| Author |
Message |
    
doulamomma
Citizen
Username: Doulamomma
Post Number: 1335
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, April 6, 2006 - 3:10 pm: | 
|
Hi shutterbugs,
I'm sick of my pocket digital b/c the lag time between shooting & capturing is too long (& it's oh-so-tiny size that makes it appealing can also kind of make it hard to hold) but I'm too stuck on digital to be very satisfied with my 35mm, which is a Canon EOS Rebel 2000. Because I have 2 Canon lenses(28-80mm & 75-300mm), I'm thinking of getting the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT...but would consider something similar if I could use the same lenses.
Am also interested in getting one sort of all-purpose "walkaround" lense for travel - thinking about the 17-85mm image stabilization USM...
I'm no great photographer - I'll admit that I love gagets, but seem to have a problem reading manuals ;-), thus whatever I get needs to be pretty intuitive. I'd like to learn more about photography, but meanwhile would like to take good pics of my family (including closeups) and travel scenery (ie. point & shoot). I'm hoping whatever I get has good/easy to use software with it, as the sony software I currently have sux (but it could be my ability level, now that I think about it...).
Any feedback re. camera/lense/software?
Thanks! |
papayagirl
Citizen
Username: Papayagirl
Post Number: 528
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, April 6, 2006 - 3:25 pm: |
|
I'm far from a professional, but i upgraded from the camera you have to the Digital XT last year, and i've never once doubted or regretted the decision. Like you, i wanted to keep my existing lense (a 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5), so i didn't buy the kit lense. I also bought a 50mm f/1.8 for kids portraits... if only i could get my kid to stay still! The former is the one i use 90% of the time.
I pretty much knew i wanted the XT, so i didn't look into any others. But i got most of my information from the board below. It's filled with people like me - moms who want to take great pics of their kids, and are willing to invest a bit of money to not deal with shutter lag, etc.
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=list&forum_id=21
There are threads there about the best ways to learn all the time. I've found Bryan Peterson's book called Understanding Exposure to be very helpful. But i've learned the most from just experimenting and experimenting and experimenting. That's the beauty of being digital. =-)
|
Maplewoody
Citizen
Username: Maplewoody
Post Number: 1158
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, April 6, 2006 - 10:45 pm: |
|
I bought the Sony R1 Cyber-Shot this past Christmas. It is great! it's a 10.3 mega pixel Digital SLR. I had a 2.something for about 5 years. I notice a BIG difference in the quality of the photos. The only con is you cannot use other lenses, but I'm happy with the Carl Zeiss 24-120mm lens that comes on it. I also like the pop up (free angle) large view finder as I wear glasses and it's easier for me to use with this feature, rather than the standard fixed LCD viewfinder on most digital cameras' backs.
|
newone
Citizen
Username: Newone
Post Number: 368
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 7:39 am: |
|
I bought the Canon 20D and haven't looked back! The good thing is you can still use your other Canon auto focus lenses (just remember, because of the digital sensor in the camera, the focal length will not be the same as when you shoot them in 35mm).
Two good sites to peruse:
www.dpreview.com
http://www.photoworkshop.com/canon/lessons/index.html
The second site has a great walkthrough of the digital rebel which should be very helpful.
Enjoy the camera! |
ccurtis
Citizen
Username: Ccurtis
Post Number: 23
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 12:16 pm: |
|
I have a BFA in photography (but I'm a retoucher). That aside, I have a 300D (digital Rebel) and a friend has a Digital Rebel XT (350D). We both love them. But if you have the $, the new 30D is a great upgrade, with a few more pro features. The lens conversion is the same (1.6x). Alot of pros that I know/work with use the new 5D or 1Ds MarkII (which are obviously WAY more expensive than the others).
But they ALL work with your canon lenses, assuming they are canon brand. I have a $700 paperweight - its a nice 70-210 f2.8 apochromatic lens, but its made by Sigma, and according to them, is officially incompatible with the new canon digitals (I use it on my old canon A2 film camera).
If you already have those lenses, I would stick with the canon system, and you won't be disappointed.
As for the 17-85 ISM lens, I don't know that its worth the money: (its REALLY a 27.2 - 136 zoom) and I personally feel the ISM is a little bit of a gag for lenses shorter than a longer zoom or prime. But they do generally give you 1 extra stop (without needing a tripod) if you really need it.
Don;t forget that you'll also **probably** need to upgrade any external flashes that you might have, because a flash that meters by TTL won't work with a digital - the digital sensor is too shiny, and not the same size as a 35mm frame, so the exposures will be way off... |
Handygirl
Citizen
Username: Handygirl
Post Number: 667
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 1:08 pm: |
|
ccurtis,
I was waiting for the 30D to come out so that the 20D would drop in price. Now I'm thinking that the 30D is only 300$ more than the 20D. Do you think that it is worth it to just go with the 30D?
ALso, only Canon lenses work with Canon digitals? I hadn't heard that. I'll have to go and check all of my lenses now. |
Czele
Citizen
Username: Czele
Post Number: 85
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 1:31 pm: |
|
I would second the 30D recommendation. I'm a photographer and have used Canon since 1994 and Canon digital since 1998. Virtually all of my work is done digitally on Canon gear. From what I've read about the 30D, a lot of the best features of the pricier bodies (that I use) has trickled down intact to the 30D. Shutter lag (the time that elapses between when you depress the shutter button and when the photo is captured) is negligible and you can expect to get a lot more of the moments you might have missed on your point and shoot. I haven't looked at the Rebel so don't know how it measures up.
If you've got Canon lenses already, be glad. In my opinion, the worst place to try to save money is on lenses. Canon bodies work best with Canon lenses since they are designed together in-house within certain specs and tolerances. The less expensive zooms are ok...but I would consider picking up a fast prime lens like a 35/f2 (which will be something like a 50, or normal lens on the 30D) or a 50/f1.8 (a little longer...nice for portraits etc). I find that prime (meaning non-zoom) lenses can have a certain prescence or feel that can make photographs sing.
Canon's flash system for digital slrs is designated by the model name "E-TTL" and it works pretty well. They've got a few ETTL options at different price points. They are different than the flash you might use with a Canon film body...but they do work well.
I would pass on any "kit" that includes a lens, memory card, case etc. You can do better on those items individually...especially a memory card. Best deals on cards can be found....at COSTCO!
Digital photography workflow is a hugely discussed maelstrom. That said...there are simple ways in. I am a devoted and longtime Mac user so can't offer much advice in the PC world. A few things to consider...your new camera (whichever model you choose) will create lots of data which needs to be stored in some kind of reasonably organized way or it can become lost and useless. If you want to spend more time looking through the lens than at a computer screen, consider taking the time to learn Apple's iPhoto. I use it for our personal/family photos and have found it to be a really wonderful consumer-level browser and library system. You can easily email photos (or slideshows) to others. You can do basic photo editing and you can easily back up your library to an external medium for safekeeping (which you MUST do religiously!). The system I use for my work is a little more advanced but nowhere near as streamlined and intuitive. But iPhoto can't handle certain things like RAW files and the IPTC information that I need for my work. Apple has a new program called Aperture which is designed to compete with Photoshop. Doesn't look great to me and is very hardware-intensive.
Anyway...I've gone on too long. I can recommend a place to purchase as well where you will get a price at least as good (usually better) than the lowest-priced and reputable NYC house. I am not too sure how to do PLs on here but I think my wife knows...so if you have other questions, let me know. |
ccurtis
Citizen
Username: Ccurtis
Post Number: 25
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 1:32 pm: |
|
I didn't mean to say that no generic lens would work, rather my old sigma lens doesn't work. It would be best to test it before you bought it. Some of the old generic lenses are fine, but some aren't.
as for the 30D vs the 20D, I don't think the differences are huge. Mainly the "pict-bridge" part, but I personally don't use it to connect direct to a printer. There are a few other differences, if I remember correctly the 30D can also hold more frames in its buffer before writing to disk. But the canon site is a little unclear. I know a guy who shoots with the 20D alot, and loves it. The image quality will be the same with the 30D since its the same sensor.
|
Czele
Citizen
Username: Czele
Post Number: 86
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 1:51 pm: |
|
Forgot...a good review of the 30D is at
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-7891-8214
The article has a good breakdown of the differences betweeen a 20D and 30D. Not sure if the 20D is still available for sale. |
ccurtis
Citizen
Username: Ccurtis
Post Number: 26
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 5:12 pm: |
|
yea, iPhoto is great. But I use a combo of Adobe Photoshop (with Camera RAW) and iview-multimedia (both of which have windows versions if you are stuck using something other than a mac ;)
But for apeture, I don't think its really the same thing as photoshop, so it isn't as much competition as it is something you would use in conjuction with. Its like a more robust Adobe Bridge (which I imagine that they will get rid of once Lightroom gets out of Beta). Photoshop does soooooo much more than apeture does. Apeture is great for editing serious shoots, but would be way too much overkill for the casual photographer.
for the camera though - if you aren't using the more advanced features of the 20D or 30D, you'll be more than happy with the Rebel XT. It will probably be great for 99.9% of what you want to shoot (from what you described). And yes, get a nice Prime lens - they really do have a snap that zooms don't. and they are much sharper as well. |
mtierney
Citizen
Username: Mtierney
Post Number: 921
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 5:53 pm: |
|
All this tech talk has me dizzy!
I'm shopping for a digital camera and my biggest question is should I go with one of the subcompact Canons with (rechargeable battery) or the slightly bigger Canons that use AA batteries!
One draw back a sales clerk in BestBuy mentioned to me is that the AAs only shoot about 30 pictures so replacing the batteries is a hassle. Consumer Reports tells a different story about the number of shoots that can be taken on these cameras, however.
Actually, Doulamomma, I have wondered about possible problems handling a tiny camera, too, which is why I thought of going toward toward the compact size. I have used a Canon Elph film camera for years and love it though.
Any feedback would be appreciated!
|
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 13505
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 8:52 pm: |
|
mtierney, I'm on my first set of AA batteries in my Canon Powershot A610. It uses four AA cells. I have taken about 150 shots, though few of them used flash. Flash uses several times as much energy as no-flash.
|
ccurtis
Citizen
Username: Ccurtis
Post Number: 29
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, April 9, 2006 - 9:48 am: |
|
I have an older digital elph (s200). It has the lithium ion rechargeable batteries. I love the camera because it is small. I don't know about the newest crop of cameras, but here is an example of how often I have to recharge the battery:
I took a 5 day trip to the desert a few years ago, on a mountain biking expedition (in Utah). Obviously, there is NOWHERE to charge a battery (we camped in the Maze National Park, like in tents - the kinds of places that you can only get on a bike or 4x4). Anyway, I took my digital elph, 2 batteries for the camera, and some compact flash cards. I took something in the neighborhood of several hundred pictures (like over 300), and at the end of my trip, the second battery still had plenty of charge on it. Granted, I rarely used the LCD on the camera, because it really eats the battery (true on all digital cameras, actually).
But I do have to say that the batteries are much more expensive than AA's. It depends on how small you want the camera to be. I don't think its all that inconvenient to have the rechargeable kind, but that's just me. |
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page