Originally Posted by es2k2

Got my Rebel XT last week and taking some test shots tonight...
These are my best shots and still learning how to use the camera...

Can someone tell me how to take low light (or under street light) pictures and what's the best setting to capture hid?

Originally Posted by es2k2

yah just the kit lens right now 18 - 55mm
want to get a zoom lens (kind of a must), wide angle and the closeup/macro lens in the future

Originally Posted by es2k2

let me know how's the 75-300 work out for you...
i heard some bad reviews about it... otherwise, I would buy that zoom.. (hopefully you are getting the USM one)

Originally Posted by es2k2

let me know how's the 75-300 work out for you...
i heard some bad reviews about it... otherwise, I would buy that zoom.. (hopefully you are getting the USM one)

Originally Posted by es2k2

i heard microdrive is not good because it works like a harddrive... it will break easier than a flash drive even for a little vibration...

check out zipzoomfly/newegg for the kingston elite pro 1gb cf card. it's on sale today... i'm using this card already and I just ordered another one today... it's a very damn good price and not some cheap and slow performance card...

looks like you got this lens?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...photo&n=507846

i heard some bad reviews on it... so i'm saving money on this lens now
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...photo&n=507846

Originally Posted by es2k2

the 2nd link is with IS.. which is supposed to have better image quality...
you think it's slow???

Originally Posted by mattfl1

I shot a roll of a film with a newly purchased 75-300 IS and returned it shortly afterwards. I was satisfied with the image quality (although it could be sharper at the 300mm end), however I found the performance of the lens to be unacceptable. The focusing speed is WAY too slow. For those of you who don't already know, there are TWO kinds of USM motors. One of them is very fast and allows focus override, one of them is very slow and does not allow for focus override. This lens has the latter. This lens flaunts the fact that it has a USM motor, but believe me, in terms of focusing speed, you will not be able to detect any difference between this lens and the non-USM 75-300 lens. The fact that the lens is a slow, dark f/5.6 at 300mm doesn't help things either. The image stabilizer does work well, but the focusing motor is just too slow. This is the first lens Canon made with IS and therefore contains the older USM motor (as far as I know, none of the other IS lenses contain this type of motor). Canon should really update this lens and put a better focusing motor in it. If they were to do that, this would be a KILLER lens.

During the event I shot using the 75-300 IS USM, I lost many good shots because the lens kept hunting instead of locking onto my subject. At one point I actually ended up throwing it into manual focus because it was just easier that way. Unfortunately, if you want a long telephoto zoom that focuses quickly, you have to throw out a lot more money and buy something like the 100-400 IS USM (which contains the GOOD USM motor) or the 70-200 USM (also containing the good focusing motor).

I'll close by saying that this lens will *probably* work well for you if you know you'll always be shooting places where there is VERY sufficient light (aka outside). Otherwise, I'd stay away from this lens.

Originally Posted by James G. Driscoll

This is my third lens, I already have the amazing f1.4 50mm and the truely great 28-135mm IS. Comparing this lens to the 28-135 IS, this lens is very slow to focus, has difficulty focusing in low light, and the photos it takes are not nearly as sharp. On the other hand... it's a 300mm lens - it'll take you quite close to a subject, and the IS means that you can handhold it in reletively decent light. Two big drawbacks - the IS doesn't work on tripod, and it doesn't have a "real" USM motor, so you can't mix AF and MF modes, you have to choose between modes with a switch. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably still get this lens, since the next level up (70-200 IS) is four times more expensive, and even the 50-500 is twice as expensive. If you intend to handhold shots, the IS is probably worth it over the non-IS version.

Originally Posted by L. Wimberley

This lens has gotten some bad reviews, I think, partly because it is starting to show it's age. This was the first USM IS lens, and the technology has REALLY grown since then. If Canon were to come along with an updated 75-300 USM IS lens, man, it would blow everything away.

That being said, yes, this lens IS a little slow to focus. But, if you are not using it for work like one of the professional sports photographers you see on the sidelines at baseball games, you should be okay. It also could use an extra stop (or two, or three!) because when you are handholding, you need that aperture to be as open as it can be.