Hi all. New here, as if you couldn't tell by the big #1 by my posts. I have just gotten interested in taking pictures. A couple of weeks ago my familt went to the zoo and we took a lot of pictures with an old digital camera that my wife has had for a number of years. Needless to say they turned out not very well. So I have been on the internet ever since checking on camera's and lenses until my eyes hurt. I have asked a few fellows that I know on a different forum(not photography orented) about what camera they would recomend and almost all of them recomended Canon XTi with a 28-75mm Tamron F/2.8 XR Di LD APO Macro.

I don't know anything at all about photography except that I would like to take better pictures of my kids at there sporting events and my family on vacations than the ones mentioned above. Is there anything wrong with the 18-55mm lense that comes with a lot of the packages? None of the sites that I get on tell you what the (F/ not really sure what this means except someone told me that I would like the # after the F/ to be fairly low) Is on these lenses.

I guess what I am asking is is this a good choice? Should I get a package deal or buy the body and lense seperate? I will be using the camera for HS wrestling matches, football games, vacations, duck hunting trips, fishing trips, hiking trips, camping trips, I guess pretty much everything.


Thanx again in advance for all the help.

Scrat