canon xsi

<p>Im looking to buy a new camera. I currently have a sony dsc h1 that is pretty good but wanting to get a little better plus my girl friend wants a good one and she currently has an older canon i think its a t2 35mm camera. she has two lenses with it. they are both sigma. one is a 28-90 f3.5-5.6 aspherical macro and the other is a 70-300 f4-5.6 macro super II. im pretty sure these dont have IS built in them. my question is are these good lenses? will they fit on the new xsi? and them not having IS built in is that going to be a problem? what we plan on doing with the camera is she is into still shots of birds and landscaping and all that, im into racing so mine would be more action shots and of course the usual family gatherings and all. </p>

<p> i found a deal on ebay for a new xsi, a canon 18-55 is 3.5-5.6, a canon 55-250 is f4-5.6, a wide angle .5x lens (dont know brand), a 2x telephoto lens (dont know brand), 3 filters, a canon backpack, 16g and 4g sd card with a usb card reader, a hard case for the camera, a mono pod, table top tripod, an extra flash (dont know brand) , a dc shutter release and it has the lens cleaner and a couple more small things for $1064.00<br>

does this sound good and are these canon lenses good? im guessing the .5x and the 2x lens screws on after the main lens to change it. is this something useful or just something to distort the picture.<br>

any help would be appreciated as this will be my first dslr. </p>

<p>dj</p>

 

<p>The lenses may not work properly on the XSi, they will physically mount but you may lose AF, you may lose aperture control or you may get the bc error message.<br>

The only way to be sure is to take the lenses into the shop with you and try them.<br>

Sigma make some good lenses, although these sound like budget lenses, and it is unlikely they will have optimal coatings for digital slrs (the image reflects off the sensor onto the rear element and back causing ghosting)<br>

It may be worth starting afresh with a new all canon kit.</p>

<p>As a general rule, you should avoid these Ebay kits. They are often filled with really poor quality "accessories." I would be wary of the memory cards as well. The .5x and 2x lenses are screw-on lenses and are worthless.</p>

<p>In the end you have a Canon body and two Canon EF-S lenses (of unknown origin) for about what you'd pay at a reputable store like B&H. The prices move up a bit when you add in a memory card and shipping from B&H. But, for me, buying from a store I can trust is worth a few extra dollars.</p>

<p>In terms of quality though, both the 18-55 and the 55-250 Canon lenses are a great combination for new digital photographers entering the world of SLRs.</p>

<p>Thanks, i was afraid that the lenses we have wouldnt be the greatest. I figured on the ebay kit that i would just have the two lenses and body and the rest was junk they threw in to make it look good. now say i also buy a lens for low lighting. i think i read on another thread using a 50mm f1.8, i noticed these dont have IS. Will that be a problem, i know on my movie camera it really helps but is it that important shooting close up. i mean would it have to be on a tripod if you didnt have an IS lens? One more thing i was reading today and saw that Canon has a 500d coming out. I wonder when it should be out and if maybe i should hold off till it gets some reviews? thanks again for your help.. dj</p>

<p>You can get the XSi with 18-55 kit lens at Abe's of Maine (www.abesofmaine.com) for $676.95 and free shipping, and buy the 55-250 lens separately at Amazon.com for $263.95, also with free shipping, saving you $123 to use for memory cards or the 50mm f/1.8, which is available for about $95. The f/1.8 should be fine without IS unless you want to shoot in a fairly dark environment. The new 500d/T1i will list for $899.99 with 18-55 kit lens. The actual sales price will probably drop over time, but it will probably remain significantly more expensive than the XSi (whose list price with kit lens is $749.99).</p>

<p>Sorry, I got the numbers wrong on the 55-250 - it's available from Amazon right now for $249.99, saving you a little more.</p>

<p>Dear Danny,</p>

<p>I have a friend who bought a kit off of Ebay and I think it had a couple of those lenses that you mentioned--the .5 wide angle and the 2x telephoto. They seemed useless to me when I saw them. I cannot remember the details--they were fixed focal length, I think, and there was just something wierd about them. They had no brand name on the boxes and they did not work like normal lenses (eg. no aperture ring, as I recall).<br>

My advice would be to avoid those kits off of Ebay. The prices are ridiculously high for the junk you get. My friend way overpaid for his, but I did not want to tell him that. I buy only from B&H and Amazon and have had no problems.<br>

Best of luck.<br>

Isabel</p>

<p>Isabel, .5x and 2x attach in front of a lens like all filters, they're not complete lenses.<br>

Multiplier - you need something to multiply.<br>

2x is certainly useless but 0.5x might be fun occasionally.</p>

<p>thanks for all your help, over the past couple days ive went back and forth alot and even thought about getting a 40d or 50d. my latest thinking is to get the xsi body only then get a good lens. i was thinking of a canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM autofocus. the lens is about $1000 and has good reviews. is the lens overkill? im thinking later maybe a year down the road i may get alot better camera and instead of spending a $400 on two ok lenses go ahead and get a good one when i can and they will work on my upgraded one later. also does anybody have the lens and if so how do you like it? is there another lens i need to think about to get started just for general shooting. i plan on getting a longer telephoto later but dont really need that now. thanks, dj</p>