I finally upgraded to Cannon D.Rebel !!!

Ordered today my Rebel. Went with it after much deliberation, and lots of reviews reading, at the end the Nikon was out of question ($$$$ matter) and it was pretty much down to 828 Sony and DRebel. After reading Dpreview's comparison of the two side-by-side, decided to go w/the rebel. While it would prob. be easier for me to transition to Sony, I am kind of afraid of it's problem with much higher Noise level, even comparing to 717, and the huge difference between it and Rebel in noise at any ISO level.

I have to be honest, I am a bit afraid of the rebel. I borrowed my friend's Rebel a couple of nights ago, and was a bit overwhelmed by it, even after reading the manual and doing a lot of pics. It's very different, and I will have a bunch of questions for you other Rebel guys, so just you wait.

Bought it from www.beechcamera.com at the url below for $790 plus #14 shipping (expedited, can't ait 10 working days)

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.asp?ref=dealtime&sku=CNDIGRBL1855


Any advice?

[ccplim]

Congrats man! Welcome to the DSLR world!

Hope to see some pics from your DRebel real soon. Now, you gonna miss those LCD :cheesy:

[Gordeez]

I dont have any advice, however, im looking forward to your NEW pics.
Im sure you'll get the hang of it quickly.

Thanks, guys. ccplim, I was freaked out at first, specially since I wear glasses, but the vision control thing on the viewfinder is brilliant I can see better using it than my glasses. It's easy to get used to it.

[ccplim]

Thanks, guys. ccplim, I was freaked out at first, specially since I wear glasses, but the vision control thing on the viewfinder is brilliant I can see better using it than my glasses. It's easy to get used to it.

Yeah man! The only thing you gotta get used to is to look through of the viewfinder (it's not easy at times since their size are much smaller as compared to the LCD) :cheesy:

I have a lot of questions for 300D users, so I will put a little list here. I have read the manual but still have some questions. Keep in mind, I dont have the camera yet, but I played w/one for about 2 hours. Friend let me borrow his. Did not come up w/anything useful as far as pics. it will take some time.

1. The aperature, it does not go below 4.0???? that makes the useful shutter speed much lower for me and my lighting. I was able to get away w/ 1/60 - 1/80 on my Sony but now, I am down to 1/30 or less, which makes pics blurry. I know it goes up to insane amounts like 13, or even higher, but the other end, no 2.0???? :( How do I get around that?

2. The pics on the LCD come out nice, then when you look on the computer they are too dark. It's hard to do a session when it does not look the same on the LCD. Is it just set too bright on the camera?

3. On my 717 Sony, I would just plug it into the USB and it would open up as a drive, I would be able to just take the pics anywhere from that drive w/out software support. This one, even after installing the software drivers is a pain. How do you guys do it. I bought a USB2 reader that I will have to use, I guess, to take out the card and put into the reader. Will that be the easiest? or am I missing something?

Any suggestions from the users of this camera are VERY MUCH welcome.
Ed

[meriadoc]

1. The aperture on the kit lens has a minimum aperture of ƒ4.0. You can get other lenses, like the 50mm prime (fixed focal length) of ƒ1.8, even ƒ1.4 (but that one is big bucks). Most lenses in the zoom range that are affordable are generally ƒ4-5.6 thereabouts. There are some that have a constant aperture at the wide open end of ƒ2.8, and the more expensive ones in the telephoto range, occasionally go lower, but most, from about 100mm upwards are a minimum of ƒ2.8.

So unless you're willing to spend mucho $$$$ on a constant ƒ2.8 zoom, occasionally you'll get them at 3.5 or thereabouts.

2. Your problem with darkness could be one of many things, the LCD screen is too bright (I actually darkened mine by 1 level), or your computer screen is too dark. I work on a laptop, so my screen is really bright normally, so I never really see much of a difference between the two. Or, you could have the color space settings different to your computer, but I bet its one of the first two, or even both.

3. I NEVER hook up my camera to my laptop - I always use a card reader. Why? I may be overly paranoid, but the thought of hooking up a $1000 camera to a laptop really doesn't thrill me - you never know what may happen. I've had more success with a card reader than I have with a camera hooked up to the computer anyway.

If you ever need any advice, feel free to PM me :)

[ccplim]

1. The aperture on the kit lens has a minimum aperture of ƒ4.0. You can get other lenses, like the 50mm prime (fixed focal length) of ƒ1.8, even ƒ1.4 (but that one is big bucks). Most lenses in the zoom range that are affordable are generally ƒ4-5.6 thereabouts. There are some that have a constant aperture at the wide open end of ƒ2.8, and the more expensive ones in the telephoto range, occasionally go lower, but most, from about 100mm upwards are a minimum of ƒ2.8.

So unless you're willing to spend mucho $$$$ on a constant ƒ2.8 zoom, occasionally you'll get them at 3.5 or thereabouts.

2. Your problem with darkness could be one of many things, the LCD screen is too bright (I actually darkened mine by 1 level), or your computer screen is too dark. I work on a laptop, so my screen is really bright normally, so I never really see much of a difference between the two. Or, you could have the color space settings different to your computer, but I bet its one of the first two, or even both.

3. I NEVER hook up my camera to my laptop - I always use a card reader. Why? I may be overly paranoid, but the thought of hooking up a $1000 camera to a laptop really doesn't thrill me - you never know what may happen. I've had more success with a card reader than I have with a camera hooked up to the computer anyway.

If you ever need any advice, feel free to PM me :)

These are exactly what I wanted to say. One thing to add on for point no. 1. There are still those macro lens out there with aperture of f2.8. Generally for taking fish picture, a 90 - 105mm range of macro lens should be more than enough.

ok, guys, what lens would you recommend then for macro fish photography, and what is the price range like? I understand that the standard one is just a generic medium

[Nicholo]

3. I NEVER hook up my camera to my laptop - I always use a card reader. Why? I may be overly paranoid, but the thought of hooking up a $1000 camera to a laptop really doesn't thrill me - you never know what may happen. I've had more success with a card reader than I have with a camera hooked up to the computer anyway.

Can you explain this? I've just never heard anyone suggesting what you are, and I'm not sure what the harm could be. Thanks...

[benny]

Hi Ed,

For general purpose photography, either a 90/100/105 mm Macro lens or a 180 mm Macro lens, depending on your shooting setup. Actually, I use 50/65/100/180 mm interchangably as I work with different photo tanks.

The Tamron 90 mm macro is suppose to be best value for quality

The Sigma 105 mm macro is suppose to be good built quality at a slight premium

The Canon 100 mm macro is suppose to be the most silent and boast of very fast AF (which I don't use for fish photography).

Most of the 180 mm are quite evenly matched with the Canon topping the price comparison. The Sigma seems to be a hot favorite.

Do have a look at the various lens reviews at the various resource. But here's one on cross brand comparison which I found to be very very useful.

http://www.orchideen-kartierung.de/Macro100E.html

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

[Roy W.]

See? This is why i got the Sony :cheesy:
DSLR`s will be really expencive when you have to get all those lenses [smilie=c:

[CDM]

The downloading part is the worst nightmare. It took me nearly 2 hrs to download 512MB from the camera by using the Canon software. I hate that USB1. I've just bought a 40G 2.5" hard drive integrated with card reader, the downloading time is much shorter (though I didn't measure the time).

[meriadoc]

i'm paranoid about some little power glitch between the computer and the camera and possibly damaging the camera. yup, true story - had a friend lose alot of images that way.

as for pricing?

depending on where you buy, the lenses can vary.

sigma's 105mm macro can run you about $370-400
canon's 100mm macro can run you about $450-500
the 180mm macro from sigma is about 700-800
and the 180mm macro from canon will set you back over 1000

Ok, I have to admit, I am very confused by the lenses. I am not as proficient w/cameras as you guys. Most of my knowledge is from practical applications, and not actual "book knowledge" of the camera world. I may sound like a newbie but I am, what are the numbers on the camera, the 90/100/110 or the others.

Also, what's a better investment if the funds are limited? a macro lens or an external flash? and what are the flash choices? I am used to shooting w/out flash w/my sony, but it seems it will be difficult w/this camera because of it's higher "low" range of aperature.

[meriadoc]

ok, the numbers (ie 50/200/500/1200/12/8 etc) mean the focal length of the lens.

pretty simply - the smaller the number (ie 12mm) the wider angle the lens. The larger the number, it approaches telephoto/super telephoto range. The 'normal' is around 50mm. A 12mm lens for example has a 122 degree field of view, a fisheye lens can have a 180 degree field of view.

as for a better investment? by far the lens. you can always get a cheap external flash for a while, but if you're shooting fish stuff, a macro lens is by far the better option. There are some zoom lenses out there that have a 'macro' function on them - but its not a life-size ratio, more half life size or thereabouts.

-- L

[JerseyJay]

Ordered today my Rebel. Went with it after much deliberation, and lots of reviews reading, at the end the Nikon was out of question ($$$$ matter)

Ed,
What was the total price difference. 790$ is only BODY, not the kit.

he, he, no Jay it was the whole thing, w/the lens. Here is the URL:
http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.asp?ref=dealtime&sku=CNDIGRBL1855, they have great feedback on www.epinions.com. This week, there is a new lower price from somewhere else, $10 less:
http://www2.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?ref=dealtime&sku=CNDIGRBL1855 and they have great feedback also.

[ccplim]

It seems like Beach Camera is doing an inventory update at the moment and I couldn't see the details. Does the package come with the CF card too?

[benny]

If fish photography is priority, the minimum requirement for the Canon Digital Rebel in my opinion would be as follows:

1. Canon EF 100 mm F2.8 Macro USM (or it's third party equivalent)
2. Canon Speedlite 420EX (or it's third party equivalent)
3. Canon Off the camera cord 2

With the above, you can take the flash off the camera (albeit not the most comfortable option with Canon off the camera cord 2) and even shoot sharp close ups.

If budget allows, I would recommend the following

1. Tamron 90 mm F2.8 Macro
2. Canon Speedlite 550EX
3. Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2

The Tamron lens is cheaper and will be easy to dispose off if you ever need to swap over to Canon. But take note that the earlier link I posted suggested that the Tamron has superior performance. The Sigma 550 DG is not as good. Two of my pals have burnt their flash shooting fish already. The plastic diffusor kind of melted.

Cheers,

[meriadoc]

remember also, if you're intending to go and take landscapes later on, and need something wider than 28mm for landscapes, there isn't a whole lot of options, because of the 1.6x crop factor. I just bought myself a sigma EX 12-24mm lens - which on my film camera is NICE, on my digital its 19-35mm - still nice at the wider end though :)

Well, then, let's say that I have none of that yet, and it may be a while before I slowly start accumulating these pieces. How is the Rebel in your opinions with just standard equipment?

I probably should have done this BEFORE purchasing the camera :oops:

[ccplim]

Well, then, let's say that I have none of that yet, and it may be a while before I slowly start accumulating these pieces. How is the Rebel in your opinions with just standard equipment?

I probably should have done this BEFORE purchasing the camera :oops:

The kit lens should be more than enough for the time being if you are not seriously into any nature or landscape at the moment.

[Tony7683]

Yeah Ed,

The wide angle limitations are a concern for landscape photos, but it's no biggie since it seems you haven't been bitten by the outdoor photo bug yet.

How do you know if you have been bitten?

Well, I started just doing flowers and bugs, but I have dabbled in landscapes and such with wide angle lens adapters lately and have started photographing anything interesting at any park I visit.

I think this last weekend when I hung myself off a 50 foot ledge to get waterfall shots at the state park I visited was the time I knew I was bitten, haha. (BTW I'm scared as hell of of heights)


As far as the Digital Rebel goes, I haven't heard anything bad about it at all from a friend of mine at work. (She's a long time Cannon fan, so I expect her critique to be good)


Thx,
Tony

[ccplim]

Yeah Ed,

The wide angle limitations are a concern for landscape photos, but it's no biggie since it seems you haven't been bitten by the outdoor photo bug yet.

How do you know if you have been bitten?

Well, I started just doing flowers and bugs, but I have dabbled in landscapes and such with wide angle lens adapters lately and have started photographing anything interesting at any park I visit.

I think this last weekend when I hung myself off a 50 foot ledge to get waterfall shots at the state park I visited was the time I knew I was bitten, haha. (BTW I'm scared as hell of of heights)


As far as the Digital Rebel goes, I haven't heard anything bad about it at all from a friend of mine at work. (She's a long time Cannon fan, so I expect her critique to be good)


Thx,
Tony

Yeah man! I have also seem to be hooked on nature. It appears to me that my zoom range are getting shorter and shorter and I am actually dreaming of getting a 500 or 600mm f/4 :shock: :shock:

[meriadoc]

lol

on my wishlist :

100-400 IS USM (canon)
400 prime
500 prime.

but since I shoot digitally mainly ;)

i still use film though for landscapes

[DarthV]

The fun part with getting into a SLR system is to figure out what you want to use the camera for. Landscape? Street Photography? Portraits? Wildlife? FISH TANKS?

Each of those types of photography are going to usually use different focal lengths...so you really have to figure out what you want to do before going out and buying Glass! If you have enough lighting or difuse the flash, even the kit lens will do a decent job for aquarium photography. I borrowed a friends canon 100-300 usm lens and found that 100mm was almost too long to do pictures of a large fish and have it fill the frame.

I'm almost in the same boat as you are...I jumped into the Rebel about 2 months ago and I'm still not sure what I need for lenses...I like to take pics of just about anything...and that makes my decision even harder.

The EF-S 18-55mm kit lens is a decent performer when you stop the lens down to f/8..and it's not horrible wide open (full aperture for selected focal length). So I'd fool around with it for a bit before jumping into a lens purchase unless you know exactly what you need that lens for. And the kit lens is a f/3.5-5.6, so at the 18mm focal length it is f/3.5 which is a lot less light than what you sony could do at f/2. You should be able to shoot at ISO400 and gain back those 2 stops of light without introducing much noise.

I've just agreed to purchase a used Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 XR Di... it should work QUITE well as a replacement for my kit lens...the only other choice in that focal range would be the Canon L series 28-70 f/2.8, which is 3 times the price!! Now I have to decide if I want some more reach (canon 70-200 f/4 L) or something a little wider for landscape (sigma 20mm f/1.8).

As for flash, you have 3 choices...the Canon 420EX, Canon 550EX and Sigma 500 DG Super. If you want Flash Exposure Compensation, you will have to choose between the higher priced 550EX or the (roughly same price as the 420EX) Sigma 500...unless you want to upgrade your Rebel's firmare to the latest Wasia hack. I have the hack installed, so I'm not sure which I will be buying... I'm thinking about the 550EX, just because it should communicate more readily with my rebel and has a couple extras that the Sigma 500 doesn't have (strobe lighting).

And remember a good macro lens is going to give you a real life 1:1 ratio...so it might not be the same as the Macro function on your old p&s camera! I'd do some research and make sure a Macro lens is what you are looking for!

You might also want to inest in a good quality tripod with a ball head. In low light, it will allow for longer exposures without and blurring...and also is useful if you are using a decently long telephoto lens...even in decently bright daylight, you shoul d not try to handhold at a shutter speed lower than 1/focal length!

And you might want to think about taking an introduction to SLR photography course. I just started taking one this week!

Here's a few pics that I've taken with the kit lens:

http://executor.hil.unb.ca/craig/images/scenery/walkingbridge002.jpg

http://executor.hil.unb.ca/craig/images/scenery/walkingbridge003.jpg

http://executor.hil.unb.ca/craig/images/scenery/sunset001.jpg

And with the canon 100-300mm f/3.5-4.5

http://executor.hil.unb.ca/craig/images/scenery/capitol01.jpg

http://executor.hil.unb.ca/craig/images/scenery/downtownspire.jpg


I'll post pics once I get the Tamron in my hands :)