help with Canon Rebel XTI and lens?

I have researched a lot about the XTI and figured to get this camera. I need help finding lens for this camera. My wife just had a baby and I wanted a quick camera to catch the expressions for him. Mostly my pictures will be of the family and everyday shooting. Couple times a year I go out to car races and shoot pictures from my seat. I also need help on finding stores that sell truthfully. I have a budget that I would like to stay under if possible. Is there anyone that help me with info on what I will need?

The xti with the standard kit lens is a great place to start
you will not be dissapointed especially when it comes to shooting your newborn

kids expresions change so much and so fast that you need a camera that can focus very fast

with no shutter lag to speak of Trying to shoot active kids with most P&S cameras is nothing more than an excersize in frustration
Dont scimp here your kids only grow up once

it is well worth the money to get a camera that is capable of capturing those moments
in 10 years you will be glad you had a capable camera to capture them.

To be able to shoot from your seat at the races you speak of you may need more reach than the 18-55 kit will allow
Sigma makes a great 70-300 APO that is a great lens for the price

you did not mention your budget but if the xti with the kit is in it then you cant really go wrong

tone219 said:

I have researched a lot about the XTI and figured to get this camera.
I need help finding lens for this camera. My wife just had a baby and
I wanted a quick camera to catch the expressions for him. Mostly my
pictures will be of the family and everyday shooting. Couple times a
year I go out to car races and shoot pictures from my seat. I also
need help on finding stores that sell truthfully. I have a budget
that I would like to stay under if possible. Is there anyone that
help me with info on what I will need?

Click to expand...

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Turn it clockwise ? My clock is digital, Now I cant turn my faucets off ?

Aaron,

Thank you for the insight. The XTI is in my budget of $1000! So the stock lens is good? I heard from a couple of wedding photographers that the stock lens are not good. I am new to taking pictures. Right now I use my neighbors sony cheap digital. I seam to get a ton of blurry pictures and it is slower than molasses. Is there a big difference between lens companies? I would like to build up some nice lens but slowly. Now for the million dollar question, WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO GET A CAMERA? I looked on resellerratings.com and I find it good but there are always mixed reviews? The places I've been looking at is KEH.com and US1photo.com, are they good places to get from? I am looking to get the best bang for my buck, just because I am on a tight budget. I understand that I will need to spend money to get nice lens, but I would like to get a good honest deal. If any help can be given, I would be thankful. One last question, what free programs are out there for fixing pictures?

Unless you live somewhere in the South, most of your shots of the baby for the next few months probably will be indoors with low light. Therefore, you might consider buying the "thrifty 50" 50mm f/1.8 to use as a learner and for low light purposes. It is an inexpensive ($70) lens that produces excellent photos in low light both with and without a flash and is a good lens to learn with. By next spring, you might be ready to purchase an all-purpose zoom for outdoor photography.

One of the most highly regarded on-line sources of photographic supplies is bhphotovideo.com. If you select another dealer, be sure to check resellerratings.com.

Jerry
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http://jchoate.zenfolio.com/

Buy 50mm f/1.8 that is fast (small light fallof), will allow her to get good shots at window light for best skin tones.

Examples made with Minolta 50mm f/1.7 (similar lens)





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http://www.stan-pustylnik.smugmug.com

Stan and Jerry,

Thank you for your help!!! Stan that baby is so cute. I thank you so very much for your insight!!! I am new to this site and new to photography. My next step is finding out what exactly I need to have a good camera? Flash? extras? Where to buy? Everyone has been making my camera experience a lot easier.

BHPhotovideo, Adorama, Amazon are good olnine sellers. Costco and SamsClub, Walmart have great prices too..

I would rush with 50mm f/1.8 to save first days of baby...

In first year I would add following accessories: external bounce flash with diffuser, stable tripod, Circular polarizing Filter.

Good luck you new photo hobby!
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http://www.stan-pustylnik.smugmug.com

Stan,
Thank you again for your help!!!!

tone219 said:

Aaron,
Thank you for the insight. The XTI is in my budget of $1000! So the
stock lens is good? I heard from a couple of wedding photographers
that the stock lens are not good.

Click to expand...

Wedding photographers often use the best pro lenses, to them it must seem like a toy. Actually it works pretty well in good light, and it is surprisingly distortion-free, but it's not the lens for you.

tone219 said:

I am new to taking pictures. Right
now I use my neighbors sony cheap digital. I seam to get a ton of
blurry pictures and it is slower than molasses.

Click to expand...

Yep. The XTi will be a totally different experience.

tone219 said:

Is there a big
difference between lens companies? I would like to build up some nice
lens but slowly.

Click to expand...

Canon makes good lenses, very very good lenses and not so good lenses. Sigma has some good lenses and they are very good value. There are a couple of good Tamrons too.

Probably the best all-round lens which performs reasonably well in low light is the Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4 DC. It would be a very good lens to start with and will always be a useful lens.

I agree with those who have recommended the Canon 50/1.8 - it is amazing value for money and the image quality is fantastic - but it would be a bit limiting as your only lens.

You said something in another post about cars. This is more difficult on a budget, because you need a long lens with good optics and fast focusing. That doesn't come cheap. Someone (sorry, I've forgotten who it was) suggested the Sigma 70-300 APO and that's pretty good advice. Not especially fast focusing but another very good value lens. Possibly the best choice would be the Canon 70-200 f/4L. It is actually a professional quality lens but it is much less expensive than most - partly because it now has a more expensive sibling with image stabilisation. If you can stretch to it, it will do a superb job and should last a lifetime.

tone219 said:

One last question, what free
programs are out there for fixing pictures?

Click to expand...

There is free software out there but it would probably pay you to invest in a copy of Photoshop Elements as soon as you can.

Steve,

Thank you for taking your time out to help me. I am just wanting to get the best out of pictures because my new son is more than worth it. I will take everyones advice that has been given to me. There are so many good people here and to help out a new dad is priceless. Thank you so very much again.