carl_weller

aaaahhh, its great to find another kiwi on the net!

<p>

one thing you might want to consider is whether or not the lovely

people in customs plan to screw you out of your savings with a hefty

tax bill. there must be a book or something that you can get from

customs for advice.

<p>

the 7e is also on my 'maybe' list. the vertical grip is cool,

especially if you've got big hands.

<p>

as to the lenses:

<p>

what i find is that i do most of my shooting in the 150-300mm range so

i can get a good tight shot without sitting right on top off what i'm

trying to photograph. when i need a wide-angle lens then its only

really for landscapes or architecture - then i just chuck the trusty

20mm on the camera.

<p>

i really find the intermediate focal lengths (basically everything

from 35mm to about 90mm)a bit too 'normal'. when you want a tight shot

use a tele (my fave is the 70-200 4.0 'cos its good AND won't force

your bank manager to put a contract out on you), for a wide shot use a

real wide angle (you'll freak if you see the difference between a 24mm

and a 20mm). later you can chuck in a 50mm 1.8 (really good value) for

the normal shots. of course, this is a good deal more of an investment

than the 24-85mm.

<p>

why not think about waiting on the speedlight for a bit and getting

the 28-135mm IS? it hasn't got the low end on the wide angle, but

otherwise gives you far more possibilities in a single lense and lets

you leave the tripod at home or use slower film.

aaaahhh, its great to find another kiwi on the net!

<p>

one thing you might want to consider is whether or not the lovely

people in customs plan to screw you out of your savings with a hefty

tax bill. there must be a book or something that you can get from

customs for advice.

<p>

the 7e is also on my 'maybe' list. the vertical grip is cool,

especially if you've got big hands.

<p>

as to the lenses:

<p>

what i find is that i do most of my shooting in the 150-300mm range so

i can get a good tight shot without sitting right on top off what i'm

trying to photograph. when i need a wide-angle lens then its only

really for landscapes or architecture - then i just chuck the trusty

20mm on the camera.

<p>

i really find the intermediate focal lengths (basically everything

from 35mm to about 90mm)a bit too 'normal'. when you want a tight shot

use a tele (my fave is the 70-200 4.0 'cos its good AND won't force

your bank manager to put a contract out on you), for a wide shot use a

real wide angle (you'll freak if you see the difference between a 24mm

and a 20mm). later you can chuck a 50mm 1.8 (really good value) for

the normal shots. of course, this is a good deal more of an investment

than the 24-85mm.

<p>

why not think about waiting on the speedlight for a bit and getting

the 28-135mm IS? it hasn't got the low end on the wide angle, but

otherwise gives you far more possibilities in a single lense and lets

you leave the tripod at home or use slower film.

yup, i have to agree with george, the manual could be better.

<p>

but if you really want to get hold of one try www.manualsrus.com (i

think thats the address anyway) - costs something too, but probably

not 14 bucks.

wow! you've got exactly the same problem that i do (and probably about

a million other people i guess).

<p>

2 things to throw into the mix:

<p>

1).

<p>

the eos 3 is the oldest camera in the canon lineup, with a problem

similar to that of the rebel 2000 (which seems to have gone from

class-leader to somewhere in mid-field 'cos nikon and minolta have

upgraded theirs recently). yeah of course there's also the A2E - but,

come on, that things been around since '92 so it shouldn't even be

considered in a NEW camera purchase debate. when i look at how fast

the other manufacturers are moving i just hope canon get its ass into

gear sometime soon. not that the 3's not great - it is - but its great

technology from 1998! maybe thats the reason why the 3 is going so

cheap at the moment - to get rid of stockpiles before they bring out

the replacment.

<p>

2).

<p>

a camera is a light-tight box. the lens makes the picture. you can

probably get better pictures - of course with less custom features

etc. - by buying the 7e and a nice shiney new lens.

i bought the sigma for just that reason - and for travel photos it's

great, especially if you want to fit a lot in the frame

the extra 9 degrees of coverage a 24mm gives you are worth their

weight in gold(i used the 24mm setting mainly for architectural shots

in vienna and munich). and the 2.8 is of course great - once you've

had a zoom lens with a bit of speed you won't ever want to rejoin the

"coach-class" with their 3.5-5.6's. the results i have got with it (so

far only about 10 rolls of film) are just great - really proves what a

lot of people have been saying about the shit canon lenses say - yes i

said shit CANON lenses - that come with the kits most of start out

with.

<p>

what i can't tell you is whether its as good as the canon 28-80 2.8 -

probably not given the price difference AND THAT IS EXACTLY THE POINT.

if spending twice as much for what is probably a 5-10% increase in

quality is what turns you on then go and stand over there with the

"3rd party sucks" crowd. you gets what you pays for - all you have to

decide is how much you want to pay!

<p>

at the end of the day its whats on the photo, not what name is on the

lens. sometimes i wonder if the whole canon and nikon vs. the 3rd

party debate is not really some obscure form of equipment snobbery.

<p>

And when they say your sigma will be junk in 5 years SO WHAT! in 5

years they will have made quantum leaps in lens design and you can use

the money you saved not buying a canon lens to get yourself a nice new

3rd party lens once more - and improve your photography the real way

by taking more photos (that you can now afford to get developed 'cos

you're not saving like a madman for your lenses).

<p>

if i sound like an "i hate canon" loon, then you're in for a schock -

canon make fantastic lenses, and as soon as i win lotto i'll replace

all my 3rd party solutions with the real thing.