LonghornMomma

LOL... I promise, I'm not trying to be mean, I just don't want to try to sell an everyday shooter on more lens than they need. Kelly, my best advice is try out those lenses for a couple months, see what focal length range you find yourself shooting the most. If those lenses don't live up to your expectations, then sell those and move that cash to a faster lens in the range you use most.

It will be fine. It's a great everyday type lens. Zoo trips, trips to the park, things like that. I would go the Amazon route for the body. B&H has the 75-300 for about 150.00 right now. I just sold mrn8 my extra 30D. He bought the 75-300 seperate. When he gets back, I"m sure he will give his opinion on it.

But it is perfectly acceptable for the average outdoor soccer game type shooter.

I'm wondering his basis of this opinion myself.

Kelly, the 75-300 is a great lens for the price as a beginner's lens. I got amazing color and sharpness when I had mine. Like all lenses, it just depends on the copy you get. I still have my 23-135 S and I think I got better color from my 75-300 than I did it. I also recommend the 50 1.8 for a low light portrait lens.

1. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson This book is a must have for anyone who wants to understand how to take pictures manualy. As for the other book, anything you will ever want to know about your camera can be found online. 2. A Canon 430EX is going to be your best bet. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/397664-GREY/Canon_0298B002_430EX_TTL_Flash.html I've also heard great things about the Sigma. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/515362-REG/Sigma_179_101_EF_530_DG_ST_Flash.html 3. This is the monopod I have, I love it for game nights! http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/5535-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_680B_680B_4_Section_Compact_Monopod.html

The S5 has a longer focal range and a faster aperture which will be better for low light settings. Very slightly faster fps. And a faster shutter speed. Plus it has a hot shoe adapter if you want to add a stronger flash.

Ditto! (I saw your package got delivered!)

Hi! I'm not going to turn this into a Canon vs. Nikon fan war, but here is a post I gave a while back showing the noise quality of two comparable Nikon and Canon cameras. http://forums.gottadeal.com/showpost.php?p=949716&postcount=75 The ability to have lower noise at a higher ISO is important for me because I do a lot of low light night time sports shots. There are many other factors in this debate, but for me, this is the leading one. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

Go back to post #204 of this thread. Someone found it for $681 on Amazon.

If I'm not mistaken, I think KMat has a trampoline in their ad? Nvrmind. I swore I saw one in one of the ads though.

Thanks Brad!

I don't sleep at all. Get up on Turkey day around 7am get home on BF around noon. Then I sleep til about 5, then back to bed around 11pm. Yeah, I'm hard core like that. My thanks to all 30 Starbucks franchises within a 10 block radius of my shopping area.

The The 300D (Rebel) and the XXD series use the BP-511. The XT and the XTi use the NB-2L.

Glad to help! Just remember there are 2 types of batteries used by the EOS cameras, so make sure you order the right ones when you do get one. About the camera, I'm just annoyed because I want him to make a choice before it loses anymore resale value! He just needs to hurry up and make a choice.

Congrats on the purchase! You are going to love having all the new options and creative freedom that you just can't get with a normal P&S! I'll help you out as much as possible. I'll drop you an email later today so you can have mine. I think you got a really good deal on that. Just be careful, "L'coholism" sets on fast and strong.

I'm not a Nikon guru, nor do I play one on TV so I didn't really know about the lens thing. Getting used lenses are the way to go as long as you can test them out first, just be warned, the lenses hold their resale value WAY better than the camera itself does.

If you plan on this being your main camera for years to come, then yes, I would go with the XTi. Simply because it has more features that you van grow into, but that's just my $.02. As for the older lenses, they won't work without a converter that is expensive, hard to find and hardly worth it. You'll lose any autofocus capabilities and possibly some f/stops. I have no doubt though that you will be very happy with either camera. You might try Craigslist to sell the older equiptment. Might help fund your new stuff! Sorry, about your Dad.

Sorry about the dust, but unless you have a goverment grade clean room around any time you need to change lenses, it'll be there. The extra features? Will you notice? Not really if you've never used a DSLR! But for me, it is worth it. What do you plan on shooting? Kids soccer games? Any sport? I'd go for the higher fps. The 9 AF is nice also because you have more creative control. I love the larger LCD, battery life or not. You are going to get alot longer life with these than you are used to with a P&S, so just keep that in mind. Now, my final and stupid reason for going for the XTI. (I'm guilty of it.) You won't find yourself a couple months from now wishing you had the newer model. Stupid I know, but in todays world, a real problem. That and if you ever decide to upgrade to the XXD series, you'll get a LOT higher resale value for the XTi than the XT.

Yeah, in theory the sensor will be electrically charged and will statically atract the dust. It's always a good idea to turn it off. Especially if you ever purchase an IS lens. An IS lens needs a few seconds to stop before being taken off. One MAJORminor purchase for everyone is going to be a Giottos Rocketblower. Alot of dust can be dislodged off the sensor with just a few puffs of this. NEVER used compressed can air for this. I repeat NEVER!

Ah.... the Anti-Dust system! There are so many mixed reviews on this. I personally wouldn't spend the extra cash for that feature alone. It won't knock off ALL of the dust at all. It's a fact. You will get dust on your sensor. Can't be helped. Truth be told, alot of the DSLR's come with dust. No extra cost of course. But, you figure in the extra megapixels, the 9 point AF, the higher fps, it really does pay off. B&H is THE store to purchase camera gear from IMHO. Adorama is good too, but B&H wins my vote based on excellent customer service and a great return/exchange policy. Those are the only online merchants besides the big box stores that I would ever trust. The highest GB CF card I ever used was 4GB and it was fine.

I've heard nothing but good about Sterlingtek and I have a few myself. I'll get back to you about that 30D as soon as I can get a straight answer out of my husband. He keeps flip flopping on me!

B&H has the 75-300 for 149.00 as of yesterday. I got some great shots from this lens when I had it. I think it gets a bad rap because it isn't one of the coveted "L" lenses. I would totally go for the black XT as opposed to the silver! Always go black. The resale valuse holds better. If you ever decide to get a Vertical battery grip for it, they only come in Black so it will look better. The kit 18-55 and 75-300 should do you well for a long time. If you ever decide to go wide angle or macro, I totally endorse the Sigma brand lenses. You can get the extra battery if you want. It's always good to have 2, but I would look online at Sterlingtek for batteries. About 1/3 the price and a longer life cycle.

If you are going to be shooting RAW then the bigger the better. It saves time having to transfer cards. I shoot alot of sports so every second I spend changing a card can mean a great shot lost. One my 30D, I can get 245 RAW images on one 2GB card. I haven't really checked it out on my 40D and can't remember on my XT or XTi. I haven't really looked at deals on CF cards yet this year though. But throughout the year, Staples has great sales.

With the lenses. I would go with the kit lenses to begin with. For a few months get a feel for the focal length that you use most. Then you can move up to better quality lenses in that range. No need to put out that money on a lens you won't use that much. I think alot of people are going to get sticker shock when it comes to buying quality lenses, and those are the most important thing.