ayn

<p>I sync at 1/200 with PWs and Alien Bees and have no problems. On my 20D I sync at 1/250. But I've only done one shoot in the studio with my 5D2 as I've only had it for 3 days. Will pay more attention to this when I shoot tonight and tomorrow, though, a curtain is pretty damn obvious when I see one. :)</p>

I mailed mine in a while back and it's still in step 1 out 5 steps. hmm...

I use a combination of pricegrabber.com and resellerratings.com. I like Beach Camera, DigitalFotoClub, and B&H. for stuff that costs too much to ship I pick them up locally at Precision Camera.

If you are new to SLR/D-SLR's the 300D is just fine. Learn with what you have, and save the money for lens. I'd recommend only getting primes, L-zooms, and of course, L-primes. Don't bother with consumer-grade zooms (there are a few exceptions of course, but I think most would agree)...<p>

I got a 300D yesterday coz it has a $300 rebate while my 20D has none. I tested it out and was very impressed, especially for only $430! I definitely like the better design, construction, and extra features on my 20D, but for a beginner I am not sure if a 20D is worth almost $1k more.<p>

 

check out some <a href="http://gallery.andrewng.com/300D_Test">300D test pics</a>, I was busy so didn't have that much time, pics weren't my best, heh, but you can still tell the 300D is actually very good. I already shipped it to the buyer who's getting a great deal for it!

<p>

--Andrew

You can speed up the process by pre-qualifying your rebates at <a href="http://www.web-rebates.com/canon/">http://www.web-rebates.com/canon/</a>.

<p>

After you entered the UPC code, mailing address, name, etc, you can print out a page with a barcode on it. You mail that in instead of the rebate form.

<p>

Also, don't forget to cut out the name of the product on the top of the box!<p>I just sent mine in this morning! :)

I love my 24-70/2.8L, get it get it!

 

Not sure about the 300D (I have a 300D body waiting at my door right now, so I'll know soon), but with the excellent noise control at higher ISOs of my 20D, the 24-70/2.8L is great for available light shots indoor.

My .02:

 

Get the 20D, body only, and use the 50/1.8 until you can afford a new lens. With the 20D you will have to go for good consumer primes (50/1.4, 100/2.8, 85/1.8, and 50/1.8 is okay too), or L-zooms, and of course L-primes are even better. I don't recommend going with the 20D kit.

 

70-200/2.8L for $700 with scratches is NOT a good deal. I just got mine last Friday from Amazon, with all the rebates, kickback, and the Canon triple rebate, I am paying less than $800 brand new!

 

--Andrew

Thanks for all the replies, I have ordered the non-IS version of the 70-200. There is a

$150 Amazon cert offer for >$1k orders, after that, and the triple rebate, and my Amazon

Assoc kickback, it ended up being less than $800, can't beat that! :)

 

Me very happy, the lens should be here before the weekend. The 70-200/2.8L has been by

"dream lens" since I was in high school.

 

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I didn't realize I don't really need IS until I read it

here, and $500 for something I would rarely used is a bit too much for me right now, so

decision was much easier. I would probably invest in a CF monopod.

 

-Andrew

Just looked at the EXIF info of your pic, you used a 20D as well, cool.

that is a cool picture, Steven.

 

A few questions:

 

Do you also have a 1.6x crop factor camera?

 

Do you find the lens too obnoxiously huge, especially with the hood on? Or does it feel

just right in your hands?

wow, those are amazing portraits, very very nice!

 

I really want this lens, too bad it doesn't have the triple rebate, otherwise I'd get it for sure.

hmm... still very tempting...

 

-Andrew

Hi all, first post here. I currently have a 24-70/2.8L on my 20D, the 24-70 is my only lens

right now as I've sold all my non-L zooms from my 35mm days.

 

I photograph people mostly; portraits, glamour, fashion, art nudes, etc. My other hobby is

track so occasionally I'd like to photograph cars at the track when I volunteer as a corner

worker, but I don't do that very often.

 

I am looking at getting a new lens to take advantage of the triple rebate offers. I'd love to

have the 85/1.2L, but there is no rebate on that lens right now. I might also consider the

100/2.8 Macro.

 

I've always wanted the 70-200/2.8L IS, but for one, it's a bit expensive, and with my crop

factor I'm not sure how useful it'd be for portraits. The 135/2L seems nice, I can get a 1.4x

if I need a longer lens for track, and the 135/2L + 1.4x will still be less expensive than the

70-200/2.8L IS. But I might need the 70-135 range for some of my work. So I'm kindda

torn between these 2 lens. Any advice would be highly appreciated!