I pimped my camera

crickey! image stabilizer! now you can take long range spy shots of c-list celebs in dirty liazons(sp)

I have a Canon 400D.

Goldenwonder - I find that if I go talk nicely to the guys and gals in London Camera Exchange in Nottingham (branches throughout the UK) they will pretty much do the same prices you find on the net for proper UK kit. The lens was £5 dearer than the cheapest online supplier and I could try it out, and I can take it back easy if theres a problem, plus no P&P to pay... You can import stuff via Hong Kong off eBay but theres a lot of shonky/fake stuff as well as Asian market stuff which will have no warranty in the UK. So buyer beware.

Slater - how are you finding the Sigma 10-20? I know someone else who has just bought one and is very happy with it but I keep hearing "mixed" stories about Sigma lenses, I know a couple of people who bought other Sigmas (both telephoto ones) and had to exchange them because the focus was soft or ended up getting the cash back to put against a Canon lens. I'm thinking if you get a good one they are fine but if you get a bad one it "out" from the first time you use it. You'd think they'd spot that with QC on the line but meh. I'm thinking a Sigma 10-20 is the next lens on my list. London Camera have them in, although they'll need to lose a few quid to be price competitive, due to some of the stories I heard I'd be wanting to try before I buy. What are you using it for? The other fella I know with one is just using his for panoramas and the like. I was thinking it would be a boon for indoor shows. IIRC it runs out to f2.8? Some of the Canon lenses fgo to f1.8 which is pretty sweet for low light and narrow DoF, but blimey, the prices of them!

My kit lens was the 18-55 so I can go fairly wide anyway and stop down to f3.5 at 20mm so its not bad for that kind of use, but I've seen some great engine bay and dash shots in mags or on the net which were obviously done about 15mm or less.

I did look at getting some prime lenses in the old film spec FD fit due to much cheapness and an adaptor to fit them on the EOS but confusion over which adaptors work with which lenses and the difference in manual and auto focus and other issues meant I really cound't be arzed.

The IS is only really as good as going up 2 or 3 stops, so not infaliable. I found I can easily "beat" it by going for 300mm and hand holding the camera at a high f-value aperture (the lens goes to f45, but is only usable on a tripod at that)

I'm hoping that it will be good enough for stable car-to-car shooting at 70-100mm.

The IS is also switchable either off, full or panning. Panning will be good for motorsport pics as it still stabilises but ignores sideways movement as you pan with the cars on the track.

some corkers there Seth. IS is useful as that 300mm is long and heavy, hand held you tend to wave it about like an idiot. Well, I do.

I do find the 10-20 a bit soft but I'm not too sure my oppinon is very useful as apart from my other film lenses ive never had anything else on there. I don't have the 18-55 as I just bought the body.

Focusing a lense that wide is a bit hit and miss anyway. Its infinity at anything over about a meter away and depth of field is almost permintly wide so you can almost just set it to infinity and shoot.

That said for what I use it for its invaluble, the only other realistic option is a 10-22 cannon and athough they are better they aint 200quid better if you know what I mean!

this is the best shot ive had out of it so far I think

Oh yeah, keep forgetting about London Camera Exchange, always seem really nice people to deal with. I work in a small shop, so never expect a shop to match on line mail order if their service is good. I've had a few bits from Camtech as well, he deals in alot of used, but just about perfect condition stuff. Bought a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 from him & it was still boxed with protective tape on it!

They're based in Cottenham, Cambridgeshire.
They do online mail order, or visitors by appointment. It's just one bloke who runs it-the joys of online advertising, you can pretend to be as big as you like when really you're not!
www.camtechuk.com/
Also use Morco on Oak Tree Lane, Mansfield. Always good for smaller stuff or Studio kit. Handy when you need something in a hurry & easy to get to