Re: To Buy Kit or Body
 

I would go for the T3i instead of the 60D. Regarding lenses, the two I recommend most are the EFS 17-55mm 2.8 and the EF 70-200 2.8 L. However, if you don't shoot much in low light, I recommend you look at the 17-40mm f4 L instead of the EFS lens, in case you decide to go full frame later.

I still recommend you get the kit lens first with the body, and shoot with it for a few months until you find the best focal lengths and f-stops for your kind of work. It will make the decision-making process easier.

Re: To Buy Kit or Body
 

Tom,
another factor in lenses beyond specs is usability. I have a 60d which I bought with the kit lens, and the lens was cheap and plastic feeling. I also had a hard time with the flimsy focus ring. consider that you are crippling your potential image with lesser lenses. I also echo the 17-55 2.8 awesome lens, and the 70-200 2.8 Is.

Re: To Buy Kit or Body
 

buy just a body, as a rule kit includes lenses that are not in great demand, probably for a reason;
Canon EF S 17-55mm f2.8 IS is an excellent lens, but before you buy it remember you will have to loose it if you eventually switch to full frame, best lens for DSLR (FF or APS C)on glidecam is Canon 14mm f1.4 it's expensive, but being 3 feet hyper focal it'll make your flying 10x easier;
and if you're on tight budget buy just a body and old manual Nikon glass with $30 adapter from ebay,
some from my collection are sharper than Canon L series;

Re: To Buy Kit or Body
 

Tom,

No one was really giving low budget recommendations, so I figured I would put in my 2 cents.

I recently bought my first dslr, and it sounds like my situation was similar to yours. I wanted it for video primary, stills secondary. I had a low budget, around $1000, and also wanted a glidecam. I went with the following and am quite happy.

T3i body: $540
Sigma 18-50 f2.8-4.5: $200
Flycam nano dslr: $190
3rd party battery grip: $30
Set of used manual lenses from craigslist (28 f2.8, 50f1.8, 135f2.8) $30

With magic lantern and the 3x 1080p crop zoom the t3i is great. Now my 18-50 is essentially an 18-150 with the 3x. The battery grip makes it feel real nice in your hand.

If I had the extra money I would have got an f2.8 throughout the zoom range. The one I got is a nice upgrade to the kit lens though, its almost a stop faster, has a nice focus ring, and just looks cooler! I definately recommend getting a fast prime lens 1.8 or better. The canon 50mm f1.8 is not bad for $100, but the focus ring is difficult (but not impossible) its a good one to start with, and sell it in a year for a $25 loss when you have a better idea what you want. My next may be the sigma 30mm f1.4.

Re: To Buy Kit or Body
 

Not so sure about the flycam nano, there are quite some negative reports found about this stabiliser and the videos that you find with the flycam in action just don't look good at all. I think it's not a good idea to buy a real cheap steadicam as it will give you poor results.

Re: To Buy Kit or Body
 

I'm curious, all those preferring the TI3 over the 60D, is this strictly from a video standpoint? I'm interested in a 60D primarily as a still photo camera, and as a backup or B cam to my main video camera. I currently own the 17-55 2.8, and the Tokina 11-16 2.8.

When it comes to stills, still prefer the TI3 over the 60D? And why?

I'd love a 7D, but think its enhancements over the 60D aren't necessarily worth the added cost. And a full frame camera doesn't make sense to me, because the 2 main lens I own are EF-S lens.

Thanks as always,
Jeff

Re: To Buy Kit or Body
 

I actually started the process of getting my 60D. I went down to my local camera store just to play with the 60d and some lens. played with a $1600 lens cant even remember what it was after i heard the price. Then the guy told me he had a display model of a 18-50m 2.8f it was a $600 lens they were selling it for $399 so I jumped on it and bought it....Yeah i bought the lens before i had the camera but no worries I just put my order in for the Body.

Re: To Buy Kit or Body
 

For video t3i>60d mainly because if the 3x zoom.. It really saves you money from having to buy telephoto lenses.. I have the sigma 30mm 1.4 and sigma 17-50 2.8, with the zoom function I have a reach of 150mm with the 2.8.. I've heard people say it's still great footage at 5x zoom but never really tried it.. It also turns my 30mm to a 90 mm 1.4! How much do 90mm 1.4 lenses usually cost? At least $500!

For photos 60d>t3i.. It has faster focus, more focus points, better build, faster shooting, more buttons..

Re: To Buy Kit or Body
 

It is however the same sensor so the image quality is identical. We have 5D2s & 5D3s but my wife uses our 600D(T3i) with a 70-200mm F/2.8L USM IS II plus 2X Teleconverter (so about a 600mm full frame equivalent) for shooting wildlife photos & you can see some results on her blog Beautiful Belaugh – our home on the Norfolk Broads. The focus seems plenty fast enough to me & we only ever use a single central focus point.

Re: To Buy Kit or Body
 

I took th plung, and ordered the 60D today. I ordered body only, as I already own the Canon 17-55 and Tokina 11-16. I was going to order on Friday, but B&H was closed for the day, by the time I got to it in the after noon. I'm actually glad that happened, cause when I called to order today, an instant Canon rebate of $100 was in effect, so got it a bit cheaper then I was expecting. Used some of the savings to get a 2nd Canon battery.

Re: To Buy Kit or Body
 

well thats really aggravating i bought mine on Thursday ugghhh

Re: To Buy Kit or Body
 

Just talked to B&H they gave me the rebate