I'm looking at getting some more camera gear for my birthday/mother's day gifts to myself I probably need to keep it under $600 or my DH will be mad..

Here are the things I've been looking at..

Canon Wireless Remote Control RC1 for Digital Rebel
22.25

Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras
406.17

Lenses

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens
175.95

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8-4.0 High Speed Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
79.95

Tamron Autofocus 28-75mm f2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) for Canon SLR Cameras
357.85


Will any of these lenses work good for shooting "snaps" inside my dark house and also outside in full summer sun?
Will any of these work for my "studio" type photos with natural light (I usually use f/2-3 with my 50mm 1.8).
I don't really know how a speedlite works, but I know I need help taking pictures indoors.. can I also use the speedlite for my "studio" photos?
What's the difference between the 430 and 580 speedlites? Will my needs be met with a 430 instead of the more expensive 580? I'm mostly taking pics of DD and doing free photoshoots for friends/family, word of mouth is spreading fast though and I get inquiries from strangers pretty often now. I hope to someday make a career out of photography.)

I'd like to cut costs, but I don't want to need to upgrade down the road and lose money overall..

I haven't touched my camera in a month, so I am really excited to get my (only) lens back from repair and get practicing again! Being without my camera this long definitely makes me see the need in a backup lens or 2 asap!

Thanks for any input you can give me!!

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I'm not sure about the lenses, I don't have any of those and I'm into primes right now. I do have that remote and its nice although I'm sure you know it does focus. Its only a shutter release. Works great for that, though! Happy Birthday and have fun shopping! That's always a blast!

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to answer a few of your questions...

the main difference btn the 430 and 580 is that the 580 can be a master and the 430 only a slave. probably go get good indoor portaits using it (anyone jump in and correct me) you should also have a reflector or diffuser (these are next on my list since even if I bounce off the ceiling I get an "angelic" type look to my kids-def not what they are! LOL) anyway...the 580 also reaches farther (or so I'm told)...

As for the remote..if it doesn't help focus then I'd say that you can probably get where you need to go with the 10 sec timer delay (that's what I use)! Glad that Amy brought that up cause I didn't know and it's something I've always wanted!

As for the lens'..I would think you'll still probably stick with the 50mm 1.8 for portraits indoors anyway since that's what most people I know use! Is that the only lens you have? (seems that way from the end of your post) so then maybe something with a little zoom would be nice...I used my 28-135 outdoors at the park and got some pretty decent shots. It is a bit harder to focus with all that zoom though, I noticed in a couple of mine that the focus fell just off the eyes or something...I'm working on it though! Something the guy at Henry's told me (I haven't researched it or anything) but that a 300mm zoom would be the distance that most P&S's can reach. That helped me decide how much zoom I needed now and how much I was willing to wait to buy later!

Good luck shopping and HAVE FUN!

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Dawn
Mom to Eric & Jeremy
In love with my Rebel Xti, kit lens, 28-135 zoom, 50mm 1.8, 430EX & PSPx2

I would get a speedlight (not sure which one since I am a Nikon user) and I would look for a lens with a much lower f stop for that kind of money. I really like my 30mm fixed f/1.4, its the only lens I use. . So you might not use any of those lenses when you have that 50 mm. You may also consider some seamless paper or a new prop..

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DeAnn
www.flickr.com/burgranger

Erin have you decided what to get/tell DH to get you?

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I just got my 430 EX speedlight from DH as a surprise last night so I haven't had a chance to use it and give you a review. I'm sure there's a learning curve. I just thought the 580EX was so much more $$$ (and heavier) and this would fit my needs just fine . So exciting to get new gear. Let us know what you choose!

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Holly
Mom to Claire Avery

Looking forward to your review Holly. I'm trying to decide between the 2 for Mother's Day gift.

I'm still debating

I can't wait to hear what you think of your speedlite Holly.

I think I want to get some blue seamless.. maybe brown. Other than that I'm not sure what I want I still have a few weeks to think anyway!

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where are you ordering the seamless from?

Probably B&H. These are the 2 colors I'm thinking about getting..

Savage | Widetone Seamless Paper Background - 53" | 36-1253

Savage | 53"x12 yds. Paper Background - #16 | 16-1253 | B&H

I wish shipping were cheaper though!!

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I have the Ocean Blue. That's what I used for Claire's smash the cake session. I ordered 3 rolls from B&H and I think it was only $12 to ship which I thought was reasonable. Hopefully it won't be too bad.