New owner of Canon T2i. Advice on bags, books, etc?

[MacAztec]

Hey guys!

I picked the Canon T2i up a few weeks ago through an awesome deal with Amazon. I sold off a few of the extras that I had to purchase to get the deal, and kept the camera body + 18-55 kit lens.

The DSLR world is completely new to me. I've been taking wonderful photos with my Canon SD point and shoot cameras for years now, and I've basically outgrown them. I find myself wanting to do more with my photos, and this was the perfect opportunity to jump on a DSLR. However, I am inexperienced in the areas of balancing aperture, exposure, and ISO to create great photos.

I would love some recommendations for a bag, photography books (for learning), future lens purchases, etc.

I'll be using the camera to mostly take pictures while I'm backpacking, traveling, or just observing awesome things (sports, lightning, etc.).

Thanks for the help!

 

[HE15MAN]

I was in your shoes 6 months ago. This is the bag I chose. It carries my 100-400 and 70-200 and all accessories easily!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009R6TA/ref=oss_product

 

[fcortese]

This is a nice book I found helpful when I started. This link is for all 3 volumes; I just got the first one:

http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Kelbys-...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289661532&sr=1-1

good luck and have fun! this site is a great source of info and fun. I highly recommend it!

EDIT: some on this site have also recommeded this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding...r_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289661893&sr=1-18

 

[Designer Dale]

There are tons of really good camera bag companies out there. Tenba, Crumpler, Lowpro and others. take a look at a major on-line camera store like B&H Photo and Video. Click on the link for camera bags and see what is out there. My recommendation is limited because I don't know your taste, but stay away from bags with camera company names on then. They scream "Steal Me". And ditch the Canon strap that came with it too. My Crumpler looks like a diaper bag. Give thought to size. I got a bag one size larger that I needed and it worked out just fine.

Don't be concerned about lenses at this point. Shoot with the kit lens that you have until you learn how to handle the camera. Keep third party lens makers in mind when you go looking for the next piece of glass for your bag. Tamron makes good lenses at a nice price point. I have one L lens-my 100mm macro-and I reserve it as a specialized tool. My go to lens right now is the 28-75 f/2.8 from Tamron.

The link for B & H Photo

Have fun and show us your photos.

Dale

 

[fcortese]

I agree with Dale on the bags. Take a good look and look for your needs. I bought a simple inexpensive camera bag just for my camera and lens that I throw in my regular athletic backpack. since I live away from any major airports, our local airport uses commuter jets to go to hubs to connect up with larger planes. So when I decided to expand my gear and bring a tripod with me I went will a larger bag made for camera gear but small enough to carry onto the commuter jet. After a lot of looking on line and visiting a fairly extensively supplied camera store in a town nearby, I chose the Lowepro Trekker 300Aw. For me I felt it met my needs and had enough flexibility to accommodate any expansion of my camera equipment in the future. The moral of the story is to do a lot of research, see if you can physically look at the bag and decide what your needs are going to be over the next year or three. BTW, I got if from B&H photo where I get most of my camera stuff. It was cheaper there than at the camera store nearby!