New to Canon 400D

[flightspeed]

Been cracking my head which to get since comex . Tested the D80 , A100 , 400D ... got a D70s to play with for this weekend too . Made up my mind to get the 400D prefer its compact size .

Have heard that the kit lens for the 400D is not that fantastic . Now with an extra $400 to spend . I'll need a sharp lens n i m lookin at the 50mm 1.8 . Also need a zoom lens , no need to zoom until m'sia type, maybe a 135 mm or 200 mm ?

With my budget of $400 , is it enuff ?

[Stratix]

Originally Posted by flightspeed Been cracking my head which to get since comex . Tested the D80 , A100 , 400D ... got a D70s to play with for this weekend too . Made up my mind to get the 400D prefer its compact size . Have heard that the kit lens for the 400D is not that fantastic . Now with an extra $400 to spend . I'll need a sharp lens n i m lookin at the 50mm 1.8 . Also need a zoom lens , no need to zoom until m'sia type, maybe a 135 mm or 200 mm ? With my budget of $400 , is it enuff ?

if you want something cheap and long, try the Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 DG APO. Great cheap lens (about $260 2nd hand?) and offers loads of range. sharp wide open somemore.

[NightZ88]

Originally Posted by flightspeed Been cracking my head which to get since comex . Tested the D80 , A100 , 400D ... got a D70s to play with for this weekend too . Made up my mind to get the 400D prefer its compact size . Have heard that the kit lens for the 400D is not that fantastic . Now with an extra $400 to spend . I'll need a sharp lens n i m lookin at the 50mm 1.8 . Also need a zoom lens , no need to zoom until m'sia type, maybe a 135 mm or 200 mm ? With my budget of $400 , is it enuff ?

Originally Posted by Stratix if you want something cheap and long, try the Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 DG APO. Great cheap lens (about $260 2nd hand?) and offers loads of range. sharp wide open somemore.

oh.. come on. e kit lens is nt dat bad as it is claimed to be.. esp. for e price it is worth.
if u wan, get the Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 DG APO.. alot of ppl get dat for a start. together wif e kit lens, u almost haf a range frm 18-300 (save for e 55-70 range).. compliment it wif a fast lens like e 50 f1.8 and u'll be ready to go.

[nicekit]

Originally Posted by flightspeed Been cracking my head which to get since comex . Tested the D80 , A100 , 400D ... got a D70s to play with for this weekend too . Made up my mind to get the 400D prefer its compact size . Have heard that the kit lens for the 400D is not that fantastic . Now with an extra $400 to spend . I'll need a sharp lens n i m lookin at the 50mm 1.8 . Also need a zoom lens , no need to zoom until m'sia type, maybe a 135 mm or 200 mm ? With my budget of $400 , is it enuff ?

got lens that can ZOOM until m'sia one ah?!?!

which one?!?!


btw same question:
if i were to get a Canon 400D
and i wanna replace their kit lens..
i dun really need zoom.. maybe equivalent of 3X zoom is ok..
but mostly for potrait, and landscape ...
must be sharp..

which lens is good?
budget around 300 dollar.. brand new
and if can get second hand .. better still but i dunno how to test if the lens is OK :O

[jbma]

Originally Posted by nicekit got lens that can ZOOM until m'sia one ah?!?! which one?!?! btw same question: if i were to get a Canon 400D and i wanna replace their kit lens.. i dun really need zoom.. maybe equivalent of 3X zoom is ok.. but mostly for potrait, and landscape ... must be sharp.. which lens is good? budget around 300 dollar.. brand new and if can get second hand .. better still but i dunno how to test if the lens is OK :O

Stick to the kit lens. Your $300 budget is not going to get you a much superior lens. Play with what you've got first. Know your camera inside out. Only then should you save up to get a better lens.

[blurboiboi]

top up abit more get the tamron 17-50mm F2.8.... about $650....
just make sure it is a good copy... my friend's copy is razor sharp... but i have gotten a faulty one (under servicing now)....

[flightspeed]

Huh ?!!! lens got copy version ?! Geez ... anyway i prefer SIGMA's , any difference between TAMRON n SIGMA ?

[Hoky]

Originally Posted by flightspeed Huh ?!!! lens got copy version ?! Geez ... anyway i prefer SIGMA's , any difference between TAMRON n SIGMA ?

Sigma has great lens, but lousy quality control...

[nicekit]

Originally Posted by jbma Stick to the kit lens. Your $300 budget is not going to get you a much superior lens. Play with what you've got first. Know your camera inside out. Only then should you save up to get a better lens.

in what budget sense then i will get something much more superior based on what i needed

[wanzw]

the sigma 70-300 DG APO will suit your budget then. pair it up with a 50mm prime. cannot go wrong like that.

ever considered getting a flash?

[jbma]

Originally Posted by nicekit in what budget sense then i will get something much more superior based on what i needed

600 - 700

[flightspeed]

Originally Posted by wanzw the sigma 70-300 DG APO will suit your budget then. pair it up with a 50mm prime. cannot go wrong like that. ever considered getting a flash?

Dont the cam already come with flash ?

[ExplorerZ]

Originally Posted by flightspeed Dont the cam already come with flash ?

you will learn about the limit very soon...
anyway beside the tamron 17-50, you can also consider a tamron (again) 28-75 f2.8. know to be pretty sharp and quite comparable to the 50mm f1.8 from some of the review.
as for tele lens, with that $400 budget, you might want to consider the sigma 70-300 or tamron 70-300 (tamron one is tad cheaper than sigma, but sigma got a slight edge in terms of build/quality)

[panzerpunk]

Originally Posted by flightspeed Dont the cam already come with flash ?

Yes, it does come wtih flash but this flash produces very harsh effects. An external flash will produce much more satisfying results.

[hobbit6003]

My honest opinion is,

If you're getting a dslr and then going to stinge on the lenses, why not get a PnS? I think they do a great job too at lower prices.

And if you're going to pick up photography as a hobby, then you should know that this is an expensive hobby, and it may be better off to re-visit this hobby only when you've gotten reasonable financial resources to do so.

That said, however, I think the 50mm f1.8 is a great lens to get, buy it, learn to use it first, and keep the loose change.

Cheers,

Kenny

[jsbn]

Originally Posted by flightspeed Been cracking my head which to get since comex . Tested the D80 , A100 , 400D ... got a D70s to play with for this weekend too . Made up my mind to get the 400D prefer its compact size . Have heard that the kit lens for the 400D is not that fantastic . Now with an extra $400 to spend . I'll need a sharp lens n i m lookin at the 50mm 1.8 . Also need a zoom lens , no need to zoom until m'sia type, maybe a 135 mm or 200 mm ? With my budget of $400 , is it enuff ?

First of all, had u asked urself, "What is ur purpose in getting ur SLR system?"

It seems that u currently have a ton of cash, not knowing what u urself want which is the best receipe for disaster. U 'heard that' kit lens 'not very fantastic', but the point is, have u even tried it? Do u even know the camera and the lens other den the usual, "I heard that... I think...".

U dun even know what the kit lens is capable of and looked down upon the very basic equipment that comes with ur camera even before buying, how can u even think of getting good photos?

In short, dun even think of 50mm f/1.8 until u'd learnt ur camera and the kit lens to know sufficiently what u want to shoot. If not, even if its juz $120 for the 50mm f/1.8, u'll still be wasting ur money.

[Hoky]

Originally Posted by jsbn First of all, had u asked urself, "What is ur purpose in getting ur SLR system?" It seems that u currently have a ton of cash, not knowing what u urself want which is the best receipe for disaster. U 'heard that' kit lens 'not very fantastic', but the point is, have u even tried it? Do u even know the camera and the lens other den the usual, "I heard that... I think...". U dun even know what the kit lens is capable of and looked down upon the very basic equipment that comes with ur camera even before buying, how can u even think of getting good photos? In short, dun even think of 50mm f/1.8 until u'd learnt ur camera and the kit lens to know sufficiently what u want to shoot. If not, even if its juz $120 for the 50mm f/1.8, u'll still be wasting ur money.

Harsh but good comments.
jsbn is right... stick around with your kit lens first.
If you think you need to spend some money, look at the essentials... dry-box, tripod.. etc.
Whats the point of having more lenses when you are leaving them to "rot" in the open?

Lenses and flash systems can wait, at least till you learn how to use your camera properly.
Brush up on your composition and techniques in the mean time.
Nevertheless said, it's your money and your choice...

[wanzw]

it depends on what you shoot also. i take a lot of low light protraits WITHOUT the use of flash. iso 1600 can barely hit 1/25 at full 1.8. that's how bad the lighting condition is. yup. that's why i need an external flash. i only fired the on board twice. lol.

if you take shots outside i guess the kit lens will be good enough to deliver.

[xtn32]

I'd recommend a Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di Macro (though it's kinda off from your budget . . . it's going for around S$560 - S$580) . . . coz for me, this is a very versatile lens . . . great as a walkabout and for travelling . . . perfect for a beginner like me

It's AF is a lot faster that it's Sigma counterpart . . . and it seems to have richer colours . . . but the Sigma one is cheaper (around S$490) . . . but both have Macro feature

. . . And yes, the kit lens is actually not as bad as what other have claimed . . . just got the 400d as well, and i'm keeping the kit lens as it might come in handy

Also, like what others have mentioned . . . know your camera first . . . have fun!

[Stoned]

Originally Posted by panzerpunk Yes, it does come wtih flash but this flash produces very harsh effects. An external flash will produce much more satisfying results.

Actually this isn't really true. If you understand how a flash system works, you can produce good results even with the onboard flash. The key problem with the built in flash is that you cannot modify the light(bounce, tilt, redirect, off-camera,etc.) and also the guide number.