Is this a good deal on my first DLSR

bumping this cause im in the same type of situation. i've read through all the old threads on here and some on FM and a few others in the past few weeks, trying to figure out the best route to go. i think i want to stick with nikon/canon duopoly, just for ease of acquiring lenses. that being said, i have no knowledge whatsoever in terms of lens compatibility from model to model. also, im failing to connect the dots between lens size (i dont know the right term here) and speed, DOF, etc.

fps has been what im basing my choices off of so far, and im getting the feeling a 18-55 kit lens isnt fast enough to capture something moving like a skier, am i right with this thought?

with that out there, im torn between something older and used (20d), or if i am better off going with with one of the newer kits that'll do video(t1i).

are there lens compatibility issues or anything else that should weigh in on this decision?

thanks

this is what i went with for my total set up
canon t2i with 18-55 kit lens, both VERY lightly used ($700 shipped 3-day fredmiranda)
sigma 50-200 f/4-5.6 DC OS HSM ($158 shipped 2-day abes of maine)
transcend 16Gb class 10 sdhc


regarding the lens.
according to reviews the glass is fairly decent but gets soft towards the long end. mid range canon would produce a clearer sharper image.
the hsm motor is not quite as quiet as the canon ring ultrasonic. the ring ultrasonic cameras don't exist in this price range. it might say ultrasonic, but it is likely micro USM (which is a loud micro motor). here is a somewhat outdated list of canon lens and whether they have ring or micro USM.
the OS (optical stabilization) is not as good as Canon's IS, but is effective.
In short, even used, a similar focal length Canon zoom lenses with ring USM and IS were consistently over $400, and usually in the $800 range.

You have some research to do. Read up on aperture and focal length as they relate to depth of field. Also how aperture affects speed.

As far as compatibility, I can only speak to Nikon - all Nikon lenses will physically mount to all Nikon cameras however depending on the body and the lens autofocus may not work and with older lenses you may only be able to use them in M and A metering modes. We're talking pretty old lenses here for the metering incompatibilities though so you're not likely to encounter this. If you buy one of the higher end Nikon bodies that has an internal focusing motor (like my D200 :wink:) then AF will work on all AF lenses.

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Originally Posted by shroom

bumping this cause im in the same type of situation. i've read through all the old threads on here and some on FM and a few others in the past few weeks, trying to figure out the best route to go. i think i want to stick with nikon/canon duopoly, just for ease of acquiring lenses. that being said, i have no knowledge whatsoever in terms of lens compatibility from model to model. also, im failing to connect the dots between lens size (i dont know the right term here) and speed, DOF, etc.

fps has been what im basing my choices off of so far, and im getting the feeling a 18-55 kit lens isnt fast enough to capture something moving like a skier, am i right with this thought?

with that out there, im torn between something older and used (20d), or if i am better off going with with one of the newer kits that'll do video(t1i).

are there lens compatibility issues or anything else that should weigh in on this decision?

thanks

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Originally Posted by shroom

fps has been what im basing my choices off of so far, and im getting the feeling a 18-55 kit lens isnt fast enough to capture something moving like a skier, am i right with this thought?

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Sounds like you are getting frame rate confused with the light gathering ability of your lenses. While both are refered to as "speed" they aren't the same thing....

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Originally Posted by Lonnie

Sounds like you are getting frame rate confused with the light gathering ability of your lenses. While both are refered to as "speed" they aren't the same thing....

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Well he is kinda right. If he is using a longer kit lens that sits at 5.6 (which the canons do) he is either going to have to change ISO or reduce shutter speed to get the same exposure and therefor may not get the fps burst he is reading about. ;)

^right on. I have a vague understanding, but am nowhere near comprehension. currently thinking about going the 20d/30d route, followed up by a large amount of reading to try and understand what type of lens to invest in.

thanks for the input