buying camera... hobbyist's help

[tamg]

What is the best digital camera for the macro ? the best quality/price ?

 

[Mel&Keith]

What price range are you tying to stay in?

 

[tamg]

between $1000 and $1800...

 

[Mel&Keith]

Well since I'm a Canon fan....

I know Tamara Locke got this Macro lens and loves it: EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Here's a link to a thread of her photos with it: http://www.geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=16534

I could be lying but I believe that lens goes for around $600.

For the camera part...I got a Canon 40D a while back and I couldn't be happier with it. It just came out at the end of last year and rivals all of Canon's older far more expensive models. I have this
kit which is a wonderful all around lens but you can shop around and find the body for about $1000.

 

[Ccrashca069]

My mom just got that Macro lens. She got it on sale for around $525.00 so $600.00 for the lens sounds about right.
She has that lens on a Canon Rebel.

 

[tamg]

Thank you for info.
I saw two models yesterday : EOS400D and EOS40D
Eos400D is cheaper than 40D....
What's the difference between 40D and 400D ???
The best will be buy 400D and a good macro , not ?

 

[Mel&Keith]

A 400D is the Rebel XTi model so there's a pretty huge difference as far as features and durability go but there's also a pretty big price difference. Do some Google searches on product reviews for the 40D and Rebel XSi (AKA 450D) or XTi and see what fits you best.

 

[Mel&Keith]

Also, on Canon's site you can compare models. It's a tab on the right hand side of this link "Choose the Right Product" . Just drag and drop the 3 models into the selection boxes.
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ProductCatIndexAct&fcategoryid=111

 

[JGoslee]

I also have the canon 100mm 2.8 macro lens and its a great piece of glass. I have the canon xt which I really like. I was going to go with the xti but decided to get the xt and use the extra money I saved to put towards the macro lens. I think my total for the xt body and 100mm macro was around $1200.

 

[JGoslee]

This is where I ordered from...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...&shs=&at=Brand_Canon&basicSubmit=Submit+Query

 

[Milwaukee Reptiles]

B&H is a great store with great customer service, and I find their prices to be very competitive on lenses. However, I've also purchased from Amazon (not a reseller through amazon) and have been able to save money on my camera-equipment purchases. Another decent store is adorama.

If you're looking to save a bit but still get high qaulity, take a look at the Canon XSi, the new version of the XTi. It has most of the features of the 40D at a price $300-400 cheaper. Amazon has it for pre-order (ships June 15, maybe sooner) at a price of $799 (Amazon Link)