If money is no issue at all and you're willing to drop as much as a 70-200 f/2.8 IS, he should consider upgrading the camera itself. The XT isstill an excellent camera but an update to a T1i or even a 50D wouldn't hurt if money isn't an issue.
WOW thanks for the help guys.. Ok so $1,000 is steep. I want to buy her more than one gift.. SO I guess price range would be 500.. I saw some within thoseprice range.. QUestion to KTEEZY Those lense you posted, ARE THEY HEAVY?? They look like they are.. My wife like runningup and down the field while my son is playing.. Im guessing those lenseare going to make it difficult.. Also our lense now (the stock one) saps the pics pretty fast.. If I get a new lense, will that go away?
^ What do you mean by "saps the pics pretty fast"? The 70-200 f/4L (the cheapest of the 70-200 family) is around your price range ($600 new, $500 used) and is the lightest of the 4 lenses. It has USM sofocusing is fast and silent.
like rap zizzle said the 70-200mm f/4 non IS is the cheapest one and lightest aswell, although they are all pretty heavy to be honest...however your xti is asmall dslr, so its not as heavy as lets say a 5d or 1d, but i can see why you are concern about her being a woman and the fact that she likes to be versatile,maybe the 55-250mm will be a better fit for her, much smaller and lighter, but like i already said dont expect to get spectacular shots if the lightingconditions on the field are anything less than great, at the longest range (250mm) she will be forced to an aperture of 5.6 or so....this will limit yourcameras ability to absorb light and you will be forced to use higher ISOs causing noise or lower shutters causing motion blurr, so in my opinion its a toss upbetween the 70-200mm f/4.0 like Rap Zizzle suggested or the 55-250mm. as far as far as how fast your camera snaps the pic, this has absolutely nothing to do with your lense, its a camera feature, so no, it will not go away.
i think dude means focus+release the shutter. shutter lag is almost a non issue for any dslr, it's the focusing that slows things down. the lens caneffect this, especially the longer the focal length. shouldn't be a problem in daylight though.
The 55-250mm looks smaller.. Im going to look into the 70-200.. No matter what lense I get, it will still be alot better than the stock one. Dontget me wrong, the stock lense makes pics look great. So Im sure the a newer and bigger lense will make the pics look alot better. Which will make her happy.Thats all Im going for.. Again thanks for the help. When I decide I will let you know.. By the way, we are celebrating our 10th year anniversary on the 26...
good luck, you will love any 70-200 you decide to go for....you should get her a monopod aswell...i know you said she likes to move around, but with thislonger reach she probably wont even have to and the monopod will definately make up for the fact that this lense is not equipped with IS. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/645083-REG/Benro_453_096_MA_96EX_Aluminum_Monopod.html ENJOY!
You have to many variables to answer that question ... Every answer that has been giving is correct, but unless we know what we are working with - all of these might not be your answer .. From how much light to what aperture to what mode you shooting to how you want your pictures exposure to be ..... Everything goes hand in hand ... There are also many ways you can achieve what you are looking for in a more affordable way - however it might not be convenient ... Just give a price range ....
I wouldnt suggest the 70-200 f/4 for indoor use .. Im sure you will have to kick your ISO to get to a manageble shutter speed and have the pictures sharp ...If your wife shoots manual - you will not even notice what your camera is doing because its automaticly however when you get home you might be dissapointed ...
of course Im talking about indoor use and dim places .. even cloudy days .. outside with the sun shinning down .. no problem go for it!
Adorama.com PennCamera.com Cameta.com to name a few .. You can also join Fredmiranda.com it's a camera forum but they have a great buy/sell side with great people .. not sure if you want to go this route .. I have and I dontmind it ...
keh.com is good if you are looking for some decent prices on used equipment. Each item has a ranking on the condition of the product so you have an idea ofit's wear and tear.
i will go ahead and add Amazon.com, although its not exclusive to photography, you can find some really good deals and even kit packages, aswell as consumerreviews on alot of products and sample images.
like rap zizzle said the 70-200mm f/4 non IS is the cheapest one and lightest aswell, although they are all pretty heavy to be honest...however your xti is a small dslr, so its not as heavy as lets say a 5d or 1d, but i can see why you are concern about her being a woman and the fact that she likes to be versatile, maybe the 55-250mm will be a better fit for her, much smaller and lighter, but like i already said dont expect to get spectacular shots if the lighting conditions on the field are anything less than great, at the longest range (250mm) she will be forced to an aperture of 5.6 or so....this will limit your cameras ability to absorb light and you will be forced to use higher ISOs causing noise or lower shutters causing motion blurr, so in my opinion its a toss up between the 70-200mm f/4.0 like Rap Zizzle suggested or the 55-250mm. as far as far as how fast your camera snaps the pic, this has absolutely nothing to do with your lense, its a camera feature, so no, it will not go away. The 55-250mm looks smaller.. Im going to look into the 70-200.. No matter what lense I get, it will still be alot better than the stock one. Dont get me wrong, the stock lense makes pics look great. So Im sure the a newer and bigger lense will make the pics look alot better. Which will make her happy. Thats all Im going for.. Again thanks for the help. When I decide I will let you know.. By the way, we are celebrating our 10th year anniversary on the 26... If you think the kit lens looks good, any lens you buy from here on out will blow your socks off LOL. You'll love it! 55-250 if you just want a longer zoom + good photos 70-200 f/4L non-IS if you want longer zoom + really crisp photos Congrats on the anniversary!
Concert photos from Berkeley a few weeks back of Michelle Martinez, Erika David, AJ Rafael, and Reynard Silva
really feeling the second one and the UWA perspective of the 4th one, good stuff man. a couple of old ones.