Flashes etc.

[Ptyler22]

So After a loong search I finally ordered a Canon 40D, with it I got the 28-135mm kit lens, canon 50mm F1.8, extra battery, lens hood for the 28-135, 2 8gb cf cards, and a lowepro backpack case. I got all this for $1388. Do you think that is a fair price to pay or was it too much, I ordered it all new. I also was wondering if there are any other things you think I will want with this stuff, like flashes, filters... I shoot mostly sports and other things, but for now I am not doing portraits or anything, but I might if I decide to try and promote a buisness or what not. Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[Big Mike]

That price sounds pretty good for all that stuff.

A flash could come in very hand, depending on the type of shooting you will be doing. I suggest the 430EX or the 580EX.

One thin you seem to be lacking is a wide angle lens. I don't know why Canon is selling the 28-135mm lens as a kit with the 40D...it's much to long, in my opinion. I would suggest something that starts in the 17-18mm range.

 

[Ptyler22]

OK, Can I pick one of those up new or used for less than $100, like maybe a 17-42 or something like that?

 

[Ptyler22]

What about a battery grip, do they come with batteries in them? or can I just put the 2 batteries I have in them?

 

[Big Mike]

OK, Can I pick one of those up new or used for less than $100, like maybe a 17-42 or something like that?

The cheap option for a wider lens would be the usual Canon kit lens, EF-S 18-55mm. Everyone hates them so they can be had for dirt cheap. They are OK but not great. The best option would be the Canon EF-S 17-55mm F2.8 IS. But it's almost as expensive as the camera itself. I have the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8, which is a nice compromise between price and performance.

As for a grip, I don't think they come with batteries. But yes, you could put your two camera batteries into a grip...or even just one at a time...or 6 AA batteries.

 

[Ptyler22]

is it worth it to just have the batteries in the grip instead of having to switch them out?

 

[Big Mike]

It really depends on a lot of things. I don't have a grip, and I could probably shoot a whole wedding without changing the one battery in the camera. So A grip with two batteries would be more than I would need. That being said, a bigger lens with IS, will use up more power, using the screen a lot will use up more power etc. So it really depends.

To me, the biggest advantage of the grip is how it feels.

 

[Zansho]

Indeed. Biggest advantage is the real estate the grip offers when you're shooting. I have both of my cameras with grips, and I'll never go back without.

I also believe the grip adds more FPS with two batteries in the grip? I could be wrong, not 100% sure on that one.

You can pick up some used 430 EX's for cheap if you know where to look - places like KEH is a good place to start.

 

[Ptyler22]

I got 2 transcend 8gb 133x write speed cards. I am assuming that these will work on a 40d right? also if they do work how many pictures you think I can get from a burst with it? anybody use one on their 40d?

 

[Big Mike]

I also believe the grip adds more FPS with two batteries in the grip? I could be wrong, not 100% sure on that one.

That's true of some Nikons...not Canons though.

I got 2 transcend 8gb 133x write speed cards. I am assuming that these will work on a 40d right? also if they do work how many pictures you think I can get from a burst with it? anybody use one on their 40d?

As long as they are CF cards, they should work just fine.
The number of photos you can shoot in a burst, is more dependant on the camera's internal memory buffer, than on the card. It also depends on the recording mode (RAW will be a fair bit slower than JPEG). Once the buffer is full, then the shooting rate will slow down as the camera writes the files to the card. This is where the speed of the card comes into play. But for normal shooting, including short bursts, is the camera not the card that matters. The 40D should be really good in that regard.

 

[notelliot]

It really depends on a lot of things. I don't have a grip, and I could probably shoot a whole wedding without changing the one battery in the camera...

...To me, the biggest advantage of the grip is how it feels.

sorry, OT:

holy crap, mike! how do you not get carpel tunnel shooting weddings without a grip?!

:hail:

 

[Big Mike]

The grips on my 20Ds are a fair size and feel pretty good.
Plus, I use the short ends of my OP-Tech straps as wrist straps.

I would buy a grip, but I just can't seem to justify the price. I'm sure that once I used one for a while, I'd love it...but I'm just not there yet.

 

[Ptyler22]

Yep the card works and it works well, I shot a long burst to see if it kept up and it did just fine, I think I did like 60 or so but it was such a long time. I realized that when I am really shooting the longest burst I would do it maybe 2 seconds, so it will get the job done and mooore.

The camera is all I expected and more but the only problem is getting pictures onto the computer, with my sd cards I plugged them into my printer. I plugged the cf card into the cf slot on the printer and it didn't read it. As we speak I am installing the solution software, do I need to do that to upload the pictures onto the computer?

 

[Big Mike]

You should be able to off load the card just like any other card. It may be possible that the printer is having trouble with recognizing the cards because they are so large...but i don't know.

You might try a separate card reader, they are usually $20.

 

[Ptyler22]

Yep I got it to work. My next question is, there is a button that the symbol looks like and asterik * and it makes the flash go off, just once. What is that used for? And there are 2 settings for on, there is on and there is the upside down and twisted L. I tried to figure it out in the manual but it didn't make sense, what is that used for? Thanks guys. This camera ROCKS