To buy a Canon 400D or not

[Dagwood]

I use a 10Mp Panasonic FZ28 and have no complaints ; I have just been offered a barely used 10Mp 400D with kit lens ,100mm macro and a 75-200 Sigma. I don't have any idea what the final price is going to be but if I said £250 then:
1. Would that be a bargain? If too low what should I go up to ?
2. Would I have gained anything at all given same Megapixels?
3. Are there any good reasons why you would suggest not having this camera at all?
4. Any other suggestions?
Dagwood

[ap4a]

Yes that would be a bargain. Assuming it's really only been used lightly and has no shutter issues, you would gain a good quality consumer level DSLR which uses interchangeable lenses rather than a single fixed lens. It has a much larger sensor with larger pixels spread over the greater area, improving image quality especially in lower light (though beyond ISO 400 you'll see a fair bit of noise if not exposed properly, but it'll still be markedly improved over what you have now). You'll also have access to a raft of other features that don't generally find their way onto bridge cameras, such as exposure compensation, exposure bracketing, selectable exposure modes, selectable focus points, focus and exposure locks, etc. You'll also be getting a great lens with it (the Canon 100mm macro is a great lens and worth more than the 400D). You'll also have access to a lot of other accessories that make up the system such as battery grip, hot shoe flash, cable and wireless remote releases, a vast array of high quality lenses, and so on. In terms of what's available for an SLR the kit lens and 75-300 aren't fantastic, but they'll still provide a lot better quality than you have at the moment, so it's all good.

Assuming the macro is the Canon 100mm macro and is in good working order, I'd be preparing to have to offer a fair bit more than you're suggesting as that retails for over £400 and the 75-300 (USM mkIII) for around £235. The 400D is harder to price as it's no longer in production. You can try an initial offer of £250 though, you may get lucky.

[chris-p]

As already mentioned it would be a bit of a bargain.

The 100mm macro alone would be a good deal for £250!

So long as it all works and there are no hidden niggles in any of the lenses or the camera I'd go for it. There is a lot to gain with an SLR (even an older one) over a bridge camera...

[ianpinion]

Originally Posted by Dagwood

I use a 10Mp Panasonic FZ28 and have no complaints ; I have just been offered a barely used 10Mp 400D with kit lens ,100mm macro and a 75-200 Sigma. I don't have any idea what the final price is going to be but if I said £250 then:
1. Would that be a bargain? If too low what should I go up to ?
2. Would I have gained anything at all given same Megapixels?
3. Are there any good reasons why you would suggest not having this camera at all?
4. Any other suggestions?
Dagwood

All that for £250! If it's all in good working order snap their hand off! I suspect though that £400 - £500 would be a fair price to pay for that amount of kit.

[Dagwood]

Thanks guys, excellent advice as ever. I need to ask some questions re specs and check quality but guess it is an excellent buy. Now, can I stop him reading these posts before I get the readys out of the piggy bank?????
ta
dagwood