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I am looking to buy a camera the canon t1i is the one that I have picked. But I'm completely lost when it comes to the lenses. I know nothing of photography but i'm interested in learning. So my question is I'm a mom so lots of pics of games and dance so both indoor and outdoor, we go on vacations and hiking so lots of scenery. But also would like those up close shots. What lense or lenses would you recommend to keep me busy in learning but also give me all the results I want. To start with my husband has given me around a thousand dollars to start. So any recommendation for the camera and lense Thanks!!:D
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What amount of money are you planning on spending
to start just a 1,000 I know that eventually I will want more or different lenses but for now this will have to do
Is the $1000 to cover both camera and lens(es)?
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It's still a pretty good camera for starting out so I'm just saying that your expectations will not match what a professional camera can do in low light and for rapid action/sports.
I see that you can get the camera for around $650USD for the body alone. I do not recommend the "kit" lens for the activities you described, so I suggest a Tamron 17-50mm, f2.8 XR Di II for a standard zoom lens. This lens will cover many social situations and general photography. Not really suitable for sports but might be OK for dance, especially slower dance styles. That lens will cost around $460 or so but it is about the minimum I would recommend for your purposes.
I highly recommend stretching your budget to allow for a decent flash with a focus assist light. This will allow better focus and much better results especially if the flash is used with an appropriate flash modifier. (You can build some very nice flash modifiers for less than $3, so let us know if you purchase a flash and I'll give some links to the DIY instructions.)
I use, and I recommend, Sigma flashes as you can get a combination of decent power, a great level of flash automation, and a wonderful overall feature set, all for about the same price as Canon's second best flash (but with more features in the Sigma for a better value.) A Sigma EF 530 DG Super flash will run around $200-$220 but it's easily worth it for the image improvements and better AF capability.
So, if you can stretch the budget to $1300, that should get you a nice basic kit and the potential for really great results.
Alternately, you could shop around for a good used camera body and the Tamron lens even shows up used now and again, which might allow you to come in closer to budget.
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For the money I really like the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6. (And, no, I'm not just saying that because I'm thinking of selling mine.:D) It's sharp and offers a decent range. Mine has more than paid for its self in one year. Just a good all around lens.
Edit: I hadn't really noticed the indoor games part. This really won't cut it for that. Sorry
The least that I can recommend in a used body is the Canon 1D MKII. I use that body and, despite what some will say, it still has much of what you want from a professional grade camera. It is somewhat lacking in high-ISO capabilities but the AF section and overall responsiveness are still very nice. You can find good used copies at around $1000-$1200. It's a heavy beast but it still rewards with results.
You might also consider a Nikon setup and the Nikon D300 is probably the least I would recommend in that camp. High-ISO is fairly good "if" you nail the exposure. Good used copies are around $1300-$1400. Not as fast AF as the camera above but still pretty good. Quite a bit smaller and lighter too. A bit noisier at high-ISO compared to the above camera, but prints will be similar at similar sizes.
The next step up in Canon is the 1D MKIII. This camera is the subject of much attention for AF problems in a number of the bodies, but if you can find a good copy it is very capable and better in low-light than either the Canon 1D MKII or Nikon D300. Bad copies may have AF problems in some circumstances like high contrast "and" bright backgrounds and in high temperatures. Still used by a lot of professionals despite the problems. Extremely nice high-ISO images with appropriate post-processing. Used they run $2300-$2800 or even a little more. Currently they seem to be in short supply in the used market.
I do believe in the current professional sports and action cameras from both Canon and Nikon. Currently that means the Canon 1D MKIV and the Nikon D3S. They are both pretty amazingly capable ... and very pricey. Both push $5000 but if you need the capabilities they may be worth it.
Lenses are another matter and the best sports/action lenses are also expensive. Nice, rapid focus prime lenses are available for less than similar quality zooms, with less flexibility of course.
Let me know if I'm starting to scare you or if you want to hear more.
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I suggest staying with the T1i body but just plan on shooting many more images in low light to make sure you get some keepers. Forget the kit lens. It's not that it's a bad lens but it's just not that great. Please take my advice on the Tamron 17-50mm, f2.8. It has some great qualities and represents a very good value.
Also take my advice on the Sigma EF 530 DG Super flash and modifiers, or consider the Canon Speedlite 430EX II for a little more money and less features, but it's still a very good flash.
For an indoor sports application the least I would recommend is the Canon EF 85mm, f1.8 USM or 100mm, f2 USM. Both have a fast aperture and fast focus capability. You would need to position yourself correctly since it's a fixed focal length, but capable of great results. Either are also a very nice longer focal length and would work well for some portraiture. Either at around $400.
For a sports zoom I suggest the Sigma 70-200mm, f2.8 DG HSM II Macro for around $800. It has a fairly fast aperture and fast AF motor. It gives much better reach for both indoor and outdoor sports. It has a close-focus capability to almost 1/3rd lifesize. It would work nicely for many flowers and such.
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The Canon 18-55IS and 55-250IS are very good but inexpensive lens. For a camera body I would look at the newer T2i (550D)
18 MP sensor
ISO 100-6400 (Expansion to 12800
Full HD video 1080p
You could also look for a used Nikon D90. You can find these fairly inexpensively because it is (or was?) at the top of Nikon's consumer cameras. Lots of people bought them because it was the most expensive and they thought the best. Then they shot in full auto and wondered why they dropped so much money on something which isn't giving them anything better than a point and shoot.
I almost bought a D90. Had one on loan for about 3 weeks. It's amazingly good at high ISOs. If I hadn't gotten such a great deal on my 50D I'd still be shooting Nikon. You can add the same Tamron or Sigma lenses to the Nikon for about the same price as they make them with mounts for Nikon as well. Honestly, a D90 and a good lens would be a great idea for (around) your price range if you shop. Add an SB-600 flash (around $200) and you're all set.
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A good used Nikon D300 would serve you well....with a Sigma 70-200F2.8 and a Sigma 17-70f2.8-4 .....all 3 at once would run you just under 2K but the body and one lens (70-200) you should be able to find for around 1.5k......
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