To our resident camera buffs...

[smoked trout]

You're a wealth of advice! Thanks.

I can look at the lenses later, but the telephoto is just a $300 (6 or so years ago) Minolta auto focus, I'll get the dirt on it.

But really want her to start fresh, she does too. She wants to be able to take indoor pics, but most of her pics will be outside. She runs a landscape shop and takes lots of job photos, and gets out and about a lot so pulls over for scenery/wildlife shots. Also lots of parties for the kids and has even done a couple friends' weddings. I do know she likes her existing telephoto.

Off to see Robin Hood done by rugrats speaking spanish. Ain't fatherhood grand?

[Jay See Bee]

Pretty good information there SP for an advanced amateur

[Spankin Partier]

hehe, thanks guys. I guess I just get excited when talking about all this stuff.

Oh, and it just occurred to me ST, the Digital Rebel XTi does comes with it's own built in flash! Again, it's just a basic flash. About as capable as any point-n-shoot camera. I managed to get by on it for well over a year before I upgraded to a real flash. The flash I pointed out will do circles around the built in flash (both in recycle time - time between two shots, and in flash effects). One of my favorite tricks with my new flash is to bounce the light off of the ceiling. This provides a much softer light, and more natural shadows on peoples faces (like under their chins).

But if $$$ is a concern, you can easily get by without an external flash.

[smoked trout]

Looking at it from a 'husband' point of view, I can stretch this into Christmas, birthday, and mayberinse and repeat!

I'll look at some of the packges and post back here so you can give me your thoughts SP. I surely appreciate them.

[Fluff n Stuff]

Yeah, what SP said. If she's going to be doing a bunch of photos of landscape work and indoor photography, she'll want a WIDE angle zoom, not a TELEPHOTO zoom. A tele will give her great shots of the flower. THE flower. But if you want the whole yard, you want a wide lens, something that goes wider than 24mm for sure.

For information on DSLR lenses, I recommend a site called Lensplay. If you are indeed getting the Rebel, make sure to get the XTi and not the older XT if for no other reason the XTi has a sensor self-cleaning system that apparantly works very well, I'd LOVE to have that on my Canon! (I have the Pro level 5D, much more expensive than you want to go for sure; but it came out before Canon's sensor cleaner was released on any of their cameras.) As for a lens, the EF-S 17-85mm lens with a Rebel XTi would be the perfect kit for what she wants to do. At 17mm full wide she can get almost the entire yard in one shot by standing in a corner of the yard! Not quite, but close. Also it's a crisp, well regarded lens.

Sorry I'm so late to this part of the thread... I have no experience with the S2 so I held my peace to let those who KNEW have their say! But for the Canon DSLR's I can speak with experience 'nStuff.

Which is to say, "I'm broke."

[scruff35]

Fluff i`m liking that site, Lensplay. Just looked up all my lenses, and read the reviews. Thanks.

[smoked trout]

Once again thanks.

I'm going to have to get the specs on the lens she uses now, so I can find something comparable. Indeed fluff, she often uses her telephoto to take shots of individual flowers, then switches lenses for the yard shots. She told me most of her shots are with the current telephoto rather than her wide angle or normal lens. Individual flowers (THE flower!) and close-ups of things far away (elk, deer, daughter, etc). So I'll look up the specs on what she has and see if I can get something close.

Then. like you said, I'll be broke buying accessories and new lenses for b-days and such, but she's a tough woman to buy stuff for and I don't mind having something to get even it's expensive, as long as it's quality and she can make use of it.

Rifle season ends tomnorrow, so I'll get the specs of her len on Monday

The rebel XTi looks good, have heard no negative reports. I'll be getting her one, it's just the lens I'm unsure of for now. Are there specific e-tailers to avoid or use?

[Fluff n Stuff]

If you want a great Telephoto, the Canon EF 70-300 IS is a sweet little unit. With the Rebel's sensor the lenses have what they call a 1.6x "Correction Factor", that is to say, a 100mm lens will have the final result of a 160mm lens on a 35mm film camera. So... the 70-300 becomes a 112-480mm lens! Don't confuse it with the lens with "DO" (Diffractive Optics) in the name, it's the $1200 version that I got. Still a great lens, just not worth the price. The $550 version is a little better in quality, just longer 'nStuff.

As for stores.

Read this article on LensPlay. There are a few good stores in New York, I'm sure there are even legitimate stores in Brooklyn.

Some good stores with decent prices that I trust enough to buy from:
B and H photo
Adorama
J&R Camera
NewEgg of course, although they aren't always as affordable. Amazon is a good place to look, and have enough class to associate with companies you can trust.
Costco has a stunning deal on the 5D with a 28-135mm IS lens, but they don't carry the Canon DSLR's on Costco.ca for some reason.
Best Buy Ca and "The Source" both sell the XTi for $C 1100 or so... might be worth it for the warrantees they offer. I got my 5D through Circuit City so if it needs service I just take it to CC and let THEM $hip it. I like extended warrantees for stuff I'll probably break. For the DLP, no. For my camera gear and my laptop, oh yeah. Already used it twice for the laptop, no worries... already paid for itself.

For the most part, see who'll ship to Canada in the first place, and avoid any otherwise unknown companies offering fantastic deals. Even if they have 90% positive ratings on Reseller Ratings .com; those kinds of sites are being gamed by 'bot commenters these days.

[smoked trout]

I'm not in Canada! Not yet anyway

My thermometer says 5 degrees F this morning, might be a short hunt so I'll see how that lens above compares with what she uses now this afternoon possibly, depends on the whitetails. brrrrrrr!

And ofcourse I've got some reading to do.... so you recommend the extended warranty plan at a place like BestBuy for the Rebel and any lenses (if they have what I want for a good price)?

[Spankin Partier]

Another place you may like to look at is Henrys. They are probably the largest photography chain in Ontario. The thing I like about them is not thier prices, but their knowledge and the have inventory.

Their used equipment is pretty good too. I've had friends say they've gotten some good deals that way. Just read up on how they rate their used items first.

[Fluff n Stuff]

I'm not in Canada! Not yet anyway

O dangit, that's Scruff... sorry both of you!

Yeah, I personally like the extended warrantee plans; some people think they are a rip-off, but I like 'em... especially since I'm hard on hardware out in the field... clumsy clumsy clumsy. Usually I can get them to drop the price of the warrantee program by 30% or so to make the deal; you'll have to get the manager in on it to make it happen though.

Since you are in the US, Costco has the XTi with the kit lens for $800, and they have the 70-300 IS in stock as well for $579! You can Ebay the kit lens and get about $80 back... or...

Circuit City has the XTi for $750 body only... get 'em to throw in a warantee for 30% off and call it a deal; get the lens from Costco though; CC's sale price is still $70 higher than Costco's.

[smoked trout]

Cool.
You seem to have pegged it on a lens for her, her current telephoto is a Minolta AF 75-300, and for landscape shots she has an AF 35-70. I may well do the costco thing but I'm gonna shop albeit with caution.

[jimzinsocal]

I noticed the thread subject and thought Id link this. See all the parts in the link but what a great assembly of info

http://instapundit.com/archives2/2006/11/post_602.php

[smoked trout]

Man, some of the camera etailers have the absolute lowest reseller ratings I've ever seen! Damn near negative numbers!

lmao caveat emptor

Looks like a major store or etailer, gonna give the local camera shop a call tomorrow and see what they say they've been good to deal with before.

[Fluff n Stuff]

Local shops are absolutely the best... if you have a good one! We had a great one in Auburn... got some great deals when they closed the shop after 32 years in the area. :sigh: Now it's all outlets for the National Stores like Ritz, or it's the Serious Snooty Pro shops like Glazers. There's one that's supposed to have a great staff 'nStuff, Ballard Camera, but I haven't been in there yet, so who knows.

...and yeah, MAJOR caveat emptor on the Emerchants. Check out the reviews online, starting with the worst ratings first... gives you an idea of what can go wrong. Apparently, a lot...