I am one of you now

I am now one of you. Order placed late Monday night. Processed and shipped Tuesday. Arrived Wednesday morning.


I noticed that ordering from Adorama, instead of a local Canadian store, would save me over $500, even after currency conversion and shipping. As a bonus,as far as I can tell, customs didn't notice I should be paying sales tax, saving me another $175. Savings of $300 on a T1i body alone, $110 on a SDHC card, $40 on a battery, and about $160 on lenses, but (oh no!) I'd have to pay $65 shipping.


Despite the savings, I couldn't afford a nice zoom like the 15-85mm or 17-55mm, and opted for the std. 18-55mm IS kit to save money for future lens purchases. I took a 50mm f/1.8 because they're nearly free, low-light capable, and sharp. I felt I needed atleast 1 awesome lens and picked up a 85mm f/1.8.


I know that instead of these lenses, I could have opted for the 15-85mm, for $200 more, but then I'd have no low light lens, so I'd probably end up at $300 more by adding a nifty-fifty... and I'm already spending more than I should... so a good zoom will have to wait.


A bit later on Wednesday, my dad arrived. He had an old XTI he was going to give me (if only he'd mentioned it before arriving!), and an original 75-300mm IS USM, giving me some much needed telephoto range.


We've got pretty dim lighting in our house, and it's pitch black out by the time I'm home from work, so we put the camera to it's ultimate low-light test.


T1i + 85mm f/1.8 @ 85mm, f/1.8, 1/160, ISO3200
- JPEG from camera, resized and wavelet sharpened in GIMP.


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I skimmed your post after I saw kit lens, scrolled down to the picture, and thought, "That's no kit lens...."


*high five*

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Originally Posted by DavidEccleston

I am now one of you. Order placed late Monday night. Processed and shipped Tuesday. Arrived Wednesday morning.


[…] opted for the std. 18-55mm IS kit to save money for future lens purchases. I took a 50mm f/1.8 because they're nearly free, low-light capable, and sharp. I felt I needed atleast 1 awesome lens and picked up a 85mm f/1.8.

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Hey, that's cool, you bought the same "kit" that I just got, a 500D with exactly the same three lenses ;-)


I find the 85/1.8 to be really good, the 50/1.8 II (assuming you have the mk II, too) can be nearly as good when in a good mood, and the kit zoom to be good enough when there's enough light … but a definitive candidate for an upgrade.


Have fun, Colin

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Originally Posted by Colin500

(assuming you have the mk II, too)

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Yup, I do.

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Originally Posted by Colin500

and the kit zoom to be good enough when there's enough light … but a definitive candidate for an upgrade

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Pretty much my thinking too. I've seen quite a few decent shots with the 18-55mm IS. It was cheap and will tide me over until I can afford something better.


I can't wait until Saturday when I might get to use it during daylight. [:)]


Oh, other Colin, no, definately not the kit lens. [:D]

Welcome!


I really like the EF 85mm f/1.8 with my T1i - very sharp, great out-of-focus blurring, good bokeh, and only mild chromatic aberration (at the edges, wide open). Do be careful with the thin depth of field - in wide-open candids of my 22 month-old daughter, I've got some great shots of her where you can count her eyelashes but her head is slightly downturned or it's a profile shot so her lips are out of focus. It's not a bad effect, just something to keep in mind. Also, if you want that nice OOF blur outdoors, I'd recommend an ND filter - f/1.8 lets in a LOT of light, too much for even the T1i's 1/4000 max shutter speed in full daylight. The B+W 103 (3 stops) is a great one, and a 58mm diameter filter is reasonable (US$40 from Amazon).


When you decide to move up from the kit lens, if you like the focal length and mainly want better IQ and more light, I can highly recommend the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8. I bought the T1i as body-only with that as my main lens and it's wonderful.


One more tip that may enhance the utility of the kit lens indoors - a Speedlite 430EX II. The rotating/tilting head will give you the ability to bounce of the ceiling for a much nicer flash effect. I recommend that (or the 580EX II) over the less expensive 270 EX mainly for the autofocus assist (I personally dislike the blast of focus assist flashes that are provided by the pop-up internal flash or the 270 EX, compared the unobtrusive red grid from the higher-end flashes).


Happy shooting!

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Originally Posted by neuroanatomist

Also, if you want that nice OOF blur outdoors, I'd recommend an ND filter - f/1.8 lets in a LOT of light, too much for even the T1i's 1/4000 max shutter speed in full daylight.

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Thanks for the tip. I have a 58mm CPL that I was using on my Sony H1 that I could use towards this effect too. I think it knocks off around 2 stops of light. I might need more light-stopping power once the snow starts to accumulate though.


Now that you've got me thinking of reusing my existing gear, the T1i's high-ISO and smaller aperture capabilities will mean I might actually be able to use my M3358 more often, as the 75-300mm also uses 58mm filter (Sony M3358 is a 3.3 diopter achromatic close up lens/filter like the 250D and 500D).


Why must we work during daylight hours?!?

Congrats! Have fun [H]