Advantages: Light, over 10mp, takes SD cards
Disadvantages: Limited lens choice.

...My return to SLR photography after two "compact" digital cameras. THe D40x is amazingly light compared with my previous 35mm SLRs. The basic auto prgrammes are pretty well foolproof, you really have to be doing something stupid not to get decent results with this camera. What made me go for it .... 10.8 mp , takes SD cards, cheaper than the D80. If you go for the manual settings then you have to know what you are doing. The instruction manual is precise and fairly comprehensive. It does take a bit of reading and experimentation with the various settings. I have read quite a few reviews in the photography press and in general the D40x has been well received. I bought the Nikon "kit" which comprised the body, an 18-55mm lens and a 55-200mm lens all for less than £500 which I reckon was a good deal. There are still plently retailers... Read review

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Advantages: Strong. Fairly Light. Offers great support and flexibility.
Disadvantages: Doesn't come with a head.

...as extra support for the tripod. Using it with the biggest lens I own (a 55-200mm sigma telephoto) doesn't make it struggle at all. In fact with the head I'm using (804RC2) it feels as easy and manoeuvrable as my other smaller lenses. I compare this of course to the last tripod I was using, a cheap Velbon Model, which struggled to support my telephoto lens. The price I paid for this tripod was 79.99GBP, perhaps a bit pricey when you consider it doesn't come with its own head, but than you have to take into account that it is a pro model and most pro models don't come with their own attached heads. I guess this doesn't pigeon-hole you to keeping the head you got when you brought the tripod, and offer you more versatility in the long run, since you can choose to buy the head that best fits your needs. But when buying this tripod you have... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Excellent auto functions, good handling, excellent image quality
Disadvantages: Kit lens poor at wide apertures

...soft when the lens aperture is wide open. The auto focus is versatile and works really fast and well. In poor light there is a "focus assist" using a strobe produced by the built in flash. The flash is adequate for casual situations but more serious flash photography would benefit from an add-on ring flash for more power and better light distribution. **** Conclusion Overall I am quite comfortable with the camera and have already added a Sigma 55-200 zoom telephoto lens to the kit. Despite the kit lens not being the best quality, it is certainly not a reason to reject the camera at its £500 price tag - if you don't like it you can always trade up to a lens giving better performance at wide apertures. My ratings take this into account. I would recommend that the EOS 400D Kit is certainly worth short-listing up to £500.... Read review

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Advantages: Crips, sharp, contrast full images; silent focusing; f/2.8 apature
Disadvantages: no image stabiliser

...This listing on ciao doesn't have a model number for focal length so I am going to review the Sigma APO 150mm f/2.8 Macro lens Before I purchase products I do extensive research on them; I read magazines and scour the internet looking for absolutely every bit of information I can before I buy. When deciding on buying this lens it was no differentl; I must have ready 2-3 magazines reviews and a dozen internet review sites before deciding which macro lens to purchase The reasearch I conducted showed that there two VERY good macro lenses available; the Sigma 150mm f2.8 and the Canon 100mm f/2.8. After investigating these two lenses further I found that the Canon was contiously rated as the best possible Macro lens (in the price category - there are Canon L series macro lenses which would cost 4 times the price) but the Sigma was always... Read review

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Advantages: cheaper than manufactuers own flash, compatable with digital cameras
Disadvantages: basic functions

...I've had the 500 DG ST for about a month now and so far I’m impressed with it. The main reason I bought it was after upgrading to a digital SLR I found my TTL flash was incompatible with my Canon DSLR which uses E-TTL Flash technology. The canon 420EX was to expensive for the amount of use it was going to get, I found the sigma was fully compatible with canon digital SLR’s although with out the extra wireless settings of the canon for some £50 - £70 cheaper depending where you get one from the RRP of the sigma is £120 but I picked mine up for £99, The flash is also powerful, as the canon had a guide No of 42m at 105mm setting using 100 ISO material where as the Sigma has a guide No of 50m with lens/flash set at 105mm using 100 ISO. The sigma 500 DG ST is an ETTL flash for canon but is also available in Nikon and Sigma... Read review

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Advantages: Huge Spec, Ease of Use
Disadvantages: No built in flash

...I have built up my camera kit over a period of years on a very tight budget whilst trying to raise a family. I brought my EOS600 3 years ago for £180 with a cheap Sigma 35-80 lens. I read lots of reviews in magazines and decided that for the spec, no other budget used AF SLR comes close. This was the EOS 1 of its day, when Minolta and Canon were battling for supremacy in the new AF market. 5fps motorwind, Predictive AF, Depth mode , Program Mode, Shutter Priority, Aperature Priority, Full Manual, Partial Metering, Multi Segment and Manual Metering are some of the main features this camera has. I have now upgraded my lenses to a Sigma 100-300 and a Canon 28-80 USM. The results are excellent and the USM lens works as well as on the the very latest EOS cameras. The only real draw back for me is the lack of a cheap off camera Hot shoe... Read review

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Advantages: Strong body - has taken a fair few knocks but never failed me.
Disadvantages: Slow writes to CF card, visible pixel noise at 400 ASA.

...Very robust and reliable camera. I've been using one from new and it has given great results. The autofocus has more difficulty finding focus than my old (film) EOS 5 models, but I've got used to that. The only lens it wouldn't accept from the ones I used with the EOS 5's was a Sigma wide-angle, but this is a known problem and Sigma will modify their lenses free of charge. Although its 6 MP is modest by today's standards, this camera has let me take many exhibition standard photographs printed at A3 size. The arrival of an EOS 5D has now consigned the 10D to the role of backup body, but it still has its uses: unlike the new 5D it has a built-in pop-up flashgun enabling fill-in flash (I do not regard pop-up flashguns on an SLR to have any use as a primary flash), and the 1.6:1 effective magnification resulting from the smaller sensor... Read review

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Advantages: Fast autofocus, Excellent quality for a low-ish end lens.
Disadvantages: Not that sharp at 300mm

...This is going to be a bit of a mixed review. I love this lens, dont get me wrong, but i had taken a long time to read up on these lenses because i knew i wanted a 75-300mm and couldnt decided between this and the Sigma version of the same spec (75-300mm f4-5.6). I saw a few reviews for Sigma lenses sayin that the sharpness just wasn't there at the long end (250-300mm). I fimally settled on spending a few extra quid and having the canon USM Lens. The build quality of this lens is excellent, and for a long-ish lens, its compact, and autofocusing is VERY fast (with my EOS 30 anyway). Optically, the lens is excellent from 75mm right up through 250mm, particularly for it's price. However at above 250mm the sharpness drops off... FAST. There's no problems at f32-f8... but f5.6 at 300mm is a no-no if what you want is razor sharp images. Ok so... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent field of view
Disadvantages: none that I have found in months of use

...Sigma Wide Zoom Lens. If you want a panorama of a landscape then you should try this lens. Described as 12 - 24mm f5-5.6 EX DG Aspherical HSM Technical details first. To fit Sigma, Canon and Nikon (D) Lens construction Groups/elements 12 / 16 Angle of view (degrees) 122.0 - 84.1 Diaphragm blades 6 Minimum Aperture (wide) F22 Minimum Focus (cm/in) 28/11 Filter size (mm) Rear Mount gelatin filter Dimensions diameter x length 87/100mm / 3.4" x 3.9" Weight (g/oz) 615/21.6 Fitted with Hypersonic motor. Comes with its own carry case with a belt mounting attachment and template to make the gel filters. This is a lens designed for a digital camera. It is an ultra wide angle lens (122 degrees) at 12mm along the diagonal axis and is ideal for both indoor and landscape photography. The lens itself is made of special low... Read review

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Advantages: Ultra-wideangle, Price
Disadvantages: Feels flimsy, 77mm filter

...The Cosina 19-35mm Ultra-wideangle lens has become my second travel lens. I find that I take this lens with me everywhere now (well, not actually everywhere, but everywhere I take my cameras). I bought this lens to accompany my Canon EOS system (50E QD and IX bodies). I mostly take nature and landscape photos and I was looking for a lens to provide an ultra-wideangle view for landscapes. At the 19mm end of the lens, I get a 97 degree view. This has resulted in some stunning landscape shots that I would not have otherwise been able to take. This is additionally prevalent when I use the EOS IX in Panoramic mode. The lens is light at only 300g, but it feels a bit flimsy as compared to my heavier Sigma and Canon lenses. The only disadvantage I have with the lens is that it has a 77mm filter fitting. This prevents me from using all... Read review

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