What is the Best Canon Lightweight Digital SLR Setup

Hello Everyone,

I'm currently teaching someone the basics of SLR photography and the basic understanding of exposure (aperture, shutter, ISO), DoF, etc. etc.

Here's my challenge... to find her the best lightweight setup.

She is a petite girl with smaller hands. To her, a Canon EOS 50D w/ battery grip, EF 24-70 f/2.8L IS USM, and a 580EX II Flash w/ Gary Fong Lightsphere is too heavy.

She ultimately wants to be a wedding second shooter on the side with only one camera. Eliminating the battery grip is not an option. She likes shooting vertical shots with the battery grip on.

So now I'm trying to figure out what the options are.

I could recommend to her a 50D w/ battery grip, 1 battery (to reduce weight), 430 EX II Flash (to reduce weight over the 580EX II) w/ lighter Stofen dffuser, and instead of the brick, a lighter lens, but it would have to have good IQ.

I could also go lighter with Canon Digital Rebel T1i w/ battery grip, a 430EX II Flash, and EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens, but not sure if it will be acceptable in general for wedding shoots. Also, not having that second wheel might be a hassle in manual mode.

Any other ideas?

17-55 on 50D sounds fine.

A set of dumbells.

Shadowblade wrote in post #8484591
A set of dumbells.

No joke, lol. I mean she can't hold a 3 pound camera to take pictures with?

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

The T1i with 17-55 is what I would recommend. I'd be more nervous about dropping down from the 580 to the 430 because she might run into situations where she really needs the power for bouncing while maintaining DOF.

My wife finds heavy systems like my 1D + 70-200 to be almost unusable for more than 20 minutes, so I can sympathize with this woman.

I'm with Jeffrey: T1i and 17-55. 24-70 is a strange FL range on a crop camera, IMO, and the brick only adds unnecessary weight if that's her concern.

The only thing that I might add, is that there can be a perception among some clients that the smaller the camera package, the less "professional" the photographer is. I know the size of the camera makes little difference to the end results, but that perception does exist with some people.

if size and weight are issues why on earth are you suggesting grips to her? Put the second battery in her pocket and ditch the grip. Yes you lose the second shutter button, but she'll appreciate the weight savings. As for lenses, check out the tamron 28-75 f/2.8. Also have her look into primes. Yes, 3 primes weigh the same in total as the brick (28 1.8, 50 1.4, 85 1.8 -vs- 24-70) but when just one is on the body it makes for a much lighter/smaller package.

Also check out the non canon 2.8 crop specific zooms. The 17-55 is basically a brick clone in size/weight (and IQ) but that's not good for her. Along with the 28-75 there are some other ~17 to ~50 2.8 zooms for crops that are a bit smaller.

I'd also suggest she sticks to at least a cropper if she's after small/light. The 5Dii is a big bigger and heavier, but FF specific lenses also add to that as well. Look at the specs of different kits and you'll see the same effective FLs covered at the same apertures (so say 2.8 zooms) will weight (and cost!) much more on FF.

Also look into the 35mm f/2 for any of the above. It's as small and light as the 18-55 kit lens and is a wonderful lens!

good luck! Even though I'm 6'4" and ~235lb I'm a weight weenie and count every gram I have to hike with!

i would agree on the rebel choice, but you can change the lens to a 17-50 2.8 tamron if she thinks the canon lens is still heavy.

or she can get a light zoom and be in one place all the time to shoot candids!

Use the Tamron 17-50 F2.8 lens instead. Better balance on the T1i.
In the long run, to be an event shooter, she has to at lift 1.8+kg of cam gear for 3-4 hours. xxD, EF-S 17-55, 580exII.
Want lighter, learn to shoot portraits without the grip. Reaction time is also faster.
E-1 hand strap may provide weight support at the wrist.

jacobsen1 wrote in post #8486719
Also check out the non canon 2.8 crop specific zooms. The 17-55 is basically a brick clone in size/weight (and IQ) but that's not good for her.

The 17-55 IS weighs 22.8 oz.
The 24-70 weighs 33.6 oz.

Hardly equals in weight; in fact, the brick weighs nearly 50% more.

I agree with your prime suggestions though.

Brett wrote in post #8487021
The 17-55 IS weighs 22.8 oz.
The 24-70 weighs 33.6 oz.

damn, that's what I get for listening to everyone else! I've only seen one, but yeah, it IS the same size....

Xsi + Sigma 30mm f/1.4? If she's second shooter, she can get some of the more "interesting" shots with just the prime. I've taken just this combo out before and it's pretty lightweight.

Does she really need a DSLR to learn the basics, why not something like the G10? You can go full manual with a great zoom range, shoot raw, use an external flash, and still teach the basics. Size and weight would obviously not be an issue.

Once she is comfortable with the basics, then go out to see what she likes. If you end up getting a good P&S, it will definitely have its uses, so it wouldn't be a waste, use the flash on the DSLR that you buy, etc. Also, by that time, I would expect a price drop would have occurred on the DSLRs due to the pending announcements.