Canon SLR - help me find a good deal?

[DdotRoq]

Hello Everyone,

I once saw a deal here on SD about the Canon XSi on Dell for $499.99 with Lens. It is now back up to $750 and they've already released the successor - the Canon T1i.

Anyone know where / if I can get a great deal on the Canon XSi or T1i with a great lens?

Thanks!


Dave

[syco123]

Watch out for amazing deals and check every one with reseller ratings. Loads of scamsters out there in the SLR market.

Buying the camera is only part of the deal. It may or may not come with a lens, battery and card. You'll probably want a case, lens cleaner, uv filter (to protect the lens), rocket blower, polarizeing filter, ND6 filter, tripod, backpack etc etc so make sure the deal is still the best after you've factored in the extras. Don't skimp on data cards, get good ones but Chinese batteries are really cheap and good. I bought 10 figuring they would be half crap but only one was so maybe by 2 or 3. The Canon ones are $40 bucks the cheapos are $5 so you can get a few and still break even.

You'll likely want another lens from the kit. The Canon 50mm f/1.8 is a great lens for under $100 that compares well to very expensive lenses. I love mine and often reach for it over much more expensive lenses. You dont get much zoom with a kit lens typically so you might pick up a cheap 100-300mm, don't expect too much quality wise but they are useful to have. The Canon 70-200mm f/4 L is a bargain for the price/quality but is a bit much for a starter kit. The 18-200mm is a popular lens, not the best quality, but a good all rounder.

so factor all those costs in and see how you do. The Body might be a few buck cheaper but the accessories might cost more. You are also throwing down a large chunk of change so I think it's worth paying a little over the basement price to purchase from a reputable vendor. I've never had a problem with B&H Photo-Video-Audio (http://bhphotovideo.com) and have spent close to $10,000 with them. Amazon can come in very close on lots of stuff. Adorama have improved a huge amount over the last few years.

If you're new to SLR photography you might find my free ebook for learning digital photography [GoingManual.com] handy. Download it from GoingManual.com

[DdotRoq]

Wow, thank you very much for your help. Are you a member of a specific photography forum? If so, may you message me the name? I hang around in forums alot collecting as much info as possible but do not know where to start.

From the above, I believe the best way for me to start is going body only then getting a lens I am happy and comfortable with.

Now to decide between XSi and T1i for a beginner.

FWIW, my girlfriend is a photographer (beginner-intermediate) and owns a 40D. I think that camera is WAAAAAY too advanced for me.

Thank You!


Dave

[kyzen]

The best photography forums on the net, imho:

http://photography-on-the.net/ - very Canon-specific, my personal favorite
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ - Not brand-specific, really smart but somewhat elitist community

[dankbud42o]

Quote from kyzen : The best photography forums on the net, imho: http://photography-on-the.net/ - very Canon-specific, my personal favorite http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ - Not brand-specific, really smart but somewhat elitist community

thanks for the links

[syco123]

Photocamel.com is popular and very friendly.

[kyzen]

Thanks to the Spring Rebates you can currently score a Rebel XSi + 55-250mm IS lens on Amazon for ~$755. If you really need to keep the cost close to $500, you could easily offload the new-in-box 55-250mm IS lens on craigslist for ~$200-$250.

[Wheelman]

Anybody know if anyone other than amazon has that same deal for the same price? Looks like I overpaid B&H by about $100.