So as some of you may or may not know, I have been saving up for a new camera for quite some time now.
My current camera is a Fuji HS20, which is a pretty standard bridge camera.

There are a few reasons for why I want to upgrade:
 • The noise on my Fuji is wayyy too high, even at ISO100
 • I want to make the change from bridge/compact to DSLR
 • The Fuji's write speed is ridiculously slow (it takes about three seconds to write a 5MB JPEG to a class 6 SD card)

After quite a few weeks of searching, I came across the Canon 650D.
A couple of it's quick specs are an ISO sensitivity of up to 25'600, 18 megapixels, a Digic 5 processor, and an articulated screen, which I find very handy for general use.

The one problem is the price...
With the standard Canon 18-55mm kit lens and a decent 70-300mm Telephoto/Macro lens a bag, SD card, and one UV filter, it will cost me about R11'000 (around £800!).
I've saved over R3'000 (£220) from my birthday last year, and hopefully I'll get another R3'000 or so from this year, which gives me just over R6'000 (£435).
I like to think that my parents would be more than happy to chip in as they know photography is my passion, so I should have just enough (although I'll be dead broke afterwards!!)

So I just thought I'd let you know about that.

You can read more about the 650D's specifications here.