Canon EOS 300D

[Lazieke]

Hello,

I'm new to photography and decided to replace the cheap point and click camera.
After reading several reviews I decided to buy the Canon 300D, a bit more then I was going to spend on a camera but it looks like I'll be getting quality for my money.
Looking for help in my final descision, should I buy the kit (300D with lens 18-55 mm) or buy just the camera and an other lens ? For the moment it's going to be used mainly for taking pictures of my 3 month old son.
Anybody know a site where you can see photos taken with the different types of zoom ? I find it difficult to visualize the difference between for example 18-55 and 28-90 .

Thanks,

Gunther.

[jamison55]

Gunther,

I really depends on what you will be taking pictures of, and what conditions the picture taking will occur in. Most will say that the kit lens is a good value giving you a wide angle to moderate telephoto for $100. Most will also recommend the 50mm Mark II f1.8 for an additional $80. The 50mm is incredibly sharp with a wide aperture for those low-light pictures without a flash. I use this lens for all of my paid portrait work. I bought the first two, and rounded out my collection with a Sigma 55-200 DC lens. The Sigma picks up where the kit lens leaves off giving me a telephoto effective range of 85-300. Total cost of the camera with the three lenses was about $1200.

I find that www.photosig.com is a good place to look for lens quality. If you go to the photo tab, there is a link on the left to search by lens. Click it and the largest list of lenses you have ever seen will appear. Choose the lens you are looking for, to launch a gallery of photos taken with that lens. www.pbase.com is good as well. Use the search feature to search for the lens you want.

[D70FAN]

I would recommend the 18-55 kit lens. It is much more versitile than the 28-90, which is why it is kitted with the camera.

When you use an SLR lens originally designed for 35mm (this includes all digital SLR lenses as well) you need to use a focal length multiplier. On the dReb this is 1.6x.

This means that the 18mm to 55mm kit lens is now equvalent to 28.8mm to 88mm. While there is a negative impact on the WA side, there is a positive impact on the telephoto side.

If you opt for the non-kit 28mm - 90mm lens you have the equivalent of 44.8mm to 144mm and you lose the Wide Angle capability.

At the wide angle (18mm "kit" or 28mm non"kit") visualize a picture and then crop it 35%. That's what you are loosing on the wide angle side between the two lenses you are asking about.

Hope this helps.

[Lazieke]

George, Jamison,

Thank you for the excellent advice , I think the 18-55 mm will be all I need for the moment. I'll start with this one and and later on when I'm more experienced with the camera, I can always buy a lens more suited to specifique needs, like telelens.

Greetings,

Gunther.