I've been saving to buy the canon eos D60; was planning to get it in may or june. But now there's the rumor of Canon discontinuing it (they pulled that one before, with the D30 I wanted to get). So I guess I'll have to move fast if i want to get my hands on one... DSLR's are new to me so is there anybody who has hands-on experience with this camera ? (i've read and re-read the dpreview.com comments, but i'd rather have some pointers from people who actually use these cameras). What lens should I get for this camera ? I'm looking for a good all-purpose zoom lens. The canon range is extremely large and I don't know where to start with this...

Attached Link: mikepanic.com v3.0

dont be scared about them pulling the plug on the d60, when it happens stuff will just go on sale, thats all. i havnt shot the d60, but i have shot the eos 1d, and i currently shoot an eos a2 - if you shoot an eos body, its like picking up an old friend... the only thing you have to get used to is setting the iso and the white balance, everything else is virtually the same. lenses - good all around? thats somewhat subjective since the d60 has a 1.6x multiplier in it which means recomending a 70-200 lens is really 112mm - 360mm lens. your budget will really deterimine this too. also, if your not gonna be needing a fast lens you can save some $$ by going w/ the middle ground lenses that are f/3.5-5.6 rather then the high end f/2.8-4 - but again its all a matter of what you shoot, if u want to hall more then one lens with you, or if u dont want a boat anchor of a lens as the only one u carry - such is the case w/ the 2.3 pount canon 85mm f/1.2

I'm probably talking way out of place here - but I think I can undertstand and equate your situation with decisions that photographers have been facing for decades (although, new technologies seem to develop much faster nowadays). (I am currently looking for a good buy on a Nikon F4 - the F5 doesn't really interest me - the F4 does everything I want a camera to do for the photography I want to shoot) - which brings me to my point - have a "want list" of features and capabilities in the camera you want to buy (and don't let manufacturers convince you that "this new feature is something you can't live without". Newer does not necessarily mean "better" - as often as not, it means "less cost intensive to produce" to a manufacturer - and they'll sugar-coat the "newer" with a bunch of bull. List the features you want in a camera (digital or analog) and purchase the best body that fits your description (keeping in mind the system that backs it). Understand, I really have no exposure (pun not intended) with digital equipment - so I may not have a rung to stand on here...just my 2 cents worth.

Other than photography, I do (primarily) digital illustration - and the same considerations come into play...it seems that every time I look into the purchase of a new system, there's another one right around the bend. Past experience has taught me NOT to wait for "the next best thing" - but by purchasing the equipment as I need it, I'm developing expertise at a level that would surpass my expertise had I waited to purchase "the next generation"....and THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A "NEXT GENERATION"! If you wait to purchase the "newest" technology, you will ALWAYS be waiting - because there is ALWAYS newer technology - meantime, your artistic avanues are closed as you wait.

As far as the lenses go - it's gotta be strictly up to you, depending on the type of photography you want to do (if you like shooting a lot of wide-vista landscapes, i would suggest a lens that offers the best range in wide to mid-telephoto without much concern for the speed of the lens..you probably won't be using it at it's wide-open aperture anyway - if you wanted to shoot a lot of side-line sports or wildlife, I would say a longer zoom as fast as you could get it...it's up to the type of photography you want to do).

Anyway, sorry for the dissertation (I think I'm getting known for 'em)

Marc

Thanx for your comments, guys. Mike, I really like your website (it's in my "favorites"); I can "find myself" in a lot of visual concepts you execute so excellently. Marc, you're absolutely right ! For me, the canon D30 was the camera I wanted : reasonably priced, full-featured and a great introduction to (semi-)professional photography. When I had enough money to purchase it, Canon decided to take it off the market. Stocks were already very low, so overnight, the D30 was nowhere to be found (except on ebay or some other on-line stores, which I don't trust). They're doing exactly the same with the D60 (which is a D30 with a different (more expensive) chip). I fear that in a couple of weeks, the D60 will have disappeared and replaced with a ... (much) more expensive camera. So I think I'll go out and buy it this weekend even if it will make my credit card moan a bit... As for the lens : I don't plan to be using this camera for sports photography or action shots; I'm planning to do some series on architecture and gardens in the region where I live (Belgium > Flanders > Ghent). But at the same time, I do like to make the odd holiday picture or a nice family portrait. If I understand it correctly, I should not be looking for really "fast" lenses or "L"-grades, but spend my cash on wide angle (somewhere in the region of 24-70 mm x1.6) ?

Attached Link: mikepanic.com v3.0

peterke - im glad you like my site - look for updates coming towards the end of this week. i hear what your saying about them pulling the d60, but canon has to offer a "low end" digital camera in the 1800-2200 usd $ market to compete w/ the nikon d100 - if its replaced by anything, look for something w/ a bigger buffer, faster write time and firewire capability. for a lens, a 24-85 F3.5-4.5 ULTRASONIC BLACK canon will run you $280 from www.keh.com brand new, but i think judging by what u want to shoot, a 28-105 F3.5-4.5 MACRO ULTRASONIC II canon will suit you a lil better - u will loose a lil on the wide open end, the 28 will act more like a 44mm - but even around family and friends, the differance between 28mm and 44mm is one step backwards - the real gain is on the zoom end, the 105 is more like a 170mm and at $220 new, its a great bang for the buck. if your looking for one lens to carry everywhere, check out the tamron (yes the quality isnt as good as canon, but its still a great lens) 24-135 F3.5-5.6 TAMRON ASPHERICAL SP IF AD MACR0 which goes for just under $400 new