Camera prowling
I'm seriously thinking about getting this camera - it's a Canon Digital SLR EOS Rebel XTi.
Now, I get that this is a pro line digital, and it's super expensive...we'll be paying it off forever, but it seems like the logical choice, considering I'm getting much more serious about my photography and starting to feel some restrictions with my powershot S2IS which is still a pro line camera but the lenses are fixed. I can add 1 wide angle, 1 teleconverter and 1 close up lens to the S2IS and that's all, whereas the XTi can use any of the EF or EF-S lenses, so I have many more possibilities. BUT, there's always a big "but", the lenses are really expensive. Right off the bat I'd need a macro lens and of course have no idea where to start - there are several different macro lenses in this series. Which is the primary concern with this camera - I am a little intimidated by it. The Powershot, although I can override the auto settings and fine tune in where needed, it is a powershot and therefore user friendly. The SLRs are intimidating. I might want to take a class to learn how to really use it. Although, I would wager that all Canon cameras run similarly and therefore knowing how to use my current camera ought to give me at least a little advantage. Not to mention I have had formal photography training...it's just that it was a long time ago and it was 35mm not digital and there is a lot more different between the 2 platforms than you might think.
posted by Naamah @ 12:02 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
XTi's a good camera, I looked at it myself before I went with the 30D. The decision for me was interface (i.e. being able to get at everything instantly, or faster) and burst speed (5fps compared to 3fps). Honestly the pixel count didn't matter to me at all, the practical difference between 10.1 MP and 8.2 MP is pretty small. It lets you make prints maybe an inch or two bigger.
As far as user-friendlyness, XTi's designed to be a consumer camera. It's got the manual and semi-auto modes for when you want them, but it's also got the full-auto modes for when you want to turn off your brain and shoot. 30D's the same way, my non-photographer dad needed to take some pictures once and I felt very confident just clicking it into full-auto and handing it to him. I can let you play with my 30D for a bit to see.
As far as a macro lens goes, this one gets pretty good reviews, and it's pretty much the cheapest you can go for a dedicated macro lens. Going cheaper, you can use an extension tube with one of your regular lenses. Another thing you can try is holding your lens backwards against the camera body, which is what I did for these photos. Ghetto? Yes. Rewarding? Quite possibly so.
If you're looking at EOS lenses, this site was immensely helpful to me. Comprehensive reviews of just about every single EF lens on the market, including the off-brands. I wouldn't worry too much about using the off-brands, BTW, there is legitimately good gear out there even without the Canon logo on it, and usually a lot lighter on the wallet. I've personally got a Sigma fisheye on my list of future acquisitions.
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