Customer Reviews

Canon Digital Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Black) + Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS Lens + Canon EF 75-300mm III Lens + Spare LP-E5 Battery + 8GB Card + Gadget Bag

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wanted to wait until I used the Camera before writing the review. The main reason I bought this camera is as a "step up" from my point-and-shoot Panasonic that always performed well for me and I will continue to use for some photos, but I wanted to be able to use different lenses and also have access to the RAW photo format. RAW images can be worked over with Photoshop (which I haven't bought yet) and are very large files holding much more data about the image than the point-and-shoot jpeg photo image files. You cannot edit jpeg images (that I know of). I attended a seminar given by Rick Sammon, a professional photographer, and was in awe of the things he can do with an image (correct all colors so the sky is not washed out to nothing, for example- Google his web page or YouTube for photography instruction). I am working my way toward richly colored images, and away from the kind of pictures we all take on vacation where the skies are not as wonderful as we remembered, the trees are not as green, you know....

I mainly photograph outdoor scenes, landscapes, wildflowers, nature scenes and also people-story images. I wanted a camera with different lenses for wide angle landscapes and also a telephone lens for animal and people close ups (without being close up). The package I bought from Cameta Camera through Amazon came with an 18-55mm lens and also a 75-300 lens. The lenses just screw on and off. Now then, the GOODIE BAG that came with this package from Cameta included a really nice camera "gadget" bag that holds the camera, lenses, extra cords, batteries, and there is room to spare. The bag I got is well made (I read some reviews about a cheap bag, mine is wonderful). ALSO I GOT an 8 gig card to use in the camera, I can take photos till the cows come home and not run out of room, even in the RAW giant sized photo image file. ALSO I received two camera batteries with a recharger, so I will never run out of power in the middle of the day. I ALSO received a card reader which makes it very easy to remove the card from the camera, plug it in the reader and then directly into my computer USB port, I never even had to install any software on my MAC, just plug in and download the images. This is the kind of little stuff that really adds up after you have decided to buy a camera and sort of deflates your concept of getting a good deal. I recommend buying the "outfit" as it is more painless way to commit to your purchase, plus you will need this stuff anyway and save some $$.

The camera was ready to use out of the box - just insert card and battery and that's all. There is a dial with pre-set functions to take landscapes, macro, portrait shots, shutter priority or aperature priority, but if you want to you can also manually adjust whatever you want to, the ISO, etc. I am still learning about how to choose these options but am not shanghaied until I finish my education. I opened the box in the evening, put the battery in the camera, screwed on the telephoto lens and took a photo of a painting in the next room, pretty much in the dark, and was amazed that the focus was so clear, and the flash just right. Amazed. This is not something you can do with a point-and-shoot.

One thing I have noticed is that the focus you see in the view finder is ACCURATE. There are red lights showing the EXACT area the lens is focused on, and if you move the camera and therefore the focus, you might not get the shot you want. For instance, I was out in a duck blind with the telephoto lens on, the camera was set to take photos continuously, and I was capturing images of ducks coming in to land on the lake water. Since the ducks were moving, and I was following them with the camera the red dots in the viewfinder were not always squarely on the flying ducks, so I was not always focusing directly on the duck. If you are not taking images of moving things, no problem. Just a head's up, you need to be accurate with your pointing of the lens, the camera will do it's job as you instruct it. I took 535 images over a couple of hours and the card and battery were no where near capacity. Later I was taking photos of some little kids driving wildly around in the yard in a mule, they were larger and easier to get the focus dots pegged on, and they came out perfectly in focus.

All in all, this camera, lenses, and goodies package was money well spent for me. I would recommend shopping with Cameta? Camata? Camera through Amazon (they must have set up a "package deal" between themselves). Shipping was fast, everything received was as expected. If you want to go beyond the point-and-shoot type photo but are boggled with all the brands and choices like I was, and don't want to spend too much money on the wrong thing like I didn't want to, look for a package deal such as this one. Also, check out Rick Sammon, he is giving away a lot of info on his website on how to use this sort of entry level SLR camera to get the most out of the equipment. You can check right here at Amazon for his books as well.

This was exactly what I was looking for: a complete camera kit. It arrived quickly and included everything advertised. The price was lower than what local camera shops offered. I would do business with this company again without hesitation.

The Rebel XS is a quality entry level SLR,bearing the Canon reputation.As a package kit it is fairly priced given the 2 basic lenses included. The gadget bag is so-so...but adequate. To round out this kit I also bought 2 HOYA filters (a circular polarizer and a UV filter).

As another reviewer mentioned there are better Canon digital SLR's out there,and they are priced accordingly. I do believe however that this outfit from Cameta represents a fair-priced starter kit for those upgrading from point and shoot cameras.

If budget constraints require a compromise between the "good" and the "best" this is a good choice in mid-2009, in my opinion.

I have not been able to use it very much yet, but I think it will be the camera I have wanted for a long time. I was disappointed that it took a week to ship it. A buckle broke the first time I opened the case, and then another broke within a few days. The case was then replaced.

I got my Rebel just before my trip to Washington, D.C. and Rolling Thunder. I didn't get a chance to play with it before hitting the road so I took my "Guide for Idiots" and the owners manual with me and read them at night. Once I got to Virginia I broke out the camera and started taking some test pictures. I used some of the tips from the book and the manual plus some tips my son gave me and the pictures came out great. It's so easy to use and all the controls are easy to manipulate, even for me since I am not normally a "gadget person". I took over 400 shots during my trip and out of all of them, I only deleted 3 that came out blurred or low in quality and they were all of moving objects. On the way back home I played with some exposure bracketing and some raw shots. I'll figure it out eventually. For a great camera, well made that takes great pictures I would recommend this camera to anyone. The only disappointment I had was that this will not work with an unwired remote. That is one feature I would have loved to have since I do a lot of my bike trips alone and I don't always have someone around to snap my picture for me and I hate using a shutter timer that only sets for 10 seconds. The lack of the feature is my fault for not doing a little more research on the product before I bought it. Overall, great camera, great deal and really loved everything in the package that came with it.

We purchased this camera package for our daughter's 14th birthday. Well worth it!!! She loves the ease of switching the lenses and the bag to keep all pieces organized.

Purchased for my daughter as a Christmas present. Did research to find out the best camera for a up and coming photographer that she would be able to grow into. I checked all over cyberspace and local stores but not able to find one at this price. It was delivered before the date they said and SHE LOVES IT!

A great camera, the package is fantastic, the "extras" are really necessities and will drive the ticket up considerably if you purchased each component individually online or at a store. The picture quality is great and I love the camera so far. No complaints!

Purchased as a Christmas gift and my husband couldn't be happier with this camera! So many features he has yet to discover. Very user friendly though. He has referenced the book on it for everything he would like to learn about it and we are very pleased with this purchase. A great value with the extra lense, carrying bag, and memory card!

This package is an amazing deal! The camera and lenses are perfect (as to be expected) and everything that came with are exactly as advertised, high quality, and a freakin' steal. It also shipped super quick, was packaged well, and comes with everything you need to start shooting and uploading immediately...even the battery was charged. Many thanks Cameta Camera!