I finally decided on a camera!! The Canon T2i/550D – isn’t it pretty?
Once I decided on the Canon T2i, the next step was deciding if I wanted to get just the camera body or the body and the kit lens. That meant figuring out what other lenses I would want to eventually have. My main criteria when choosing both a camera and lenses (besides good reviews) were size and weight. I spent quite a bit of time researching lenses, trying to figure out which type of lenses would fit with my photography interests, and reading tons of reviews. I also spent some time talking to a guy in the Ritz Camera store and I very much appreciated the advice I was given from Marta and from Wendy & Rob while I was in San Diego.
After all of this, I finally decided that my dream dream lens was the 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens. It gets great reviews, is an IS lens, and would be a great walk around lens (with the 10-22mm as a second lens for wider shots). But because of the weight of this lens, it was just too heavy to consider right now. The price tag of over $1000 dollars was also a deciding factor keeping this in the dream dream category. Maybe someday…
So after weeks and weeks of research, I decided that the kit lens (18-55mm IS lens) would be a good lens to get. It is only $100 when purchased with the camera and it is a small and very light lens. Now that I decided on getting the kit lens, I was ready to purchase my new camera. The next step was finding one in stock.
The Canon T2i has been selling out very quickly every time it was back in stock. Some stores have been out of it for more than a month. I continued to check a few reputable camera sites daily and finally lucked out last Thursday. When I woke up, I saw that Crutchfield had them back in stock. I called right away and snagged one. Shipping was free but it is taking forever to arrive! The tracking info says it is supposed to arrive next Monday. I can’t wait!!
I bought the camera with the kit lens and I also bought the 60mm Lens f/2.8 USM Macro Lens rationalizing that the 10% discount for any lenses purchased with the camera made it a good time to buy a second lens. The macro lens was the best deal with the 10% discount.
I still have my eye on the 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens and think I have settled on getting the 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Lens. The 10-22 is pretty expensive and is my dream lens ($769 at Amazon). I am thinking about getting it once I get my State Tax Refund. The 55-250 is a pretty cheap telephoto lens but also gets decent reviews. A telephoto (zoom) lens is not my top priority but it will be nice to have some day.
Now I need a camera bag! There are only a few places on the island that sell camera bags that I know of. I have not had time to get to any of these stores in the past few weeks. Meanwhile, as a member of REI, I had my yearly 20% off coupon that I could use on a bag but the coupon expired last Sunday so I had to decide quickly if I was going to take advantage of using the coupon on a camera bag. I decided to order the Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home Camera Bag.
The color I chose (black) is on backorder. That ends up working out well for me. This way, I will still have time to check out the two camera stores in town to see if I find a camera bag I like better. I am pretty sure that neither sells Crumpler bags though so I won’t be able to compare that easily. I know that one of the stores sells the Tamrac Velocity Sling bags (my other choice) and the other store sells a large selection of Lowe bags (also highly recommended). If I do find a camera bag I like, I may cancel my Crumpler bag order.
I am so excited to get my new camera! Of course, before I can start shooting photos, I will have to figure out how to attach the lens to the camera first!
shave ice & gelato 
wow-looks like a beauty. Congrats!
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Congratulations, that looks like a great camera (and I like the looks of your new bag — sleek, not too big!)
Amazing, how fast your camera model has been walking out of the stores.
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menehune, thanks :)
sandrac, I am pretty excited! It is amazing how the stores cannot keep this camera on the shelves. I am wondering if Canon made less or more people are buying one. Glad you like the look of the bag. I wanted to find a bag that doesn’t scream camera bag.
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Congratulations on your new camera! I wouldn’t know what to get…I still use my pocket one :)
Cheers!
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That is exciting! Time for a trip to practice using it!
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Congrats on the new camera. I can’t wait to see your photos. I’d love to have that 10-22 also. I may still get that one day. I just sent my 17-80mm lens in to Canon for fixing. I’ve been lacking the wide angle range since I got back from Hawaii. I procrastinated for a long time. Luckily it is just a little more than $100 to fix. Yeah! I’ll have it back in a week.
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Mar, I would have never guessed that you were using a point & shoot for all of your photos. They are fantastic and really do like like they come from a DSLR.
Palma, ahh, but first I need to practice before taking a trip :)
Marta, glad I am on the right track with the 10-22. Maybe if our furlough situation gets resolved… Great news on your 17-80mm lens! $100 is much cheaper than a replacement lens.
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Great choice, I am sure you are going to love it. My sister has this one and she loves hers. Nice bag too!! Can’t wait to see some great pictures!!
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Hi Girasoli, congrats on your new camera. It’s a great choice and I’m looking forward to seeing all of your photos when you get it. I’ve been meaning to write to you about bag choices. That’s a tough one. I have one that I’ve been using for years which I love (can’t remember the name of it now) it because it opens at the top. I recently heard of a bag from the Thorntree forums and purchased the Lowepro’s Passport Sling bag featured in this youtube video:
I have not yet used it on a trip yet so I can’t give my recommendation but the reason I liked it is because it doesn’t really look like a camera bag, I can sling it across my shoulders and there’s room in it for other things like my wallet, i-touch, a place for a water bottle and maybe a small guide book/map. I love the easy access to the camera too. Sometimes you have to be really fast to capture an image when traveling and the easy top access to my camera is what I love about this bag. I’ll try to take a photo of it and post it for you to see and e-mail it to you so you can see it from a non commercial stand point.
Have fun with your new camera!
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SandraK, thanks for your comment. Glad to hear your sister likes hers. I just got mine in the mail. I think it is going to be a big learning curve to figure out all the buttons/settings, etc. I am looking forward to it though.
Kathy, thanks! I appreciate your bag info. The Lowepro Passport Sling bag is very interesting. I really like the style but am wondering if it is an easy pickpocket bag. It may work out great for the beach though. Just got my Crumpler and can see that on a windy day, sand may blog in the sides (no zip top inside).
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Congratulations, this is excting!
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It sounds like you did a ton of research before you bought the camera. Good for you! It pays to research!
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