EOS digital cameras question for photo guru's 400D

[Dave]

As this forum provides some spiffing answers to some technical questions I have another request.

My mum has had a 400D bought by me (From Foxy years ago!!!), with a manual lens requiring manual focus/ISO setting etc, which has just been a nightmare for her to use and she has given up/would prefer to use film camera.

My question is, is the 400D going to keep up with general image quality and capture an ok image IF I use a good lens on it. I'm wondering if I can get a 70-300 canon USM lens or something that would sort the focus etc out and she can just point and shoot at birds and stuff, and the camera set to auto/sports (if this camera even has it, cant remember?) will still capture a half decent image?

I don't want to have to buy her a new camera to go with the lens, I will if I have to, but in my experience between the 500D-600-1100 etc etc they all seem to get similar image quality on the face of it so just wondering if this would be similar with the 400D? She just wants it for point and shoot with good zoom, but not too much of an issue not having all the modern fandingos on the latest camera.

I might point out I have no way of testing this either as its in England and I'm overseas.

Cheers for help in advance, want to start sorting parents christmas presents out in advance :p dad's is easy bottle of whisky and some welding wire/gas bahah

[John1.4]

i never liked the complexity of the canon slr series, they do have the option of an 'auto' but even then you have to be thinking about settings, and it'll never be particularly good for point and shoot, you would still have the same problems with manually focusing the 'better' lens

a good bridge camera is probably a better shout, i have had no problems with the Fuji 9500s, infact i'm on the lookout for another one (is still a comparitively good spec even now)

mum has one of these, and apart from the lack of viewfinder (only has the screen) is good stuff
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/cameras/dig...html#cat-0

if you'd want to stay with canon -
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/pa...712483.htm

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fuji-S9500-9-M...462cdceddb

[1616six]

The best thing we did was sell our Canon 400d & buy a Nikon J2. Smaller, more modern looking, takes ten times better photos & the auto setting is perfect!

[Pompey306mark]

The 400D is a good basic camera.

I used my on the weekend with my marco lens and ring flash for a wedding I was going. Although not as nice as some of the more modern camera's, its still a perfectly good camera. I use mine with my manual fish eye lens and my macro lens. Then use my bigger better camera's on my more modern lens.

If you get a good EF or even EF-S lens it will produce the good images, does she use it in manual or on the standard preset setting??

If she is using it to shoot birds, might be worth getting a lens with image stabilisation, don't just get a Canon lens cos you have a Canon camera, Sigma, Tamron and other makes are getting very good at producing good lens.

[Ruan]

Yeah, the problem I always found with the 400D was that the "auto" setting is code for "take a crap, poorly judged photo, please" - unless you sit and play with it, you probably won't get amazing shots out of it, I'll admit that I was never *that* successful with mine, but having played with more modern bodies, I've been pleasantly surprised.

[welshpug]

love mine, but then ive had a canon slr for 15 years.

will pop some pics up later

[Pompey306mark]

I used mine on auto portrait at the weekend, mainly cos I was letting someone else wonder around to take pics after the wedding. All came out fine I thought, not amazing but good enough.

[toseland]

D3100, good camera, nice battery, nice sensor, great range of lenses and the standard one isnt far off great,.

i always prefered the nikon "point and shoot" but having had the pleasure of playing with an EOS 5D mkII recently i fell in love.

[welshpug]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/welshpug/s...469777012/

those were all shot on my old 300D, using the basic aperture priority setting my and my mate George went on a 4 day roadtrip to Austria and back in a V6 205.

neither of us profess to be handy with a camera in any way, just a very vague understanding of what does what

here's some from last years Tempest Rally.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/welshpug/s...282455173/