how much am I spending here?

Wiggly

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Well I was just shopping around online, and although I won't be able to buy anything for about 6-8 months I was just gauging prices.

I planned on buying either an Xti or and Xsi (not sure if the megapixels and larger screen are worth the extra $100 yet) so I figured about 550-650 for the body and "stock" lens.

I'll deff want a wide angle lens, decent camera "bookbag" bag that also holds my laptop, extra batteries, a travelers tripod, and possibly a better strap.

I figured about 170-220 for the bag, but not sure on the rest. Just after some brief browsing I've seen the wide angle lenses go anywhere from $130-$700. At this point I can't tell a crappy lens from a good one so can you guys give me a guesstimation?

I know this would have to be a wide observation, but how much do you guys think I'm looking at total to get all this gear? I dont want garbage gear though I would like at least a decent level of quality.
 
well photography is an expensive hobby.. yes you can get a wide lens for 130.. but you get what you pay for.. it wont be as good quality as the 700 dollar one, but if your just a hobbiest the 130 could work for you... when i first started doing photography, i think my start up costs were around 1500-2000 that for a body, 2 lens, flash, bag, and wired hotshoe...
 
yeah deff just a hobby. I really just want to capture my travels. I'm leaving for basic in Feb and the job i'll hopefully be getting entails a ton of traveling. I got a buddy who had been to 116 different countries in 10 years with this job so hopefully i can get some great shots from around the world :)

neway yea i was thinking around 1200-1500 but figured I would asked the more experienced what they thought
 
If I could have started with a new XTi, I would have spent the extra $70 for the XSi. Also, the kit lens 18-55 isn't too bad to sorta tap into the wide angle side and to me, would be worth it instead of buying a body and an all around lens (body+$250-$400). I would also get a decent telephoto zoom lens and a nifty fifty. Here is a little breakdown shopping from Amazon.com You can shop around but this is just a general idea.

Canon XSi + kit lens = $650
Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II = $90
Canon EF 75-300 f4-5.6= $200
Needed Accessories
CF Card, Tripod, Bag =$150
Total approx = $1090

You can always pay an additional $150 and get the body only + Canon 28-105 (walk around lens). Only thing is that 28mm isn't too much of a wide angle on a crop sensor body.

Just my 2bit newbie suggestions
 
what ever you decide, make sure you buy from a reputale site...check resellerratings.com for website reviews.


oh and yes photography is expensive, I started off twith a 30d and two basic lenses 6 months ago, and have only now been able to afford my monitor calibration software , external flash and new camera bag :0 the hobby is great but adictive and you can easily spend ALOT of money
 
the only advantage you get is that whilst its an expensive hobby a lot of your purchases (especially if you spend a lot now) tend to stay with you for a long long time - so you don't have to keep re-investing in kit constantly (unless you are shooting more traditional where you will also have the developing and film costs to add in)
 
If I could have started with a new XTi, I would have spent the extra $70 for the XSi. Also, the kit lens 18-55 isn't too bad to sorta tap into the wide angle side and to me, would be worth it instead of buying a body and an all around lens (body+$250-$400). I would also get a decent telephoto zoom lens and a nifty fifty. Here is a little breakdown shopping from Amazon.com You can shop around but this is just a general idea.

Canon XSi + kit lens = $650
Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II = $90
Canon EF 75-300 f4-5.6= $200
Needed Accessories
CF Card, Tripod, Bag =$150
Total approx = $1090

You can always pay an additional $150 and get the body only + Canon 28-105 (walk around lens). Only thing is that 28mm isn't too much of a wide angle on a crop sensor body.

Just my 2bit newbie suggestions

isnt anything lower than 17 really more of a fisheye? so 18 is just about as wide angle as you could get right? unless there is a huge jump from 18-17 i guess...

also if I had the 18-55, why would I get a nifty fifty? unless is an aperature thing? yes I know nothing about lenses but im trying to learn! :)

also on the Canon EF 75mm-300mm f4-f5.6 I assume that the fstops in the name are the lowest ones you can go. so does that mean at 75mm f4 is the lowest and at the full 300mm f5.6 is the lowest?
 
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isnt anything lower than 17 really more of a fisheye? so 18 is just about as wide angle as you could get right? unless there is a huge jump from 18-17 i guess...

also if I had the 18-55, why would I get a nifty fifty? unless is an aperature thing? yes I know nothing about lenses but im trying to learn! :)
The nifty fifty will produce better images due to less lens elements, to have to work through. Prime lenses at this point will always produce better images, unless you are will to shell out major amounts of cash for the premium zooms.
This is an expensive hobby depending on what you buy. Glass will be the most expensive but, if you buy the best glass, it will be more of an investment than the bodys. This is especially true in digital, which may eventually change as they improve the bodys more so they last much longer. The amout of usable actuations has come up quite a bit from the earliest models already and, I dont see that as changing as each is an improvement over the previous.
 
isnt anything lower than 17 really more of a fisheye? so 18 is just about as wide angle as you could get right? unless there is a huge jump from 18-17 i guess...

I have a wide angle lens that is 14mm f2.8 and it is not a fisheye. Plus there are 10-20mm, 11-16mm ultra wide angle lens out there as well.
 
what ever you decide, make sure you buy from a reputale site...check resellerratings.com for website reviews.


oh and yes photography is expensive, I started off twith a 30d and two basic lenses 6 months ago, and have only now been able to afford my monitor calibration software , external flash and new camera bag :0 the hobby is great but adictive and you can easily spend ALOT of money

YES! I almost made the mistake of buying from one of those scam sites. I checked resellerratings.com and found the sites with the lower prices had ratings around 0.5-1 (out of 10.)
I bought mine at us1photo.com. Wasn't the cheapest I could find, but I'd recommend them - no hassles at all, and a good price.
 
I'll prob just go with amazon, even if its not the best price it might only be 50 dollars more than the next reliable site. I've dealt with them many times before and have never once been dissapointed.
 

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