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Old 01-02-2005, 12:24 PM
beren
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Canon 300d

Alrighty temptation has moved me to the point i cant resist a DSLR. I was weighing up a meade DSI or a Sac camera but normal photography has me hooked . Budget limits me to the canon 300d and i was wondering wether anyone knows what packages {accessories needed} are available or any other info ....my target is max 1500.

cheers
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Old 01-02-2005, 12:27 PM
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iceman (Mike)
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I've heard that the lens that comes with the 300D is pretty ordinary, and you should budget at least another $500-$1000 to get a nice lens..

If you're planning on prime focus astrophotography then you needn't worry about that too much to start with though.
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Old 01-02-2005, 12:31 PM
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I got the enthisiast pack which come with a better lense and memory card......depends what you want....

http://www.canon.com.au/products/cam...siast_kit.html

you can get them cheaper on Ebay...lot cheaper.

I should have said I purchased but no longer have!...I sold it.
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Old 01-02-2005, 12:41 PM
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From a previous post

"For those interested Teds camera house have the Canon 300D at $1400 at the moment. http://www.teds.com.au/www/6/100110...7_1005803_.html
I don't endorse Teds Camera House in any way. This link is only FYI." It also came with a carry bag and 256meg memory card rebate (value $200)

This was a new year special so I can't say how much they are now
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Old 01-02-2005, 12:42 PM
beren
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thanks paul , would a 256 meg card be okay and how much does a cable release cable cost ?
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Old 01-02-2005, 12:49 PM
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You cant have to much memory but 256 is ok to start with.....depend on the compression you are going to use....there is no need to save the file in raw format which in that case you would need atleast a 512meg...I had the 256 and managed to take heaps of photo's not even coming close to the memory limit..that was on low compression and full resolution was about 3mg a file meaning you could take 70-80 photo's...raw format I think was about 6mg file...but believe me you cant see the difference.

Cable release...I dont know?
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Old 01-02-2005, 12:55 PM
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Can't you hook it up to your laptop and control it by software?
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Old 01-02-2005, 01:47 PM
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Alrighty, I find 256mb adequate for my purposes. I can get heaps of shots on the D70 usually around 79 at ultrafine (one step below raw) and you have seen my shots. Big blowups to 18x 14 no problems.

Next is the remote. I think that the 300D has the same sort of remote control as the D70. And, that cost $39.00. The remote is and infra red remote.

I bought my gear from Teds Camera house and found that their service and extras were really good.

You might also like to get the cable to download direct and control from the laptop. You will also need the software to do this.

Lenses are not so much of an issue, but aim for an ED. I got and ED with the D70 and it takes great terrestrial shots. If you want I can send you a couple but I will post only one here.

Other than that, congrats on joining the DSLR team.
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Old 01-02-2005, 02:00 PM
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Aragorn

256 meg will take 16 "standard" photos in RAW (ie landscape, portrait) but about double that for simple star images as so much of the information is just black. For bright nebs like orion, don't know, maybe somewhere inbetween. I'm still mucking around with mine, basically still giving it its shake down. I use the 512 card. And incidently you don't get a card when you buy the camera. That is an extra.

The cable release is not expensive, I think Paul's about right but will have to check my receipts. The remote release is more expensive, plus is battery operated. However it does remove the need to be in contact with the camera in anyway when firing the shot. There is also a 300d hack available that raises the 300d to 10D status, one of the benefit being it allows you to have mirror prefire or mirror lock, further reducing camera movement when firing. I can give you the link if you decide to get a 300d.

I'm not much of a lense officionado so I can't help you there though the one that comes with the camera seems to be an ok lense. Better than the earlier EF lenses that I bought for my EOS 500, but it is a zoom with its inherent problems associated with zoom lenses taking astro shots (slow f ration, potential for zoom to shift when pointed in the up position etc)

Hope this has helped. If you want prices for the various items let me know and I'll PM you

Cheers
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Old 01-02-2005, 02:09 PM
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Thanks Paul/Paul your info helps heaps , im still green with all the digital lingo so ill run through all my homework tonite and ill fire off more questions . thanks paul i would like to check out your pics if your got time to send them ...thanks.
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Old 01-02-2005, 02:17 PM
rumples riot
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No problems. Just let me know
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Old 01-02-2005, 06:43 PM
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Aragorn/Beren,
Rob Beck has the 300D and loves it. The Canon line has been used more for astro work than the Nikon, (I own a Nikon), and Rob has even designed a remote to use with the Losmandy mounts, and this remote will also interface with the Canon camera(s). DSLR Focus is also designed more with Canon in mind, so the 300D is looking good.
There was a thread a while back on where to buy and how much. Locally (NZ) they are about NZ$1300 with the standard zoom. YES, this zoom will be less than ideal for astro shots, but will suffice for terrestrial. If you can, find some decent EF fixed focal length lenses, or "L" series, but the L series will cost as much as the 300D.
Good luck, and as has been pointed out, welcome to the Astro DSLR world.
Gary
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Old 02-02-2005, 06:09 AM
beren
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Thanks Gary
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Old 02-02-2005, 11:11 AM
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Stuart, mate, you remembered my wise words! I'm still worried about those cameras off ebay, espcially all of those hong kong type dealers. It would be safer to get it from an aussie based dealer that actually has it in stock and does not have to import it from hong kong. You'll find that the warranty they claim to give you will not be covered in Australia. And also the shipping prices are ridiculously high, you're better off buying locally. But that's just my opinion. Have you thought about buying it used? If you're not worried about warranty issuses, maybe astromart might have a few bargains to be nabbed - probably much safer knowing it came from another amateur astronomer eh? Good luck with your search.
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Old 02-02-2005, 04:22 PM
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Stuart,
I echo Silvie's comments. I am a reasonably seasoned e bay buyer/seller, but of late have almost exclusively dealt on Astromart.
If a new (local) model is not on your list, then I would look at Astromart. They seem to sell for about US$650 up. This can turn into $700 once you figure postage, and then if you get whacked with God Save Tasmania as it comes in, you are up another 10%. Getting close to what you buy one locally for.
Gary
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Old 02-02-2005, 06:14 PM
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300D is great! Best bit of kit I brought last year.
I have done heaps of images with it and as Gary mentioned have designed a remote that will control shutter release of the 300d. Also adds a few other bits & pieces. It's still in it's infancy though and I'm not quite ready to sell, but watch out world ...
<a href="http://www.star-mate.com">www.star-mate.com </a>
Cheers
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Old 02-02-2005, 06:16 PM
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PS. The kit lens is not too bad either... Not a Pro lens sure, but pretty good for general stuff if your not too critical.
But as Ice said earlier, you should look at getting at least one decent lens.
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Old 02-02-2005, 06:20 PM
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The 300d also uses a wired shutter release like most of the older EOS cameras and uses the standard Canon shutter release (2.5mm plug type). They are not expensive, at about $50 kiwi.
Cheers
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Old 02-02-2005, 06:26 PM
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Damn this is a good thread.

Beren, here's another idea you might consider. If you're looking at astromart then one with the IR filter already removed might come up. Think of the nebula photos then. You could get an IR filter for your lenses and use it unfiltered for astronomy.
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Old 02-02-2005, 06:36 PM
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Just remember that with the internal IR filter removed, Auto-focus won't work very well.
Not a problem if Astro work is all you do.!
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