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IronFist
05-13-2009, 02:47 PM
Hi guys,

Here's the deal: I don't stray far from home often, as up til now, I haven't been able to afford much. I just made plans to take a nice away from home vacation to take in one of nature's marvels: Niagara Falls.

I want to get some really nice, quality photos, and have been considering getting a new camera for a long while now, with a preference towards a Canon Rebel.

While I don't know a whole lot, one thing I do know is that I'd like an all purpose kind of lens, and a nice telephoto lens for distance stuff. BUT, the hitch is that I know absolutely squat about what lenses are good, or pretty much anything about them. I don't even know what the whole "mm" rating system is about.

Can you guys give me any advice, maybe steer me in an appropriate direction so I can go looking for a package that contains what I'd need to get started?

k9ziggy
05-13-2009, 06:56 PM
I can't imagine that someone won't recommend the 28-200 Canon lens. It's a decent f-stop, priced around $300. My 40D came with the 28-135, which isn't bad and has the IS. The really really good all purpose ones are really really pricey.

Check out B and H photo. Their prices are in line.

bhphotovideo.com

Zurbaran1
05-13-2009, 07:24 PM
I've recently decided to take my photography seriously and I've invested a great deal in new gear. I shoot Canon and nothing beats their L glass. I'm moving away from zooms and going with primes (one focal length). Don't know how much you are looking to spend but the L series do not come cheap. The 70-200mm f/4L IS USM is a fantastic zoom lens with Image Stabilization (IS). Put a big +1 for me next to B&H Photo. I work across the street and have been spending a lot of time and money there lately. They are great and very reputable.

Upitnik
05-14-2009, 10:05 AM
An excellent all purpose lens for APS-C:

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2,8 USM IS


An awesome telephoto for APS-C:

Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L USM II

Upitnik
05-14-2009, 10:06 AM
A few more:

Zurbaran1
05-14-2009, 11:40 AM
Upitnik, your pics are inspirational! Fantastic work.

Kujo
05-14-2009, 11:45 AM
Wow, very nice shot Upitnik

IronFist
05-14-2009, 12:37 PM
Great pics, Upitnik! (It helps that she's freakin' adorable, too! :) )

It seems to me that I'm better off buying the camera body, and then getting an all-purpose lens and a telephoto lens? Does that seem accurate to everybody? 'Cause I think that's going to be a bit more money that what I'm looking to spend right away.

k9ziggy
05-14-2009, 12:55 PM
Yup, and welcome to the lens addiction club.:D

I think you can get the Rebel with an all purpose lens as a kit, I know the 40 and 50D are available as that option. I got my 40 on ebay with the 28-135 and a 75-300. Since then I bought the 50 1.4 (AWESOME!!!!!) and a flash, which also makes a huge difference.

Hope you didn't need any disposable income, between comics, statues and photography.......:tounge:

IronFist
05-14-2009, 01:36 PM
Yeah, Best Buy has a kit right now, but I'm sure the lenses are as low end as they come. I'm thinking about putting together a set from B&H, but I'm sort of in the dark as to what to get, hence my coming to you guys.

Kujo
05-15-2009, 05:41 AM
Which rebel are you thinking of getting? the XT/XTi/XSi?

I used to have the XTi/400D and the lens kit on there isn't too bad. Its a little short (18-55mm) so I would recommend getting something a little longer as well. When i first got mine I got the Tamron 70-300mm which is farily cheap. Its not a great lens, but it serves its purpose until you can invest in something better.

IronFist
05-15-2009, 07:51 AM
I was looking at the XSi, but I've considered bumping that up to the T1i.

Basic question: Can you tell me what you mean by a short or a long lens? I have no idea what that means.

mongobredboy
05-15-2009, 10:16 AM
Though a long read, this may help you

http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/

dr_teng
05-15-2009, 10:51 AM
One of the best regular range lenses you can get for an affordable price is the Tamron AF 28-75. You can check lens reviews for all sorts of lenses over at dpreview. I used to use that as my general walkaround lens and I was super happy with it.

Personally, I'd recommend the XSi over the T1i. Buying a camera right when it comes out usually isn't worth it, considering the huge amount that slightly older cameras sell for. I use the XSi myself and I'm quite happy with it.

Kujo
05-15-2009, 10:57 AM
As I said above, I had the 400D/XTi and that was a very good camera, and from what I've heard the XSi the as good but with more features (live view, higher megapixel, DIGIC III for faster processing etc)

IronFist
05-15-2009, 12:01 PM
After a little more reading today, the 450D/XSi is back at the top of my list. That seems to be the body issue out of the way. Now I just need to figure out what len(es) to pick up with it. A couple suggestions from you guys on this thread sound really enticing, but with my lowly beginner's knowledge, it's hard to nail down exactly what will work best for me.

The more I read, the more I feel like my head's gonna explode. :)

IronFist
05-15-2009, 12:15 PM
I see a package deal at a lot of places for an XSi with a 18-55mm IS and a 55-250 IS telephoto... Perhaps a good place for a beginner to start? I don't want to get crappy pics while on vacation because I picked u0p the wrong gear.

dr_teng
05-15-2009, 09:14 PM
I see a package deal at a lot of places for an XSi with a 18-55mm IS and a 55-250 IS telephoto... Perhaps a good place for a beginner to start? I don't want to get crappy pics while on vacation because I picked u0p the wrong gear.

They're both fine lenses, not great, but they're indeed a good place to start especially if you get a nice deal. They'll take nice pictures.

Zurbaran1
05-15-2009, 09:50 PM
After a little more reading today, the 450D/XSi is back at the top of my list. That seems to be the body issue out of the way. Now I just need to figure out what len(es) to pick up with it. A couple suggestions from you guys on this thread sound really enticing, but with my lowly beginner's knowledge, it's hard to nail down exactly what will work best for me.

The more I read, the more I feel like my head's gonna explode. :)

Do yourself a favor and head over to dpreview.com (http://www.dpreview.com/). It's a great photography site with a tremendous amount of information available. They have extensive discussion forums and there you can find a beginners area where you can post your questions and get good feedback from some very knowledgeable people.

IronFist
05-16-2009, 10:09 PM
Well, I went with the XSi package I mentioned. Thanks guys. Hopefully, I'll do you proud.

PowerPee
05-26-2009, 11:12 AM
Maybe this is a late reply but just to add my 2 cents worth. The 18-200mm lens of Canon is nice. I got to try my friend's 50D (we have a different terminology here in asia) + the 18-200mm lens and I would say that its a good all around lens.

The L (Luxury) is the best there is in Canon's line up and you won't be disappointed with the color, sharpness and quality of your photos. Then again the price tag is a bit steep as compared to the non L version.

There are several good lenses from Canon to help you start with.

1.) 18-200mm
2.) 28-135mm
3.) 75-300mm

These are cheaper lenses compared to the L ones but they get the job done =D

The 450D is a good camera specially for beginners. If it is bundled with the 18-55mm kit lens you can use that for landscapes and events (parties, get togethers, etc). It's decent lens to start with, once you get the hang of it then you can upgrade. I am assuming that since you are a member of this forum you also love to take pictures of your toys (statues, figures, etc.) and you might want to invest on a prime lens (50mm f1.8), its a good lens for product shots and its light. If you want to get serious with toy photography then a macro lens will definitely do you justice... =D

You can then start off by using lampshades or table lamps for lighting your toys ... =D

Let me know if you need help =D

Hope this helps.

IronFist
05-27-2009, 09:18 AM
Thanks for the continued interest. Unfortunately, my wife was laid off two days after I bought $1500 worth of new equipment. I had enough time to charge the battery before I had to bring it all back and return it. Never even unpacked anything other than the battery and the charger.

PowerPee
05-28-2009, 01:42 AM
Thanks for the continued interest. Unfortunately, my wife was laid off two days after I bought $1500 worth of new equipment. I had enough time to charge the battery before I had to bring it all back and return it. Never even unpacked anything other than the battery and the charger.

Sorry to hear about that, hopefully everything will be ok...

Magik
05-29-2009, 03:51 AM
Sorry too IronFist. I hope you guys find that silver lining soon. Take care.

IronFist
02-10-2010, 08:46 AM
So, here we are, 8 or so months later and I'm finally back in the market for a camera. My wife actually got a job with Olympus! So, I do get a discount on Olympus product if I want it. I was eyeballing an E-30, but even with the discount, it's still a really pricey piece of equipment for me.

After weighing the cost/features conundrum, I've pretty much come back to liking the Canon XSi. Here's what I've put together as what I'm planning for my initial purchase:

Canon EOS Rebel XSi Digital Camera (body only)
Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Autofocus Lens
Canon EW73B Lens Hood for the EF-S 17-85 f/4-5.6 IS USM SLR Lens
Zeikos ZE-UV52 52mm Multi-Coated UV Filter
Zeikos ZE-UV67 67mm Multi-Coated UV Filter
Opteka Remote Control Cord
Transcend 8 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card

Between B&H Photo and Amazon, I've been able to shave off about $400 from what I originally paid for the setup I bought.

I know that I'll also need some kind of bag/case and a tripod. I think I'm going to go to Ritz to look at their bags. They had a nice backpack style bag that swung around to the front to allow access without having to take it off, and I'll look at tripods while I'm there. Unless anyone has an reccomendations?

Anyone want to offer some opinions on things I've overlooked or on the list I've proposed?

EDIT: Well, it's a bit too late to critique what I planned to purchase, because I took the plunge (again). Though I do have 15 days on the lenses if either of them turn out to be stinkers, which from everything I've seen, they're not. So, the majority of it, except the lens hood (which I passed on for the time being) one of the UV filters and the remote (which are shipping from non-Amazon retailers) should be here on Friday. Maybe Monday if the snow messes with shipping time.

Zombie
02-10-2010, 01:46 PM
sounds good!

just last week Zombie got the XSI, Opteka Remote Control Cord, Transcend 8 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card, and the Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens.


the xsi is Zombies first dslr, and He couldn't be happier. its perfect for beginers like us!

IronFist
02-10-2010, 01:50 PM
Yeah, I saw that, Z. You kind of lit the fire under my butt to get back in the game, though I've been gearing up to it on my own in the past couple months.

I would've liked to go with Olympus since my wife works there now, but I'd be spending a lot on a camera that does stuff that I may never use. :) Better to keep the price (relatively) low to see if I enjoy as much as I hope I will, and to figure out what I really need in a camera.