ebay kit

[darkchild]

i'm looking for a bag to carry my t2i and also a tripod that is easy to carry. found this, let me know what you think.

44? Compact Tripod for Canon Rebel SLR T1i T2i XSi XS - eBay (item 360295549875 end time Sep-29-10 11:03:05 PDT)

 

[tirediron]

With a barge-pole I would not touch that "deal". To start with, you're looking at a dealer who has had 31 negative feedback responses in a month; that's enough to make me run away right there. Next, the tripod? I wouldn't trust that to support a P&S, never mind a DSLR with a long lens. The cleaning kit? Junk! The "screen protectors"; head down to your nearest office store, rummage through their discount bin and pull out a package meant for discontinued PDA and trim to fit. The last package I got from Staples cost me all of $5 for 25.

Since the bag is a Tamarac, I'll assume the quality is fine, but is it big enough? Hard to say. Camera bags are like clothing; always best "tried on" before you buy.

Check Craig's List and your local used gear store for a decent tripod. Giottos, Manfrotto and Benbo are good names. Velbon, and Sunpak are decent. Expect to pay at least $150 for a GOOD used tripod and head. Bags can be bought used, but I generally prefer new. If you've only got a small amount of gear, say one body, two lenses and a couple of filters, you can easily find a suitable bag in the Wal-mart or other big box store camera section.

For cleaning, I recommend the Giottos Rocket, a supply of cheap, microfibre cloths and a proper lens brush with a cover. In 30 years of photography, I have NEVER used lens-cleaning "solution" on any glass. If there's something really ugly on my lens, a little bit of plain water has always done the trick.

 

[darkchild]

With a barge-pole I would not touch that "deal". To start with, you're looking at a dealer who has had 31 negative feedback responses in a month; that's enough to make me run away right there. Next, the tripod? I wouldn't trust that to support a P&S, never mind a DSLR with a long lens. The cleaning kit? Junk! The "screen protectors"; head down to your nearest office store, rummage through their discount bin and pull out a package meant for discontinued PDA and trim to fit. The last package I got from Staples cost me all of $5 for 25.

Since the bag is a Tamarac, I'll assume the quality is fine, but is it big enough? Hard to say. Camera bags are like clothing; always best "tried on" before you buy.

Check Craig's List and your local used gear store for a decent tripod. Giottos, Manfrotto and Benbo are good names. Velbon, and Sunpak are decent. Expect to pay at least $150 for a GOOD used tripod and head. Bags can be bought used, but I generally prefer new. If you've only got a small amount of gear, say one body, two lenses and a couple of filters, you can easily find a suitable bag in the Wal-mart or other big box store camera section.

For cleaning, I recommend the Giottos Rocket, a supply of cheap, microfibre cloths and a proper lens brush with a cover. In 30 years of photography, I have NEVER used lens-cleaning "solution" on any glass. If there's something really ugly on my lens, a little bit of plain water has always done the trick.

THANKS! i was at best buy and say some tripods for $50, would those also not "cut-it"?

 

[tirediron]

It really depends on the quality. The thing to bear in mind is that the tripod is the piece of equipment that you are trusting to support hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars worth of gear. It's NOT the place to save money. Look for a unit with metal hinge-joints, rather than plastic. Make sure it doesn't have the lower braces that run from the centre-column as they restrict leg movement (and are generally a sign of lower-quality gear). Make sure that it has a removable head (preferably a 'Ball' type as they're generally more versatile).

For any tripod, the rule of thumb is that it should support twice the weight of your heaviest lens/body combination. Take any tripod you're considering, set it up to it's full height and using one hand to hold the column and press it firmly to the floor, use your other to wiggle it, grab the legs, head, etc and twist, move etc. You should quickly get a sense of how 'trustworthy' it is.