The camera itself will be new but lenses I'm happy to buy good 2nd hand ones. 

Found this but have no idea if they are any good and not sure if the lens is either. Just assuming but most lenses that come with cameras won't last me long and I'll want to upgrade?

http://slrhut.co.uk/product/ID1371C5/google?mkwid=Zd9vGEH7&pcrid=40141346036&gclid=Cj0KEQjwtO2wBRCu0d2dkvjVi5cBEiQAMEIVGXm2vz8fcvP06U7jZBm7FdJPA-zyXEHBLbsWrSnl0AUaAlVg8P8HAQ

The kit lens is quite capable for a general walk around lens. If you're after low light or Motorsport then you'll hit the limits quite quickly, however.

It might just be possible to find a new 7D somewhere, it has similar image quality to the 70D but gives better high speed drive and autofocus (good for fast sporting action, or stuff that runs about) and better build quality. The 70D has many advantages of it's own that I am sure Colin can inform you of. But it could be a cracking deal if you can find a new unsold one as they only stopped making them recently. Mine has served me brilliantly and it's been used 99% of the time outdoors in all weathers. I think I must be getting close to the 150K shutter count, but it still seems to working fine. If you have had a camera where you have adjusted things like aperture/shutter speed/ISO the 7D should be fine for you to learn on. Not trying to move you away from the 70D - a great camera- but just saying the 7D was potentially a slightly better camera for motorsport. I have a few shots I did myself of things with engines and a few turned out fine (I am a spray and prey type of snapper - sorry Mort)

 

I was talking to a Canon repair specialist at the weekend (he was supporting the Press snappers at the rugby) and he reminded me that you can't go wrong investing in glass though (investing is the right work on fast glass )

Where's the best place to buy gear? I'm guessing ebay isn't bad for used lenses? Still trying to find a 70D at a decent price but not sure where from.

I bought a lens of a user on this forum and it was great value and in excellent condition. The classifieds are always reasonable and open to offers and the members genuine (unlike ebay). You may have to be a member for a while or have so many posts first to stop people spamming, but its worth it and I wouldn't hesitate to buy more equipment through the forum.

Decided to buy a SLR as I can't go any further with my Lumix point and shoot. It's crap in the dark and shooting motorsport is hard work too. Know what camera I want (Canon 70D) just need a quick guide on what basic lenses I'd need to get me going. Think I'll need something with a bit of zoom and a 50mm kit lens but I'm unsure what. I'm already aware it's a slipperly slope when it comes to buying lenses.

I built up my equipment on a budget, over time and upgraded bit by bit as I reached the limit with current kit.

 

I have the 50mm f1.8 but it hasn't been used in years as I I have tamron 17-50mm f2.8 which is my walkaround lens. It's sharp throughout the range and very versatile. I did use the 50mm for taking photos of a cross country race before but I found it too small to get a proper grip. The Tamron or a 50mm f1.4 would be a better balance with the 70D (I have a 60D) and less chance of camera shake.

 

I had (still have) a canon 55-250 IS which is a great lens, sharp when stopped down and excellent value. I used it for photographing runners at cross country, but found it wasn't as sharp as I wanted wide open and hit and miss with focus for moving subjects. After long consideration I bought a used canon 70-200 f4L (used approx. £300) and it has been excellent. It's sharp wide open, gives an extra stop of light over the 55-250 (very useful on our overcast and rainy winter months) and is accurate and fast at focus. I would guess that this lens would be a great choice for motorsports providing you are not too far from the action. 

 

 After long consideration I bought a used canon 70-200 f4L (used approx. £300) and it has been excellent. It's sharp wide open, gives an extra stop of light over the 55-250 (very useful on our overcast and rainy winter months) and is accurate and fast at focus. I would guess that this lens would be a great choice for motorsports providing you are not too far from the action. 

This lens has legendary sharpness/value

Still looking at the best place to buy one new. Prices seem to vary wildly.

Look on 'Camera Price Buster' for the best prices around. Used that site since before it began running adverts / became commercial and probably saved £hundreds since then.

Cool. It suggests Carmarthen Cameras which is local for me. Should a 18-55mm lense be fine to start off? Soon some come with a 135mm lens option but I will also be buying a nifty fifty too.

Sorry for butting in on the thread,the 70D is a great camera but if your going to do a lot of sports photography, i would pick the 7D mk1 or better still 7D mk 2, really good body,with the one of  the best focusing systems on any Camera in the canon range,  i will go along with most of the guys, buy good glass, the best you can afford, then practise practise practise, learn your camera inside out

 

Neil     

here is one i did earlier 

 

 

 

BTCC Croft by neil sturgeon, on Flickr

Sorry for butting in on the thread,the 70D is a great camera but if your going to do a lot of sports photography, i would pick the 7D mk1 or better still 7D mk 2, really good body,with the one of  the best focusing systems on any Camera in the canon range,  i will go along with most of the guys, buy good glass, the best you can afford, then practise practise practise, learn your camera inside out

 

Neil     

 

This will be my first SLR and the 70D seems like a good way in. Plus I like it has WiFi built in so I can send photos to my phone. I know you can get wireless SD cards but of what I've seen of them they aren't reliable and drain a lot of battery.

This will be my first SLR and the 70D seems like a good way in. Plus I like it has WiFi built in so I can send photos to my phone. I know you can get wireless SD cards but of what I've seen of them they aren't reliable and drain a lot of battery.

The Canon Apps are better to use with the built in WiFi.

Camera connect for my M3 and Eos Utility for my slr both work reliably.

Sorry for butting in on the thread,the 70D is a great camera but if your going to do a lot of sports photography, i would pick the 7D mk1 or better still 7D mk 2, really good body,with the one of  the best focusing systems on any Camera in the canon range,

I think the 7Dii is too much camera for a relative novice to DSLR. It's basically a 1DX with a crop sensor and as a 7Di owner, I was surprised at  the instruction book of the mkII, it is nearly twice as thick!!

 

I know when I got my first DSLR (350D ) I was almost overwhelmed with the technical features at that time. Seems like a mobile phone camera in comparison to modern jobbies now though

 

I keep thinking about upgrading to the 7Dii, but also repeatedly talk myself out of it because of the sensor. :( C'mon Canon, sort the sensor!

I keep thinking about upgrading to the 7Dii, but also repeatedly talk myself out of it because of the sensor. :( C'mon Canon, sort the sensor!

 

Ditto. Almost convinced to get myself a Xmas treat though... found it for sub-800 

Ditto. Almost convinced to get myself a Xmas treat though... found it for sub-800 

Sub-£800!! is it an import?

Yeah, but I've never had any issues with imported bodies before. Less willing to get imported glass though. Which is weird thinking about it - should be the other way round.

One Stop Digital or SLR hut?

SLRHut; was hoping DigitalRev would come down in price as I like their service but they're still just under a grand there.

I've found a 70D in a local Camera shop with a 18-135mm lens for £939 and £60 cashback. More thinking to do. Need to see if I can find some beginners guides for SLR's first and do a little more research on lenses and how the settings work. One thing I've found is that lenses seem very personal to some. Some will passionately hate or love on kit so it's hard to wade through the noise.

For the money, the 18-135 kit lens is a good buy. Useful zoom range, quick and silent focus. The silent bit is very important if you plan on using the 70D for video.

 

For not a lot of money you could always add the 55-250 STM at a later date.

 

Those 2 lens would give you a really good coverage and both, according to reviews, punch far above their weight.

For the money, the 18-135 kit lens is a good buy. Useful zoom range, quick and silent focus. The silent bit is very important if you plan on using the 70D for video.

 

For not a lot of money you could always add the 55-250 STM at a later date.

 

Those 2 lens would give you a really good coverage and both, according to reviews, punch far above their weight.

Yep, for video the 18-135 is used a lot from reviews I've been reading.

What would a 55-250 get me? I do want something that good in the dark too and I want to try long exposure of stars

What would a 55-250 get me? I do want something that good in the dark too and I want to try long exposure of stars

a 55-250 wont be fast enough for taking decent picture in the dark. It might be ok for longer exposures. It's a very limiting lens though, as a starter camera will have a multiplication factor to take into account. So on a Canon camera the 55mm wide end is really equivalent to an 88mm lens at it's widest. That would be hopeless for even a medium wide shot eg taking a picture in your house of your family or dog running around etc. 18mm is so much more user friendly. Also at 250mm you will probably need an image stabiliser on the lens or you may well have to push the iso up to high levels (and add lots of noise to the picture) to either catch a sharp image or defeat the possible camera shake you might suffer from using a slow shutter speed.

 

An 18-55mm is a great place to start and if your finances will stretch to the nifty fifty (50mm f1.8), then grab one. Then you have a fast lens for dark stuff and can create some really nice professional effects with the blurry backgrounds in your shots. Sigma do a great 17-50mm f2.8 lens for around £300. this is a proper piece of kit and gets fab reviews, also with the bonus that you could get away without the nifty 50 for most things as f2.8 is quite quick (ie wide-ish aperture)

Actually re-reading your first post, if you want to do motor racing you will need a long lens, probably at least 300mm unless you can get close to the action. although you might want to get to grips with the short lengths (eg18-55 or there abouts) over the Christmas period and so figure out fully how the camera works, then later next year when the motorsport calendar kicks off again, invest in some longer glass. Put money into your glass, it is always worth it. You will see a bigger jump in quality by doing that, than getting a more expensive camera