Ok, I'm about to get my first DSLR. After much research, I've settled on the Canon XSi kit with the 18-55mm kit lens.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-Camera-18-55mm-3-5-5-6/dp/B0012YA85A

Amazon also has a promotion where I can get $100 off if i also purchase the Canon 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS telephoto zoom lens, which would be an additional $144 after the discount.

Should I
a) get the body only and the telephoto?
b) stick with the kit lens?
c) get the kit and the telephoto?

I'm also planning on picking up a Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM in the near future.

So, for a complete DSLR n00b, what do y'all think?

1/14/2009 1:29:58 PM

Quote :

"she's quite hot though... and according to facebook stalking, she's single... lol"

only one way i can let you get away with saying that.... of course my parents are good looking. good genes in this family

[Edited on January 14, 2009 at 1:33 PM. Reason : and shes a widow ]

1/14/2009 1:33:27 PM

I'd say get just the body and the 50 prime lens. You'd never use sub standard zooms again. On second thoughts, get the cheap stuff first cause then you won't go into debt.

Honestly, just get the body with kit lens and play with that around first. See if you need more magnification for the shots you like to do then look around for telephoto zooms. Look at sigma and other 3rd party glass as most of them make better quality zoom lens for the same price of canon's line of consumer shit.

Those kit lens make my eye's bleed when I use them. They are soft as hell, and with the XSi, it's a lot more apparent at those res. Shit, on the Xti with the kit, I'd have to reduce the resolution to sharpen, smart sharpen and run it through the noise filter to be decent for me. At least the kit glass from Nikon are actually pretty sharp.

^haha, setup a date? lol "hey, I'll take the pics down if you go on a blind date with a buddy of mine"

[Edited on January 14, 2009 at 1:39 PM. Reason : lol]

1/14/2009 1:38:11 PM

For those interested. Pretty good deal for an 8GB SD card
http://www.woot.com/

1/16/2009 10:09:35 AM

That SD card sucks...Class 4 might be ok for point and shoots but don't try any burst in RAW with that card.

Bobby what do you plan on shooting? That will determine what kind of lens to get.

Not knowing I'd say go ahead and get the kit w/ the telephoto too. For that price you can use the 55-250 for a year and probably break even when you go to sell it and upgrade to a better lens. That way you'll have some reach b/c honestly 55mm isn't all that much, especially if you like to shoot outdoors.

I have the XS, little brother to the XSi, with the kit, 70-300mm, 50mm f/1.8, and soon 28-75 f/2.8. I wish now I'd spent the extra $100 on the 55-250 just b/c it's better quality and has IS. I've used the kit a lot but I see it getting a lot less use starting next week. The 50mm is a great lens but if you want to do anything remotely wide angle it's out. Great for portraits and low light though. Like I said it all depends on what you want to shoot.

My guess is you are going to be taking lots of pics of your daughter inside the house, so I'd highly recommend a flash over another lens. I got the 430EX-II and it has made a HUGE difference in the quality of my indoor photos.

1/16/2009 10:20:21 AM

This one might be better then. I use CF cards so I am not sure but thought I'd pass on the info.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208293

1/16/2009 1:36:23 PM

^^

Thanks for the info, I just ended up ordering the kit with a few class 6 SDHC cards. You're right, I will be taking lots of pictures of my daughter, which was the "get the green light from the wife justification" but also want to get into outdoor shooting as well.

I'm only mad that I waited this long to get a DSLR. I spent $900 on a powershot pro 1 4 years ago, and while it's marginally better than pocketsize point and shoot, it wasn't worth the price premium. At the time, another $200 would have got me an entrylevel DSLR.

It should be coming in today, i'm excited.

1/16/2009 1:49:05 PM

heh, last night I attempted to shoot the hurricanes game with my medium format. Actually got some pretty decent shots maybe got only 1 OOF out of the 18 I shot. definately something different and got some strange looks from the other photog's.

1/16/2009 5:28:56 PM

http://www.jr.com/canon/pe/CAN_EFS18_hy_200MM/?JRSource=linkshare&SiteID=lw9MynSeamY-ev9%2FW6ByMwcn8eh0*W9Yyw

Canon 2752B002 EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS - $395

1/17/2009 2:15:30 PM

Shit lens.

1/17/2009 2:28:18 PM

it's not bad, but the Nikon and Tamron versions are better. The tamron 18-270 is actually pretty damn sharp in the 50-100 range, but really sucks on wide and telephoto. Would make it a decent traveler lens when you can only bring one lens. Not me though... I can hike 15 miles in a day with 80lbs of gear on.

1/17/2009 5:12:51 PM

Quote :

"I can hike 15 miles in a day with 80lbs of gear on"

That would be pretty rough.

1/17/2009 8:00:12 PM

I'd just take them down, jbaz.

1/18/2009 12:38:48 AM

This page is suffering from a lack of photos. I'll post some mediocre shit just to spice it up a bit. Most of this is stuff I randomly come across while at work.

Some doors at a blacksmith in Hillsborough.

Racks of metal pipes at said blacksmith.


Water fountains at an empty RBC Center.


Break room.


Bev Purdue doing her first governor stuff.


Ryan Bowen, some dude from Oregon that rode his bike from LA to D.C. for Inauguration. I met up with him in Goldsboro at a bike shop and talked to him for a bit. He was a pretty cool dude.


Ladders.


My car on 40 the other day .

1/18/2009 12:46:36 AM

i would probably buy a print of that ladder shot

not at kiwi prices of course, but i find the lines, composition, and colors all stunning

1/18/2009 12:53:59 AM

^^I will do the same.









[Edited on January 18, 2009 at 12:55 AM. Reason : .]

1/18/2009 12:54:45 AM

sweet stuff ronny

[Edited on January 18, 2009 at 1:36 AM. Reason : 'cept for the car]

1/18/2009 1:32:40 AM

yeah ronny, I always liked your abstract photo's. I always shoot random stuff like that but never know how to file them, plus mine never turns out as creative as I would have thought.

1/18/2009 1:42:40 AM

some club pix








I find this one hysterical


[Edited on January 18, 2009 at 9:41 PM. Reason : ]

1/18/2009 9:38:36 PM

Your club pictures look like something from a movie. I've never been to a club like that around here.. what city is it?

1/18/2009 9:43:43 PM

Quote :

"Is this showing off your photographer skills or are you just trying to win points with the hard ons???"

Lets see... humm... I'm in the Digital SLR thread... and posting pics... what are you doing? being a complete asshat. GTFO, we've all be patient with you and try to help you, but your hostilities are really annoying. If you don't like it, start your own picture thread and crop every picture you have at 30 degree's with vignetting.

Yeah, that was at Mosquito and was Mike's bday party. Bout to head out to go take some breakdancin pics

1/18/2009 10:04:36 PM

^my brother is on his way from Greensboro for that competition!

1/18/2009 10:06:30 PM

^^i think theyre really good considering the atmosphere and lighting you have in there (dim and lots of motion)

[Edited on January 18, 2009 at 10:07 PM. Reason : ^]

1/18/2009 10:06:43 PM

I find it funny how ppl think my pics look like clubs NOT from NC. I'm probably going over to Vegas or NYC for spring break for some really cool nightlife pics.

1/18/2009 10:26:05 PM

Just sayin, no one liked your photos until they had t&a in them

Coincidence maybe?

1/18/2009 10:30:22 PM

103

1/18/2009 10:31:12 PM

I went to the outer banks the other weekend, so I was shooting in portrait most of the trip















I heard this is the brightest full moon of the year. I think that was my favorite part.





full set of the two day trip
http://flickr.com/photos/ljabbottjr/sets/72157612583482634/

1/18/2009 10:44:48 PM

^^Love the last photo! And Ocracoake is awesome, all tucked away and easy to miss. I love the twisty tree that's right next to the pathway.

1/18/2009 10:52:18 PM

maybe you don't like my pictures, but that's your own opinion. I just don't respect your opinion, nor do some others on here for the fact that you are a stuck up bitch with too much hormones to see past your own dick. I'm not here to impress or "show off", I'm here to show my work and if you like it, good, if not, tell me why or give hints. I'll take CC when I can since most people have their own interests and perspective even if you aren't a pro or good at it. People see different things when looking at the same picture. We all don't think alike, if we did, we'd all be cropping unnecessarily at 45 degree's all the time.

But seriously, I've been more than helpful in here and so has other photog's with various experiences towards you kiwi. Ronny was probably the 1st to mouth you off, but that's exactly the sentiments of others on here. We never stop learning in this field/hobby and if you have a passion for it, good. Learn from you mistakes, drop your attitude and move on. You don't learn if people aren't brutally honest with you. I defiantly improved when I stopped defending my work and just let people CC the crap out of my photos.

Go shoot some new stuff, post it and don't take CC personally unless they are just flaming like you.

1/19/2009 2:09:36 AM

'Scuse me but the crop is in camera ok Even then I've lightened up on that. I'm just tired of people making stupid ass comments that don't help anybody, and you joined in on that.

1/19/2009 2:21:00 AM

hey, when you showed that pic, I told you in a nice way that a harsh angle like that for that particular subject, such as the duck, was pretty distracting and was working against your composition. I'm all about some tilts, but only when it enhances the composition and use other design elements to bring the picture together. You can only do so much to a boring shot till it becomes a boring/dizzy shot. That's probably why I don't do nature shots, it just seems boring to me.

1/19/2009 2:28:09 AM

Quote :

"crazy angle at a boring bird... "

Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that was you being nice. My bad. Oh and all those other insults on the other pages were nice too? Silly me!!

[Edited on January 19, 2009 at 2:31 AM. Reason : my goodness!]

1/19/2009 2:31:28 AM

If you can't take it, GTFO. If you think I'm being harsh, or others on here being harsh about your photo's, you can either do two things.

1. laugh it off, learn from your mistakes
2. GTFO

And seriously, this is the internet... TWW for that... in chit chat... and I think it's a bit naive to think there won't be any shit throwing here. I mean if you want to flame away, go ahead. I won't care if you call my pics shit. Whatever. I post them up when I feel like it. There's this thing called a scroll feature built into every browser. Use it.

1/19/2009 4:51:21 AM

Aaaaaaaand this is why I don't post in here.

1/19/2009 7:27:04 AM

JBaz. this thread was intended to be one of the view threads that didn't have shit throwing. The one section where people didn't have to interject their attitudes or constant "i know better" quips. but yes, it is TWW and in proper TWW fashion it was bout to be fucked up soon.

this thread went from welcoming to excluding.

i've seen people in this thread actually slowly but surely move from one side appreciator to critic slowly. I'm annoyed with it. and i'm done with it. at least you won't have to worry about me saying anything else on the matter in this thread.

PS. this was spurred by your last comment and I also looked back and saw that kiwi's comment toward you was very uncalled for.

[Edited on January 19, 2009 at 8:02 AM. Reason : ps]

1/19/2009 7:56:46 AM

So...since my question went unanswered like 2 or 3 pages ago, I'm going to ask again:

What does everyone use to modify their flash while it is ON-camera (when bouncing off a ceiling or wall isn't an option)?

1/19/2009 8:18:04 AM

^a pop-up flash?

1/19/2009 9:58:24 AM

Quote :

"CLEAR FILM CANNISTER"

1/19/2009 10:06:03 AM

im seriously about to lock this thread mainly b/c of Kiwi deliberately trying to derail it.

to me, it seems that Kiwi is the only one trolling. everyone else is offering constructive criticism; albeit some of that is and has been pretty harsh. but that is the nature of learning, getting better and shooting with more control.

if nothing else, use that CC as a tool to "show them ole meanies on TWW" that you do have skill and you are serious about the hobby.

instead of locking this thread...i may take a few hours and really clean this shit up.

thoughts/ prayers?

1/19/2009 10:11:11 AM

Got this photo last month when we went to Williamsburg.

1/19/2009 10:30:29 AM

gunzz, is there any way you can rotate the page about 30 degrees counter clockwise, because that would go a long way to making kiwi happy and then she would stop trolling the thread so much

also her pictures would appear to have level horizons

1/19/2009 10:32:34 AM

capncrunch,

Quote :

"^a pop-up flash?"

no, a speedlight

1/19/2009 10:45:24 AM

haha gunzz you're blaming me?? All I'm doing is posting pictures and people who dislike my screen name or decide to hop on the troll train talk shit instead of actually offering criticism. Jbaz completely contradicted himself up there and you're actually sticking up for him (another sign the troll bus has pulled into town and another wants a ride!) This thread can burn in Hell, it's not helped ANYBODY recently except to maybe turn some otherwise shitty photog's into self proclaimed elitist who have think they have the right to tear apart anyone else.

And don't call it "tough" criticism, there's nothing constructive in continuously insulting someone's work without telling them how to make it better.

FUCK THIS THREAD

1/19/2009 10:52:23 AM

Quote :

"im seriously about to lock this thread mainly b/c of Kiwi deliberately trying to derail it."

Please don't do that.
Instead, give her a warning, and suspend her if she continues.

1/19/2009 10:53:19 AM

I have learned a tremendous amount from this thread AND been helped by it...

I AM a little timid to post pictures though since I'm only starting to produce things worth seeing... but then again I've only had my camera for a month and a half and a worthwhile lens for 2 weeks...

I'd say it's more along the lines of "no boring or obviously bad photo's" deserve to be posted that keep me from blatantly posting crap... I would say SOME people don't follow this quite as well as others and others post consistently AWESOME stuff...

that being said... flickr has its upload limit... facebook I haven't been able to hotlink to... as with webshots... I know this question has been asked countless times but "search" sucks and there are 100 pages... so other than hosting your own stuff, IS there a good site to hotlink from?

and just so I'm posting SOMETHING

(Untouched, from Zion National Park on a sigma 10-20)

(Untouched from Utah)

(Untouched from Price Utah)


And then I'm constantly frustrated by my laptop screen showing up very differently than a CRT and print version being completely different... so I'm having difficulty with adjusting the exposures, suggestions that don't include $3k monitors?

[Edited on January 19, 2009 at 11:13 AM. Reason : transmitted light versus reflected light]

1/19/2009 11:06:34 AM

I really like the pro membership with flickr. I used to use webshots and some other site of which I can't remember the name. flickr rocks, hands down. my opinion, anyway

1/19/2009 11:11:18 AM

Quote :

"from Zion National Park on a sigma 10-20"

I hate you.

Try pages.google.com, for hotlinking.

1/19/2009 11:11:43 AM

Pro is the best way to go

1/19/2009 11:12:26 AM

I <3 my sigma ultrawide... but I was a little over-infatuated the first 3 days of my trip and used it a lot of times when I shouldn't have... fortunately anytime we were at a major site of interest I shot with all my lenses and made a best effort...

I'm currently hunting for a 50mm mf for ~$50...

1/19/2009 11:23:22 AM

Not just the lens - the place, too

1/19/2009 11:27:53 AM