okay. so my wife was bitten by the photography bug recently after borrowing my friends very nice canon 20d SLR setup. Her birthday is coming up next month so I wanted to try to get her a nice entry level type DSLR setup. 10 days ago I knew absolutley nothing about cameras, and to be honest I still really don't know crap, but I've tried to pick up enough to get a decent starter rig for her. However I'd love it if some of you more knowledgeable folks would help me out.
This is what I am thinking of getting her:
BODY
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (a.k.a. 350D) 8.0 Megapixel, SLR, Digital Camera Body (Black) Price: $ 379.00
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productList&A=buyUsed&Q=371189LENS
Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens- Price: $ 79.95 (a.k.a. the nifty fifty)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12142-USA/Canon_2514A002_Normal_EF_50mm_f_1_8.html#goto_itemInfoZOOM LENS
Canon Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Autofocus Lens - Price: $ 339.95
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/206435-GREY/Canon_6470A006_Zoom_Wide_Angle_Telephoto_EF.html-or -
Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS - Price: $ 399.00
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/347531-REG/Tamron_AF061C700_28_300mm_f_3_5_6_3_XR_Di.htmlHere was my thought process.
1) I was advised not to spend a ton on the body, and to spend more on glass(look at me using the photo lingo
) if possible. So I went with the rebel XT (350d) body. Obviously canon’s entry level SLR body, but it seems like a reasonable starting point for my wife who knows less than I do about this stuff.
2) I wanted to get one lens with good low light performance for shooting indoors and concert type stuff because she wants to shoot at festivals and family events. I thought the ef 50mm has decent low light performance and would make a good point and shoot type of lens for family gatherings and what not, and it is apparently way better than the kit lens that comes with the rebels.
3) I wanted to get a decent zoom lens. I’m having a tough time deciding between the tamron and the canon lenses. the canon EF 28-200mm seems like a decent choice. It has the USM auto focus which is supposed to be nice. The aperture is decent (3.5 – 5.6) and the 28-200mm seems reasonable. The Tamron lens goes to 300mm which is nice, and I think I can get it used for $300, which would be great and cheaper than the canon. I’m just worried about mating the tamron lens with the canon body. I know it’s built for it, but I’m just worried that they’ll be issues.
So what do you think? Does this all seem reasonable? Is the ef 50mm lens a waste? Should I go with the canon or the tamron zoom lens? I am completely off base with all of this?
Thanks y'all.