Canon Rebel XS accessories

[sportsmom1210]

We have purchased for our son the Canon Rebel XS, he is just starting out on his photography addiction....the family wants to know what else to buy him for christmas in the lines of accessories, and of hwere to buy would be helpful. Thinking remote, lenses, filters, etc.....thanks

 

[Overread]

Very tricky to answer.
Firstly we really need an idea of how much you are willing to spend on this gift.
After that we need an idea of what he has already.
Then we need an idea of what you son likes to take photos of.

Armed with that info we can give some help -

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

I would suggest a tripod, a good camera bag, a flash (Canon 430EX). Maybe a lens like the Canon EF 50mm F1.8 or the 55-200mm F4.5-5.6 IS.

You can probably find this stuff at a local camera store but if you want to buy on-line, then I'd suggest using the links on this site. B&H Photo and Adorama are very good.

 

[sportsmom1210]

Well, we bought the body came with one lens (18-55) and a bag.Looking to buy locally due to the time frame before Christmas, live in Edmonton AB.....I am thinking sports and nature will be his primary interests. Wondering about filters as well.

 

[AverageJoe]

Here's an easy answer, get him a gift card to one of the major online photo printing sites; shutterfly, kodak gallery, snapfish...

 

[Overread]

I can recomend the lens I was given - sigma 70-300 APO macro.
Its not bank breaking, has a long focal range which is beneficial to sports and wildlife and the macro feature allows one to experiment with smaller subjects as well. Make sure that you get both the APO edition and the canon version, since sigma make this lens for several different camera makes. As for the APO remember this is considered to be a budget lens, offering a lot, but not being the best at anything much - APO leads to a noticable improvment over the original.

After that get a tripod for him - this really helps out with the lens above as well.
Filters - are you thinking different coloured ones? Mostly not too essential at this stage I feel and coloured filters have little use in the digital market since one can add the same effect in basic editing programs

 

[Big Mike]

You're in Edmonton? Well hello neighbor.

As suggested, a 70-300mm might be a good choice (unless the budget allows for something better). Canon has a couple models and there are also Sigma and Tamron to choose from. These lenses will give him some 'reach' for shooting wildlife and such but they aren't ideal for sports, unless it's outdoor mid-day sports. Proper sports lenses can be very, very expensive.

As for where to buy, I would suggest McBain Camera. Their main location on 107th Ave is well stock but their many satellite (mall) stores will have the basics. McBain has a price match policy, so I'd suggest checking another Canadian store or two, to see if the price is cheaper. I usually check out www.vistek.ca and www.thecamerastore.com

I wouldn't neccearily recommend filters, most of them are obsolete now in the digital era. However, a circular polarizer is still a filter that I use a lot and highly recommend.

You might also want to think about software for editing his digital images. The camera will come with software but I would recommend looking at 'Photoshop Elements' as well.

 

[ChrisOquist]

I'm on board with those suggesting a 70-300mm lens to give him a lot more power for nature applications. It all depends on how much you want to spend though. A circular polarizer will be key for landscape-type shots. A tripod is also great.

I really enjoy my Pictosnap RF remote. A lot longer range than some of the IR remote shutter controls offered, and it works great. www.pictosnap.com. Combine this with a tripod and he'll really having fun - he can even put himself into those wide landscape shots.

I posted a bit on Christmas gifts for photographers on my blog a couple of days ago, maybe some ideas in there will be useful.

Chris

 

[ChrisOquist]

Just found this thread again after a long while.

There aren't any reviews of the wireless release I mentioned above, so I just wrote one if anyone is interested. Hope it helps!

Pictosnap Wireless Camera Remote Release

Chris