Good deal for beginer student?

<p>Hello, I am finally getting into the bulk classes of my photography major in school and am now looking for a start up camera that I could build a portfolio with which also has enough quality for me to be able to submit pictures to local magazines and News Papers.<br>

I have been browsing around and found this deal Canon 50d with<strong> 28 - 235mm</strong> Lens also with <strong>70 - 300mm IS telephoto</strong> lens plus backpack for 1859.97<br>

Would that camera and those lenses be a good buy for someone who is going to be shooting a lot of sports (football/mixed martial arts) and portraits (various modeling in outside areas/streets)</p>

<p>Please help!<br>

- OLC</p>

<p>That price seems rather high to me. B&H has a 50D plus the lenses for $1660. (Also I'm pretty sure you mean 28-135, not 28-235).</p>

<p>I would advise getting more or less minimal kit for starters. After you've had some courses you'll understand your needs better. Probably shouldn't drop almost $2,000 on gear right now.</p>

<p>But in answer to the question, yes that's a good camera and pretty good lenses. I would prefer something wider than the 28-135, and for shooting sports you really need fast lenses, which are not cheap.</p>

<p>just a heads up -- the lenses you cite are consumer grade. okay, but not great. if you knew that, so be it.<br>

many shooters feel good glass is better in the long run</p>

<p>right, don't get the 28-135 !<br>

start out with the least inexpensive body and cheap (but good) 18-55IS until you learn more !</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Oron,<br>

You would probably not notice much difference in IQ between the 40D and the 50D. So, if the 40D costs less it would serve you well and many people have made a living with it. If you're open to starting with a Rebel then anything from the XSI forward would serve you well.<br>

The EF-S 18-55 IS can get you started. It's not the fastest lens. If you want a fast zoom in that range then the bang for the buck seems to be the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 non-VC.<br>

Football and MMA will have different lens needs. Football will need a fast telezoom and MMA will need an even faster lens, maybe a normal prime. So, you're not likely to find a one lens fits all for those two sports.<br>

Beginning in portraits you can start with the Tamron 17-50 mentioned above. You can add the EF 50 f/1.8 to that and take good portraits. Another non-Canon option for portraits would be the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 which is also regarded highy.<br>

So, a 40D or an XSI would be body enough to get you started well. Lenses to go with the body you choose are a different story.<br>

Best bet for beginning is probably the body of choice with an EF-S 18-55 IS and save the rest of the money until you know (without a doubt) what else you need.<br>

I hope this helps - DS Meador</p>

<p>Just some ideas:<br>

- You could save some money by opting for the 40D. 10MP, very solid camera, and very similar to the 50D. I think, especially if you have sports in mind, and you want to use this camera for a while, you might want to try to stay above the rebels. Then again, the image quality difference is non-existant between the rebels and the D's, so, if you like smaller cameras, you could get a killer deal with a very nice XSi.<br>

- if your looking at portraiture, I suggest picking up a canon 50mm f/1.8. You can get them for less than $100, they're perfect focal length for portraits on the crop sensor, they take great pictures, and they're good for low light. One of the best deals in all of photodom.<br>

- Unless your shooting outside sports that will take place in full daylight, I doubt the 70-300mm is going to work. In order to stop motion, you'll need shutter speeds of 1/400th and up, and that's not going to happen at f/5.6 in an artificially lit room at anything but really high ISO. Take a look at something like the the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 instead ($1200 new). The extra light will help you out. </p>

<p>would second the notion of getting 40d instead of 50d. essentially same capabilities at much lower cost. either that or go with 7d.<br>

agree, you should reconsider your approach. spending all that cash on that equipment at this point may not be the right thing.<br>

suggest 40d with 70-200 (canon). good kit for sports. add a 28 or 50 (f 1.8) to round things out.<br>

just don't get off on the wrong foot and regret it later. i've done that. sucks -- costs a lot too</p>

 

<p>That would be a decent set up, but the price is definitely high. You should be able to get all that for less than $1500 if you buy used. I would also get a wider lens than 28mm on the wide end. The 17-85mm is a good one, or any other lens that is 17mm or less on the wide end. You would just be giving up useless overlap for wider focal lengths. Also, the 70-300mm is nice, but I would get the 70-200mm f/4 L instead, especially for sports. The 2.8 version would be the best, but maybe too expensive. The biggest advantage of the 70-200mm over the 70-300mm for sports is the fast AF. The 70-300mm will be more than frustrating trying to shoot fast action. The AF is slow and will cause you to miss shots and will severely slow down the burst speed of the camera. The 70-200mm has instant AF, its built better, and has better optics. No IS, but thats really not necessary for sports. You may also want to look at a 40D instead of the 50D. Its cheaper, and with less Megapixels packed onto the small sensor, it handles high ISO noise better than the 50D, which is what you'll be shooting the most for sports. And don't worry about the "less" pixels, the 40D is a 10MP camera which is more than plenty. I have one and it produces beautiful images capable of good sized enlargements. I guess I ended up changing the whole set up. You may also want to look into a prime lens for sports. The 50mm f/1.4 or 1.8 or 85mm f/1.8 would be good and would allow for even faster shutter speeds in low light. They're also a lot cheaper than fast zooms.</p>

<p>That is not a good deal, I would also suggest a 40D or 50D but with different lenses and a lower price. I also would say start small, get the camera and 1 general purpose lens ( something starting in the 15-18mm range ) and then see where you are lacking ( aperture, focal range etc ) and then consider something else like a 70-200 or faster prime depending on what is right for you.</p>

<p>You should be able to pick up a used 40D for around $600-$650 or a 5D for around $750 or so. The 40D should be more then enough, its a great camera and as someone mentioned above 10mp will be just fine. I never used a 50D but I owned the 40D for a few years and I was very happy with it.</p>

The two lenses that are offered in the kit you mentioned are too slow (too small a max aperture) for your intended uses. As someone mentioned above the Tamron 28-75 is a good lens for the money. I use it on a 40D for both portraits and indoor sports. For outdoor sports you'll need something longer and faster like a 70-200 f/4L. For all three of these used I paid US$1500.

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<p>5D for around $750</p>

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<p>I've been keeping an eye on these on ebay and they usually go in the $1000-1200 range. Sorry, I don't mean to correct anyone, I just don't want others to get false hope. If you do see a 5D for $750, jump on it.</p>

<p>Or.. I just realized you probably meant 50D.</p>