New purchased Canon Rebel T1i

[mtbdudex]

Been doing lots of research/etc, on DSLR's under $1k.
(mybudget)

Was at Costco yesterday, they have Canon Rebel T1i "kit" for $949, included mfg $100 instant instore rebate.
(not on the website either, just in store)
-Canon Rebel T1i
-18-55mm IS lens
-EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS lens
-4GB card
-canon bag
-etc

Bought it

I debating to just open it and use it, or wait until 11/27 Black Friday sales to see if a better deal is available.

My first DSLR; the last SLR I had was a vintage Pentax "Super Program Plus" circia 1986, sold that with 3 lens on ebay 2.5 years ago.

I excited to have a decent DSLR finally.

 

[iBookG4user]

Congratulations, it's a very nice camera and it should treat you well. The lenses that you got with it also have good reviews for the price as well

 

[HBOC]

congrats! Amazon had the XSi kit PLUS the 55-250mm for $729 in July. A place local to here matched that price. I have since sold the 18-55mm, since I use the 10-20mm and the 55-250 way more.

The 55-250 is an AMAZING lens. I am surprised at how nice it really is!
I am hoping to get a 5D at some point here in the next few months...

 

[mtbdudex]

Thx, now I get to compete/learn via the various contest in this forum.
Fun stuff.

 

[stagi]

Congrats, look forward to seeing your images!

 

[yaroldb]

Costco takes back anything. I'm amazed how great the customer service is. Open it, use it, love it and if you can find a better deal on Black Friday. Return this one to Costco. If not, just keep it. I'm not a Canon man myself but I hear good things. Enjoy...

 

[thegoldenmackid]

I do to some extent regret getting my T1i. Only because I really wish I would have gotten a 50D instead, given that I have no use for the video feature. Other then that love it, just maybe something to consider.

 

[steve jr.]

I just won this exact camera through h.h. gregg and a photo contest they sponsored on facebook. I should have it in the next week or two. I have no idea how to use it, but am looking forward to learning! MacRumors will be my goto more than normal over winter break from college!

 

[thegoldenmackid]

I just won this exact camera through h.h. gregg and a photo contest they sponsored on facebook. I should have it in the next week or two. I have no idea how to use it, but am looking forward to learning! MacRumors will be my goto more than normal over winter break from college!

Get a book...seriously, books are key.

 

[mtbdudex]

Wish I had mynew DSLR this morning......

I was speechless this morning driving in; my crappy cell phone camera cannot do the scene justice as God painted onto the skies this morning… Lasted 3-4 minutes.
Thru my front window eastbound on I-96 7:57am in SE Michigan.

I actually told my wife “real photographers always have their camera with them” and planned on having it in the car; she said “no way, I get to play with it while you are at work to learn it also”……
So, part of my taking the picture, besides trying to capture “the moment”, was to show her you never know when/where that moment will appear and have to be “on call” to take it.

A work friend told me I need to learn HDRI techniques.

 

[OrangeCuse44]

I'm actually between the T1i and XSi right now. Post some reviews when you receive it (and of course some shots). Being I have no use for the video camera portion, I may just save a couple of hundred bucks and go with the XSi as the difference between a 12MP and 15MP camera isn't that great, right?

 

[mtbdudex]

Buying the basics to get me buy:
(1) 16GB card (camera came with 4GB card)
(2) UV filters
(1) circular polarizer filter
(1) spare battery

Q:
Tiffen ($7/each) seems much cheaper than Hoya ($22/each) for UV filters, is Hoya worth the +$$'s?

I've got Manfrotto 785B Modo tripod that works for now, https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=4707574#post4707574

 

[jampat]

Buying the basics to get me buy:
(1) 16GB card (camera came with 4GB card)
(2) UV filters
(1) circular polarizer filter
(1) spare battery

Q:
Tiffen ($7/each) seems much cheaper than Hoya ($22/each) for UV filters, is Hoya worth the +$$'s?

I've got Manfrotto 785B Modo tripod that works for now, https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=4707574#post4707574

Read this article, then save money by not buying the UV filters.

http://www.kenandchristine.com/gallery/1054387_ucZqa/1

Unless you are in bad conditions (ie. blowing sand or spraying water), the filter will provide little benefit. It will not help protect anything in a fall. The camera is not weather sealed so you need to ask yourself how often will be in situations where the protection is required. To put it the other way, tiffen UV filters will make 100% of your pictures have lower contrast and may provide occasional protection in situations your camera is not likely to be in.

Opinions may differ, this one is mine, you are welcome to take it or ignore it as you see fit.

EDIT: The Hoya S-HMC they tested has an MSRP of $60 USD in 58mm and is Hoyas best UV filter. The cheap Hoyas will perform much worse.

 

[projectone]

Just make sure that its multi coated. It makes a huge difference and is only a few more dollars. If you can spend even more, the super multi coated ones are even better.

Depending on your size, this filter is wonderful. http://www.adorama.com/HY77UVSM.html

 

[jampat]

Just make sure that its multi coated. It makes a huge difference and is only a few more dollars. If you can spend even more, the super multi coated ones are even better.

Depending on your size, this filter is wonderful. http://www.adorama.com/HY77UVSM.html

I agree that the SMC are the best of the bunch and all of the reviews are glowing about how it barely degrades the image and provides protection, but what is the protection from? How much crap are people getting on the front element of their lenses? With careful cleaning, the front element should never get scratched. Everybody says they are gaining protection, I just don't see from what (in most cases).

 

[Phrasikleia]

I agree that the SMC are the best of the bunch and all of the reviews are glowing about how it barely degrades the image and provides protection, but what is the protection from? How much crap are people getting on the front element of their lenses? With careful cleaning, the front element should never get scratched. Everybody says they are gaining protection, I just don't see from what (in most cases).

Even though little scratches on the front element are unlikely to appear in photos at all, there are a couple of good reasons to use a UV filter.

1) If you think you might ever want to sell your lens, then you'll have a much easier time of it if you can say the lens has no scratches on the glass--and better yet to say the lens has always been protected by a UV filter.

2) If your lens is not weather sealed, a UV filter can help prevent dust from getting *under* the front element and inside the lens.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

Not getting UV just seems stupid. Only takes one drop and one save to justify it.

 

[Ruahrc]

I agree that the SMC are the best of the bunch and all of the reviews are glowing about how it barely degrades the image and provides protection, but what is the protection from? How much crap are people getting on the front element of their lenses? With careful cleaning, the front element should never get scratched. Everybody says they are gaining protection, I just don't see from what (in most cases).

I think there is also a widely held misbelief that lens coatings are significantly more fragile then they really are. I'm not saying you can go rub your lens in the sand, but if you listened to some people you'd think that if you looked at the lens wrong the coating would fall off or something. A properly applied lens coating is about as hard as the glass itself (possibly even harder), and is basically impervious to any solvent you would realistically apply to it. The real danger in using extraordinarily strong cleaning solvents is damaging the plastic or metal around the lens element, not the glass or coating itself. No amount of rubbing with a lens cloth is going to rub off the coating as it is chemically bonded to the surface.

Personally I have found that the lens hood is superior protection than a filter. There are many many stories of people dropping/banging their lenses into things and the ones that typically make it out best are the ones whose hoods crumpled away absorbing most of the shock.

I do have a UV filter on my main lens which I bought when I first got the camera and did not know muh better. I did know to spend money on a high quality one though (Hoya HMC) thus I still use it because in my measurements I have been unable to see a degradation. However for a more recent lens I bought I did not choose to get a UV filter, and likely will not for any other lens I intend to buy in the future.

 

[jampat]

Not getting UV just seems stupid. Only takes one drop and one save to justify it.

Personally I have found that the lens hood is superior protection than a filter. There are many many stories of people dropping/banging their lenses into things and the ones that typically make it out best are the ones whose hoods crumpled away absorbing most of the shock.

As Ruarc said, a hood may absorb the shock of a fall. To absorb shock, something has to crumple, a filter has little to crumple. The breaking glass may absorb a tiny bit of energy and the filter ring bending may absorb a little bit more, but if the filter ring bends, good luck getting it out of the lens. Now dropping a lens (without a hood) would bend the filter ring too. Basically, try not to drop your camera, but if you are really worried about that, you need thick deformable protection (think bubble wrap).

If you are after protection, spending $60 on a hood is a lot better investment than $60 on a UV filter. For that money you can also get the Canon hand strap (I think you need the battery grip first though) that will keep you from dropping the camera.

 

[dubels]

I am not getting into this conversation about filters again, it turned ugly last time. But congrats on the new camera. And congrats to the other person for winning one. I would love to win something of substance.

But yeah the best way to learn is to read some books. I started off with Vol 1 and 2 of The Digital Photography Book, it is a very easy read and it starts you off taking pictures without learning all the technical details. It helps you from getting discouraged early, and he wrote the book like he was just a buddy trying to help you out. Next I moved on to Understanding Exposure which gets into more the of nitty gritty.

 

[tnkrmdc]

Buying the basics to get me buy:
(1) 16GB card (camera came with 4GB card)
(2) UV filters
(1) circular polarizer filter
(1) spare battery

Q:
Tiffen ($7/each) seems much cheaper than Hoya ($22/each) for UV filters, is Hoya worth the +$$'s?

I've got Manfrotto 785B Modo tripod that works for now, https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=4707574#post4707574

Just a recommendation, don't get one large Gb cards for your camera but a get few smaller ones. It would suck to take a lot of pictures on one card and have that card fail, thus you lose all of your photos. I had a card that failed and I lost great pictures of a deer. It ticked me off because I only had the card for 1 day before it failed. That is just my 2 cents.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

I am not getting into this conversation about filters again, it turned ugly last time. But congrats on the new camera. And congrats to the other person for winning one. I would love to win something of substance.

But yeah the best way to learn is to read some books. I started off with Vol 1 and 2 of The Digital Photography Book, it is a very easy read and it starts you off taking pictures without learning all the technical details. It helps you from getting discouraged early, and he wrote the book like he was just a buddy trying to help you out. Next I moved on to Understanding Exposure which gets into more the of nitty gritty.

Kelby put out Volume Three...still a great book

 

[dubels]

Yeah I saw it on Amazon. I actually got the box set vol 1 and 2 for $10 on Amazon. I might go read it later but right now I am having a hard to managing time studying for the LSAT and reading photography books among other things.

 

[mtbdudex]

Thx for the tips, comments, and responses to this thread.
I am very excited and honestly having plain old FUN again taking pictures.

On books, my "old" circia 1986 "how to take photos" is a little outdated.
Will definitely be going to the library and bookstore looking at the ones suggested. My wife is a total newbie, I have some foundation.

Sorry if I re-awakened dirty laundry on the filters thing.....I'll do some more reading and make up my mind.
I do agree you get what you pay for when it comes to optics, so "bargin" may (will?) compromise on picture PQ.
There has gotta be some fact-based testing done to quantify that.

The 16GB class 6 card is under $40....can't go wrong with that, I have the 4GB as back-up. I've also concluded HD video sucks too much storage space and mostly I won't be using the HD video capabilities. Probably in 1 year I'll be on the market for HD camcorder.

fwiw, I do use a neck strap.

A few random pics from the 150+ I took in 2 days.....
My learning method: Take a lot, I review them for technical correctness and artistic/composition viewpoint, delete most, save few. Ha, much faster turnaround than in my "old" 35mm film days. I've got lots to learn and growth ahead of me.

Straight from the camera, taken Sunday 10-25 at/by my home:
After the rain storm....

Thru the chair: (the flower at the ends now I see takes away from the shot?)

Autum is here:

Peaceful resting:

My kids at play:

Family walk:

Mans best friend:

Serenity while the kids are out:

Do posts in this digital forum "count" towards my MacRumors standing?
If so, I just might get upgraded shortly!

 

[mtbdudex]

ordered via Amazon:
(1) Hoya HMC - Filter - circular polarizer - 58 mm
(2) Hoya SUPER HMC Haze UV(0) - Filter - UV - 58 mm
(1) Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC6
(1) Canon LP-E5 Battery Pack for Canon Digital Rebel XS & XSi Digital SLR Camera
Looking fwd to Monday 11/2 (free delivery date!)