Getting the rebel, now which lens?

[jennz]

Hi everyone - we've decided to get the Canon digital rebel body and purchase a separate lens (Thanks everyone for your help! ) now we're trying to decide on a lens...we're pretty much sold on the Sigma 18-125 based on recommendations but...I just don't know much about this!

We're new to this area, having always had point and shoots. Will the lens be easy to use? Does it take auto-focus type shots? DH likes to get close ups of plants and things, can we do that with this lens? I guess - is it a good all-purpose type lens that will give us detailed pictures and we'll end up saying "wow - that $300 was worth it!"

Thanks for your input!

 

[Kelly Grannell]

At $300, you'll get a decent entry level lens. I strongly recommend Sigma 18-125 lens. It's a good walkaround lens. Now if you're talking about specialty lens that will actually WOW you, then you'll need lenses such as Canon 50 f/1.8 (that's close to $100), Canon 70-200 f/4L (around $800, I think), or the super-wow Canon 70-200 F/2.8L IS (around $1,800). There are other lenses such as Sigma 17-70 f/4.5 for around $400 that's also very good. However, none of the lenses can be considered as walkaround lens (other than the Sigma 18-125).

I personally use the Sigma 18-125 when I'm travelling abroad, and use the 70-200 f/2.8L IS when travelling locally.

 

[jennz]

Thanks Kelly! Now when you say "walkaround" do you mean that we don't have to change lenses for different views etc, kind of a "one size fits all" type? Or maybe "one size fits our budget?"

Also, this is a very "newbie" question...will we notice a difference with our soon-to-be Rebel w/the Sigma 18-125 lens compared to our current Nikon coolpix 5600? (feel free to mock me if this is a ridiculous question).

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Kelly Grannell]

You got it right. Walkaround is the lens you use so you don't need to keep changing lens (you don't want to do that because if you do it improperly or taking too much time or do it in a windy and/or dusty area you'll get dust all over your camera sensor).

There is another option, which is Sigma 18-200. It's an okay lens and you will never ever have to change your lens during a trip. however, to me the quality from the 125 to 200 range suffers due to the small aperture (f/6.3) rendering it useless other than for outdoor shots (but the 18-125 range of the 18-200 will still be usable indoors). Also the longer the range the more Colour/Chromatic Abberation and Barrel/Pincushion Distortion it's going to have. So I take the middle-ground, a compromise if you will, with Sigma 18-125. It covers 90% of my shots. Regardless, since you'll be using an 8.2 MP camera, you still can crop the final image further without too much quality degradation (for 4x6 and 5x7 prints) to give the illusion of even more-zoom. (see it as 'digital zoom')

Will you see the difference between (any) point and shoot vs dSLR. Yes, quite dramatically. You can see my thread "Brian Roman Concert". That's taken using a dSLR at ISO 1600, indoors, not too bright lighting condition, no flash at all. You can see that there is virtually no digital noise at all even at ISO 1600 (something that none of the point and shoot can do).

 

[WillCAD]

I'll second the vote for the Sigma 18-125. I've only had it for about a month, but I've been very pleased with the sharpness and how fast it auto-focuses.

 

[jennz]

Thanks! One more question...the UV lens filter - purchase or skip? Are there any other accessory type things that are worth getting?

 

[Kelly Grannell]

purchase it. For the cheaper solution get a Hoya Super HMC series... oh and get more memory cards. Make it the total of at least 2 Gb for a 2 week trip.

 

[jennz]

okay I'm back again doing price shopping on line and found an awesome deal at bestpricecameras.com, $479 for the digital rebel xt before the $100 rebate - this is $200 cheaper than what I've found! They say all items are brand new, so not a refurb. Is it too good to be true, does anyone have experience with them? I did price the lens and it's $200 more on their site, and everything else is much more than other sites as well.

Just looking for some input...

 

[geetey]

Hi Jennifer,
If you goggle "bestpricecameras.com reviews", you will see all kinds of bad stuff about this retailer. Personally I would stay away from them. Here are a couple of links for you: http://www.price.com/vendor_review_display.html?vid=-2147483120
http://forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php?t=10918

When I purchased my Rebel XT, I also picked up a Hoya filter, an extra battery, 1 Gig SanDisk II card (going to buy another one today for our trip!), and the book "Understanding Exposure".

I want that super-wow L IS lens Kelly posted as an 'accessory' but can't afford it yet!

Have fun!

 

[jennz]

Geetey - my fellow Blue Teamer!! I need another challenge! BTW have you been to the new stadium? I heard it's awesome.

Thanks so much for the info on that dealer - I didn't think to google them. I appreciate it!!

 

[geetey]

Hi Jenn!
I *need* a new challenge too! More than you know! I have been to the new stadium twice - just haven't updated my signature or finished uploading my pics to the web. Will you get to see a game this year?

No problem about the retailer. It has come up here a couple of times and I just remembered. I purchased our stuff in combination of B&H Photo and Amazon. Buydig.com seems to be another good retailer.

Hope that helps!

 

[WillCAD]

okay I'm back again doing price shopping on line and found an awesome deal at bestpricecameras.com, $479 for the digital rebel xt before the $100 rebate - this is $200 cheaper than what I've found! They say all items are brand new, so not a refurb. Is it too good to be true, does anyone have experience with them? I did price the lens and it's $200 more on their site, and everything else is much more than other sites as well.

Just looking for some input...

I've never heard of that vendor, but most of the time when a camera is listed for that much below the going rate, it's either a scam or a simple bait-and-switch. The bait-and-switch in the camera world is pretty standardized; they will call you to "confirm" yur order and payment info, then proceed to give you a very hard sell on filters, lenses, spare batteries, etc. at highly inflated cost (i.e. $300 for a $50 filter kit). If you decline to be fleeced, they will delay and delay, and when you call to ask where your camera is, you will be told that it's on backorder. If you cancel, it will take weeks or months to get the charge removed from your credit card, and sometimes they will charge other stuff you didn't order at a later time.

Best to go with a reputable dealer and pay a little more.

If you are definitely going to get an after-market lens for the camera, you can buy the body only and save about $10, which you can then apply toward purchase of the lens. You can even call some of the camera vendors and ask if they will put together a kit for you with the Rebel XT, the lens you choose, and a couple of memory cards; they don't always do this, but it never hurts to ask.

If you intend to take Kelly's advice and go for 2gb of memory, I recommend buying either 2 1gb cards or 4 512mb cards, instead of a single 2gb card. This lets you split up your pics onto multiple cards, reducing the possibility that you will lose everything if have a card go bad or go missing.

Considering that you will have $700-$900 worth of camera gear, I suggest going to a local camera shop and picking out a nice strong camera bag. This may cost you anywhere from $30-$60, but having a good bag with plenty of space, lots of pockets, and lots of protective padding, is a must.

 

[boBQuincy]

All you need to know about buying photo equipment online - B&H!
There are other good vendors but B&H has never dissapointed me and many, many others.

For a walkaround I like Canon's 24-105 f4L *if* you can live with the loss of the 18-24 range. I rarely notice the loss but others really miss it, your choice.
What makes the 24-105 worthwhile is the excellent optical performance, the constant f4, and IS. Build quality is typical L series, just great.

My other "carry" lens is Canon's 70-200 f4L for the long shots, it has all the same attributes of the 24-105 except it's even sharper.
Once I get the 17-40 f4L my camera bag will be as full as my credit card statement!

I do not use filters to protect the lenses since they can cause degradation of the image. If you do use filters follow Kelly's suggestion and get the multi-coated ones.


boB

 

[Tink10]

okay I'm back again doing price shopping on line and found an awesome deal at bestpricecameras.com, $479 for the digital rebel xt before the $100 rebate - this is $200 cheaper than what I've found! They say all items are brand new, so not a refurb. Is it too good to be true, does anyone have experience with them? I did price the lens and it's $200 more on their site, and everything else is much more than other sites as well.

Just looking for some input...

Stay away from bestpricecameras.com.......They're scam artists! I got my Rebel body from Dell and it was $539 after the $100 rebate.....It arrived here in perfect condition in about 4 days. I thought it was a pretty good price.

They're also having a sale on selected lenses too. (I ordered 2 from them) If you search online, there are plenty of coupons to use......

I Hope This Helps!

 

[geetey]

Tink10,
Wow - Dell has some nice prices on the SanDisk Ultra II 1 gig CF cards. Any idea what qualifies someone as a Dell Home Customer? Does that mean I need to have purchased a computer from them before? If not, a 1 gig card is 47.99 and free shipping to boot!

Maybe I shouldn't have purchased those 2 cards at Circuit City today.

 

[Tink10]

Hi Geetey,

Anyone is a Dell Home customer...no prior purchase necessary....

I love them & have had the best of luck with all of my orders (I order alot from Dell). I just ordered (2) 2 gig cf cards to go with my Rebel.....(I paid $63.00 each)

Also, if you go to http://www.ebates.com you get an additional 2% cash back off your order......

2 great places to check for Dell deals on computers, cameras or accessories are:

http://www.xpbargains.com

http://www.techbargains.com

They update the coupons & discounts multiple times a day.....

 

[jennz]

Thanks everyone - I'm definitely staying away from them! I'm thinking about going through Dell since they have both the camera & the lens if I can get that great price. Tink10 - I sent you a pm to see if you can help out with that awesome price you got.

Will - great suggestion on the multiple memory cards as well as the camera bag - we'll be doing both!

boB - about your camera bag and your credit card! I'm checking out B&H photo also...

Thanks so much everyone...I know I'm obsessing over this but this is a big purchase that we'll have for years (hopefully) and will capture some great memories...thanks!!

P.S. Geetey I might have to check out the WISH board and see if there's a motivating challenge going on...hint hint!

 

[Tink10]

Hi Jennifer!

I just replied to your PM & your in box is full, so I'll post here.....

I got mine with a 20% off coupon that unfortunately has since expired, but they offer either 15 or 20% off regularly.....Right now, they're offering 15% off on the 5D & 30D.

I had originally ordered the Rebel kit that comes with the 18-55 lens at 15% off, but the next day, I saw on www.xpbargains.com that Dell was offering 20% off on the Rebel body, so I ordered it & refused shipping on the Rebel Kit.....There is also a $100 rebate on the Rebel & various rebates on select canon lenses as well....

Basically, when I'm looking for electronics, I check the 2 sites that I mentioned in my post a couple of times a day & when I feel pretty good about a deal, I jump on it....

I did just get a sigma 18-200 lens & a Canon 70-300 IS lense both for 10% off & an additional $60 off each one after that, then, on the canon lens, there is a $25 rebate.....so there really are some deals to be had at Dell.....( I also got 2% cash back by paying with my Dell preferred account & then another 2% cash back for shopping through Ebates) Ultimately, the camera ended up costing me $513.88. It's all about watching for coupons and using them quickly because they normally expire after a certain number of uses.

If you're not in a hurry, just keep checking & sooner or later, another 20% off coupon will be available.....

 

[jennz]

Thanks Tink! I'll be checking for a discount code tomorrow and I'll watch those sites. Appreciate it!! I also cleaned out my inbox...

 

[JR6ooo4]

Congratulations on your new rebel! I moved over from a sony 717 only a few months ago. The Kit lens does a nice job with good light and with an aperture of f8-11 fpr the sweet spot.

I chose the Canon 28-135 IS USM. It is slightly faster than the 17-?(85) as well as the 70-300 IS USm. See our latest trip at: trip dubs d o t mnmstudios d o t c o m
does anyone know how many posts I must have before I can include aphoto or url?
Mikeeee