What to do with my money (Quad please read)

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Hi Guys

September is looming, and thats when i go to University.

I have been saving my money for laptop for quite a while now, working my ass off for all of 12 hours a week at Sainsburys.

I will have around about £1250 saved up in my Laptop account - and i was going to buy quite a powerful notebook so i could play some recent games, but i have realised that i dont really play graphic intensive games that often, and the ones i do play will be on my desktop which is coming with me.

Then i though... i love taking photos and i wouldnt have a "real" digital camera availiable to me while living away. I take photos all the time and find it a real sort of hobby and past time, when out i am always snapping away until the memory card is full.

I can get a Canon EOS 350D Digital SLR camera + Lens kit for £500 delivered.

HERE

My train of thought is that maybe if i got a mid range Centrino Core Duo laptop for around £700 instead of a laptop with a really good video card, i could get the camera aswell.

For those of you suggest i save the money for living expenses at uni, your probably right, but i have a seperate account which will have about £700 in it by the time i start there, and also my maintenance grant part of my student loan which is £3000 a year interest free.

What do you think?

Would Dell be the best place for a sub £1k notebook?

Basically what i would like to know from anyone who can give me an answer, is "is the lens supplied with the camera kit good enough to take good pictures?" And "What type of lens is it?"

I know nothing about that kind of thing, its just been an ambition of mine to get a good DSLR camera so i can take really good pictures. But obviously i wouldnt be able to afford another £500 for a good lens if the included one is so poor that our old Canon A40 2mp would take better photos.

I dont think it has a zoom does it?

Thanks Guys

Chris
 

floppybootstomp

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Dunno nothing about laptops. At all. Have often thought about buying one but then thought - why? I really don't need one, it would just be an expensive toy.

However, with the camera, consider the Nikon range, something from a D50 upwards, if your budget runs to that. Or, as you said, the Canon is a good choice as well.

I've decided my next upgrade will be to a digital SLR, I've seriously been considering the Nikon D50. It's kinda bottom range, but would love some opinion on it, if anybody has some.

(Don't wanna hijack Chris's thread, so please make my answer secondary) thank you (maybe I should start a new thread).
 
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Dont worry about starting new thread - this one can be a fountain of information :D

My budget really would be about £500 for the camera and lens (inc battery, charger etc) plus a few quid for a gig of compact flash.

I know the 350D takes really good pictures, as i have used one, and my cousin has a D20 (i think) and thats amazing.

Its the lenses i know bugger all about though.
 
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£499.99 gets you:

Canon EOS 350D ( Black )
NB-2LH Battery pack
Canon Battery Charger CB-2LT
USB Interface Cable IFC-400 PCU
Canon Eyecup Ef
CR2016 Lithium Calendar Battery
Video Cable VC-100
Canon EOS Wide Strap EW-10DBII
Canon EOS Digital video Solution CD-ROM
Instruction Manuals
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens
58mm Multi-coated UV Filter for lens (worh £10.00)
Extra Battery for Canon EOS 350D (worth £18.00)

PLUS

Freefigt_4.gif
 
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Flops:

The DSLR kit above, but with the Nikon D50 instead of the EOS 350D comes in cheaper at £406.99 delivered including all the small gubbins like bag and cleaning kit etc etc.
 

crazylegs

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Chris reckon you'd need at least another lense as well as the standard 18-55mm one supplied with the camera...I used to have a 70mm-210mm with my kit before i sold it and i know now that i wouldn't be without it when buying another kit, as that focal length just opens so much up for you....

The Canons a good bet but for me the Nikon D50 has the edge....

Happy hunting guys.....you pays your money and takes your choice as they say...:D
 
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How woud the 18-55 lens as on the 350D compare to a regular 5 megapixel point and shoot camera such as the coolpix 5600?

Why does the lower mp D50 have the edge?

Also, what is the difference between a 70-210 and an 18-55 - what does it all mean? I generally take relatively close up shots (see my pics thread lol)

does 18-55 have any zoom?

Cheers
 
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3 year BA(hons) in Public Service

Forensics, Psychology, Criminology, Law, Politics.... etc etc.

In Cambridge :)
 
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CLICK HERE

Would that be similar to the lens that you said you wouldnt be without?

If so i think the Canon might have the edge for me purely as the lenses seem to be cheaper, and as a student i cant afford £200+ a lens really.
 
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christopherpostill said:

Shouldnt it be the "HERE" that is hyperlinked and not the "CLICK" ;) hehe.

Anyway.........................

As for the laptop/camera question mate, what do you need a laptop for if you are going to have your desktop there? I know it was pretty good when i was at uni to have the laptop in the library to sit and do work on in a nice quiet place. Esp as they all have wifi in the librarys now. Only problem is, the internet is a massive distraction when you are meant to be working!! haha.

Just incase you are still interested in spending the whole lot on a laptop, my friend was looking at one the other day and i was with him, it looks like a pretty good bit of kit, have a look here.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...0&tm=undefined&sku=103703&category_oid=-27749
 
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Well i figured i would need something i can take home in the holidays on the bus (students not allowed to drive in cambs, city rule) to do my work on, and take notes in lectures... etc.

Configuring a laptop on Dell... and thinking about something similar to this:

Base Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2250 (1.73 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 533 MHz FSB)
Microsoft Operating System Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2 (incl Operating System Re-Installation CD)
Memory 1024MB 533MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x512)
Keyboard Internal Keyboard - UK/Ire (QWERTY)
Video Card 128MB ATI® Mobility™ Radeon® X1300 HyperMemory™ graphics card
Hard Drive 100GB (5,400rpm) Hard Drive
Floppy Drives No Floppy Drive Option
Modem 56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter
CD/DVD Drives Fixed Internal 8x DVD/24x CDRW Combo Drive With Software
Sound Cards Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy® ADVANCED HD™ Audio- Trial Version
Wireless Local Area Networking Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini PCI Wireless LAN Card for Duo Processors

For £838 inc VAT and Delivery. Looks like a sound laptop.

edit: that includes the ultra high quality screen upgrade aswell.
 
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The D50 is £50 cheaper, and comes with a 1Gb memory card.

6 Megapixels instead of 8 though...

The D50 package i'm currently looking at comes with a "Nikon AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 G" lens - seemingly somewhat different to a 18-55 as on the canon. Telephoto?

Could probs get it with an 18-55 lens if this is better?
 
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Edit: I think a Telephoto lens would suit me better? I have a phone to take photos of stuff close up... and it dosent have zoom...

Going to order my laptop now i think
 
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Looks like a pretty good laptop mate. One thing to bear in mind though is that the current laptops are not so much laptops but more like portable desktops, i mean, i dont fancy lugging this beast i have around to lectures etc. What size screen is on the Dell you are getting? It probably weighs like 4Kg!!

Yes i am a cheeky git chris, thought you knew that by now! ;-)

Oh, and what on earth?? Students are not allowed to drive in Cambridge? How on earth is that enforcable? Ive got a car and i'll drive it where i like!!
 
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Oh, and what department in Sainsburys are you working on Chris? I used to work there while at uni and worked on Produce. Was the only dept i would have liked to work on as you get to keep fit lifting all the heavy stuff and its all guys so you can have a laugh. Think we destroyed about a million quids worth of fruit and veg by lobbing it at each other!!

Oh, and i survived almost 2 years in the job without being till trained!! WOO!! ;-)
 
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Its only a small Centrino one... with a 15" screen.

Going to order it now - £838 with the ATI X1300 graphics and Uprated TruLife screen thing...

I work on Checkouts :)

They make it enforceable by not building any damned car parks. I couldnt afford a tenner a day to park in a shopping centre car park!!

I REALLY WANT TO ORDER THIS CAMERA
sorry im excited

If the image quality on the D50 is better than the EOS350D then i will get that, with the Telephoto lens i think.
 

Adywebb

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christopherpostill said:
6 Megapixels instead of 8 though...
Remember not to get distracted by headline figures Chris, just because a camera has higher Megapixels doesn't mean it will take better pictures ;)

*now wheres Quad when you need him :D
 
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Yeah i should know better than that

We have a trust 3.2 megapixel camera

and

a Canon Powershot A40 2.0Mp we bought from Flops

the Canon is far superior in every way.

Quad gave me some advice via PM - he said that the Nikon with an 18mm-55mm lens is the one to go for.

I may order it today.

I just ordered a laptop... £855 delivered from Dell.
 

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