Advice for a friend, entry level camera

[Steven Gourlay]

A friend of mine is looking at doing a photography course just and intro to photography and she has been asking me about what camera should i get on a very small budget. She is looking at spending £600 roughly i asked her what type of photography but she is just advising general, she is living in Glasgow and for that reason i said a wide angle lens for city shots etc.
What would you recommend? as a Canon man i was pointing her towards a 2nd hand 400D and a cheapish wide angle lens.

[Rob Greenhill]

Sounds good to me Steven.She may be able to get a deal on a new 450d...Warehouse express are doing a 450d+18-55mm for£468. Its the kit lens , which is ok but not great.I'd go for a sigma 18-200mm at £238,and not have the kit lens.£424 for the body only. A new 1000d is£309.This would allow for a better bit of glass, either sigma or canon. Another good place to look is pricerunner.That will find the most competitive deal.As the credit crunch is with us, there should be deals about.

Hope this helps, rob

[Steven Gourlay]

Cheers i was telling her about the 450D as thats the camera my neighbour bought and seems pretty smart, yeah the kit lens is poor however it comes with IS now lol. Will pass on your comments, again thanks for taking the time.

[Rob Greenhill]

No worries, your welcome Steven.I see canon have just announced a new 500d, with hd movie ability at around £800, but prices should fall after the launch,as would some other models.

Rob

[Bryancrt]

Hi Steven I think I would go with Rob and go for the new 500D
sounds like a good starter kit.