Best DSLR I might be able to find cheap on craigslist?

[Hugh Conway]

^^so, the difference is that the S lenses have their own AF motor for the motorless bodies (models are ?) and the non-S lenses are for bodies with built in motors (models are ?), right?

yes, that is correct. motorless bodies = D40, D40X, D60, D3000, D3100, D3200, D5000, D5100

glad you've had good luck on craigslist tipp for me it's people who want too much money for too much pain in the ass (driving, waiting, flaking) for only a few $ saved. Hope your daughter loved the present

To add to the confusion there's the older AI Manual Focus lenses that will work on most cameras but you need to spend the $$ for one of the higher end models (D200, D300, D3 etc) to use them in aperture priority mode.

[oftpiste]

trigger pulled using Canon customer loyalty discounts which, unfortunately, precluded the additional $100 off currently available on refurbed products, dammit. sending them an old 3.2 mp point and shoot picked up at Goodwill.

got this for $80
EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Refurbished

and this for $447
[COLOR=#CC3333 !important]EOS Rebel T3i EF-S 18-55mm IS II Lens Kit Refurbished[/COLOR]

free shipping too. not bad! pretty stoked. all this was cheaper than what I could find on craigslist and still comes with a warranty.

Thanks for all the help!

[Chainsaw_Willie]

^^so, the difference is that the S lenses have their own AF motor for the motorless bodies (models are ?) and the non-S lenses are for bodies with built in motors (models are ?), right?

Just a minor clarification to what Hugh wrote - AF-S lenses will work perfectly on *any* body. AF, AF-D, and AF-I lenses will only autofocus on bodies with motors but will otherwise function normally on bodies without.

Max Archer - You do realize that Nikon as an 80-400 offering in the $1600 price range right? Or is your complaint that the Canon 100-400 is much better than the Nikon 80-400? From all the reviews I've read, the 80-400 suffers from poor focusing speed and low light performance but is otherwise fine.

[Max Archer]

Just a minor clarification to what Hugh wrote - AF-S lenses will work perfectly on *any* body. AF, AF-D, and AF-I lenses will only autofocus on bodies with motors but will otherwise function normally on bodies without.

Max Archer - You do realize that Nikon as an 80-400 offering in the $1600 price range right? Or is your complaint that the Canon 100-400 is much better than the Nikon 80-400? From all the reviews I've read, the 80-400 suffers from poor focusing speed and low light performance but is otherwise fine.

80-400 focuses so slowly that it's unusable for shooting action, which kind of defeats the purpose of a 400mm for me. The Canon totally blows it away. I shoot auto racing, and a good 60% of the pro Canon guys are shooting the 100-400, for much of what we're doing we shoot at like f/11 or smaller anyway (to pull longer shutter speeds) so the aperture doesn't really matter. What's especially frustrating is that Nikon has patented a ton of lens designs in the range that would be awesome for many of us, but none have seen production. I'd love to see, like, a 200-500 5.6...

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Gotcha.

Seems to me the 80-400 is loooongggg overdue for a revamp. It's been around forever and not that many people like it for the reason you stated. I'd love to see them reincarnate this lens as an F4 with fast focusing but then the price would probably double.

Only other choices are the 70-300 which is just okay or the very expensive 200-400.