Canon 60D 18-135mm

The Canon 60D is the camera I bought for a fantastic price from here. It is currently a middle of the range model that can be classed as a camera for the serious amateur or early professional. It has all the features you need in a camera, particularly when you are starting out. Many of these features are advanced and it will take a while to work out how to use them. It is a great camera that produces image quality beyond what I had hoped!

Some of the best features of this camera for those just starting out is the ability to remotely control multiple flashes. Light is one of the most important aspects of photography, and if you wish to become a pro, you will end up needing to control additional lighting.

I bought this camera with the 18-135mm lens. From my research this is a very good lens and is also good for many purposes. The 18mm end gives you a nice wide view and the 135mm end gives you enough magnification to get close to some wild subjects or to enable you to gain some distance from other subjects.

You can also buy the camera with 18-55mm lens or 18-200mm lens as well as in some twin lens kits like this or this. I would strongly recommend you also get the 18-135mm lens. The extra zoom with the 18-200mm lens is not that much and what you gain in magnification, you lose in performance. The lens needs to be locked when the camera is hanging round your neck so that the zoom doesn’t creep (this is not necessary for the 18-135mm). I would also recommend the 18-135mm over the 18-55mm in a twin lens kit. The reason for this is that the 18-55mm lens is very limited with what you can do. In this way it is similar to a prime lens around this magnification. The thing is you can buy a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens for a bit over $100AUD that will easily out perform the 18-55mm lens. The second reason I would not recommend this, is because you will need to change you lenses frequently due to the small zoom range of the 18-55mm. This means there is more chance for dust to get into the camera and more chance for things to go wrong.




The Canon 60D 18-135mm kit is a great kit to get you started. It is the type of kit that allows you to build a system that you can keep upgrading as your skill requires. The additional benefit is that this camera will not hinder your advancement in any way because of its quality and features.

If you are worried about maybe needing more features, I can also add this: camera bodies are replaced quiet regularly with newer models, so don’t worry too much about buying the wrong body or camera. Go with what you can afford and allow extra money for quality lenses! This is by far the best option, as the lenses will fit your new camera if and when you eventually choose to upgrade. One suggestion I have is that although the kit lens that comes with the camera may not be the best lens in production, it will enhance the ease with which you can sell your camera body at a later date. Seasoned DSLR uses may be happy to purchase a body only, but many people just starting out want a lens too! So when the time comes, you can offload the kit lens and upgrade with a new body to make the most of the quality lenses you have collected over time.

One final word about choosing a camera brand. Don’t worry about it! You will probably be happy with the product from any DSLR you buy. If you are trying to choose between Canon and Nikon – look to the future and the lenses. I chose Canon as I enjoy wildlife photography and I believe the Canon lenses will allow me to achieve good photos and are slightly cheaper than those for Nikon. SO work out what type of photography you want to do, what sort of lenses you want to buy and then chose the brand that suits. Either brand will be good and the thing that will be holding you back will be your own skill level. Trust me – that is how it is for me!

OH NO!!!!

Well the worst possible thing that could happen to a “wannabe” photographer did happen! I dropped my camera. Not only did I drop it, it broke…in fact it broke VERY well! It still takes photos, but being only a small point and shoot, all of the functions and settings were through the LCD. Now I cannot change a thing!

Well I guess it is not all bad news. I have decided to buy a new camera. Well, fate decided for me, but I am happy to go along with it. So it means that I will actually have a DSLR! Wooo!!

I have previously had an SLR when I was in my teens. It was a great beast of a camera. Russian, in fact, and it came with a 300mm lens and a gunstock to make hand holding achievable. In all the years I had that camera, I managed to take a few good photos….just a few. It wasn’t the cameras fault, it was mine. But it was a great learning experience, there are not a lot of people who have owned a camera with a 300mm f4.5 lens when they were in their teens. All of this only cost $300!! It is what started my passion for wildlife photography. It is also what has led me to this blog – so thank you big heavy Russian camera!




I had a look through all the camera brands and options and I can say this too you. It doesn’t matter what DSLR you buy, if it is your first, you WILL be happy with it. You may out grow it if you are really passion and work hard on developing your photography skills. But the thing is, cameras are updated all the time these days anyway. SO after 2 years, even if you bought the BEST and most expensive, you will still probably be looking to upgrade. SO my advice to you – spend your money on lenses and don’t worry so much about the body!

The problem then is deciding on the brand. If you are serious about photography, it only really leaves two brands – Canon and Nikon. The other brands are good – but the reputation of these two is great! For me, I went with Canon. My broken camera is Canon and it was better than any other point-and-shoot my friends had. Even at only 3MP it performed better than 8MP cameras and its colour and clarity were fantastic – these photos were taken with the camera!

The other reason I went with Canon was the lenses. I would like one day to get a nice expensive telephoto for wildlife photography with image stabilisation. Lenses for Nikon are much more expensive than the already expensive Canon lenses – so where I am going in the future was another deciding factor. If you look through wildlife photography books you will also see that most (Well I thing most) photos are taken by people using Canon gear. If it is good enough for them, then it is good enough for me!

So, what camera did I get…you will have to wait till my next instalment!