First, Hello ;), this is my first post here.

I'll go ahead and explain my needs first. I do a lot of hiking and other outdoor activity. My photos go from macro to landscapes to wildlife.


After searching for a long time, I think I decided on a canon Rebel XTI EOS 400D. But the lens situation is a little unnerving, as I don't want to go with a lens and then find it to be completely useless to what I want.

The standard package comes with an 18-55 lens for about $450 I believe is the price I found.

I did find this deal for an 18-200 mm lens with a lot of other equipment for about $650, along with the rebel camera body.
http://shop.thenewconnection.com/vi-53072________.html

My problem is that with all this searching, I am still fairly confused on lenses and which would be best for my needs. Unfortunately I have a very limited budget, got a $600 bonus at work and decided I would probably put it towards a new camera, and am only willing to go up to maybe $800 camera/lens/other equipment combined.

I am a little concerned at the lack of IS on the rebel, however other photos that I've seen have turned out alright, and I have been working with a P&S camera with a slow shutter speed for a long time which has come out alright.

Any advice would be much appreciated. If possible, to cut down on price I would love to purchase all this in a pack, however if not possible then, as long as it's a good price I'll go for it.

I also had another quick question, can the Rebel stand up to normal shooting environments, such as slight rain or dirt? Obviously not putting it into a situation to get broken, but if it starts raining while I am shooting, will I need to put it away fast, or if I rest it on the ground to take a shot, would that be a problem?

First and foremost, BE CAREFUL who you buy from. Do NOT simply look for the lowest price. The site you mentioned is on our bad list: http://forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php?t=4133

Second, if you were to truly well cover the subjects you mentioned, you'd need a wide range of focal lengths, and it simply can't be done for that price. So, as we often have to do, you need to compromise. Figure what you want to shoot most, or, since you had a P&S, what sort of photos did you take the most with it?

The 18-55 lens is not exactly a favorite around this board, but it will take good photos and will give you some good flexibility for landscapes and shots along the trail. As for zoom and macro capability, This Sigma 70-300 Macro Zoom (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=163662&is=REG&si=rev#anchorToReadReviews) seems to be a decently reviewed lens w/in your budget. It won't compare to the image quality you'll get out of a $3,000 300mm Canon prime, but it will give you some reach and flexibility w/o breaking your bank. The 18-200 you mentioned is not a very well-respected lens for Canons.

Others may have some better advice on the zoom, that's just what I was able to turn up quickly.

Hey Hoss, do yourself a huge favor: do a "review" search for something like elcheapocameras.com+review. Your blood will turn cold when you read the reviews at the lack of ethics involved here. DON'T READ THEIR [elcheapocameras.com] ON-SITE REVIEWS; they are as biased as a lynch-mob--really! You may want to save-up and get the camera you want, 'cause you ain't gunna get one for those prices. Try a reputable company like H&R, they're not a fly-by-night company, they've been around a long time.
Good luck!

Hmm, I guess for the most part, I take landscape and trailside shots. Not as many macros as of yet. So a lens that handles landscapes and just normal shots would be great to start out with and then I can look into a good macro lens later on. Thanks for the information on the company, definitely will avoid them.

Do you guys think the camera is a good choice given I'm a beginner with DSLRs and my preferences for the trails? I like alot of the shots I've seen, and every review gives the camera a glowing status almost. Also, is a tripod a must purchase?

I'll go ahead and look into that 70-300 lens and see what that looks like in reviews and shots as well.

One other thing that concerns me is shutter speed. Is the speed fast enough on the XTI to catch motion without blurring for the most part? For example, if I were to take a picture of birds or another animal?

A tripod will make your shots a lot sharper: if you have an adequate lens, it will make it look better. The logic is that people's hands shake, even if it's not apparent to the shooter, and that you want as sharp an image as possible, so there's no movement at all. Your landscapes will appear crisper than if you didn't have one; when you have a really boss image you want to enlarge, it wont look fuzzy. The most dramatic shots, for landscapes, are early morning or just before dusk, when the light is not great, but shadows are dramatic: low light. The slower your shutter speed the better the image, so a tripod will definitely help there!
Hope this was some help,
Jaybird

Oh, yeah? If you're zoomed into something with your 300mm lens, your slightest movement will appear to make your target jump around. Have you ever done any hunting? If you've ever looked through a rifle scope, "off hand" [hand held] then you know how hard it is to hit something, which is why a good hunter ALWAYS rests his rifle on something for shooting. At 100 yards, you'll be glad you had it when you see something, say like a California Condor, eating, or a bear, or mountain lion, something you REALLY DON'T WANT TO GET ANYWHERE NEAR!
Jaybird

Do you guys think the camera is a good choice given I'm a beginner with DSLRs and my preferences for the trails? I like alot of the shots I've seen, and every review gives the camera a glowing status almost. Also, is a tripod a must purchase?

I'll go ahead and look into that 70-300 lens and see what that looks like in reviews and shots as well.

One other thing that concerns me is shutter speed. Is the speed fast enough on the XTI to catch motion without blurring for the most part? For example, if I were to take a picture of birds or another animal?

The XTi was made for beginners, but it has enough features to keep you learning for a few years. I'm still shooting with the XTi's older brother, the XT, and still getting great shots from it.

Tripods are definitely handy, and I can almost guarantee that you will want one eventually. How soon you will need it is a matter of debate. I got along with a Red Pod (essentially, an attachable beanbag) for a long time before I broke down and bought a good tripod. Still carry the Red Pod on my nature hikes. Small and light.

I think you'll find that shutter speed is more a function of the lens than the camera. The three biggest factors in exposure are shutter speed (how long the shutter is open), aperture (how wide the shutter opens), and ISO (the sensitivity of the camera's sensor to light). But the camera itself is capable of a 1/4000 of a second shutter speed- more than fast enough to catch birds mid-flight. fast enough, in fact, to catch f-18's in mid-flight.

Hope this helps.

- Joe U.