I've decided on a 20D, but what about the lens combo packs?

[52Caddy]

What's the best value going right now for the combos with the lens?
If this has been covered, could someone point me to a thread?
Thanks,
Eric

Woof
http://cadillac.smugmug.com/photos/5402165-Ti-1.jpg

[DavidTO]

That all depends on what you want to do, but I'd have to say that the Canon 17-40L and the 70-200 f4L are a great pair of inexpensive (relatively), high-quality lenses.

[Matthew Saville]

That all depends on what you want to do, but I'd have to say that the Canon 17-40L and the 70-200 f4L are a great pair of inexpensive (relatively), high-quality lenses. The 17-40 and the 70-200 aren't available "with" the 20D body, are they? Not sure but they weren't the last time I checked... The two kits that I'm aware of are the 20D with the 18-55 and the 17-85 IS. I'd say at leats, either buy the 20D and a lens of your own, like the 17-40, or the kit with the 17-85 IS. But the 18-55 isn't exactly built to last you forever, and most people end up buying other lenses later to split up that focal length like the 10-22 and the 24-70 f/2.8, both of which are much higher quality. So either get the kit with the 17-85 IS or get the body alone and a lens of your choice. And don't forget to consider what you shoot most of the time! I spent the first few months of my DSLR ownership with just a macro lens, cause that's all I wanted to shoot!

-Matt-

[Steve Cavigliano]

Eric,

Both kit lenses are decent, but not great. I guess it depends on how much you want to spend. The 18-55mm adds like $75 to the kit cost while the 17-85mm seems to add about $500.

As Matt mentions, most people quickly migrate to other lenses so any additional $ you spend on the kit lens would probably be more wisely applied to your next lens purchase :dunno

Just my 2 cents,

Steve

[52Caddy]

Thanks for the info guys. I ended up with the 18-55 for now. I'm going to be looking for some type of zoom lens for shooting at air shows, and I think I'll start searching here!
Thanks again,
Eric

[mercphoto]

Thanks for the info guys. I ended up with the 18-55 for now. I'm going to be looking for some type of zoom lens for shooting at air shows, and I think I'll start searching here!
Thanks again,
Eric

Not sure you need a zoom for air shows, just a long telephoto prime. The Canon 400/5.6L is a fantastic bargain for this. The 300mm/4L is a bit more money but includes an image stabilizer and is also a great bargain.

For comparison, I shot the air shots here http://mercphoto.smugmug.com/gallery/475750 with a 70-200/2.8L and a 1.4 TC (for an effective length of 280mm) on a 20D. At times I could have used a bit more reach. For any of the air shots I was always at full-zoom.