MDhaliwal wrote:.

My main use for this camera is for my wedding. I want to documentmany of the key planning moments, meetings, food tastings and thelike. I'd also like to use it to take pictures around and includingthe event itself, which will probably be less than ideal lighting..

Aren't you going to be a little busy during the wedding, to also be acting as the cameraman at the same time?.

If you want to take photos before the big day ... or if you are going somewhere that's really scenic on the honeymoon, I could see taking a camera then. But on the wedding day itself, you should let other people (family, friends, & professional photographers) worry about the pictures...

Oh, I fully agree. We're currently working on finding a photographer for the actual event, but for all of the events around the actual wedding, I want to be sure I can get some great shots. For the event itself, I'm going to relinquish the camera to others to have fun with it. I know I'll be busy! .

I just figure with all the friends and family around, I want to be sure I have everything I need to have some great keepsakes of the day. I'm not planning on photographing the actual wedding myself. If I did, I have a feeling that it may result in the shortest marriage yet on record!..

MDhaliwal wrote:.

Hi all -.

I've read enough about camera choices at this point, where I thinkI've made up my mind to go with a Canon XTi as my new (and first)DSLR camera. This is after reading about the XTi as well as the XT,Nikon's D40 and D40x, Pentax's K10D and a few others here and there.Nothing really against the others, but I've heard great things aboutCanon from friends who have their products..

My main use for this camera is for my wedding. I want to documentmany of the key planning moments, meetings, food tastings and thelike. I'd also like to use it to take pictures around and includingthe event itself, which will probably be less than ideal lighting.So, in essence, my first concern is to setup this camera for generaluse and for use in dark light situations..

My second concern, which is linked to that first concern, is thechoice of a lens. It can make your head spin! I've done a lot ofresearch, but the "right" lens just isn't jumping out at me. I'veread on some sites that the kit lens is a good investment and will bea general "good" performer. I've read elsewhere that it really isn'tthat great and should be skipped. Any advice on this topic? Cansomeone help me understand a bit of the difference between the kitlens and the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens? I'm sure to most peoplewho know photography this is probably a really easy question, butthey both seem to be general use lenses and so forth..

Is there a must have lens for what I'm looking to do? Any and alladvice is welcome! I'm trying to keep costs as low as possible, sothat is a consideration, though I value getting a good return on myinvestment over cutting corners. .

Well, you must have a lens. Otherwise your pictures come out bad..

The kit lens (apparently, the kit lens on an XTi is an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6) can do good work. A couple of important facts about the kit lens: it is a zoom lens. That's what the 18-55 part means. It goes from 18mm at wide angle (that's a 63 degree horizontal field of view) to 55mm at full tele (that's a 23 degree horizontal field of view). Most people like the convenience of zoom lenses in that they can frame a picture without moving around..

The bad fact about the kit lens is that it's slow (that's the f/3.5-5.6 part). A slow lens doesn't let in much light, so it's not good in dark places. Canon has done a very good job with their sensors so they can take pictures without getting much light, but more is always better..

The 50mm f/1.8 that you mentioned is a fast lens, so it's good in dark places, but it's not a zoom lens. It has a fixed 25 degree field of view, which is pretty tight. Most people working in low light with an APS sensor like yours prefer something shorter like a Sigma 30 f/1.4, which is not cheap unless you compare it to a Canon 35 f/1.4..

So it sounds like you want to do "grab shots" of your wedding events (I guess I'd rather someone else do this while I'm busy getting married but de gustibus and all that). The XTi, with it's fabulous low-light capability, is a good choice; there may not be anything better. As far as a lens goes, well those cost money. I think I'd be happiest with the Sigma 30 because f/1.4 means never having to say you're sorry. Next would be something horribly expensive like a Canon 17-55 f/2.8, which gives you zoom capabilities for framing while still letting a lot of light in. The 50 f/1.8 is a good low-light lens and is relatively inexpensive but has a fixed and narrow field of view.

The kit lens is dark and is liable to be at it's worst wide open, so I would expect disappointment from it..

As a final note, one of the major features of dSLR cameras is interchangeable lenses. You're supposed to have more than one lens. Canon's very existence depends on you (yes, you!) buying more than one lens. You think they're making money on that camera body? So, it is reasonable, though costly, to purchase a set of lenses that accomodate your photographic needs. But you'll figure that one out..

Leonard Migliore..

Hi, Michael,.

My thoughts too would be that you should not being doing much photography on your wedding day! So you will need to hand the camera to someone else who is, hopefully, familiar with the camera and lens..

I have to shoot many business interiors in the course of my work and whilst it is really great to have a nice fast lens, it is not a bit of good if you cannot stand back far enough to compose the shot nicely. Your DSLR already will handle high ISO well (presumably one of the major reasons for wanting one?) and so the benefits of having a zoom lens that allows wide angle to closer portrait shots becomes a viable idea. Tamron 17-50 f2.8 for instance..

Were you a Nikon person the the 18-70 or 18-135 'kit' lenses would have been a good bet. Put one of those on a D40, or latest version, and anyone ought to be able to get reliably good shots for you without much hassle in Auto mode. You could Ebay the Nikon kit later and go to Canon without too much pain if you felt it necessary..

John.Please visit me at:http://www.pbase.com/johnfr/backtothebridgehttp://www.pbase.com/johnfr..

It does not sound like you need a special lens at all. The kit lens is fine for general use. You would only need a better lens if you're planning to make serious use of the photos, but it sounds like you just plan to document the lead-up to the wedding for your own use..

As you probably will take it for your honeymoon trip, you could want a travel lens, like the Sigma 18-200 or the Tamron 18-200 or 18-250. Again the kit lenses would be perfectly capable, the only advantage being the single lens covers a large range and avoids the bother of changing lens. Their might be a small weight advantage..

A better lens might give you a better image if critically examined, but for personal use, I'd question the need..

StephenG.

Fuji S9600Fuji S5200Fuji F30Fuji E900Canon A710ISPCLinuxOS..

MDhaliwal wrote:.

Hi all -.

I've read enough about camera choices at this point, where I thinkI've made up my mind to go with a Canon XTi as my new (and first)DSLR camera. This is after reading about the XTi as well as the XT,Nikon's D40 and D40x, Pentax's K10D and a few others here and there.Nothing really against the others, but I've heard great things aboutCanon from friends who have their products..

Your friends are the worst advisors. Well, I don't know YOUR friends, but most of mine don't have a clue. That doesn't stop them from giving advice, which is usually to make the same mistakes, er, buy the same things they did. My advice is to buy the correct camera system. You can always find new (better) friends..

You should actually try any camera before buying...sorta like shoes..

Pick the lens(es) first...then pick the body.Pentax and Nikon make better "kit" lenses than Canon..

Buy the biggest piece of Silicon you can afford (Nikon and Pentax have bigger sensors than Canon and Olympus) with as few pixels as you can stand (the D40 has fewer/bigger pixels than the D40x)..

Charlie DavisNikon 5700 & Sony R1CATS #25PAS Scribe @ http://www.here-ugo.com/PAS_List.htmHomePage: http://www.1derful.info'I brake for pixels...'..

Thank you all for your responses. I appreciate the perspectives and information provided. The lens information is also incredibly helpful to me! I think I quasi-understand a bit more of what exactly I'm looking at! .

Just to reiterate - I am not personally shooting my own wedding. I've been interviewing professionals for that job. I wouldn't anticipate that I would have the time, ability or skill to pull that miracle off and I'm not trying. As I understand it, this fact alone may save my first year of marriage! I'm planning on using the camera for everything around the wedding. Friends, family and the like, who show up earlier in the weekend. Taking pictures at our different food tastings and all the different other choices that need to be made, that one could photograph.



I have seen the Nikons and the Canons in person. I think I liked the feel of the Canon better, but I liked the GUI to the Nikon over that of the Canon. I took a look at a few of the more expensive models as well. Unfortunately, some of the cameras weren't really set up for test shots and being on crutches at the moment, didn't allow me to stand around forever to get a bit of assistance in my purchase..

As for friendly advice; no one really talked me out of a different camera, per say. Just hearing their experiences with the cameras they have had was important to me. Things like reliability, satisfaction with their investment and results, etc is helpful, but doesn't stop me from doing whatever is right for me at the end..

Thank you all again - any additional insight is always welcome!.

Michael..

Well, you've gotten lots of advice, mostly contradictory. You decided to buy a good camera body (the XTi is the best available for the money), and now you want a lens for use at events related to a (hopefully) once in a lifetime event. Good, buy a lens. However, no one has said anything yet about learning how to use your camera!.

How important are the pictures you will take at the wedding-related activities? You do realize, of course, that it will take you months of regular photographic practice to become good at it and to be able to deal with different light conditions, etc. You did not say when your wedding is, but I hope it is not too soon..

Tip: Get your XTi camera body and lens (I recommend either the 50 f/1.8 or the 30 f/2) and take a week of vacation from your job while you spend most of every day learning photography. Set your camera on AV (never use automatic) and learn how to use all the bells and whistles..

Good luck..

Jerry..

Understood. I didn't expect to learn the camera overnight. I have a few months of time before the event and I have ample opportunity to test out the camera and continue to try it in different lighting and settings, including the actual location that will be hosting the wedding, so I should have a good opportunity to try out the camera and lenses in those lighting conditions, which will be really helpful..

I still think I'm going to stick with the Canon XTi. The Pentax produces some nice looking photos as well, but seems a bit softer to me. The Nikon is pretty close as well. I'm not sure that I can go too far wrong with any of them that I pick, though I could also consider the next Canon model up if there's a very compelling reason to do so, though I think the XTi + a lens upgrade may be money better spent..

Thanks!.

Michael..

Just a quick update -.

I just ordered the XTi, so now I can just focus in on the lenses for that model. .

Thanks again to all! I'm still looking at the lenses and I'll write in if I make any further decisions..

Michael..