Newbie: what camera should I get?

I am new here and see all these posts. You all seem like great ppl with lots of knowledge in cameras and equiptment. So I am posing this question to you. I am just getting started and want to learn and maybe sometime soon down the road when I get the hang of this go pro. So here is my question.....

I want to know what camera and lens I should get a a pretty tight budget. I will be focused on taking all different kinds of pictures from youth baseball, football, landscapes and kids. The problem is my starting budget. The one time of year I get to buy anything is tax time and my husband is going to give me $1000 of it to spend on my camera and accessories. (hoping to get a little more than that though hehehehee ) So with that little bit of money (alot to me, not when it comes to the price of this stuff though) what should I get?

I am hoping to get things along the way to, but this may be my start for a few months.

Oh and I get a 10% discount at Walmart and I know they sell the 20 and 30 D..

Thanks for all your help everyone.
Hope to chat with you all!!

Kim

kgauger30 wrote in post #2388904
I am new here and see all these posts. You all seem like great ppl with lots of knowledge in cameras and equiptment. So I am posing this question to you. I am just getting started and want to learn and maybe sometime soon down the road when I get the hang of this go pro. So here is my question.....

I want to know what camera and lens I should get a a pretty tight budget. I will be focused on taking all different kinds of pictures from youth baseball, football, landscapes and kids. The problem is my starting budget. The one time of year I get to buy anything is tax time and my husband is going to give me $1000 of it to spend on my camera and accessories. (hoping to get a little more than that though hehehehee ) So with that little bit of money (alot to me, not when it comes to the price of this stuff though) what should I get?

I am hoping to get things along the way to, but this may be my start for a few months.

Oh and I get a 10% discount at Walmart and I know they sell the 20 and 30 D..

Thanks for all your help everyone.
Hope to chat with you all!!

Kim

Welcome.

I would get an excellent condition (perhaps new) Rebel XT body and a 17-40 f/4L lens. That will keep you close to $1000. The lens will make the most of your pictures than any camera in that price range.

Yeah I know $1000 isnt much when you are talking about starting out. I am actually jealous of people that can get more LOL.. but I have to do what I can. I am hoping to squeeze out a little more.. Maybe up to $1500 I can hope right?

The 17-40 won't work for youth sports; you'll have vast expanses of field with small specks of kids unless you're right on top of the action. With the XT, get the "kit" 18-55 mm lens, a 50 mm f/1.8 (for indoors and low light conditions) and maybe the Sigma 70-300 or the Canon 100-300 zoom for daytime sports. You'll be able to focus on the kids while staying safely out of their (and the officials') way.

With my discount I can get the XT kit for 604.41 that includes tax and shipping. Is that a good deal for that camera? I am so undecided but I am trying to do as much research as possible before February because this is such a huge decision. Thanks for your replies!!

If you can squeeze a little more, go for the 30D with maybe the EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. The Rebel can be had at a good price, but it's built different than the other SLR models like the 20D on up. If you eventually want to do some pro work, the 30D looks a little better than a Rebel, in my opinion. I HATE to say this, but if you're using the same camera that "Uncle Joe" does (most likely a Rebel) people can be a little reluctant, even if your pics are 20 times better. This isn't just me, this is written in some photography books, your camera has presence...and the better the camera, the better Non-Photographers will SOMETIMES look a you. I'm not saying this to put anyone down for their equipment, this is just what I've read and been told. As stupid as it is! Definitely DO NOT let them sell you an EF-S lens. These will not work on cameras with a Full Frame Sensor, and evntually, someday, you will probably own a camera with a Full Frame. This is where digital is headed eventually...so I've read. Look at Sigma and Tamron lenses. You can get a nice lens with a 2.8 Aperture (faster shutter speeds in lower light) cheaper than from Canon. I still say Canon, but I understand the budget. Like I said, I'd start ou in the 24-70 through 28-135 range for the first lens. Anything less will not handle sports well at all! Good luck, and I hope I helped a little..

Hi Kim,

welcome to the forum !
The price for the Digital Rebel XT is ok ... the 'gold standard' of the forum is www.bhphotovideo.com that is normally the cheapest reputable shop. They have the package for 599$ which is about the same price. Of course, Wal-Mart might not have the best name as a reputable camera shop, but if you are affiliated to them, it might help ease things.

There is always the old discussion ... buy a better body or rather spend the money on lenses. Both suggestions have their merit.

While a better body (and better here means more ergonomic, more stable, more flashy, but not giving better image quality) certainly feels very nice in your hand, the lenses will be what will stay with you a long time, when you have already upgraded the body. My suggestion is ... go to a good camera shop and hold both in your hand.

If you are not a large person, the Rebel XT might actually feel more convenient in your hand (it's smaller), or you might just like the 20D/30D better. Only you can tell. And as long as you get the black version, I think it does not look unprofessional either ... especially not if you decide to get the 'grip' at some point in time and some serious (that means large & expensive ) lenses. In the meantime, you might as well enjoy a better lens that you buy with the money you save on the body and get practice, practice, practice. I assume you will not start out as a pro early next year. And the money you save on the camera body might make the difference between a (consumer) 70-300 and a professional 70-200/4.0 L that might be a lot more helpful for sports...

Best regards,
Andy

Andythaler wrote in post #2389020
Hi Kim,

welcome to the forum !
The price for the Digital Rebel XT is ok ... the 'gold standard' of the forum is www.bhphotovideo.com that is normally the cheapest reputable shop. They have the package for 599$ which is about the same price. Of course, Wal-Mart might not have the best name as a reputable camera shop, but if you are affiliated to them, it might help ease things.

Best regards,
Andy

I have no problems at all going somewhere else. I just didn't know if I could get the same price somewhere. The link is great thanks alot. Like I said I want to get the most for my money, even though it is not alot. LOL I have heard BH Photo mentioned alot in different forums so I will definitly check them out!!.

Thanks for the welcome too! I hope to be here alot LOL

Kim

Jonathan Consiglio wrote in post #2388999
If you can squeeze a little more, go for the 30D with maybe the EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. The Rebel can be had at a good price, but it's built different than the other SLR models like the 20D on up. If you eventually want to do some pro work, the 30D looks a little better than a Rebel, in my opinion. I HATE to say this, but if you're using the same camera that "Uncle Joe" does (most likely a Rebel) people can be a little reluctant, even if your pics are 20 times better. This isn't just me, this is written in some photography books, your camera has presence...and the better the camera, the better Non-Photographers will SOMETIMES look a you. I'm not saying this to put anyone down for their equipment, this is just what I've read and been told. As stupid as it is! Definitely DO NOT let them sell you an EF-S lens. These will not work on cameras with a Full Frame Sensor, and evntually, someday, you will probably own a camera with a Full Frame. This is where digital is headed eventually...so I've read. Look at Sigma and Tamron lenses. You can get a nice lens with a 2.8 Aperture (faster shutter speeds in lower light) cheaper than from Canon. I still say Canon, but I understand the budget. Like I said, I'd start ou in the 24-70 through 28-135 range for the first lens. Anything less will not handle sports well at all! Good luck, and I hope I helped a little..

Thank you for the advise. I totally understand what you mean about the equiptment and "how it looks". I look at that everytime someone takes the pictures of my son's sports. I also feel the same way about that. Thank you for also "dumbing down" lol the 2.8 Aperture lingo. Being just from point and shoot, some of those terms are over my head at least for now :O) I will get there, it will just take me some time.

Thanks again
Kim

the servo focus on the rebel pales to the XTi focus which is as good as the 30D. Buy the XTi, get the kit lens, and take the last $300 and get a canon or sigma or tamron 70-200. In the future you'll seriously think about upgrading lenses.

Check out Buydig.com (Beach) - never had a problem.

kgauger30 wrote in post #2388964
With my discount I can get the XT kit for 604.41 that includes tax and shipping. Is that a good deal for that camera? I am so undecided but I am trying to do as much research as possible before February because this is such a huge decision. Thanks for your replies!!

What about getting something used?
$1500 is more like it. That will give you options as far as lenses go.

Some lenses to consider.

50mm f/1.8 MkII Cheap and great!
17-85 IS. Pretty good lens for walk-around lens. Not so expensive.
17-55 IS. Best EF-S lens. Walk-around lens. EXPENSIVE!
70-400 f/4L non-IS. L class lens at a "bargain" price.
70-300 IS. Nice range. Get I.S. for a pretty nice price.

First of all, get the 50mm prime. Always good to have and it costs nothing!
You could get a used XT for $500 or a 20D for $600-$700.

If you get a used XT for $500, then that leaves you with $1000...something to work with. If you really want the "best" for the XT in the walk-around lens category, then you could go for the 17-55. You can get that for $900+ from Amazon. But that would be all...maybe squeeze in the 50mm. It's a great lens, and with constant 2.8 + IS, good to have indoors!

If you want better range then you could go for the 17-85IS. Not the greatest, but nice range with IS. Then either go for the 70-200 F/4 non-IS or the 70-300 IS. I read nice things about the 70-300 IS. The 70-200 F/4 we all know is a great lens. That would get you right around $1000 if you buy at least one of them used.

Good luck!!!

nicksan wrote in post #2389074
70-400 f/4L non-IS. L class lens at a "bargain" price.

Unfortunately, it's only a 70-200/4.0 L lens...
Not to get your hopes too high...

Best regards,
Andy

Andythaler wrote in post #2389133
Unfortunately, it's only a 70-200/4.0 L lens...
Not to get your hopes too high...

Andy

Oh thats ok... hopes are not high on any of it right now!

nicksan wrote in post #2389074
What about getting something used?

I thought about that, but what kind of condition should I not go under? Some sites are different with their ratings, but I don't know what would be a good used value and what would be a no-no..

Hmmm… there is some good advice here, some interesting advice and some bad advice as well. The fact is that the XT, XTi, 20D, 30D are for all intents near identical cameras. Each has a few features the others do not but image quality between the models are indistinguishable. The biggest difference between them is the feel of the camera and if that is of importance, then I advise going and handling all of them and choose the one you like best. But choosing a model just because the pros are going to make fun of you and call you a dork is just plain silly. My advice is make a list of what’s important to you. What type of shooting interests you most? How often are you going to make prints larger than 8x10? Which feel best in your hands? Is there one feature one has but another does not that just screams to you? Are you planning on taking photos in hazardous environments? For someone just starting on a budget I would get the cheapest body possible and put the $$$ into glass. New bodies come out every year or so but glass will stay around for a long time. If sometime in the future you decide to turn pro you can always upgrade your body to one appropriate to you business.

Get yourself a Rebel XT or Rebel XTi with the kit lens and a Canon 50mm 1.8 If all you have is $1000 you have to remember that you're going to need a filter or two, a camera bag, you'll want to save for a decent flash, and you should get a tripod or monopod.

The equipment I listed will be enough to get you started and learning which right now, is more important than anything else.

Bill