[watcher]

As mentioned originally, my primary focus is indoor photos of my daughter so I decided on taking all your advices and stuck to getting the following. I was considering some of the wider aperture primes you guys mentioned but I think the 17-55 at 2.8 will suffice for my needs now. I think this will provide me with a good foundation for taking some great shots (both indoors and outdoors). Now I regret getting the kit as the 24-135 seems sorta useless now (I guess I'll ebay it or something because it seems to be worth more than the 200 dollar kit difference). Thanks again all

EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS
580EX II (wanted a 430EX prior to going to te store but it was only a 90 dollar difference)
Omnibounce Diffuser

i'd say keep the kit and use it when you need more reach. it'll come handy when you go outdoors and take your daughter out on a field trip. there may be times when 55mm may be short for your needs, especially when you want to take closeups while she's napping or doing something that doesn't require a lot of movement, like coloring

but if you MUST, the lens goes for 280~330 in the used market. i haven't seen anyone successfully sell it for more than 350 though (even if it was new). 300~320 will be your best balance for selling price and probability of sell. (it used to sell for better, but because everyone is buying the camera with the kit and selling off the lens, it's more of a common commodity in the lens market)

and u may know this, but stay away from selling on craigslist, unless you have written documents for liability. majority of people out there are dishonest and shady. =p

[happyshirt]

the sigma performs very well and takes nice sharp pictures. i love mine and use it quite often when i shoot. if you can find a good one second hand, it will truly be a gem. i got mine used from a reputable seller in the photog forums online, and i feel i couldn't have gotten a better deal.

unless you're hard-core canon/USM lover, you'll be QUITE satisfied with the sigma

Thanks Watcher. yep i think a 2nd hand pc would be a good idea. would u be able to recomend any reputable sources?

Thank you.

[watcher]

Thanks Watcher. yep i think a 2nd hand pc would be a good idea. would u be able to recomend any reputable sources?

Thank you.

fredmiranda.com
photography-on-the.net

for tips...

- make sure the seller lives in the same country as you (saves you in taxes when it crosses the border)

- ask for pictures of the lens, and pictures taken with the lens. this is to make sure there's no real damage on the lens and it's working fine. judging picture quality is actually something more difficult to do, but you can look up pbase.com for samples of pictures taken with various lenses. compare with those shots, but do realize pbase pics are often taken by good photographers. dont worry about composure, and focus more on sharpness, fringing, etc

- buy from sellers who are active in the forums and/or have been long time members. you'll know who's active and reputable as you browse the site and post some of your own comments/questions in those forums

- sign up for google checkout or paypal. some are cool enough to wait for money orders, but this is for YOUR protection.

i'd sell you mine, but i'm still not yet decided on how long i'm gonna be away from the photog scene

and an external flash can really do wonders, do get a stofen ombinounce or some compatible bounce along that line to supplement your flash, it's really a useful piece of plastic that can shape the way you flash.

all i can say about this is...
gary fong lightsphere ftw!!
stoffens are great... but wow... u need to check out those lightspheres if you havent...


on a final note... i'm planning on selling my sigma 30/1.4
great lens, but not used enough. i'll buy it again at a later time if i really need it.
i used to think i'd use it for indoor event photography, but honestly, i'd pick up a p&s instead any day.
maybe i'll trade it for an 870IS... lol
if there is anyone interested... i'm selling for $330+shipping (it retails 430 on BH)
reason for cheap sell is that it's probably time for a cleaning and i havent gotten around to it.
the zoom squeaks a little when focusing while the lens is pointed down
but otherwise works just fine

[d0wne]

on a final note... i'm planning on selling my sigma 30/1.4
great lens, but not used enough. i'll buy it again at a later time if i really need it.
i used to think i'd use it for indoor event photography, but honestly, i'd pick up a p&s instead any day.
maybe i'll trade it for an 870IS... lol
if there is anyone interested... i'm selling for $330+shipping (it retails 430 on BH)
reason for cheap sell is that it's probably time for a cleaning and i havent gotten around to it.
the zoom squeaks a little when focusing while the lens is pointed down
but otherwise works just fine

Ahah. Mine squeaks too. I'd sell it but my is Very sharp. I bought it because I was into the no flash ambient light look when taking pictures of my friends inside during parties, but am now looking to get a flash to go along with a Sigma 17-70 I just bought. My friends already encourage my interest in photography so I'm brave enough to use a big flash rather than try to pass off with the ambient yet discreet set up. Plus no switching lenses with group shots.

So yeah all I need is a flash *hint hint, watcher* haha.


*EDIT
Whoa are you unix04? If so, have a safe business trip then.

[watcher]

Ahah. Mine squeaks too. I'd sell it but my is Very sharp. I bought it because I was into the no flash ambient light look when taking pictures of my friends inside during parties, but am now looking to get a flash to go along with a Sigma 17-70 I just bought. My friends already encourage my interest in photography so I'm brave enough to use a big flash rather than try to pass off with the ambient yet discreet set up. Plus no switching lenses with group shots.

So yeah all I need is a flash *hint hint, watcher* haha.


*EDIT
Whoa are you unix04? If so, have a safe business trip then.

haha... yep thats me.
as for my gear... the first two to go are likely the 30/1.4 and the 70-200/2.8 IS
then probably the 85 and the 10-20.
last to go is the 24-105 and flash. lol... sorry...
but if i reach that point... i'll let you know =)

[CK92842]

It's pretty simple. Spend alot on some program that calibrates your monitor for you . But that's not what I did. If you have Photoshop, you should have a program called Adobe Gamma under your control panel in Windows. Follow the instructions. You could also print out a picture, and try to match that photo's color and contrast by tweaking your monitor's settings.

You really shouldn't be tweaking with Adobe Gamma unless you're using a CRT display. It tends to not work well with LCDs at all.

[EYJAYJAY]

You really shouldn't be tweaking with Adobe Gamma unless you're using a CRT display. It tends to not work well with LCDs at all.

hm. mine's not CRT, but i didnt mess with it. im gonna make a few more prints and see if there is really that much of a difference

[erure]

Has anyone heard of the Canon EF 50mm f/1.0L lens? It sounds like a beast! I didn't even know of its existence until today ^^; Canon doesn't make it anymore - I wonder why... Anyway it costs as much as the Canon EOS-1D Mark III (~$4500) so WOW.

[watcher]

Has anyone heard of the Canon EF 50mm f/1.0L lens? It sounds like a beast! I didn't even know of its existence until today ^^; Canon doesn't make it anymore - I wonder why... Anyway it costs as much as the Canon EOS-1D Mark III (~$4500) so WOW.

yea... it's a novelty... hehe
people get one just to have one.

[felinewong]

the canon 1200mm 5.6 puts all other to shame
heres one for sale used for $99,000

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/8005...0mm_f_5_6L.html

[d0wne]

the canon 1200mm 5.6 puts all other to shame
heres one for sale used for $99,000

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/8005...0mm_f_5_6L.html

That is so tempting. And it's under $100,000!

[watcher]

it's a great time to consider getting a 2nd body!
buydig, BH, beach, etc are selling the rebel XT body for a mere $380. that's almost on par with the new canon SD line models and cheaper than some sony cybershot models!
seriously a great time to jump into the DSLR market...
i wish the market was like this last year...
back then the cheaper models still cost easily in the 700+ range for body/lens/CF

[d0wne]

it's a great time to consider getting a 2nd body!
buydig, BH, beach, etc are selling the rebel XT body for a mere $380. that's almost on par with the new canon SD line models and cheaper than some sony cybershot models!
seriously a great time to jump into the DSLR market...
i wish the market was like this last year...
back then the cheaper models still cost easily in the 700+ range for body/lens/CF

I bought my kit for $580 last year. Great camera, and they're practically giving it away.

What's this going to do to it's used value?

[watcher]

I bought my kit for $580 last year. Great camera, and they're practically giving it away.

What's this going to do to it's used value?

haha... they're already pretty low. 10~20% below the value of new based on prices from the major players like buydig, BH, beach, dell, amazon, etc. you can probably find a used xt for ~$320 or lower without too much of a problem. used 20D's are starting to hit the upper 300's and low 400's. this is because the xti costs ~$500 brand new, and people would prefer the xti over the 20D. speaking of which, used xti's on the market wont sell for more than 470 (which is how much the xt used to cost merely a couple months ago!) where does that leave the 30D? it retails ~800, and most people who really want to get rid of it will likely sell around $700, give or take a few bucks.

i'm not really sure if this downward trend will get even lower. only time will tell, but the xt will phase out in a bit. if the 18month canon cycle continues, we'll see a 450D (or whatever the next gen is named) in april. once that phases out, expect to see the xti be sold in the 400's. but if it gets even cheaper, i wonder what'll happen to models like the s5 and other higher end point and shoots? people with already somewhat bulky cameras may be willing to hit up the dslr market and cause some interesting stir to the industry, especially to companies like sigma, tokina and tamron, which serve those on a tighter budget.

maybe i should just study the industry and hang up my camera for a bit? lol

[EYJAYJAY]

my xt is going to be history T___T

[erure]

I'm selling my Canon EOS Kiss Digital X (4OOD) body, Canon battery grip, Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3, and 2 batteries for $600. Does this price seem reasonable?

[erure]

I made small updates to the gear list in the front (like adding a banner yay ).

Please note that the gear list is only updated when a user specifically requests it to be updated. I will not look through the +60 pages to find your gear for you, it is unreasonable. If you want to be on the gear list, just reply to this thread and write your gear down and tell me (MINJI.v) to update it so that I know (be blunt about it haha). Also, this is very important - BE VERY SPECIFIC AS TO WHAT YOUR GEAR IS, since it is easy to confuse lenses and apertures and whatnot.

Thank you

[hpnotiq]

This is pretty random, but..

PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE LOS ANGELES &/OR ORANGE COUNTY AREA
I'm currently looking for a photographer for an event in February.
You don't have to be a professional or have a lot of experience.
I'm just looking for someone that enjoys taking pictures.
Yes, you will be paid according to either by the hour or whatnot.

PM asap me if interested!

[d0wne]

Hey Minji, I just got a new walkaround lens. Put me down for a Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5

[negitoro]

Anyone done wedding photography before?

So I'm in a pinch. My gf's sister is getting married but couldn't afford a photographer so basically she asked any friends who has a SLR to do a wedding-photography-by-committee. My gf (having given me my XT as a present last year) 'volunteered' me but I really don't have that much confidence in my skills or my gear to be up to the task. So obviously the easiest part to take care of is the gear... time to go lens shopping

So armed with a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 and 50 1.8, what kind of holes can I fill on a budget?

I think my biggest hole is a tele. Am I right? I had already been saving for a 70-200 f4 or f4 IS but I'm concerned it won't be fast enough or give me the depth of field I need. I heard some other advice which was to go for a non-IS 70-200 f/4 and then get a fast tele prime like a 100 f2 for the money that I was going to use for a 70-200 f4 IS but I feel like the 100 f2 might not be something I'd use much after the day. I guess the 70-200 f2.8 is an option also but it's definitely a little heavy and larger than I see myself using day-to-day. Another option would be the soon-to-be-released Sigma 50-150 f2.8 II but that doesn't even exist yet.

Do I need something wider and faster than my 2.8? Like a Sigma 30 1.4 or 28 1.8? I was thinking I can probably get away with using flash and maybe a Lightsphere (or cheap imitator LOL) or a bounce card but I don't know.

Any advice?