Is this a good deal?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/589091-REG/Canon__EOS_Rebel_XSi_a_k_a_.html

This will be my first SLR camera. I am very much into photography but right now I make the best out of my point and shoot camera. I do know the basics about f stops, ISO, exposure; I am no expert, but I am a good learner and I do plan to get better. I will be using this camera mainly to take wakeboarding pictures and to take pictures of my jewelry (which I make).

So my question is, is this a good deal for that price? Will those lenses be enough (for now) for what I want to use the camera? I need a good Macro for my jewelry, so that's important too.

The other lens that comes in the kit (Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS Lens) is it good or should I just get another better lens separately?

Thank you ;)

You can't go wrong with B&H for anything.

As far as a good macro goes I doubt over the long term you'll be happy with anything other then a true macro lens for shooting jewelry. I'd look at the Canon 60 efs macro for the XSi. The 55-200 seems to be a good lens from everything I've seen, the 18-55 - some people get good ones, the one I had sucked.

Thanks Rich! Hopefully I'll be getting this one next week.

Chris, sounds like a great price. No knowledge about the 18-55, but I shot wakeboarding all last summer with the 55-250mm on my 40-D (also from B&H) and was pretty happy with it.

I just got my Canon XSi a few months ago. It's my first DSLR, so far I like it. It's a great camera for 1st timers. I didn't go with the kit lens (18-55mm) based on the reviews I read. I went with the lenses that were recommended on my post.

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/87667/633568.html?1223603067

Thanks for your replies, I ended up getting this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290275046500

Same camera, but it came with different lensens. I rsearched a bit and saw that the Tamron were good lenses too, So I thought it was a pretty sweet deal. I even had a 10% discount from paypal, so that made it even better! The seller has an actual retail store, and I talked to them on the phone, so I am feeling good about them. I'm getting it hopefully on wednesday so I'll let you know how I like it!

cris, not to be a downer but are you sure that you won't be getting a grey market cam? canon doesn't warranty grey market stuff. i know it says "usa camera" on the ebay ad, but you never know with them. by the time you need warranty work, it's too late to do anything about it. that's why rich said that you can't go wrong with b&h.

who makes the memory card?

who makes the tripod? is it even strong enough to support the cam w/ the zoom lens?

who makes the flash?

yes, tamron makes decent lenses, but if/when it comes time to upgrade, it's easier to sell canon lenses than tamron lenses.

and pardon my ignorance, but what are the "wide angle" and "2x telephoto" lenses for?

Hey Joe,
I just noticed that the last camera I got on the internet was from them as well. Their shop is called Sunshine something. It was also a canon, a point and shoot one, and that worked out very well, until it drowned from not closing the casing well enough :/ It wasn't grey market either

I do think they sell the "real" usa canon as they offered me the extended warranty from canon. The other items beside the lenses are just extras which I am sure I will try at least once. I have no idea if those "wide angle" and "telephoto" lenses will work, but from what I understand, you put them on the lens for that? Not really something I need, I'll let you know how it works though! To be honest, The flash, tripod, filters I am not sure I will use much.

What I liked about that package was the hard case which will get my camera safely from the states here on my brother's backpack and that it also came with another more 'comfortable' bag. I also have no idea who makes the memory card, but I haven't had a problem before with generic ones.

Even if the camera is US made, I don't think it will ever see a US or Canon official repair shop as I don't think there are any down here, but I do plan on taking a lot of care of my new camera Can't wait to get it!

I'd be surprised if it's not a USA model since that is plastered all over their listing.

However there's no such thing as a "free lunch"

Those convertors are worthless on a 12mp DSLR, they'll degrade the IQ worse then a std P&S built in lens.

That memory card will not keep up with a 3 fps burst rate on a 12mp body.

The worst part is both of those Tamron lenses are their low end versions, far cry from the Canon 55-200 or even an 18-55 efs you were talking about originally. Sure Tamron makes some great lens but their low end stuff doesn't have a good reputation.

Good news is even with those it's not like you overpaid to the point where you can't get some better glass as you go on.

There's no free lunch when it comes to glass anymore when you're talking a 12mp sensor, the more the resolution the more the cam shows every defect in the lens on it.

Cris, did they also talk you into the battery and charger upgrade by any chance? I'll explain why I asked that, if your answer is "yes".

No sparky, they didn't mention that, only the extended warranty. But you still gotta explain why you asked!

Well in a nutshell I have been looking at cameras online and have purchased a point and shoot for my girlfriend from a site called Broadway Photo. They had a great price on the Google search. After you make the purchase they call you and try to sell you a bunch of upgrades like extended warranty, battery and charger upgrades, that are not needed, which in turn bumps you back up to the price that most are asking. It's kind of a scam.

The camera showed up on time and everything was fine after it's all said and done. But I would not want to deal with these people with any kind of return or warrany issues. I am looking at a Canon 40D for myself and what I learned is that if a price seems too good to be true it probably is. Alot of them are grey market or import versions. I also noticed that a ton of these different places all have an address in New Jersey or Brooklyn. I also called a bunch of them and all the recordings sound the same and they all seem to keep the same hours. My advice to anyone is be carefull who you buy your photo equipment from over the internet.