Canon XTi/400D Owners Chat

[fumon79]

hi guys..

i'm interested in learning to shoot portraits / wedding photography.
could i check out wat kind of lens do u guys normally used?
me noob.. so far only a kit lens and tamron 18-250 one.. though they had serve me really well in taipei trips and day to day photography, think not really suitable for these events.

BTW, just check from amazon.com that they are selling speedlite 430 at US$265. wonder how much is the shipping cost via vpost? anybody tried before?
is it cheaper?


thanks in advance.

 

[bikoyski]

no need to bring in the 430EX. Go to Lau Marketing in High Street Plaza, they offer a good price for it.
btw, i'm in no way affiliated with them. just want to share. send a PM if you want to know how much i got it.

 

[subwirl]

hi guys..

i'm interested in learning to shoot portraits / wedding photography.
could i check out wat kind of lens do u guys normally used?
me noob.. so far only a kit lens and tamron 18-250 one.. though they had serve me really well in taipei trips and day to day photography, think not really suitable for these events.

BTW, just check from amazon.com that they are selling speedlite 430 at US$265. wonder how much is the shipping cost via vpost? anybody tried before?
is it cheaper?


thanks in advance.

Think for weddings either the 17-40 f4L or 17-55 f2.8/tamron 17-50mm. I myself am gonna get the tamron 17-50 coz it cost half of canon's...personally used the 17-40 during my friends wedding. Gd results but not enuff zoom to get some distant candids tho.

Potraits, most would recommend the 50mm lens f1.8 for its bang for buck performance.

 

[fumon79]

thanks dude...
is there a difference from the kit lens, 18-55?

 

[Bodhisattva]

My first DSLR. Got it in Nov 07. Easy to bring it around. Got a 55-250 IS as a gift from a friend recently. Still a newbie. Hope to learn more over in here and from you guys

 

[Xing79]

Hi, any 400D owners have any gripe with regards to the ergonomics? ... despite the light-weight being good for travelling use...

 

[cheezycool]

i've got no issues with the ergonomics.. and it's good that it's lightweight, becos as you expand your kit, the lenses you'll buy will just get heavier and heavier and obviously, that gives a more stable handheld shot too

 

[waverine]

Hi,
I am deciding to buy a Canon 400D within this month before i head for my Beijing trip...

Question is:

1.Is the standard body+kit good enough?
2. Or should I get just the body and get a better lens? (please suggest what kind of lens is suitable for me)

Basically, I want to take scenery shots.. also want to take portraits....
may want to venture into wedding or outdoor nature photography...

please kindly give me a few suggestions for a noob.

gam sia...

 

[alpha4]

so far , i'm satisfied with 400d body + kit

 

[ctgkolay]

Hi all

Any one know about 400D (Guide) Books which I saw @ Canon Booth, last IT show. I went down to some book shops but it was not @ shop. also not in Library .. Is it really helpful to newbie like me? how much cost? Where can I get?

Thanks

 

[Headshotzx]

It's good enough if you try it and think it's good enough. But for wedding shots, it'll be too slow.

I suggest to just get the 400D body, and couple it first with a 18-50mm Sigma (~S$800), which is superior to the kit lens 18-55mm.

 

[cheezycool]

Hi,
I am deciding to buy a Canon 400D within this month before i head for my Beijing trip...

Question is:

1.Is the standard body+kit good enough?
2. Or should I get just the body and get a better lens? (please suggest what kind of lens is suitable for me)

Basically, I want to take scenery shots.. also want to take portraits....
may want to venture into wedding or outdoor nature photography...

please kindly give me a few suggestions for a noob.

gam sia...

For scenery shots, the kit lens will do fine. Outdoor portraits will be alright too, just that bokeh (bkgd blurring) won't be impressive. I'd recommend the 85mm f/1.8 for portraits.

Outdoor nature photography >> you'll need a telephoto lens, at least with a max focal length of 200mm, or 300mm. 70-200 or 70-300 will do well here.
For birds, 400mm and above. With IS preferably.

Wedding photography or low light indoor/event photography >> kit lens won't do. But might be able to make do.. only if you get an external EX flash (abt $400-$700). A good lens would be 70-200 f/4 or f/2.8. With IS preferably too.

Just be aware that the kit lens doesn't give pin sharp images too.. you get what you pay for in photography But to start off, I think the kit lens introduces you to what you like and what you don't about the kind of stuff you wanna shoot. helps keep the budget down too

 

[cheezycool]

oh yes, and if you're looking for alternatives to the kit lens, try Tamron's 17-50mm f/2.8 as it's a fast lens with a big fixed aperture, or if you can afford it, Canon's 17-55mm f/2.8. But frankly speaking, save the cash and take your time to sample the kit lens, and then grow from there.

 

[waverine]

oh yes, and if you're looking for alternatives to the kit lens, try Tamron's 17-50mm f/2.8 as it's a fast lens with a big fixed aperture, or if you can afford it, Canon's 17-55mm f/2.8. But frankly speaking, save the cash and take your time to sample the kit lens, and then grow from there.

wow thanks for the information..

this is the exact info i need...
now i can decide what kind of lens i want to get...

seems like alot of people get the 50mm F/1.8 - is this a good lens for portrait?

another question is what is the average QTY of pics you can store in a 2GB CF card?
want to know so I know what to bargain for...:angel:

thanks

 

[Emptyxun]

hi all,
finally sold my S5 and moved into dslr. just bought a 400D kit1 and an efs 55-250is , with a cheapo flash and a bit of acc, i paid 1.6k.. may i know why does it seem that its focusing speed is slower and more undecisive, when compared to my previous s5? its not really very slow, but relatively slower in my opinion. its the same for both the kit lens and the zoom lens.. dunno why..

 

[cheezycool]

wow thanks for the information..

this is the exact info i need...
now i can decide what kind of lens i want to get...

seems like alot of people get the 50mm F/1.8 - is this a good lens for portrait?

another question is what is the average QTY of pics you can store in a 2GB CF card?
want to know so I know what to bargain for...:angel:

thanks

Great! Just bear in mind that the 17-55mm f2.8 Canon lens is about $1.5k, while the Tamron is about $700-$800. Do a search on these two lenses, there's always a debate going on

With regard to the 50mm f1.8, the build quality is poor, and if you are intending to take headshot portraiture with it, it won't be good enough, which is why I recommended the 85mm f1.8. The 50mm f1.8 is cheap for a reason obviously but if you really want to get a 50mm lens, go for the f1.4 if you can afford. otherwise, it's alright to get the f1.8 and work around its limitations - the important thing is keep shooting and learn from there. Subsequently, the more you shoot, the more you'll develop a personal style, and then you can get better specialised lenses after a while. In any case, get a prime lens for portraits, you won't regret it.

If you shoot at Large/Fine quality, I think it's about 400 shots in a 2GB card..

 

[ArcticFox]

S5 IS has a built in 'AF ASSIST BEAM' which which is a light that emits to help you autofocus. However, all the canon dSLR don't have this feature. Solution? Buy a external flash such as 430EX/580EX. Anyway, what 'cheapo' flash?

 

[kirkchua79]

S5 IS has a built in 'AF ASSIST BEAM' which which is a light that emits to help you autofocus. However, all the canon dSLR don't have this feature. Solution? Buy a external flash such as 430EX/580EX. Anyway, what 'cheapo' flash?

i thought 400D hav AF beam when u use the pop up flash??it will flicker a while to assist in your focusing right? never have focusing prob if its within the min range. correct mi if i'm wrong.

 

[waverine]

cheezy cool>

now i have much better understanding....:think:

I have a few options on my mind now...as what you have suggested

1. Body + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8
2.Body + Kit + 85mm f/1.8
3.Body + Kit + 50mm f/1.8

If i have a budget of $1500 (inclusive of lens), what do you suggest will be best buy besides the standard kit? The Tamron u suggested cost around 700-800 right? means if the body is about $1000 .. means over budget liao :embrass:

mm.... anyone gonna get a 400d sometime soon?
maybe we can get it together for better pricing?
I heard from my friend the latest promo price is around $1099 (not sure with kit or not)

 

[cheezycool]

cheezy cool>

now i have much better understanding....:think:

I have a few options on my mind now...as what you have suggested

1. Body + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8
2.Body + Kit + 85mm f/1.8
3.Body + Kit + 50mm f/1.8

If i have a budget of $1500 (inclusive of lens), what do you suggest will be best buy besides the standard kit? The Tamron u suggested cost around 700-800 right? means if the body is about $1000 .. means over budget liao :embrass:

mm.... anyone gonna get a 400d sometime soon?
maybe we can get it together for better pricing?
I heard from my friend the latest promo price is around $1099 (not sure with kit or not)

Well, you'll should be below budget if you buy second-hand for Option (1) and (2), or if you buy 1st hand for Option (3). However, as you are aware that the 50mm prime does fall within the focal length of your kit lens (18-55mm), so perhaps if you're gonna go for Option (3), I'd suggest you try out your kit lens for a while first, before deciding to spend on the 50mm prime, becos you may decide to have a medium telephoto capability of the 85mm instead, which can be bought 2nd hand for under $500, as compared to the 50mm f1.8, which goes for less than $100 2nd hand. Image quality does differ quite alot as you would expect due to the price difference, as well as the superior USM focusing motor in the 85mm.

Personally, I don't think getting 400Ds in a group will get you a great discount, so if you're ready to commit, just go ahead and visit one of the many outlets recommended here in the forums. Yeah it's going for $1099 with the kit lens now, and if you cut out the needless freebies, you might be able to get a cash price around $1050..? Many people look down on the kit lens, including me, but I'm trying to make do with what I have, as some people do use images shot with their kit lens in their professional portfolio, so it can't be that bad. We all have to start somewhere I suppose.