Looking at a Canon Digital Rebel XT

[Animal]

I know almost zero about photography. All I do know is that I am starting to get very pissed off with my 5 year old Olympus point and shoot. I constantly miss shots of my daughter because of the retarded ass delay of these cheesy cameras.

I am strongly considering the black one with the kit lens. I can get the whole thing shipped with a 2GB CF card for around $620 (brand new). I think I will definitely have room to grow into this camera especially since it can use all of Canons EF and EF-S lenses.

My biggest barrier so far is the WIFE! First off, she doesn't want me spending money we don't have (which we probably really don't) on a camera we don't REALLY need (yeah, but who REALLY needs 95% of the shit they have anyway).

I have bugged her enough about it where she is to the point where she says "do whatever you want", which if I do, I will get yelled at.

Do you think I'll be able to capture much better photos on a snazzy new DSLR than on my old P&S? The obvious answer is yes, but will an amateur be able to (with some practice) take shots that would be impossible with a P&S? I have lot's to learn about all this crap but I have seen some shots taken with the lens thats included in the kit and I am impressed. I think if I get the camera and take some damn fine shots with it, I can suppress the wife's cry.

[Snk]

Nooooooo Buy a Nikon!!!!

Either way man you will really notice a difference I will just tell you a few tips as I learned a bit when I switched from a point and shoot to a DSLR.

1.Read your manual.......please, it will really help.
2.Pick up a book or check out some good photography forums that will help you get some good tips on adjusting your camera for the shots you want to take.
3.Get a tripod if you don't have one already.
4.Also make sure you get at least a gig card so that you can take multiple shots in different settings until you get the desired effect.
5.Get to know photoshop if you don't already. It will be your greatest tool for editing your photos. Processioning is of course not required in taking your shots but you can really bring out some extra life into your photos with it. Not to mention resizing and cropping.

Other than that man your really gonna love having a such a nice camera. Be ready to become obsessed with taking it everywhere and taking shots of normal everyday things.

Tell the wife that you can take amazing pictures of your adventures together for you two to cherish forever instead of dull and cheesy shots from a P&S lol :D

EDIT: AR if you do get one let me know cause I Can link you to some great photoshop action sets that will help you process your photos to some amazing looking shots.

[Nimmy]

I'll wait for sammie to come by and stick her foot up my butt, but.... I've known a lot of people that want to get cannons. They seem like good cameras and really cheap in price. But the best camera I've purchased was a 150 dollar lumix I got on sale. I looked around websites for weeks before i picked out a good one.

I can get the whole thing shipped with a 2GB CF card for around $620 (brand new).

CF?

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/

Lumix's I've never had problems with.. Cannons I suspect break like their printers. Nikon's I've never delt with but heard good things? .. And olympus seems like asking for trouble. Sony I dont know much about, but all their power is supplied via rechargable batterys by what I've seen, which makes them expensive/annoying if you run out of power. Thats the biggest point I've heard about sonys atleast. My sister had one she got from japan, the battery started messing up after a year, but she couldn't replace it. Perfect camera, down the drain.

[Hae-Yu]

Are you looking at the XT or XTI? The XT is an older camera and $670 is too much for it when you can buy the XTi with lens for the same price.

My wife has a digital rebel and it's a good solid camera. The XT and XTi are even better. So far, no bugs, no hiccups over 2 or 3 years now. It works, but when you step into the D-SLR market, you're going to have to learn photo basics and really take time to learn how to work your camera. The biggest thing for that camera is to learn how to set & use the focus points and the various metering modes (center, multi, etc). You can pretty much skip the rest.

She says she isn't happy with the default lens' zoom (I think 18-55mm), so if you invest in a longer lens, you should be happy. Also, you'll need an exta battery. They last maybe 3/4 day of steady shooting. The DR line is really what all others are measured against.

If your wife puts up a big fit, the Canon Powershots (P&S) are well reviewed. my brother has 1 and it takes shots that are as good as the Digital Rebel on Auto.

Mine is the Olympus E-500 and I like it a lot. It comes with 2 lenses (a wide angle and a tele). It is still sold, but is not in Oly's current lineup. No problems and it is rugged with really clear shots.

The Nikon D40 also gets great reviews too.

[Animal]

SNK, I think that Nikon and Canon are the only way to go. The only reason I say that is because of the extensive line of lenses they have. At this point, it's too early to tell if all the other players in the DSLR arena are serious about continuing their line of products. After I narrowed it down to those two, I began looking at what I could afford and what I would get for that price. Ultimately, I choose the Canon because everything that I read was positive. It was very hard to find any complaints about the camera. Another sticking point for me is battery life. Nothing irritates the wife more than having a camera that needs its batteries swapped out every 20 pictures. The Canon has been the winner in this area for a long time.

Nimmy, CF is Compact Flash... the storage medium used by the camera to store the pictures. It's just a type of memory card. Really, it doesn't even appear that you know what you're talking about... Did you even look at the link you posted for me?

Hae, the XTi is just out of price range for me. I have to take into consideration that I will need accessories in addition to the camera. The XT for me is only $620 (includes the lens and a 2GB Sandisk Extreme CF card) shipped. The price of the XT kit alone without shipping is $558. I haven't found an XTi anywhere near that price point. For the features the XTi offers over the XT, I wouldn't pay more than $30 for anyway.

[Snk]

http://www.accessphoto.com/forum/
Great forum

[Hae-Yu]

http://www.dcresource.com/
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.megapixel.net/html/cover.php
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
http://www.dcviews.com/
http://www.cameralabs.com/

For shopping look at butterflyphoto.com I've bought 2 cameras there and my wife bought hers there, too. Newegg and Amazon have good prices on accessories. Amazon is a frontend for adorama.com though, which is where I buy accessories (filters, bag,...).

The XT with lens is 549 at butterflyphoto (http://www.butterflyphoto.com/1/REBELXTKITBLAK/EOS_Digital_Rebel_XT_SLR_Digital_Camera_Kit_w_Cano n_18-55mm_EF-S_Lens_Black) which is $70 cheaper than Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830120031)
You can buy a San Disk Extreme III for $50 at Ritz Camera (http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/EP4478334.htm?bct=t13031003%3Bcimemory%3Bcicompact flash-memory-cards). Ritz has good deals on Lexar and San Disk memory, but the people who work the stores are tards. Newegg has less speedy memory for $30 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2070070068+1053107923+1053307940&name=2GB).
An XT at that price range comes with an 18-55mm lens. You'll want a longer general lens sooner (http://www.butterflyphoto.com/1/CAN70-300IS/EF_70-300mm_f_4-5.6_IS_USM)or later (http://www.butterflyphoto.com/1/CANEF75-300III/Canon_EF_75-300mm_f_4-5.6_III_Zoom_Lens). This would be a good general purpose lens (http://www.butterflyphoto.com/1/28-200L/Canon_28-200_SLR_Lens_F3.55.6_USM), but the range makes me believe it would have distortion problems. These are all relatively affordable lenses to learn with before you put your marriage on the line for an IS lens (the white Canons). All the lenses have been reviewed and fan sites for each brand exist with solid info, so you can easily look before you buy.

The availability of lenses is nice, but you won't use more than a favorite or 2 regularly. Total, you may need a a wide angle general (15-60mm), a long general (40-200mm), macro lens (closeups), and/or a long lens (200mm+). Every major line (Olympus, Sony...) has plenty of choice in those, as well as 3rd parties such as Sigma. And every single one will cost hundreds. The thing about lenses is that every time you walk out with the camera, you have to a) carry them b) know what situations you will encounter c) plan things out. It sounds easy enough, but if you see a condor soaring above and you have your macro lens on and your camera is mounted to the tripod, well, hell.

If you buy a D-SLR with multiple lenses, you will also need a camera bag. If you have long lenses, you need a tripod or monopod.

[Sammie]

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-Rebel-10-1MP-Camera/dp/B000I1ZWRW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/105-4577341-9534812?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1186431015&sr=8-2

Its body only but....
I have some lenses you might be interested in AR. I have 2 sigma lenses (70-300mm and 18-80mm). I also have a canon 35-135mm with IS.

Be sure to get a fast memory card. It makes a difference.

You definately need a tripod and be careful about the lense frenzy that could over take you (as it over took me). Quality lenses are VERY VERY expensive. I spent over 4 grand on my 300mm (YIKES!! WHAT WAS I THINKING?).
But the nice thing is that lenses hold their value and they are good investments. Generally you can resell them for almost what you paid for them. The camera on the other hand will drop in price fast. So be sure to invest more money in your lenses than your camera.
Personally I think 650 bucks for a starter lense and camera is a good deal.

Go for it.

Canon would be a good way to go, esp. since I have 3 compatible lenses for you.

[Animal]

I have bookmarked all sites you guys recommended (that I didnt already have). I haven't looked at any in depth but they mostly seem like review sites. Anyone have links for sites that offer tutorials or at least an explanation of photography terms and how it all works together. I mean, I know what most terms are but I don't know how they all relate to each other. I am quite dumb when it comes to all this.

[Hae-Yu]

http://luminous-landscape.com/ - excellent tutorials on a digital workflow - processing the pics on your PC.
http://azuswebworks.com/photography/
http://www.betterphoto.com/home.asp

This site you want to print out
http://photoinf.com/General/NAVY/Photographic_composition_Balance.htm

It is the US Navy photo manual someone posted online which will get you all the basics. Military training gets people up to speed fast who are young and inexperienced. Military manuals use a restricted vocabulary and introduce the jargon slowly. It's a good place to start out. Don't try to get everything down, because it will take a while. Work on composing/ framing and learning the camera.

Here's the thing though. The pics you take will rarely be finished when you get them out. Ansel Adams said the picture is made in the darkroom. Photoshop is your darkroom.

[Sammie]

I also highly recommend Adobe Lightroom. You will need photoshop as well but for pure darkroom (exposure, saturation, tint...etc), Lightroom is hands down the easiest and best program I have ever used.

[Nimmy]

Posted my experiences animal, that website was vital in finding the camera I wanted. And I know cf is storage, but I thought it was out-done by other memory types already?.. Maybe they started with the CF again in the mean time.

[Hae-Yu]

Heck no, CF is still king. My camera uses xD and CF, but CF is still faster and usually cheaper. I had 5Gb +/- of xD cards, but the speed was so slow I had to finally got to CF. Besides CF has the highest capacity of them all with the little microdrives.

[Nimmy]

Ohh, lol.. ok. I was confused since the CF normally looked a little clunky and just seems old to me. I love SD myself, maybe its not the best tho. ;)

[Animal]

Well, I got the camera and I'm keeping it! =p So far so good! Although I can't really take any good pictures unless its on auto mode... need some more practice me thinks.

What do you guys use for managing your photo collection and touching up and all that jazz? I have always liked Picasa as an organizational tool. I own a copy of Photoshop Elements although I can't find the damn box for it. The Canon software actually doesn't seem too bad.

I can see myself building up a huge collection of pictures in a very small amount of time. This camera makes it so easy to just keep snapping away until you get a good picture. Much better than our old P&S.

Now I am just waiting for a package from Sammie =) My wife will have a stroke when she see's the size of the lens!

[Sammie]

Now I am just waiting for a package from Sammie =) My wife will have a stroke when she see's the size of the lens!

I hope it arrived ok.

And your wife probably had a stroke when she saw the packaging, not the lenses. HAHA

http://www.glitteratigossip.com/photos/uncategorized/rosieo.jpg


LMAO!!! YOU"VE BEEN PUNKED, Bitch!! :p

[Animal]

Actually, she had an appointment for the baby today and then she decided to help herself to a little shopping so my neighbors got the box for me. I sent her over to go get it but of course she didn't so now the neighbors are sleeping and no box for me. God damn it!

[Sammie]

ah man!!! I ruined the element of suprise!!

DAMN IT!!

I had assumed you had received it.

Oh well, enjoy it anyways.

Maybe you can test the new lenses out on the box I sent you :cool: