canon 350D Rebel XT

[zacker]

Hello.. I just ordered my 350D from Amazon.com.. is the kit lens a good lens for just every day stuff or is it a piece of junk? If i were to buy three lenses that were good but more on the "inexpensive" side.. a good "walk around" lens, a good telephoto say 200MM or so and a full frame fish eye.(im thinking the M/F zentar(??) you know, the Russian one..lol) what should i get?
thanks for helping, i dont know squat about this camera yet, im coming off a pro1 with fixed 200MM "L" lens so im stumped!
-zacker-
Ps.. what is a good all around filter for inside use and some out side?? anything??

[Gerdav43]

Read the EOS sticky thread at the top of this forum section. All your questions will be answered and all your answers will lead to more questions.;). There is a lot of good reading there. I give my two thumbs up to the Tamron 28-75 2.8 lens for walkaround and indoor photos. It's relatively economical.

[zacker]

THANKS! GERDAV43, I see you also have the 420EX.. how do you like it with the XT?I have one from my Pro1 it worked great with it..
Thanks for the info.. I cant wait to get it and use it... im going to a wedding in two weeks and I wanna practice with it there.. Its my sister in law so i have a full pass to all the festivities and it will be good practice

-zacker-

[Gerdav43]

I have used the 420 for some fill flash activity on the xt and found it to be wonderful. I had the D60 and the 420 was just average for me. I am some what inexperienced so I was not the most proficient user of the flash. However, with the Ettl II there is huge improvement. I did some fill flash at my son's t-ball game and the pictures were better than I could have hoped (probably some of my best work). It's not coincidental that I have also just upgraded to the XT. The combination has made a huge difference for the amatuer.

[cfcRebel]

I actually like my 18-55 kit lens as a walkaround lens. Granted, it is not the sharpest lens, but it is certainly not a piece of junk either. For the price, i think it meets my expectation. :)
Search around the forum you will see some nice pictures from the kit lens.

[zacker]

cool... thanks! I cant wait to get it.. i paid amazon for next day shipping but i still havent heard anything to if it has shipped yet. Im still waiting.. it would be good if i can get it by tomorrow because on wednesday, i have to drive my wife to the dentist and wait there for about an hour or two while she has her wisdom teeth removed, so it would be a great way to spend the time, looking over the manual while actually holding the camera in my hands!
-zacker-

[ddelallata]

I just got mine last Thursday and LOVE IT! This is my first D-SLR and is an upgrade from an EOS Elan 7E that I sold already.

[zacker]

do you find it easier or harder to use as opposed to the 7E? I have a 35 mm rebel xl so im thinking it wont be too different. I just got the e-mail from amazon, it shipped UPS red to me... should have it tomorrow... yeee haaa!..lol cant wait, work is going to drag tomorrow... but at least i can track it all day like a kid waiting for santa!!

now to go sell the pro 1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7516661046&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

-zacker-

[ddelallata]

The only thing I miss about my ELAN 7E is the eye-control. But the image quality of the 8.0 MP sensor is amazing. I could never get these results with film on my Elan. I used to scan my negatives on a Canon scanner and the quality even at the best resolution (2400) is not nearly as good as my D-Rebel XT. I think that you'll be really happy when you get your camera tomorrow. One other thing.....did you buy a compact flash card already? I recommend a SanDisk Ultra II with 512MB or higher.

Oh, and spend the extra ~130 dlls for the optional battery pack (BG-E3).

[rcarlson80]

Hey Zacker, Congrats on new toy. I have only had mine a month or so, I am new to D-SLR and anything else that isnt point+shoot. But I love this camera. I have found Kit lense good for wide shots. I picked up a used 28-80 via ebay I like it much better as my walk around.maybe just cause its got a little more length, seems to take a sharper image. I got the BGE3 today and have only just put it on. Cant wait to get out and do some shootin. It feels better already!!!

[zacker]

i do have two 1gb cards.. they arent ultra but they work good enough to learn on.

i already wish i had this camera to take to the everglades when we went.. that was the main reason i bought the pro1, i was going to get the sony f717 but couldnt find one.. glad i got the pro1 though, that "L" lens it has was great..but the camera was just to slow for birding.
-zacker-

[cfcRebel]

I'm looking for a faster tele lens for birding too. Currently i am using a EF100-300 USM that i got off eBay below $200, for wildlife. It produces good results when there's good light. Now with this lens it's easier for me to get those butterfly & dragonfly shots that i want. For birding, it'd be nice if i can reach a little further (400mm or 500mm).

[mchwe]

the kit lens is quite acceptable. my personal preference would be to stick with usm lenses: part of the appeal of the camera is responsiveness and focusing speed. once you use the usm lenses, anything else seems noisy and slow.

so many reasonable lenses: i have a canon 28-105 usm that works well with my xt, although with the focal length multiplier it is not good for panoramas/buildings. the canon 100-300 usm lens is too cheap and good to pass up.

my next lens purchase will be the 50mm 1.4 prime: effectivly 80mm or so, it will be great for indoor photographs using existing light.

have fun!

[ddelallata]

the kit lens is quite acceptable. my personal preference would be to stick with usm lenses: part of the appeal of the camera is responsiveness and focusing speed. once you use the usm lenses, anything else seems noisy and slow.


Agreed! My Tamron 70-300 has awful focusing speed. I only keep it around because I am very happy with the image quality of the pictures that I've taken with it.

[zacker]

Well, i got the 350d today...let me just say... very nice! I love it. tomorrow i will see what it can do. So far so good though.. i looked at the silver one in walmart and it felt really cheesy and plasticky to me, but now that i got one (black) it dont seem cheesy at all...go figure.. maybe its just the black makes it look more like a real camera? dont know! but i am impressed, its so nice to not have to wait for the AF to do its thing for so long... really happy so far.
-zacker-

[Jwreich]

Zacker,


I got my XT last Friday and just like you, I chose the black version. Infact I paid extra from a camera store because most of the "discount" places only carry the silver one...

Oh well, I like the camer and find it very easy to use. Regarding glass, I purchased the Tamron 28-75 DI instead of the kit lens. The Tamron is a very nice lens and it TACK sharp. I was just amazed with some of the shots it got for me.

Enjoy!

[bigchef920]

Awesome Zacker. I've had mine now for almost a month. I love it. What a step from from a 4mp point & shoot Kodak. I am a chef & use it a bunch at work. Here are a few of my latest shots. I'd love to see some of your work.

Rob

[ddelallata]

damnit! I just got the munchies looking at that dessert. Chef. that looks delicious.

[zacker]

hey chef, i saw some of the shots you took that were posted elswhere on this site... very nice!! Im sitting here and i just woke up and havent even had breakfast yet... now im starving! what is that last one? it looks awsome.. i think ill take about 15 of them....lol

Im likeing this camera allready, its light and not any bigger than my Pro1 so im used to holding it allready. i cant wait to get out and shoot with it. i will post some test shots soon.
-zacker-

[zacker]

ok... took some shots in the garden today... very nice! one thing.. I hate the software that comes with this camera for doing raw files.. does anyone use the raw file converter in Photoshop with this camera.. i need to go see if i can find it on adobe's site! anyone have a link??
-zacker-

[Mel Bacani]

Hey Zacker... i'm using the DNG converter/plugin and it's really good! you can download it at this site...
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=106&platform=Windows

This one was posted by a fellow user... pretty good too!
http://www.outbackphoto.com/artofraw/raw_18/essay.html

I hope this helps.

Mel