New 500D (T1i) Lens Queries

[andalusia]

Hello fellow snappers,

For my upcoming 18th I'll be getting a Canon EOS 500D, as I currently only have a compact and my dad agrees that an SLR would be a good investment for me.

We aren't made of money though, and in looking for the best deal we have found a significantly (12%) cheaper package on pixmania compared to amazon. However the supplied lens on Amazon is Image Stabilized, whereas the same lens is supplied on pixmania but without the image stabilization. My first question is, as I won't be able to afford a new lens for quite a while, is it important that I have image stabilization or not? I mostly shoot nature shots and stills for the most part but occasionally may have to capture action, such as my Dad's girlfriend's dressage competitions - am I going to have a problem with the non-IS lens?

Secondly, on pixmania it's advertised with an '18-55 DC Lens'... What does the DC stand for or what does it mean?

Thank you for your time reading this.

Cheers,
Tristan.

 

[gameface]

IS helps in low light and longer focal lengths. It isn't so much a need in say a 18-55 but is very beneficial when you have say a 70-200. In low light it will allow you to shoot about 2 stops slower shutter speed without noticeable camera shake but with practice that can be achieved as well.

The DC is for the DC-micro motor instead of USM motor found in newer and more expensive lenses. I'd say get what you can afford and learn to shoot in manual. Having a single lens forces you to adapt to situations. There are many times I will only bring a single lens with me even though I have 6. It forces you to look for solutions and that is something that is important for becoming a decent photographer, IMHO.

 

[Designer Dale]

For what you want to shoot, the nature and still stuff, a tripod is more important than IS. Keep in mind that IS only stabilizes the camera, and not the action. My feeble brain reminds me that dressage is a horse competition thing. To freeze the action, you need a fast shutter speed. IS will help a bit with this, but clean action shots of moving things are achieved with shutter speeds above 1/500 second. More like 1/1000 for jumping horses.

Dale

 

[andalusia]

Thank you both very much for your replies, they were both very helpful. Truly appreciated. I'm going for the non-IS lens to save the pennies as I'm not paying

Cheers,
Tristan.

 

[Cabbit]

Pop round to your local 2nd shop for lens, on ebay just now is a 18-55is + 100-300 usm for £160 the pair. Some of the older lens are horrid but there are also real gems out there. Just look for a lens and type out its name + review into google and see what people are saying about it.