Going Crazy!!! Buying a 50D + Lens

Then go for 50D and what other people have suggested.

yeah, 50D is a far superior camera, and if you think you will grow and start to do sports then 50D will prolly work better for you. but i use and XSi for sports as well and granted i would get the 7D or 50D if i could afford it right now but i can still get amazing shots with the XSi with some good glass on the end.

to answer OP's question, 15-85mm will give you a very nice focal range, 15mm wide enough to get good landscape shots even on a crop body, while 85mm on a crop will give you a very close up portrait.

read this:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com …6-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

Awesome, thanks for the link. Looks like the 15-85mm is exactly what I want. I think as of now I'm looking to get:

Canon 50D ($885 from central digital)
Canon EF-S 15-85mm ($720 from adorama)
Backpack
Memory Card
Extra Battery
Tripod

Do I need anything like lens hoods?
Do I need any other cheap lens or lens caps?
Are the prices above about right?

You guys have helped a lot, I really appreciate it!

lens hoods will/should come with the lenses but buy them if they don't.
Buy a flash. May be 430EX II.

I'm going to venture a completely different opinion here. As this will be the first SLR you will be getting, I would recommend getting the XSi EF-S 18-55 and EF-S 55-250 combo. Totals somewhere around the $700-$800 mark last time I looked.

Reasons:
1. Expense. SLRs can get expensive quickly. This combo does very well for starter gear (its what I started with). This allows you both to find out whether SLR photography is for you, without sinking many thousands into it. Save the balance of the budget until you/your fiance knows what the limitations of your setup is, so you can invest in solving that. When I started in SLR photography I thought I'd get more into Landscape type shots. After a bit of shooting found I was getting much more enjoyment from wildlife, so ended up sinking my money into a 100-400 - not what I expected at all.

2. Card Formats. The XSi takes SD/SDHC cards (like most point and shoot cameras). The 50D takes Compact Flash cards, so will need to factor purchasing these into your budget if going for the 50D. Allow for a card reader as well. SD cards - most computers have an SD card reader built in.

3. Weight/Hand size. Gross generalization here (any women reading don't shoot me), but a lot of women tend to prefer the smaller size and lighter weight of the Rebel range, especially when just starting out with SLRs. The 50D is 25oz without any lens/battery. The XSi is 17oz with no lens/battery. This doesn't sound much, but after holding the camera for an hour or so - it's noticed!

4. With the type of photography you say it will be used for, you are better off spending the money of lenses rather than bodies. The rule of thumb is bodies are superseded by the manufacturer every 18months or so. Lenses are many years between changes, so good lenses tend to hold their value more (my favorite lens is a 12 year old design (100-400)).

5. Mega Pixels - Some will disagree, but 99% of people do not print anything big enough to tell the difference between the quality between a 50D and Xsi. I have Xsi photos that are printed at 24*30 and get comments all the time about the quality is amazing. People can usually find problems when looking on a computer screen at stupid zoom levels, but if you print it - the 'problem' is not noticeable at all due to it's 1/200 - 5/200 of an inch and you just can't see it in the real world.

If you do want to spend the full $2000 budget, then I would get (round figures based on B&H Photo):
Xsi Body Only $500
EF-S 17-55mm $1100
EF-S 55-250 $280
Camera Bag $100
= $1980

Daniel

What kind of pictures / effects / shots benefit from having a flash? (sorry for such a simple question, I'm just trying to decide if it's worth $225)

when your aperture isnt wide enough, which for indoor situations even 2.8 is lacking. thats where IS and flash help out, but IS only stops camera shake, not the motion of the subject

Believe me it's worth. It is because if background is bright then face/subject will look dark. Flash is important even outside when you have enough light (fill flash). And certainly it'll help a lot for indoor shots. Flash gives a totally new look to your pics.

Thanks for the input Daniel. Sounds like my best bet is to price out a package with the XSi and the 50D and see which I think will work best.

I assume lens I get with an XSi won't work with a 50D?

kjtocool wrote in post #10040514
What kind of pictures / effects / shots benefit from having a flash? (sorry for such a simple question, I'm just trying to decide if it's worth $225)

Pretty much when when it's too dark to get the photo you want! when starting out - I don't think its worth it. All the bodies you are considering have built in flash that will solve much of you issues. Flash photography has it's own learning curve as well (which I haven't learnt)

Also consider - if you don't get it now, you can get points for getting it as a Anniversary gift at a later point!

All lens that work on the Xsi will work with a 50D. There are two types of canon lenses currently available -EF lens - Which work on any Canon EOS Digitial Camera. EF-S lenses will work on any Canon EOS Digitial camera EXCEPT the 1D range, 5D Range, and the 10D (really old version of the 50D)

Daniel

Daniel
Just buy a good flash and you'll know what you've been missing.

alpha_1976 wrote in post #10040581
Daniel
Just buy a good flash and you'll know what you've been missing.

When one can light up a subject 100 yards away I'll consider it.

pleb1024 wrote in post #10040622
When one can light up a subject 100 yards away I'll consider it.

you can get a 4KW strobe

Honestly if she's not pro (idk) I'd just go with a t2i kit that comes with an 18-55is, get a 55-250is, a 50mm prime and a 430exii to start. Then fill in whatever you want with primes. You get high iso performance (some say better than the 50D), a smaller camera which my gf likes, plenty Of focal length to play with and 50mm for Candids and when she feels artsy

Just get her a T2i, 15-85, & nifty fifty to start.