DSLR people: a qestion (canon Specific)

[slowSSer]

I think that i might be purchasing a Canon D300 body soon used from a friend for a wicked good price.

the question:

what lens would be a good starter?

[HardCharger]

What's your budget like?

[Rockinthecasbah]

70-200 f4L can be found for around 500 and its an awsome lens for racing shots, otherwise if you on a way low budget go for a prime lens , the 50mm 1.8 is pretty sharp and if you look around you can get the mark 1 for a around 100 bucks

[slowSSer]

Originally Posted by HardCharger

What's your budget like?

couple of hundred.

[Marshall Willanholly]

Originally Posted by slowSSer

I think that i might be purchasing a Canon D300 body soon used from a friend for a wicked good price.

the question:

what lens would be a good starter?

I use this one on my Rebel XT:

http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-Autofoc...&tag=word08-20

This one looks interesting too. I've had very good luck with Tamron lenses.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...6H2ANGGYZA1RF0

A lot depends on what you want to do with the camera.

[Rockinthecasbah]

for that price range go with a prime otherwise your going to be getting junk for sharpness , 50mm prime is an awsome everything lens you just have to get close for bike shots, I also second that tamron makes some great lenses for there higher end stuff 90mm 2.8 1:1 macro is one of the best lenses I've owned

[slowSSer]

Originally Posted by Marshall Willanholly

A lot depends on what you want to do with the camera.

basically, "D" all the above- landscape, portrait (have a 5 month old- pics are taken frequently), close-up, action/high speed, night, B&W.

[Rockinthecasbah]

Cheap and Does everything hmm just find yourself a kit lens, and be prepared for alot of post editing later on when you get more serious you can alaways buy some good glass.

[HardCharger]

Originally Posted by slowSSer

basically, "D" all the above- landscape, portrait (have a 5 month old- pics are taken frequently), close-up, action/high speed, night, B&W.

For a couple of hundred bucks and "all around" use Canon makes a very good EF28-200mm f/.5-5.6 USM. You have a range from a semi wide angle to a zoom. You can also look at SIGMA & Tamron, decent after market lenses.

[HUGH]

Did you mean 300D??
I'm a Nikon guy(I have a D200 and a D300). Lenses are lenses though.
First go here: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1031

Second : Fom all the things you listed I think You would do best with a 17-55ish zoom as your first lense. I don't know what Canon has in that range. If you plan on moving up in cameras at a later date and sticking with Canon I would spend a little more on the lense because you will use it on your next camera. Just be warned if youy get into this It gets expensive quick!!

Third : ask lots of questions!

HUGH

[KeepsWhatHappens]

Depends upon what you want to shoot with it.

The 300D has a lens multiplication factor of 1.6x. That means whatever lens you use gets multiplied by 1.6 x. That's great if you want telephoto but it gets tricky if oyu want wide angle, say less than 35mm final lensing.

That said here are two options....first of all I would stick with Canon lenses. They cost more but are worth it.

Canon 17-85mm IS USM with internal stabilization (effective 27mm-136mm)

Canon 10mm-22mm USM (effective 16mm-35mm) very wide angle

Or for less money...

Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 (effective 27mm-80mm)

You may see other lenses with longer ranges but the f-stop gets higher which means they are "slower" and cheaper-made lenses. So it's a compromise.

KeepsWhatHappens

[HardCharger]

Originally Posted by HUGH

Did you mean 300D??

I believe 300D is the same as the Rebel. Maybe it was a marketing deal w/the name change ...

Yes, DP review is a good source for answers

[slowSSer]

Originally Posted by HardCharger

I believe 300D is the same as the Rebel. Maybe it was a marketing deal w/the name change ...

Yes, DP review is a good source for answers

yes, it's a rebel.

[jeffj]

Believe it or not, the 18-55 kit lens is capable of some fine cycling shots and can easily be had for <$100. They also make a newer image stabilized version that for <$200.

I love large aperture lenses, but large aperture zooms are going to be much more $$$ and large aperture primes are both more $$$ and if you're not sure what focal length suits you best, it's easy to get a size that doesn't suit you if you don't have a lot of experience with the 1.6x crop factor.

The Canon 50 f/1.8 is cheap and capable of some very fine shots, but the AF does struggle in low light/fast action situations.

I say get the kit lens or the IS version of the kit lens and shoot for a while to learn what focal lengths suit you best. Then the answer to what lens(es) you should invest in will reveal itself to you before you risk buying lenses you won't often use.

There are actually three versions of the 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 lens:

1) 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 - This is the original "kit lens" and has neither USM (faster autofocus) nor IS (image stabilization). These can be had used for less than $100.
2) 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 USM - This has the micro-USM type autofocus and will have faster, generally more accurate autofocus. "Micro" is faster than non-USM, but not as fast as "ring-type" USM.
3) 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS - This lens has image stabilization, but not USM autofocus. It's only about $55 more than the USM (non-IS) version and would be the most desirable IMHO.

These lenses can actually perform decently in most photographic situations. It's when you put them in more demanding situations that you will find that more expensive lenses can significantly outperform them.

The good news about lenses (where your $$$ does the most good) is that they typically retain 70% to 85% of their retail value for many, many years. If you buy used, you can lose little to no money for the luxury of what could be looked at as 'extended test drives'.

The 300D is a good camera considering what they go for these days, especially if you learn to get the best from the lenses you use. I use one as a backup to my 20D.

[SheDevil]

I'm going to have to say ...if you can find the cash....a newer addition to the IS lens group by Canon is the 70-300, and a good resource if not already known to you is :

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...5_6_EF_IS.html

Just my input

[HUGH]

Originally Posted by SheDevil

I'm going to have to say ...if you can find the cash....a newer addition to the IS lens group by Canon is the 70-300, and a good resource if not already known to you is :

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...5_6_EF_IS.html

Just my input

Oh man!!! You are a camera geek as well!!
SWEET!

HUGH

[Jordansrealm]

What do you plan on shooting mostly and how much do you want to spend? This is going to make all the difference.

I personally love my Canon 17-40 f4 L lens. Great all around lens with good focal range for shooting gatherings, landscapes, vacation pics, bike pics, trails, etc.. Its in the Canon "L" glass series which means their better line of glass. You will quickly learn all of Canon's best lenses are L and have a red ring around the end of the lens. It is also regarded as one of Canon's best lenses. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._USM_Lens.html

A friend of mine uses the Canon 28-135 f3.5-5.6 IS lens for just about everything and loves it. You cant go as wide but you an reach farther. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._28_135mm.html

If you want to drop some coin checkout the Canon 24-105 f4 IS USM lens. I am thinking about adding this to my stable soon. Used it many times with great results. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...4L_IS_USM.html

[mazer75]

I am a camera geek too. I have a Canon 20D with a 24-105 f4 IS L lens as my main glass. I also use my 50mm f1.8 quite a bit, which is the best $70 lens you can buy. Between those two I haven't been using my Canon 17-40 f4L and 70-200 f4L lenses much at all. Would be willing to sell if you are interested. They are in absolutely perfect condition (I am a fanatic about babying my camera gear).

Post here or PM me if you're interested.

[MTBBill]

I have a Canon 20D that I carry on almost all rides in a open-ended soft case inside a Camelbak Havoc. The lens that is on it 98% of the time is a Tamrom AF18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di II. I have been really satisfied with it. It is a rather smallish lens for its length and it has held up well. The last thing I want to do is change lens out in the elements and it fits the bill. Nothing wrong with the 18-55 that comes with the kit for starters.

[OffRoadie]

I would buy the 50mm f/1.8 and shoot for awhile until you know what you're looking for in a lens. It's only $70 to try out.