Good D-SLR or good lens???

[djdalibor]

What do you think about Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4.5 DC Macro?


Is it good for low light (weddings) photo?


How good is Canon 17-85 for low light (wedings) if i use 430EX?

[Chris White]

djdalibor,


Food for thought, Adorama has a "recertified" 40D for $699.99.Check it out:


http://www.adorama.com/ICA40DR.html?sid=20090711192020433qa&searchinf o=recertified


My experience with Adorama "recertified" is that once you separate it from the Canon box, and if you had a new unit out of the box, you would have to look for the small sticker indicating refurbished or use the serial numbers to get the unit back in the proper box.


Then I would add the 17-55 2.8, love it with my 50D!


Good luck choosing,


Chris

[clemmb]

"recertified" 40D from Adorama + Tamron AF 17-50 mm 2.8. With the money you save buying the "recertified" 40D, buy an extra battery or two and/or memory cards. you'll need them doing weddings.


Mark

[Colin]

I too love the Tamron and own one, but if your shooting weddings to pay for it you'll be better off with the versatility of the 28-135. I don't think Canon makes a better kit lens.
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What about the 24-105??? []

[Chuck Lee]

Colin,


Truefor xD series not xxD series. At least, I don't think I've ever seen a "Canon" kit with the 40D plus 24-105 L. I could be and sometimes are wrong.


Chuck

[peety3]

If the weddings are what will get you some money, I hope you plan to not make money for a while, while your wedding fees go into rental gear. None of the combos above are "safe" for a wedding, unless you're second-shooting or doing the work for free. As they said in the movie GI Jane, "two means one, one means none".

[peety3]

How good is Canon 17-85 for low light (wedings) if i use 430EX?
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Not good enough. First time you have a wedding where you can't use flash, you're toast.


I shot some events lately with a two-camera/two-lens combo, the 40D with 16-35/2.8 and the 400D with 85/1.2. Great stuff, but I had to decide for each shot how to make the noise/shake (ISO/shutter) tradeoff. I prefer not to run the 40D at ISO 1600, but was often there or at H. I prefer not to run the 400D at ISO 800, but was often there or at 1600. I like the results on-screen, but don't know if I'd like them printed.

[clemmb]

If the weddings are what will get you some money, I hope you plan to not make money for a while, while your wedding fees go into rental gear. None of the combos above are "safe" for a wedding, unless you're second-shooting or doing the work for free. As they said in the movie GI Jane, "two means one, one means none".
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I shot weddings for a couple of years with an XTi and a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 and an XT with a Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 as backup. My only advertisment was word of mouth and each year I would be turning customers away because I had plenty of work. Made enough money to upgrade to a 5D and 2 Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L's. Its not who has the most expensive high tech gear that takes the best photos. It is knowing your tools and using them. A 40D + Tamron AF 17-50 mm 2.8 is a great tool for taking great wedding photos. Before shooting weedings, practice, practise, practise. Know your tools and how to get the most out of them.


Mark

[peety3]

If the weddings are what will get you some money, I hope you plan to not make money for a while, while your wedding fees go into rental gear. None of the combos above are "safe" for a wedding, unless you're second-shooting or doing the work for free. As they said in the movie GI Jane, "two means one, one means none".
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I shot weddings for a couple of years with an XTi and a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 and an XT with a Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 as backup. My only advertisment was word of mouth and each year I would be turning customers away because I had plenty of work. Made enough money to upgrade to a 5D and 2 Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L's. Its not who has the most expensive high tech gear that takes the best photos. It is knowing your tools and using them. A 40D + Tamron AF 17-50 mm 2.8 is a great tool for taking great wedding photos. Before shooting weedings, practice, practise, practise. Know your tools and how to get the most out of them.
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The camera that this person is looking to buy is a first DSLR. You had two DSLRs for your wedding work. If this person is doing wedding work for a fee and their one and only DSLR should fail, they will have no spare DSLR unless they have rented a spare. That was my whole point, as evidenced by the "safe" reference and the movie quote which referred to redundancy in another setting.


Hopefully you'll notice that none of my comment relates to expensive high tech gear, and none of my comment relates to skill and/or practice. Expensive gear can fail (my 1D Mark III did, 16 shots after a trip to Canon, and it needed a new mirror box), and there's no amount of photography skill or practice that can fix a failed or broken camera.


You're right about knowing your tools, at least with regard to knowing that your tools can fail.


I shot a wedding once, for free, with a single camera. I knew that I had a battery "issue", which turned out to be yucky off-brand batteries, but the camera did freeze on me once. I shouldn't have done the gig with one camera, period.