Canon XSI

[bull77]

Anyone have or use this camera? I'm probably picking one up for my wife's birthday at the end of the month, and wanted to hear some feedback.http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos450d/

[Mrizzle05]

A very nice camera... i have the rebel XT which is like the lil brother to that and the XTI.if you can get it at a good price its a great cam.theres some sites that have comparisons and stuff on that versus say a nikon d60 or d80 which would compare to that one.good luck on your purchase... and SLRs are really fun!

[2ruSpeed]

I have an XTi and am very happy with it, plus there is more lense selection compared to others out there.The new XSi is a good camera. I think it's more user friendly for first time SLR users since it now has the live view feature.

[ClunkClunk]

I have an XTi, and I'm quite pleased. I'm sure the XSi will just be that much better.There's some minor qualms I have, like how Canon keeps changing the specs of their tethered shooting software, so third party apps like Lightroom and Aperture can't shoot tethered with newer Canon DSLRs, but at least the included Canon EOS utilities are usable enough.Whatever you get, make sure you consider buying the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens. It's dirt cheap (~$85 on Amazon), but is a great value for a fixed focal length fast lens. It's certainly not "pro" level, but it gives you another dimension over the included kit lens for not too much more money. I've been really pleased with it for natural light portraits.

[bull77]

I was looking at the 50mm and getting a telephoto lens. Probably going with the 55-250 instead of the 75-300 because of the IS feature.One thing I noticed with the XSI is the hand grip is to narrow compared to other models.

[bull77]

I've only read great things about the 50mm lens --- so should I just buy the XSI body and the 50mm lens. I could then buy the 55-250 lens for zoom.would they complement each other or will I be missing out?50mmhttp://www.futureshop.ca/catal...catid=55-250m ... g/...26562

[Mrizzle05]

the price for that lens isnt bad... i mean the IS lens are pretty expensive.the 55-250 is prolly a better buy then the 300 lens.

[ClunkClunk]

The 50mm is a fixed length (i.e. no zoom) lens. It's a somewhat special purpose lens, not really a day to day lens, particularly for novices as its fixed length can feel very limiting at first.Is your wife new to DSLRs and doesn't have a cache of lenses she already owns? If so, I'd be sure to get a lens with a decent range, like the kit or the 55-250, and get the 50mm in addition at some point.

[kaybeejay]

I disagree that a 50mm is not good for novices.If you want an SLR for "snapshots" then go for a modest zoom lens that normally comes packaged with a kit.If you are truly serious about learning PHOTOGRAPHY - then stay away from the zoom lenses and start off with the 50mm f1.8. The reason is, that this will force you to practice composition and you will actually get to see the huge differences in your photos when you choose f1.8 vs f20. A kit zoom simply does not have that sort of f-range.My first SLR back in 1992 came with ONLY a fixed 50mm. I also happened to have a 35mm with it. I learned valuable lessons back then about shutter, aperture, ISO and composition. It wasn't until later that I got a zoom lens.Now, when I want to take pictures that really matter- I always reach for one of the fixed lenses (28mm, 50mm, 85mm, etc). When I feel lazy and don't want to change lenses - I'll reach for the 18-200, 18-70, etc.So ask yourself this..... Do you want snapshots or do you want to learn photography?

[Mrizzle05]

1. I love you avatar... haha2. good write up...as i am tryin to LEARN photography, i love snapshots too. i only have the kit lens right now, but i wanna get a decent macro lens and smaller lens for photography.your write up helped a lil

[ClunkClunk]

Quote, originally posted by kaybeejay »I disagree that a 50mm is not good for novices.If you want an SLR for "snapshots" then go for a modest zoom lens that normally comes packaged with a kit.If you are truly serious about learning PHOTOGRAPHY - then stay away from the zoom lenses and start off with the 50mm f1.8. Quite true! I should have substituted my "not for newbies" to more of "not for point and shoot" photographers.The limitations of a fixed lens does force composition to come in to consideration much more often, thus enhancing the thought put in to your photographs, but in some cases can frustrate people who are looking for a simple, easy to use setup (though in that circumstance, an SLR might be a bad choice anyway).

[bull77]

Quote, originally posted by kaybeejay »I disagree that a 50mm is not good for novices.If you want an SLR for "snapshots" then go for a modest zoom lens that normally comes packaged with a kit.If you are truly serious about learning PHOTOGRAPHY - then stay away from the zoom lenses and start off with the 50mm f1.8. The reason is, that this will force you to practice composition and you will actually get to see the huge differences in your photos when you choose f1.8 vs f20. A kit zoom simply does not have that sort of f-range. So ask yourself this..... Do you want snapshots or do you want to learn photography?My wife will be using it and she wants to get better at photography and get the most out of the slr. So I'll pick up the 50 for her and wait on the zoom. Thanks!

[wyatt89]

The canon 50mm f/1.8 is the cheapest lens canon makes and it's one of my personal favorites. It's extremely sharp and has beautiful bokeh. I would get the 50 and then get a wide angle zoom of some sort, the kit lens will do fine for that...

[bull77]

Well I picked up the camera gear last week.Canon XSI with 18-55mm lensCanon 50mm f/1.8 lenCanon camera bag with uv filter/extra battery