500d or 550d?

[charlie155]

Hi all,


This is my first post here but I have been lurking in the background, soaking up information and admiring the photography here for a while! My name is Charlie, I am 29 and live in London, UK. After a great amount of searching - both on forums and photography review sites, I stumbled across this site which has turned out to be a fantastic discovery. There is a huge wealth of knowledge and ability that I hope to tap into in the future as I near my first DSLR purchase - and it is for this that I come seeking assistance!


As you may guess from the title of this thread, the decision that I am faced with is whether to buy the 500d or the 550d. I will initially be looking to buy either with the 18-55mm IS kit lens whilst I learn the basics and find out which direction I want to take things in the future. In the UK, the 500d is approximately £510 whereas the 550d is about £610. (I also believe that the 500d is on rebate at the moment which would be an additional discount of £30). I have a budget of about £650-£700 for camera, lens, memory card and some kind of case/bag. The question that I am trying to answer is whether the 550d is worth the extra £100, or would this money be better put aside to start saving for an additional lens in the future?


I also have a contact in a camera shop who can get quite a good deal on a 550d with the 18-135mm IS for £740. I realise that this breaks the budget but thought it worth throwing in to the mix, as it seems to be quite a good deal for the extra focal length. I should perhaps also point out that I am quietly swaying towards the 550d for no other reason than it is newer and therefore has a few more features! - I am quite a geek at heart and although newer and more expensive doesn't necessarily mean better, it has some leverage on my decision making! I am however open to being convinced that the 500d is a better buy.


Any help or opinions will be greatly received - I would like to try and get something sorted in the next few days before the tax goes up on purchases in the UK!!


Thanks.


Charlie.

[Pieter]

Definitely save the 100 pounds and spend it on your standard zoom or an extra lens(50/1.8 for example). The differences between the two aren

[neuroanatomist]

Welcome, Charlie!


Both seems to be quite capable bodies. I had the 500D (T1i) originally, before moving to the 7D. From the standpoint of sensor-based image quality, there's not much difference between 500D/550D/50D/60D/7D - the main differences are in the features.


Personally, I think you're usually better off investing in lenses over bodies, and the £100 difference will get you the EF 50mm f/1.8, and enable you to learn about shooting with a fast prime lens.


The big reason to get the 550D over the 500D is if you plan to shoot video - the 550D can use an external mic (almost a necessity for video shooting).

[charlie155]

Hi Neuro, thanks very much for the advice.


I actually went in to town at the weekend, still undecided and had a chat with a very helpful salesperson at a department store who echoed much that you have suggested. Having determined that there would be little difference in quality between the two (video aside), my decision was ultimately determined by circumstance and my own impatience!! The 500d was seemingly out of stock everywhere, and I saw a deal on a 550d for less than I could buy online, so plumped for it!


I am very happy with my decision and am really enjoying the camera - had my first outing with it at the weekend at started another post with my first photos:


community.the-digital-picture.com/.../5451.aspx


Thanks again for the advice,


Charlie.