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Stuck on choices, please help.

J

Jon855

[H]ard DCOTM January 2008
2FA
Joined
Aug 25, 2005
Messages
12,132
I'm going to be in Africa for at least two months very soon and I'm looking for a DSLR that I can work on and grow my skills on from. My budget ranges from 1k-1.5k due to the fact that I'll be getting a laptop along with my 2.5k budget. The laptop probably will cost 1,100 total. So that leaves me with around 1.4k for DSLR. Since I'm a student at RIT, I just went to the bookstore at RIT and looked at their selection. I feel that I'm sold on XTi however I'm not too sure whether to get the kit and one lens or a body and one lens. Assume that I have 1,400 dollars left, what would be your choices? Oh before you choose, I will probably be taking some landscape pictures and as well people up close so I need some versatile lens that could do them all if possible. I also didn't look at the Nikon lines, I could have looked at the D50 ones and the lenses they have to offer. If you know of similar set up for Nikon instead, please feel free to inform me. Thanks.

Rebel XTi Body - 744.95
Rebel XTi KIT - 831.95

Fixed:
50mm f1.4 USM - 334.95
85mm f1.8 USM - 367.95
28mm f1.8 USM - 429.95

Zoom:
17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM - 554.95
24-85mm USM - 334.95
28-135mm IS USM - 439.95

I personally have been thinking of this combo;
Combo 1) XTi Body + EF 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM - Total $1299.9
Combo 2) XTi Body + EF 24-85mm USM - Total $1079.9
Combo 3) XTi KIT + EF 50mm f1.4 USM - Total $1166.9
Combo 4) XTi Body + EF 50mm f1.4 USM - Total $1079.9
Combo 5) XTi Body + EF 28-135mm IS USM - Total $1184.9

I really want to be able to obtain good shots from close up and far away as well, I know this isn't a good 300m telezoom lens that I could afford with the IS feature which I think will be important for me when I'm in Africa. I want to be able to take pictures of animals far away, and I know I'm being limited by the choices I've given you above. If you do know of other Canon Lenses that has telephoto zoom that falls into the price range of 550 or under and has good features, please list the model and the approximate MSRP. Thanks.
 
You could always rent glass.

For Africa, I'd recommend the EF 100-400mm IS USM. Obviously, this would be for taking photos of wildlife from a safe distance.

For landscape and general purpose photography, you can't go wrong with the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. Yes, I saw the 17-85mm in your post, but you'll probably want that constant 2.8 aperture for isolating your subject matter.

The kit lens stinks, so you're probably better off not getting it.
 
None of those lenses are very wide (for landscapes), but they'd be good for portraits.
 
Kevlarman said:
None of those lenses are very wide (for landscapes), but they'd be good for portraits.
Click to expand...

They probably aren't as wide I would like for them to be but I think for the range of applications that I will be putting my camera to use and due to my budget that this lens may be the one that does it. Although I might be able to use EF 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM although it will not give me good zoom but it should be sufficient for landscape and portrait shots.
 
In africa I recommend a good telezoom. Something like 70-200 f/4 IS minimum. The 70-300 IS is not that bad either...
 
darktiger said:
In africa I recommend a good telezoom. Something like 70-200 f/4 IS minimum. The 70-300 IS is not that bad either...
Click to expand...

Problem with that they are the "L" lineups and I can't afford it unless I sell my kidneys. But like you said this 70-300 IS USM isn't too bad. I'll check this one out and to be honest its hard to pick a lens knowing that I will be around taking lots of close up photos and landscape shots. Its a potshot. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll be sure to look up the lens and see how it feels.
 
The EF 70-200mm f/4L is one of the cheapest (if not the cheapest) L telephotos available.
I got mine for less than $600.

Jon855 said:
Problem with that they are the "L" lineups and I can't afford it unless I sell my kidneys. But like you said this 70-300 IS USM isn't too bad. I'll check this one out and to be honest its hard to pick a lens knowing that I will be around taking lots of close up photos and landscape shots. Its a potshot. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll be sure to look up the lens and see how it feels.
Click to expand...
 
Kevlarman said:
The EF 70-200mm f/4L is one of the cheapest (if not the cheapest) L telephotos available.
I got mine for less than $600.
Click to expand...

Where did you get it from for under 600? I have only one concern with that lens, it doesn't have IS and I might will take some shots that aren't bright so what would you advise about this? I've looked at that lens and I thought it's really a good deal, I just want to be able to take some shots during maybe night time and that's why I've been leaning on the 28-135 f/3.5-6.5 IS USM and the 17-85 f/4-5.6 IS USM lenses. I know I'll be losing my zoom capacity but however since the XTi isn't a full frame body, there's a crop factor of 1.6 so the 135mm would come out to around 216mm and I think that's sufficient for my needs at Africa. What do ya think? But please do give me the site where you obtain the 70-200 f4L USM for under 600. Thanks again.
 
Jon855 said:
Where did you get it from for under 600? I have only one concern with that lens, it doesn't have IS and I might will take some shots that aren't bright so what would you advise about this? I've looked at that lens and I thought it's really a good deal, I just want to be able to take some shots during maybe night time and that's why I've been leaning on the 28-135 f/3.5-6.5 IS USM and the 17-85 f/4-5.6 IS USM lenses. I know I'll be losing my zoom capacity but however since the XTi isn't a full frame body, there's a crop factor of 1.6 so the 135mm would come out to around 216mm and I think that's sufficient for my needs at Africa. What do ya think? But please do give me the site where you obtain the 70-200 f4L USM for under 600. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

B&H has it for $579.99.
Adorama has it for the same price.
Both are very reputable shops.

The two lenses you mentioned above are f/5.6 at the long end of the zoom, which isn't very fast. The 70-200 is f/4 throughout the range.

Remember, IS is usually only good for still subjects; you'll still get blurry pictures of you're taking low-light pictures of moving things (animals, people, etc).

In low light, I'd rather have a faster shutter speed (bigger aperture) instead of IS.

Besides, aren't you getting a 50mm f/1.4 anyways? That would be quite good for night photorgaphy. If you're strapped for cash, get the 50mm f/1.8 for about $70.
 
i would get

xti - 28-105 , 50 f1.8, 70-300is

those are my recomedations.

and if you can get some extra cash the sigma 50-500 is nice
 
Kevlarman, thanks for the links, the second one is addressed exactly the same as the first one, I've googled and got there, so no sweat. The sites looks quite good and much better. I've found an awesome XTi Body price at newegg, I probably will be ordering the body from there.

I guess my lens choices have changed once again, and thanks to the influence of some, I'm thinking different combos, trying to see which one would be the best, I guess I'm bushing around the bush trying to determine what I would like to have - I never thought it would be this difficult.

Since I've be able to find a different price for the body, I will be able to afford lenses that totals at 700 or under. Once again, I want something that will be able to shoot in average light and bright light well. Types of photograph will range from close ups to landscapes.

List of Lenses [The ones I'm considering]:
Prices are listed in order of High to Low

EF 17-40mm f/4L USM - 679.95
EF 70-200mm f/4L USM - 579.95
EF 70-300m f/4-5.6 IS USM - 549.95
EF 20mm f/2.8 USM - 419.95
EF 28mm f/1.8 USM - 399.95
EF 100mm f/2.8 USM - 389.95
EF 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 USM - 369.95
EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM - 359.95
EF 85mm f/1.8 USM - 339.95
EF 50mm f/1.4 USM - 309.95
EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM - 309.95
EF 24mm f/2.8 - 289.95
EF 50mm f/1.8 II - 79.95

I personally think I probably will go with 70-200mm f/4L USM and 50mm f/1.8 II - I think that would give me the best balance in range, however no wide shots. And my other choices are 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 USM and 50mm f/1.4 USM.

Any other suggestions would be great to hear. Thanks once again, I will be orderin within the next week so I have some "time" to consider my choices.
 
Once again, I recommend the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 as a "standard range" zoom. At less than $450, it's a great bargain. The constant f/2.8 aperture makes for nice low light photography.

Couple that lens with the 70-200mm f/4L and you've got everything from semi-wide angle to telephoto. Again, the 50mm f/1.8 is just too cheap to pass up.

If you can't afford everything now, I'd get the 70-200mm f/4L and 50mm f/1.8.
You can always rent a wide zoom from many places before you go on your trip.
 
With $1500 I'd go for a RebelXT (not an XTi) for ~$500, 70-200 f/4 (or 70-300 IS), and a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. The $200 you'll save on the body gives you a much nicer wide end.
 
xti + kit lens = 675 + 550, 70-300 + 75, 50 f1.8, + 80, opteka AA battery grip, couple 4gb cf cards

if you have the option of AA you can go anywhere with your camera. if not then your stuck.

and so you know the kit lens actually allows pictures in darker places the 50 does
 
fugu said:
With $1500 I'd go for a RebelXT (not an XTi) for ~$500, 70-200 f/4 (or 70-300 IS), and a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. The $200 you'll save on the body gives you a much nicer wide end.
Click to expand...

I would agree with this. Going to Africa seems like a good opportunity to capturing many photos and you want to be prepared with a nice coverage of range. I would only stick with 2 lenses to learn on and zooms for that matter if you don't want to miss any opportunities. 70-200mm is a must IMO. 17-50mm is good if you need wide or plan to take pictures indoors. I prefer to use Tamron 28-75 as a general walkaround but I find I don't use wide much. This is a little cheaper than 17-50 and doesn't leave you with a gap between 50mm and 70mm. I like to have my ranges overlap a little so i actually use 17-35, 28-75, and 70-200. But in any cases of getting two zooms, you need to increase your budget (less on laptop?) or spend on cheaper XT body, or get some used lenses. The advantage of XTI is for dust removal and since it's more megapixels, you can crop more and go for the wider 17-50.
 
nope its because with the lower mm more light gets in.

i have a 50 f1.8 and a 28-135 is and 28-105 you get a wider opening thus allowing more light.

and a 50mm on a canon your looking at a 1.6 multiplier to every lens unless you go high end

but really for africa the s3 is will do all your asking and you can save alot of money
 
who am I - I ask said:
nope its because with the lower mm more light gets in.

i have a 50 f1.8 and a 28-135 is and 28-105 you get a wider opening thus allowing more light.

and a 50mm on a canon your looking at a 1.6 multiplier to every lens unless you go high end
Click to expand...

I'm afraid you are incorrect.

The f-stop represents how much light comes in. 50mm f1.8 has lower f-stop which means it captures more light compared to a lens with larger #s (either of your zooms).

Did you come up with your conclusion based on your own experience? Why don't you set your camera on manual. With 50mm f/1.8, change the aperature and you will notice as it goes up, your pictures will become darker. On either of your zoom lenses, set both aperature and shutter speed to some value and take various pictures are different zooms. You will notice it won't change in brightness.
 
who am I - I ask said:
nope its because with the lower mm more light gets in.

i have a 50 f1.8 and a 28-135 is and 28-105 you get a wider opening thus allowing more light.

and a 50mm on a canon your looking at a 1.6 multiplier to every lens unless you go high end

but really for africa the s3 is will do all your asking and you can save alot of money
Click to expand...

Yeah.. read what Ian wrote. Or better yet, this.
 
lan said:
But in any cases of getting two zooms, you need to increase your budget (less on laptop?) or spend on cheaper XT body, or get some used lenses. The advantage of XTI is for dust removal and since it's more megapixels, you can crop more and go for the wider 17-50.
Click to expand...

The dust removal on the XTi isn't that great. A website tested it and found it didn't do much. Also, the extra 2 megapixels won't give you that much extra crop space. The XTi does have a better autofocus system, but at this price point he's right on the edge of being able to get some really nice lenses, so I'd put the money there.
 
I never read anything on the effectiveness of the dust removal system. You have a link to this test? Which reminds me, I need to remove a few spots on my sensor. :p

Yeah 2 MP isn't much more but it's something. But I agree on definitely getting 2 zoom lenses somehow.
 
I have come to a decision, I'm opting for the XT model and I believe that I would be going with the body and not the kit, even if the kit's only 20 bucks more it's out of stock at the moment. Now what remains is the lenses and I've narrowed it down to two different ones and had I got the Rebel XT kit, I probably only will be getting one lens instead of two or even two but with a better 20 or 28mm lens along as well.

Rebel XT Body
Battery Grip
EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
Extra Batteries
Kingston Elite Pro CF 4GB
Cleaning Kit

Total ~ 2k and I don't think I could go wrong with either of the lenses. I will be reimbursed for half of my flight tickets. So that's another 1k back into my pocket and also I'll be getting some "sponsorship" funding from a non-profit organization of around 300-500 and also another 300 from my school. I would say with all of the reimbursing and so on forth I am not really paying for this set up.

Any final comments on my nearing finalized choices?
 
Go for the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 instead of the 17-40 unless you plan on getting a 5D (or 1 series =b) in the next year or so. The Tamron is faster, sharper, and has more reach. It's not an L, but it's probably the best bang-for-buck walkaround lens on a 1.6x crop camera.

Also, I'd get some Sandisk Ultra II CF cards over the Kingston. Here's a comparison of write speeds:
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007-7699

You can get spare batteries from SterlingTEK. They're a lot cheaper than the Canon brands and my dad and I have been using them for the past 2 years without any problems.

Finally, don't order from Newegg. Prices are much better at B&H (the Rebel XT body is $509 there), and they're very reputable.
 
fugu said:
Finally, don't order from Newegg. Prices are much better at B&H (the Rebel XT body is $509 there), and they're very reputable.
Click to expand...

Tamron 17-50 FTW!

Oh, and Newegg has some great prices on memory. I bought my 4GB 150x compactflash card for $50!
 
I agree on getting the Tamron 17-50, 3rd party batteries, and not from newegg. The difference in price will let you get an XTi instead if you wish.

XT = 499 @ J&R
XTi = 666 @ J&R

You should still be about the same price range.
 
For zoom Id get the Tamron 28-300, it is a great walking around lense. I have one for my Nikons. Im guessing they have one for the Cannon.
 
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