Accessories for a study-abroad student using Kit Lens + Rebel XT in Italy?

[Servo'd]

So my brother is going to Rome to study abroad and he's taking my beloved Rebel XT with him. I gave him the kit lens which should serve his needs, and he's ordering a monopod and polarizer.

Any reccomendations for a light monopod good for the xt with kit lens?

The kit lens at 18 (x1.6) should be wide enough for taking pictures of buildings and what-not, right?
(he's an architecture student so I'm sure he'll want to do that). We're trying to avoid dropping $500 on a 10-22.

Also if anyone happens to know, what size polarizer and what size front lens cap would be necessary for the Rebel XT kit lens? Once he knows the size I'll tell him to pick up hoya or b+W

Finally, he'd like a small bag for the camera and the lens, compact but padded
Any recs would be appreciated :)

[jdando]

I have a Velocity 7 that works well for me. It can be worn in several different ways. Also I like the fact that it does not look like a camera bag and draw lots of attention.
http://www.tamrac.com/5747.htm

jeremy

[::John::]

I am pretty sure that lens is a 58mm cap and filter.

Look on the end of it (the front end). You should see something like Ø58mm

[Servo'd]

I have a Velocity 7 that works well for me. It can be worn in several different ways. Also I like the fact that it does not look like a camera bag and draw lots of attention.
http://www.tamrac.com/5747.htm

jeremy

That does indeed look like a nice bag. Might pick that up for myself some day.
But i think for my brother, he wants something even smaller, since the only lens he'll be using is the kit lens on the XT (w/ batt grip)

[louwphotography]

I have a Feisol CM-1401 monopod that I'm quite happy with. 18mm should be OK, but there are definitely shots I wouldn't have been able to take without the 10-22 in Rome.

Kit lens needs 58mm filters for sure.

For a small bag, I have the Tamrac Velocity 5 which does the job. But I've been eyeing those Crumpler bags lately after getting the 7 million dollar home. The non-camera bag look is definitely a plus!

If you want, check out some of my Rome & Vatican pictures (http://www.louwphotography.com/Europe/417696) which makes some use of the 10-22 (and monopod for all the night shots). You're brother is going to have a great time and it's such a photogenic city. Very little beats the first time you see the Colosseum!


So my brother is going to Rome to study abroad and he's taking my beloved Rebel XT with him. I gave him the kit lens which should serve his needs, and he's ordering a monopod and polarizer.

Any reccomendations for a light monopod good for the xt with kit lens?

The kit lens at 18 (x1.6) should be wide enough for taking pictures of buildings and what-not, right?
(he's an architecture student so I'm sure he'll want to do that). We're trying to avoid dropping $500 on a 10-22.

Also if anyone happens to know, what size polarizer and what size front lens cap would be necessary for the Rebel XT kit lens? Once he knows the size I'll tell him to pick up hoya or b+W

Finally, he'd like a small bag for the camera and the lens, compact but padded
Any recs would be appreciated :)

[Jon]

For a bag, check out the Domke F-5XB.

The kit lens takes 58 mm.

And for a monopod for that, the Manfrotto 676B is reasonable. Put a 484RC2 or 486RC2 ball head on it for flexibility. The 484's also a little lightweight for anything much beyond the XT with kit lens, but if that's all he has it'll do. If he were taking anything bigger, I'd suggest the 679 monopod and 486RC2 head. But unless he's shooting only straight and level (which is unlikely for the scenario you describe), he'll want a ball head for flexibility.

[Servo'd]

I have a Feisol CM-1401 monopod that I'm quite happy with. 18mm should be OK, but there are definitely shots I wouldn't have been able to take without the 10-22 in Rome.

Kit lens needs 58mm filters for sure.

For a small bag, I have the Tamrac Velocity 5 which does the job. But I've been eyeing those Crumpler bags lately after getting the 7 million dollar home. The non-camera bag look is definitely a plus!

If you want, check out some of my Rome & Vatican pictures (http://www.louwphotography.com/Europe/417696) which makes some use of the 10-22 (and monopod for all the night shots). You're brother is going to have a great time and it's such a photogenic city. Very little beats the first time you see the Colosseum!

Great photos lou, especially of the collosseum. The course he's taking is "
Special Topics in Visual Studies: Photography (Intro Photo)

Photographing Rome's Urban Landscape

That will involve taking pictures of interiors of buildings, and of course urban settings. I'm hoping what he'll be able to do is use the 18-55 and see if he's really running into problems getting what he wants done. Then as a last resort he can try to order (from... does amazon deliver to rome?) the 10-22.

[sOid]

Not sure if it's mentioned, but isn't it a bad idea to use a polarizer on a kit-lens? Afaik you keep rotating the damn thing since the front element turns when zooming...

Edit: I'm pretty sure Amazon delivers to Italy. It's veeeery slow though. Probably easier to buy one at a local (web)store.

[Jon]

The rotating front element doesn't make using a polarizer a bad idea. It merely (!) makes it more difficult to use, since you need to focus, then adjust the polarizer.