Advice on next purchase after 400D please!

[colly]

Hello,

I'm about to buy a Canon 400d. I hear the 18-55 lens it comes with it not exactly the greatest, so I'm thinking of getting the body only and then buying a lens/lenses separately.

Here are some examples of what I found on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Sigma-Lens-Accessory-Kit-fr-Canon-EOS-400D-350D-40D-30D_W0QQitemZ190157618806QQihZ009QQcategoryZ30070Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.ie/Tamron-2-Lens-Set-Canon-EOS-400D-350D-40D-30D-20D-10D_W0QQitemZ190156955623QQihZ009QQcategoryZ30070Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

What do you think of these lens sets? Which is better - Tamron or Sigma?

I am only a beginner so I think something like this should be a good bet. I also plan to buy the Canon 50mm soon too.


Opinions please?
Thanks for your help

[RobertP]

Welcome to the forums.

My advice would be to get the kit lens. It is cheap and plastic bodied but it takes a lot better picture than most people give it credit for. It is also the ideal range for starting out with. You can always sell it in the future when you have enough experience to know what lens(es) you need to move your photography on. The 50mm is a good idea in any case.

Stick around here and read for a month or so and that combined with practise will help you learn and decide on new toys.

[oldgit]

You're right the kit lens isnt the greatest, but dont knock it. For the price it's excellent.
and :agree: with Rob too.

[SimonTALM]

Get it with the kit lens (unless your money is really tight) the price difference between the kit price and the body only is only about £40 IIRC.

Even if you never use it a secondhand 400D with kit lens will be much easier to sell than than a 400D body only and as you can flog the kit for more than the body only you'll probably not loose much money, if any, on the lens.

[andrewc]

Neither of those kits are really good. One comes with a load of worthless junk, and both are not wide enough. The lenses them selves are bottom of the range and could easily be improved on. IMO you're no better off.

Get the kit lens. Get a nifty fifty, Get a Sigma 70-300 APO. This allows a decent stab at most things in order to learn technique, then upgrade the lenses once you've decided what your favourite genre is.

[marky_h]

I've had my 350D since the spring, and have taken over 1500 shots with it, mainly with the kit lens, just to find out what I like photographing. Only in the last month have I started to think about the lenses which will be most useful to me, and which will give me the chance to develop my skills further. YMMV, but I think it's difficult for anyone to recommend an alternative to you until you know what you might be taking pictures of.

It's easy to get GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) with photography, it seems, but it would be much better to spend some taking pictures with something general purpose, and the kit lens bundle price is a good starting point.

[Ian T]

Yes, avoid the twin lens deal - like Andrew says they've just filled it out with junk. As always, you get what you pay for.