First camera, good choice?

Hi all,

I've made a few posts a while back as I was looking at buying my first dslr. I've spent a load of time looking through different threads and absolutely love the thread where you take a photo of your setup and then the actual photo, its fantastic!

Anyhow, I just bought a 400D/xti (got it mint condition for £140 and then got a 28-80mm lens for £30). Would you say this is a good choice? I was on a budget...

I want to get in to some sports photography eventually, so would possibly be looking at getting a cheap 70-300mm lens? Is this the right choice?

Sorry about me keep saying 'cheap' and 'budget' but its all new and I want to know I enjoy it before I spend too much...

Im going to be around here a whole lot more now!!

Thanks in advance for your time

Stu

it's a great choice. the xti is a stable and capable camera, and the 28-80 should serve you well!

you might want to look at the 55-250mm lens from canon. priced right and a really decent lens that holds it's own.

as for "cheap" and "budget", you're doing exactly what you should be. buy what you can afford and the xti is a great camera to learn with, which can also produce amazing shots.

now go take some and show us what you've done!

Yep, this was a great buy. A good way to get in and find out what you like to take and what exactly you would gain by buying up (camera/lens) later on.

Sports, it depends on if it's indoor or outdoor. But play with your camera first, understand what she can do first

This may be a silly question but im looking to get a filter to protect the lens but not sure which size I need....

The lens I bought is: Canon EF 28-80mm

Can anyone shed any light...? :-p

Ignore than, just had a look on the lens and it says 58mm! Learning already..

I'm in the camp that prefers a hood to protect the lens rather than a filter.

Shall look in to those, thanks

Stu.

I'm in the camp that uses good quality filters - B+W in my case - as I don't trust the weather in the UK.

Also, a budget or cheap 70-300mm will be pretty useless for sports photography where you will need fast accurate focus, so give it some thought before spending even a smallish amount. I have a Sigma 70-300 and I never use it, even though 300mm would be useful. The IQ and speed are just not up there I'm afraid.

The 400D is a great camera by the way and you got a real bargain. The 28-80mm is an older design from 35mm days and I have one that is extremely sharp so I think you have a fantastic basic kit. My older 350D still takes brilliant pictures and is pretty killer with my 70-200mm L IS, which is the lens to save hard and sell your granny and your kids to buy, IMHO.

Enjoy the hobby and show us some of your pictures.

Hi Stu,

You'll find that there is a great divide when it comes to using UV/clear filters for protection or not to use them. I would recommend you to read this FAQ first:
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=807555

A lens hood, if not using it for protection, can be used to protect against lens flare. So definitely a recommended item to get.

Enjoy!

Capeachy wrote in post #13446976
Hi Stu,

You'll find that there is a great divide when it comes to using UV/clear filters for protection or not to use them. I would recommend you to read this FAQ first:
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=807555

A lens hood, if not using it for protection, can be used to protect against lens flare. So definitely a recommended item to get.

Enjoy!

Quite right - agreed 100%. Read the posts and decide for yourself. But even if you have a (good quality) filter on 99% of the time, you can still take it off for that posed/planned/setup shot if you need to squeeze the last micron of quality from your kit (and filters do degrade quality by the way, there is no doubt at all about that).

Also, if you decide to use them, go for clear protection filters rather than UV/haze, which were designed for film and are inappropriate for digital as they introduce a colour cast that has to be corrected.

Finally, buy a good quality CPL - a circular polarising filter - and read up about the benefits this will give you, light conditions permitting.

Which 28-80mm is it? I have a 28-80 II 3.5-5.6 and it is terrible. But I got it cheap as my first lens, and it did its job well until I could afford a couple of new lenses.

I was in your exact position back in July, except I bought a 20d. Now I'm stuck on photography.

Stuuk1 wrote in post #13446559
This may be a silly question but im looking to get a filter to protect the lens but not sure which size I need....

The lens I bought is: Canon EF 28-80mm

Can anyone shed any light...? :-p

I've uploaded a picture of your lens. See the circle symbol with a line through it? This is the symbol that represents filter size so in the case of this lens it's 58mm.

Don't cheap out on filters! I have expensive B+W UV filters on all my lenses. I think it would be close to impossible for anyone to tell the difference in image quality between a lens with a decent filter vs one without a filter at all.

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Capeachy wrote in post #13446976
Hi Stu,

You'll find that there is a great divide when it comes to using UV/clear filters for protection or not to use them. I would recommend you to read this FAQ first:
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=807555

A lens hood, if not using it for protection, can be used to protect against lens flare. So definitely a recommended item to get.

Enjoy!

JohnB57 wrote in post #13447011
Quite right - agreed 100%. Read the posts and decide for yourself. But even if you have a (good quality) filter on 99% of the time, you can still take it off for that posed/planned/setup shot if you need to squeeze the last micron of quality from your kit (and filters do degrade quality by the way, there is no doubt at all about that).

Also, if you decide to use them, go for clear protection filters rather than UV/haze, which were designed for film and are inappropriate for digital as they introduce a colour cast that has to be corrected.

Finally, buy a good quality CPL - a circular polarising filter - and read up about the benefits this will give you, light conditions permitting.

MesserschmittMan wrote in post #13447531
I've uploaded a picture of your lens. See the circle symbol with a line through it? This is the symbol that represents filter size so in the case of this lens it's 58mm.

Don't cheap out on filters! I have expensive B+W UV filters on all my lenses. I think it would be close to impossible for anyone to tell the difference in image quality between a lens with a decent filter vs one without a filter at all.

And awaaaaaayyyyyy we go once again on the never-ending debate.....

Congratulations on your DSLR the XTi was my first camera too and it is a great camera to learn on! I would start off in Aperture Priority then move to manual after you start to be able to feel the relation between ISO/Aperture/and shutter speed then move onto manual mode when you are comfortable!

the next thing that will really help you is a flash (a 430 EX will do) and remember "always bounce the flash" you do not need anything fancy to learn the ropes.

just no matter what SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT!

Veemac wrote in post #13447746
And awaaaaaayyyyyy we go once again on the never-ending debate.....

Haha, noticed that I didn't make a recommendation either way?