Rebel XT beginner's MUST get items

[kormaster]

Ok.. i am a noob into the digital SLR world.. and i have been reading so much about ins and outs about this camera. So i went down to Samy's Camera (southern cali store) and played around with the camera. I must say the camera is really really nice.

My main focus of use:
1) Macro shots of flowers/wild plants
2) nice scenic/landscape shots
3) sunset/sunrise at the beach (very important for me)


Now, I played around with Tamron (spelling?) 90mm 2.8 macro lense. It was pretty amazing as far as the clarity and detail of the shots i took. But how do i tackle my #2 of my main focus of use? Do i need filters (which kind? - Mostly outdoor so sunlight or sunset pics)

So I put up a list of things to get so help me out guys:
1) XT (of course)
2) Kit lense? FOr multipurpose uses for general shots
3) range of 60-100mm 2.8 macro lense for my fun macro shots
4) Tripod (Bogen? - i see that u gotta get tripod head and leg seperately)
5) 1 gig CF card (should i just get sandisk 1 gig or anything faster? not going to so any sports shots so.. doesnt matter to me)
6) Extra Battery? generic brand or must get canon ones?
7) Nice bag
8) filters? too advanced for me? any general ones i can use for enhancing daylight shots? sunset/sunrise shots?

Ill be probably ordering this from online places to avoid tax in CA here. And I realized that buydig.com has a rea;;y good price with the lense kit
$869.00 with free shipping or upgrade to 3-5 day shipping for only 5 bucks.


Suggestions/opinions/guidelines will be appreciated.

Thank you

-David-

[weemannie]

Hi David

The kit lens gets some criticism for quality from some, but others like it! Try it and see what you think. You may find it a bit lacking at the wide end for landscapes. If so consider the 10-22 EF-S. Depending on budget.
The Tamron Macro is a really good lens, and its relatively cheap:)
Bogen are very good tripods.
1Gb CF card is a good idea. Look at Sandisk and Lexar. Although there is an issue with some Lexar cards and some cameras. If you search for Lexar in the forum you will find some threads on the subject.
Definitely get an extra battery.
Lowepro and Tamrac are very popular makes of camera bag.
For landscapes you definitely need a circular (not linear) polariser. If you want to shoot water and get that blurred effect, then a neutral density filter will be needed to cut down the light and slow down the shutter speed. A number of people here recommend a graduated neutral density filter to balance up the light between land and sky. I prefer to use Photoshop to balance out the sky, but that's a personal preference.:)

Look at Hoya B+W and Tiffen for quality filters and make sure that they are multi-coated.
Good luck.

[tim]

Welcome to POTN :)

The kit lens is good as a cheap wide angle, that's all I use it for. If you want REALLY wide you'd want the EF-S 10-22, but it's pretty expensive. The kit lens will do to start with.

I've read that all the macro lenses are pretty good, I have the Canon 100mm and love it, it's very, very sharp. For a general walkaround lens consider the Tamron 28-75, it's what I use, and many other people use it too, so many it can be hard to find sometimes.

1GB memory card should be good enough, that's 100 RAW pictures or 250 JPG (or so). A tripod is essential for landscapes, B&H do kits which are cheaper than buying seperately. Don't go for a cheap brand, you'll end up throwing it away and buying a good one eventually.

Forget filters, the only one you'd really want is a polarising filter, but they're not essential to start with. Most filters can be simulated inside photoshop.

You'll need a computer and software to process the images. The Canon software's pretty average, but it works. I use Photoshop CS2, it's great but expensive. RawShooter Essentials is free and does a great job on RAW images, but to start with stick to JPG, until you work things out.

Hope that helps :)

[kormaster]

Thank you. I must try more lenses and talk to local shops before pulling the trigger. It's just that i need to have all these before the 4th of july weekend because im going on a nice weekend gettaway to take some pictures (trying to pick up a new hobby for myself and my girl)

The whole point is to have nice pictures so that we can enlarge the pics and nicely frame it around the house with various random wildlife scenes and eye pleasing pictures.

I feel like i will be spending too much on this new hobby at once without really knowing what i am getting into. But i tell myself that why get cheap equipments (esp lenses) when i can interchange it to a better body in the future. After all.. it's all about the lenses and settings....

I hope my noob thoughts does not offend anyone or make anyone laugh. I am trying to learn as much as possible.. but SLR world is filled with endless informations and high prices items kind of freak me out.

I am leaning toward kit lense and this time... as far as macro lense, i will probably go with Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro.

Widelense,, i feel like i should learn how to use the camera before messing with it and learn to appreciate the power of the camera before buying nice things for it.

More thoughts/comments will be appreciated.

-David-

[weemannie]

David, no one is going to laugh, you've asked the sort of questions we all ask at the outset. That's what the forum is for:)

Starting out, you'll be fine with the kit lens and the Tamron Macro. As one who has spent a fortune on tripods amd heads over the years, Tim is right, go for a good one from the outset, it WILL save you money in the long term.

For the cost involved, I would personally get a polariser filter. That is one of only 2 filter types, that I'm aware of, that cannot be reproduced in editing software.:)

[BtBam]

Hey i dont mean to steal your thread, its just grabbed my attention :)
I have just ordered a 350D for a really good price and it will be arriving in a day.
I purchased just the body as i got it for such a good price, and because i was warned away from the kit lense.

Now im curious as to what lens i should be purchasing.

I am interested in very clear macro shots and all normal shots like portraits and nothing to distant as of yet. I dont want to spend too much on a lens right now, but it really depends what it comes down to.
So im interested in everyday lense and a good macro lense, thanks.

Sorry i dont mean to steal your thread at all Kormaster, just after some advice on the same sort of topic :)

[tim]

A quick tip David - if you want to get good results straight away, I suggest you shoot on P mode, and perhaps experiment with turning the sharpness and saturation parameters up a bit. It takes time and often some post processing to get good images out of DSLR, don't expect to get the camera and take amazing pictures the first time out. IMHO it would take the average person 6-12 months to make the transition from a P&S camera to a DSLR, and to be able to make a good picture under just about any circumstances. That includes learning how to use an external flash.

BtBam - check out the Tamron 28-75, it's a great prices for a great lens. For macro you can't go wrong with the Canon 100mm F2.8, but Tamron and Sigma both make very good macro lenses.

[BtBam]

ok thanks for your opinion, im currently reading up on the tamron 28-75, hope i can find some good prices for it in australia.

Does anyone have anything to say about this lense? is it the best aroudn for its price? thanks

[BtBam]

Can i get any tips when purchasing a lens? to check if its a lemon or a good build? Thanks

Sorry if i sound dumb, just want to save money and time :)

[condyk]

Check out the latest Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 as well as that is now picking up lots of plaudits from users (I have the Tamron and it is also good!) Also if you have an XT I would get a battery Grip so it is more comfortable to use. I didn't buy this camera because I didn't like the feel in hand (too small!) and many others feel the same .... AND MANY DISAGREE and that's fine. Try it and if feels small then the grip is a good buy and will improve handling.

Canon 100mm USM, Tamron 90mm and Sigma 105mm EX DG are all excellent. The Sigma 150mm seems to be the King of Macro right now but it's not cheap! Canon L, Sigma EX, Tamron SP, and Tokina Pro are the lenses to go for as they are best build and performance, but there are awesome and duffers in each range too!!

Generic batteries are fine ... I have two! Also, buy a bag larger than you think you'll need. They have little resale value and you always buy more stuff in the end!! :lol:

Join fredmiranda.com (free!!) and check the review section ... all posted by real world users and so a valuable insight into buying options!

[DavidEB]

for your macro shots, a cable release is helpful. more expensive than it should be, but still relatively cheap. cuts down on vibration.

another big purchase not on list here is an external flash. For macros, you'll miss half the good shots if you rely on available light, and you'll be at such a large aperature as to have little depth of field. A flash really helps. Start with either the canon 420EX or the sigma 500 super, put off the big dollar canon flashes until you're ready for multi-flash wireless. You'll also get good use from a flash bracket to get the flash near the front of your lens, but you can cobble something together out of aluminum bars from the hardware store and 1/4-20 screws.

enjoy

[BtBam]

Hey ive found a good price on
Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical [IF] Macro
but for $104 more i can get
Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Macro


Is there a reason why i would get the tamron

once again i understand if you are laughing at me, but im still very new to SLR and still just starting to understand it all, thanks.

[skyphix]

Also, if you'd like a wider lens (more like the kit lens) but a better quality, check out the Sigma 18-50 F2.8 Reviews have been good, and if nothing more then its a much faster lens than the kit lens.

[felix21685]

hey david..
welcome to the forum
for all your battery questions read this sticky i made recently
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=79584
you'll learn alot lol

[Curtis N]

I would personally get a polariser filter. That is one of only 2 filter types, that I'm aware of, that cannot be reproduced in editing software.What's the other one?

[lost]

Hey ive found a good price on
Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical [IF] Macro
but for $104 more i can get
Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Macro


Is there a reason why i would get the tamron

once again i understand if you are laughing at me, but im still very new to SLR and still just starting to understand it all, thanks.

Two reasons.

A. the 28-75 has a fast constand aperature of f/2.8. Good for low light and shallow depth of field. (I went with the 24-70 EX DG Macro. Examples can be seen at http://www.btoups.com/gallery/list.php?exhibition=27&pass=public&lang=eng)

B. The 28-75 WILL be sharper than the 28-300. Anytime a lens increases magnification 10 fold over its widest it will suffer. This even holds true for the 28-350 L Canon has.

[rich_yau]

Kit lens has a good focal range for sunst/sunrise stuff. Anything wider is expensive.

[mocca]

If you shoot RAW, you might want 2x 1GB cards. 1GB can hold about 100 pictures in RAW and about 240 in JPG L-High quality. I find shooting in RAW is much better and most versatile so I got 2x 1GB Ultra II. On several occasions, I shot more than 100 pictures in less than an hour.

Also if you got the kit lenses, the 28-135 IS USM will complement it nicely at a reasonable price :)

MM

[kormaster]

Thank you guys for tremendous information.

I decided to go with the following. But it isnt written on stone yet.
1) Kit Lense
2) Canon 100mm 2.8 macro (played around with it aat a local store and the clarity seemed better)
3) 2 gig CF card (speed isnt important for me so best price is what im going for)
4) Polorizing filter lense (glass) - gonna use it for water shots - comments?



I am going to buy the camera kit from BUYDIG.com... as far as lense, normancamera.com seem to have good price. CF card/ extra battery will be bought at Dell.com using some coupons.

Hopefully i can keep the cost down.... wow.. what a big investment im making... but this hobby is much cheaper modding my BMW M3.... ;)

[weemannie]

Neutral Density:)



What's the other one?

[weemannie]

The polariser will lose about 2 stops, so in dull light it should be fine for blurring water, however in bright light it won't be enough. I have a 3 stop Neutral Density filter and even in Scotland :lol: it can't slowdown the speed adequately in good light.
Whilst CF cards are very reliable, you may want to consider 2 1GB cards instead of 1 2Gb. Its rather like putting all your eggs in 1 basket:)

Whatever you decide, have fun.


Thank you guys for tremendous information.

I decided to go with the following. But it isnt written on stone yet.
1) Kit Lense
2) Canon 100mm 2.8 macro (played around with it aat a local store and the clarity seemed better)
3) 2 gig CF card (speed isnt important for me so best price is what im going for)
4) Polorizing filter lense (glass) - gonna use it for water shots - comments?



I am going to buy the camera kit from BUYDIG.com... as far as lense, normancamera.com seem to have good price. CF card/ extra battery will be bought at Dell.com using some coupons.

Hopefully i can keep the cost down.... wow.. what a big investment im making... but this hobby is much cheaper modding my BMW M3.... ;)

[kormaster]

Thank you for your comments.

The polariser will lose about 2 stops, so in dull light it should be fine for blurring water, however in bright light it won't be enough. I have a 3 stop Neutral Density filter and even in Scotland :lol: it can't slowdown the speed adequately in good light.
Whilst CF cards are very reliable, you may want to consider 2 1GB cards instead of 1 2Gb. Its rather like putting all your eggs in 1 basket:)

Whatever you decide, have fun.