DSLR Question

[orion25]

I just bought a Canon XSI Package from Costco. Here is the link. Is this a good choice for a somewhat beginner in the DSLR world? I am looking for a new hobby since I will soon be a non-married man and gambling and hookers are too expensive, I want to do mainly shoot nature, arcitucture and landscape pics along with the normal P&S shots that come with vacations, family gatherings, my dogs, etc.............

I had considered a Nikon D60 from costco as well but the online reviews convinced me that the Canon would be a better choice.

I am mainly looking for confirmation that I did not screw up on the XSi. Not looking to get into the Canon vs Nikon fanboy crap.

Thanks
orion25

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: DSLR Question

Well my entire family has been in photography for 30+ years, my brother owns a company and my sister is an exec at another.....

You did good grasshopper! I have used both brands and they each have a + and - catagory...... you did fine.

Now is the time to learn.

Look up Photomatix on the net...... download the demo (free) and see what you think.... I ended up buying the program.

You will NOT be happy with the built in flash on the canon. You need to buy a canon flash ...... aftermarket ones will not work right. I have the speedlight flash from canon.

I also have a battery pack on my camera which doubles the capacity (I am shooting with an older canon 350).

You made a great decision and will be able to match quality with nikon or olympus too.

 

[fdmsiv]

Re: DSLR Question

I got a DSLR for my fiancee for Xmas. After talking to lots of people and doing some intense internet research this is what I concluded.

For a similar price range all of the cameras are about equal. One may have a feature than another doesn't but basically they are all the same.

Buy the most expensive lense you can afford. I spent $700 on the camera but the lense I wanted to get (fisheye) was in the $550 ~ $600 range. There were more lenses that were much more expensive than the camera. I was shocked that the lense was almost/more than the camera but you need a good lense to get good pics.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: DSLR Question

You can get a cheap fisheye adapter lens on ebay......

Aftermarket lenses themselves and flashes that are off brand have been known to screw up the DSLR camera board inside the camera.

With the canon I shoot with I can get a pretty wide shot with the factory lens.

The true ability of the DSLR is shooting in RAW format and control. If you hand the camera off to someone to try .... set it to Programmed or automatic depending on the camera. This will allow them to take a nice picture.

Do not depend on one memory card..... get a few and keep them formatted by the camera. If you have a card failure ...... you will be ready.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: DSLR Question

Here's Canon website that has helped me quite a bit familiarizing myself with DSLR. Had SLR for years, but DSLR is a bit different animal.

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/enjoydslr/part1/1B.html

Also, here's a Canon forum (similar to iboats but much bigger/active) that I've spent a lot of time on

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: DSLR Question

I have the older XTi Rebel and it's great. I got it for Christmas last year. It is limited by the stock lens, however. If you want fantastic photos, you're going to have to pay for them through good lenses. The best lenses are Canon lenses, however there are very nice lenses that are not Canon and will work well. Tameron is one example.

I got a high capacity battery and a 4 gig memory card for it. That allows me 880 photos at 10mp, 1500 at roughly 5 or over 4000 at like 3mp which is plenty for most uses.

In fact, if you want to know what the XTi or XSi is capable of, check out my thread here, where I posted some airshow photos that I took with it! When I got my XTi, it came with two lenses, a regular, and a 300mm telephoto. These are obviously with the latter.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=284256&highlight=airshow

 

[orion25]

Re: DSLR Question

Well, I got the XSI with the Kit lens (18-55 IS) along with a 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 lens. It is a great kit. I also got a 50mm F1.8 prime lens aff Ebay for cheap and it may be my favorite lens. I still have a lot of learming to do but I am having a lot of fum shooting my dogs on a daily basis.........................

 

[Phantom_II]

Re: DSLR Question

Photography is a hobby that can get expensive quick.
Almost to the same level as boating, and upgrade fever is a powerful disease.
The Rebel XSi (AKA 450D) is an excellent camera and quite capable of taking professional grade photos but as others have suggested, lenses and an artistic eye are the prime limiting factors.
Take some time to get familiar with the camera and DO stay out of the green box.
The 18-55IS is a decent enough lens and will serve you well as a walk-around lens and is good enough for landscape, but I think you'll find that 18mm is still a bit narrow for architecture although your mileage may vary depending on your shooting style.
I suspect that for nature, you'll get disappointed by that 75-300 but use it for a while and get used to your equipment before deciding to spend thousands on fancy "L" lenses.
The 50mm 1.8 (AKA "Nifty Fifty") is a great lens for the price but it's terribly fragile. Treat it gently and it will serve you well.

Enjoy !