision.


Ryan

[The sniper]

Cheers folks,I am going to take my time before purchasing as I always rush things and want to make sure I make the right choice,thanks for your advice