Now here's a stupid question

[JahLynJie]

I've been browsing around Canon.com and Amazon.com this morning. I'm not looking to buy anything in the near future- more or less just adding to my wish list.

But, being that I'm new to all this photography stuff, I've ended up a little confused (not a rarity for me lol).

I was looking specifically at the Canon Rebel XT and XTi.
Now, on the Amazon.com page for the XTi, it states that the body is $665.88, the lens kit being $737.00

Alright, prepare to laugh at my silly question. Does "body only" literally mean... body only? I mean, no lens at all?
And the lens kit is the body and lens, right? Or is it just the lens?

Egh, sorry. Sometimes I'm a little slow.

 

[gmarquez]

IDoes "body only" literally mean... body only? I mean, no lens at all?

Yes.

And the lens kit is the body and lens, right?

Yes.

Sometimes I'm a little slow.

Welcome to the club.

 

[JahLynJie]

Aw thanks for the quick answers.
I feel so much more informed now.

 

[Big Mike]

Not a stupid question at all...even if it was...it's Friday

That's correct, 'body only' is just the camera (with all the usually accesories like cords, battery, charger etc.)

The 'kit' includes the 'kit lens' EF-S 18-55 F3.5-5.6
It's a good lens for the price (less than $100) and a good one to start with...but it can leave a bit to be desired at times. It might be a wise investment to forgo the kit lens, when you get the camera, and consider an upgrade. Just an idea anyway.

 

[JahLynJie]

Thanks for your input, Mike. I'll keep that in mind.
In the meantime, I need to save up all my pennies.

 

[Kerri Rae]

For what it's worth, I bought the xti kit this year and now I kind of wish I had bought the xt and a better lens. The kit lens is a good starter lens, but by the end of the first day with the camera, I already wished I had a better lens. On the other hand it's forced me to think more about my shots and work harder to get certain photos.

 

[RedDevilUK]

a friend of mine bought his first SLR a nikon D40 and only got the body....and no memory card

he rang me up on his mobile from the Field asking why it wasnt working LOL i really tried hard not to laugh... but it didnt work.

i still take the **** now, as you do

what he exacly thought about buying a camera and walking round with a great big hole in the front i will never know??? i would have thought anyone would have stopped and said to themselves ..

"hey, somethings missing??"

obviously not

 

[DSLR noob]

"Hey, I have the aperture set to zero and I can't change it. What's wrong?"

LOL

Did he really think that the sensor would just pick up the image wihtout any optics?

 

[JahLynJie]

lol that's funny RedDevil

 

[aammoore]

I would not fork out the bucks for the kit lens....if you still wanna go small just the the 50mm 1.8 it's cheap and wow!

 

[JahLynJie]

Not a stupid question at all...even if it was...it's Friday

That's correct, 'body only' is just the camera (with all the usually accesories like cords, battery, charger etc.)

The 'kit' includes the 'kit lens' EF-S 18-55 F3.5-5.6
It's a good lens for the price (less than $100) and a good one to start with...but it can leave a bit to be desired at times. It might be a wise investment to forgo the kit lens, when you get the camera, and consider an upgrade. Just an idea anyway.

So if I skipped getting the kit lens, opting for an upgrade, what lens would be recommended as a good 'all around' lens? Or do they sell an upgraded kit lens? I haven't seen anywhere on the Canon site where you can buy just a lense.
I'm new to all this (stating the obvious).
Thanks for your patience.

 

[MikeR]

So if I skipped getting the kit lens, opting for an upgrade, what lens would be recommended as a good 'all around' lens? Or do they sell an upgraded kit lens? I haven't seen anywhere on the Canon site where you can buy just a lense.
I'm new to all this (stating the obvious).
Thanks for your patience.

I replaced my kit lens with a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 Di-11 LD Asperical (IF)
The 2.8 aperture is constant throughout the zoom range and the image quality is excellent. It retails for $449 (you may find it for less) Tamron also offers a rebate every month. Currently it's $10usd.
The image quality of this lens has been compared to the Canon lens which costs over twice as much, although the Canon one has IS.

 

[JahLynJie]

Thanks so much Mike

 

[kaboom]

getting a LIMITED lens or set of lenses is great to start because it forces you to think a lot more about composition and how to get your picture. I started with a 50 f/2 and even now my main system is a set of 24/50/135, all manual focus. I love the pictures i make with those.
i do own an autofocus nikon that mainly sits there gathering dust (though my f100 is on the way) with a nice tamrom 28-200 lens attatched to it. the only reason i'm not selling it is because its my mother's and she wont let me.
don't confuse a "starters" lens with a crappy lens. A limited lens will force you to LEARN. a crappy lens will just be damn frustrating.

 

[NJMAN]

getting a LIMITED lens or set of lenses is great to start because it forces you to think a lot more about composition and how to get your picture. I started with a 50 f/2 and even now my main system is a set of 24/50/135, all manual focus. I love the pictures i make with those.
i do own an autofocus nikon that mainly sits there gathering dust (though my f100 is on the way) with a nice tamrom 28-200 lens attatched to it. the only reason i'm not selling it is because its my mother's and she wont let me.
don't confuse a "starters" lens with a crappy lens. A limited lens will force you to LEARN. a crappy lens will just be damn frustrating.

I agree. There is so much more to photography than just having a "great" lens. I started out with the 18-55mm kit lens when I bought my 30D, because I wanted to use it as a reference point, and see the difference when I bought a second lens. I kept on hearing what a great lens the 50mm f/1.8 was, and it was so cheap, so I bought that a few months later. I will say this. The 18-55mm kit lens is not a great lens, but there is nothing wrong with it either. It is a "decent" lens, and it can yield some very nice results if you pay attention to the other aspects of photography, such as composition, lighting, camera settings, etc. And don't underestimate the importance of post processing! If you don't want to start with the kit lens, a good walkaround lens to me would be a 17-85mm IS or a 28-135mm IS. Both have very acceptable zoom ranges, and if you are learning, they are very good in quality.

Hope this helps.

NJ