PERFECT Package

[snsgraphics]

Hello all, I am a newbi, not only to this post but to photography aswell. I have bought several cheaper cameras in the past. Now ready to venture into a deeper world of photography. I am learning a lot by ready these forums, but I have read TOO much I think... I am probably going to buy the 20d package (I think) What I do not know are what lenses to buy, brand or size 70x300? I will be shooting pictures of my kids sports, and funcions for family and friends. I do not see profit filming in my future yet!. I like to shoot at wildlife aswell.

:D So if you had 1500.00 what would you do as a package? There are so many things out there to choose from, I keep going in circles. Remeber I am as green to film terminology as you can be. I am signing up for a local class very soon that teaches ISO WB ect. But I do not want to buy stuff that is MORE than I need, I also do not want JUNK. The picture I have taken in the past have been with a FUJI finepic 5000. I get lots of compliments on my shots, but they are auto setting type photos, just candid and cool. Thanks Steve

[crn3371]

If you're starting new, I'd look at the 30D rather than the 20D, not that much of a price difference, plus you get the latest and greatest, plus larger lcd. If this is your first dslr, another option might be to get a XT. It's going to take the same pix as the 20/30D, plus it's half the cost. The savings would go a long ways towards a lens or two. Regardless of which body you get, don't get one of the bundled packages off of Ebay. They usually offer second rate lenses, and junk accessories. The kit lens is a good, cheap starting point for the wide stuff. For sports, or wildlife, you will want a nice tele-zoom. The Canon 70-300 IS, or 70-200 f4L, are nice but a little pricey. The Sigma 70-300 zoom at about $200 is the best bang for the buck zoom. And, by the way, welcome to the forum.

[zeroorone]

Do you shoot wide or long? Indoors or outdoors? These make a difference. I recommend getting the 20D or XT and purchase the 50 1.8 to start. Thats an excellent, sharp combination and the 50 1.8 is super cheap (good for shooting family indoors as well). Once you learn to master it, you can determine whether you tend to shoot wide (landscapes, group portraits, etc) or long (birding, sports, etc).

My recommendation for a newbie package:
Canon XT ($680 - 100 MIR = $580)
Canon 50 f1.8 ($80) - low light capability, extremely sharp
Canon 28-105 II ($230) - good general purpose, light, moderately sharp, but cheap!

Total: $890

Use the rest to purchase good sturdy tripod, head, bag, CF cards, etc. This is a good "starter kit". From there, decide if you need wide (I recommend the 17-40) or long (I recommend the 70-200 f4). I might also recommend the Canon 430EX flash if you shoot people a lot. Hope that helps.

[GeneMan88]

Here's my suggestion... go with Rebel XT/EF-S 17-85 IS USM package. B&H lists this for $1169.95, $1069.95 after Canon rebate. And pick up a Speedlite 430 hot shoe flash. This set-up should be pretty good for most situations. You'll need to save a bit more money to get a decent zoom like the EF 70-200 f/4 for getting closer shots of your kids sporting events or doing some wildlife shots. This is just my suggestion, there are many other combos... it just comes down to your budget.

[peterdoomen]

Another recommendation:
- 20D or 30D, depending on depth of pocket
- Lens: Tamron 28-75
- Flash: 430EX
- Compact Flash cards: 1 or 2 GB Sandisk Ultra II
- Optional: Canon 70-200 f/4 for tele
- Optional: Nifty Fiftt (Canon 50mm f/1.8 ) for low light
- Optional: Tamron 17-35 for wide angle

Just my 2cents of course.

P.

[lakiluno]

heres my suggestion

DON'T GET L's.

why are people recomending L lenses to someone with a $1500 budget - half of them cost that much! A Sigma 70-300 APO DG Macro (remember the last letters) is pretty good and cheap. The kit lens can take decent pictures in the wide end, although if you can stretch for a Sigma 17-70 instead, that would be a good replacement.

Leo

[jjonsalt]

Another recommendation:
- 20D or 30D, depending on depth of pocket
- Lens: Tamron 28-75
- Flash: 430EX
- Compact Flash cards: 1 or 2 GB Sandisk Ultra II
- Optional: Canon 70-200 f/4 for tele
- Optional: Nifty Fiftt (Canon 50mm f/1.8 ) for low light
- Optional: Tamron 17-35 for wide angle

Just my 2cents of course.

P.

Yes, my thinking is damn close. 20D camera, Tamron 28-75 lens and 2GB Kingston Elite Pro CF card. With shipping this comes in just under the $1500 budget

[GeneMan88]

why are people recomending L lenses to someone with a $1500 budget - half of them cost that much!

If you read a little closer, the few replies thus far don't suggest buying L's in the beginning. Only after they figure out which way they want/need to go with their photography. Note that I suggested the Rebel XT/EF-S 17-85 IS USM package with the 430 speedlite flash to start. More than likely this will work for many situations of a beginner.

Most will suggest the EF 70-200 f/4L for a longer zoom, because it's a good L lens at a great price. Not to say there aren't any other options... just that many own or have owned this lens. Most replies will probably suggest lens/body/flash (within stated budget), but with longer zooms to come later.

[cfcRebel]

You can get a lot more if bargain hunting a little. Savings and discounts come and go. If timing is good, you can get:

1. New Canon XT body only: $530 shipped (From Dell, coupons required)
2. Used EF-S 18-55mm Kit lens: $70 shipped (Either from Dell as XT kit, or used from Forum Marketplace)
2. New EF 50mmf1.8: $70 shipped (at Amazon or Forum Marketplace)
3. New Sigma 70-300 APO DG: $200 shipped (at Sigma4less)
4. New 2Gb Kingston Elite Pro CF card: $46 shipped (at Buy.com but have to use rebate)
5. New extra NB-2LH battery: $18 shipped. (at Sterlintek.com but have to go thru pricegrabber.com to get the best deal. Two NB-2LH for $28.98. )

[snsgraphics]

I would like to say thanks a million for all the replies. I have to say that I did not even think the post even posted.. After I typed all of the message, I back spaced and everything was GONE. So it is a great surprise to see the replies. I will let you all know what I decided very soon. I have been on night shifts working as a paramedic, so I am trying to catch up on sleep. so it may be 1-2 days before I decide. Again, thanks for the warm welcome and I am sure you will be hearing a lot from me. God Bless Steve, and Happy mothers day to all the moms out there.:D

[liza]

Another recommendation:
- 20D or 30D, depending on depth of pocket
- Lens: Tamron 28-75
- Flash: 430EX
- Compact Flash cards: 1 or 2 GB Sandisk Ultra II
- Optional: Canon 70-200 f/4 for tele
- Optional: Nifty Fiftt (Canon 50mm f/1.8 ) for low light
- Optional: Tamron 17-35 for wide angle

Just my 2cents of course.

P.

Of all the recommendations, this is probably the best one in terms of bang for your buck and image quality.

[grego]

You can get a lot more if bargain hunting a little. Savings and discounts come and go. If timing is good, you can get:

1. New Canon XT body only: $530 shipped (From Dell, coupons required)
2. Used EF-S 18-55mm Kit lens: $70 shipped (Either from Dell as XT kit, or used from Forum Marketplace)
2. New EF 50mmf1.8: $70 shipped (at Amazon or Forum Marketplace)
3. New Sigma 70-300 APO DG: $200 shipped (at Sigma4less)
4. New 2Gb Kingston Elite Pro CF card: $46 shipped (at Buy.com but have to use rebate)
5. New extra NB-2LH battery: $18 shipped. (at Sterlintek.com but have to go thru pricegrabber.com to get the best deal. Two NB-2LH for $28.98. )

With price grabber, you can also find good deals on 18-50 and 50.

[snsgraphics]

With Price grabber, MANY stores pop-up. some with not so great ratings. B&H is in the middle, I here they are good. Are there any stores that you [B]WOULD NOT UNER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE deal with? I called MP super store, they started to try and sell things and push things, so I became chickin and cancelled from them, or are they OK? while I am there they were going to sell me a MACK warranty 5yrs, for 299.00 is that a good thing?

[SkipD]

This is a good place to check on the reliability of stores: http://www.resellerratings.com/find.pl

A good rule of thumb: If the price is significantly less than you can find at B&H or Adorama, stay away. More often than not, you will be sorry when using the low-price places.

For photo equipment, most folks will deal with B&H or Adorama - two very highly reputable companies.

[grego]

With Price grabber, MANY stores pop-up. some with not so great ratings. B&H is in the middle, I here they are good. Are there any stores that you [B]WOULD NOT UNER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE deal with? I called MP super store, they started to try and sell things and push things, so I became chickin and cancelled from them, or are they OK? while I am there they were going to sell me a MACK warranty 5yrs, for 299.00 is that a good thing?

I'd never buy from people on Price Grabber without ratings, but I mean if they have 4.5-5 stars and have over 1k reviews like that, then they are pretty good. I mean Price Grabber doesn't hide them. They are on the far right, so there's no excuse for not doing the research.

For example with the 50 1.8,

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=587416/sort_type=bottomline

[Dorman]

Rebel XT Body w/ Grip
Sigma 17-70 DC or Tamron 28-75 Xi Dr (Versatile all purpose)
Canon 50mm 1.8 (low-light, portraits, narrow depth of field)
Sigma 70-300 APO (long zoom, macro-ish shots)
+a bag, good tripod/head, CF cards, and some photography books.

You could add a flash but perhaps the on-board flash would suffice for now. This relatively inexpensive kit would cover all your bases and let you explore different areas of photography. The lenses and body will give you excellent results and won't break the bank. When you get better with the equipment and/or learn what photography interests you, you can make more informed choices for better glass.