barnnies Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 I am going to make the move, probaly after Christmas.I presently use Minolta Maxxum 4's.I have been reading up on digitals and think I'll go with the 300D Rebel.Any comments or warnings :) would be appreciated. Thanks,Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur_byrnes Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 Don't wait! Do it NOW! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_larson1 Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 If you can wait to January - you can wait till March. (Next PMA). Of course, it is the 2 year old $3000 1D and not the 6 month old $899 300D that people think will be replaced. About the 300D: (1) Be prepared to buy a larger hard drive. (2) Be prepared to learn alot more about photoshop. (3) Be prepared to spend money on lenses. Don't settle for the kit lens (4) Be prepared to take lots of pictures. It is addictive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuppyDigs Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 I thought the EFs 18-55 is one of the better el cheapo kit lenses to come along in years. It's surprisingly sharp and a nice range for a 1.6x DSLR. The 2 best kit lens I recall are the EOS 5/EF 28-105 3.5-4.5 USM and the EOS IX/EF 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM combos. Incidentally, both of these lenses have long out lived the bodies they were designed for. The EOS 10S/EF 35-135 4.0-5.6 USM was a decent one too. Sometimes the light’s all shining on me. Other times I can barely see. - Robert Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakim_peled1 Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 Congratulations. Now get some good lenses for it. Happy shooting , Yakim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_stelly Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 The 18-55 is passable, nothing more. I bought the camera with the 18-55 and a 75-300 USM. I don't like the 75-300 very much, but the 18-55 was the first to be replaced. I picked up a 28-135 IS USM and thank god. It's like using a whole new camera. I'd suggest a Digital Rebel to anyone looking for a Digital SLR for hobbiest photography. There are some minor features missing (the same missing features I'm sure you'll find in any review you read) but for the most part it's a good solid camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorge_ituarte3 Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 The three most important things with a DSLR 1. Mediocre optics on a DSLR are even more mediocre. Whatever lens you get spend 60 bucks on a 50mm 1.8 so you can see what you are missing with a Canon Consumer Zoom. All of the non-L zoom are awful on a DSLR. Most of the Canon consumer primes with the exception of a few are excellent. I'm not being a snob that's just the facts jack! 2. Good exposure is crucial. If you have shot slide film your there already. 3. Shoot RAW and learn the subtleties of photoshop especially USM techniques. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorge_ituarte3 Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 I must be honest regardless of how unpopular this may be. I have been shooting 100% digital for 2 years now first with the d60 and now with the 10D. When I first shot digital I was overwhelmed at (quantifiable) the image quality. The smoothness the color ect.. I think I'm going back to film this year. MF this time around. There is something missing from these digital photographs. I can't put my finger on it. A kind of dead stillness. Kind of like the difference between analog and digital audio. High end analog audio just seems more melodic. I see this deadness as much with the 10d as I do with $30,000 digital back for MF. It's interesting that most of the work I sell is from two year back from film. I'm very hesitant there is a lot to love about digital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcus_erne Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 I am also a Minolta convert! Do it now, get a Rebel! I love my 300d although it is not loaded with every gimmick like the 10d, but it opens all the doors to photography that I need... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoryofpaul Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 Well I also let go of my Minolta 7000i for the 10d. I have to agree with the post above; I miss film. Here's the thing. Digital is great for most of the work I do, and the 10d has pretty much payed for itself with the gigs I've gotten. But when I go on a trip with friends or family, I want the TMAX back! It's just so much more fun to make prints in the darkroom then submitting your photos to some soulless digital printer. In my experience it's absolutely true that optics are a challenge in digital. I only use primes and I've been very satisfied with the 50mm f/1.8 and the 85mm f/1.8; the 24mm f/2.8 is a little less good but still decent. <br><br> Plus, in black and white, film can't be surpassed, really -- at least not yet. The black and white images I print from the digicam just are nothing compared to those I make in the darkroom. The main thing is the contrast range. Also I love the look of Selenium and Sepia. I know these things can be done in photoshop but the feeling of a real photograph print is just wonderful for me. <br><br> So why digital? Well here's a comparison. I did a gig last week doing photos for the theatre program here at the University of Rochester. I did about 360 photos, and discarded about 80 of them immediately. About 80 more were discarded on the computer when I arrived home. That left about 200 good ones. I had them all up on my web site in a few hours for all the people in the theatre production to see. Then, the next day, I ran 21 of the best photos through NeatImage, which made my pics taken on ISO1600 look like they were really done on ISO200 or so. They went to the local guy who has an epson 10000 printer and that afternoon, BEFORE the show opened, I had the pictures for the director. One of these photos was 11x17 at 200 dpi --- despite the fact that it was ISO1600, it was UNBELIEVABLE after neatimage. <br><br> Estimated cost for this gig in film, processing, printing: $400? <br>Exact cost for the gig in digital: $47.50 <br>Plus how could you ever get that much stuff done if you were using film? <br><br> For all my holiday cards though, I'm making real photographic contact prints from 4x5 negatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david arnold eugene, oreg Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 "If you can wait to January - you can wait till March. (Next PMA)." <p> This year PMA was in March, but in 2004 it'll take place February 12-14 - see <a href="http://www.pmai.org/">www.pmai.org</a>. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david arnold eugene, oreg Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 "There is something missing from these digital photographs. I can't put my finger on it. A kind of dead stillness. Kind of like the difference between analog and digital audio." <p> How proficient are you with Photoshop, Jorge? Unless you boost saturation, etc., via the camera controls (which can give a moderate improvement, but only moderate, and takes away your control), digital images <i>do</i> come out flatter than those from Velvia, VS, et al., but a few moments with Photoshop's Levels and Curves commands, followed by judicious use of USM, and there's no comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambor Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 No need to 'GO BACK' to film and shun Digital. I have D30 with bunch of lenses and also a back up body in EOS650. I shoot digital with D30 but I also shoot film with Konica Autoreflex as well as Medium Format with Yashicamat. All three processes are wonderful and provide tons of enjoyment. I do agree though that the most pleasure I get from shooting film with my 40 year old Konica and Hexanon lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnnies Posted December 8, 2003 Author Share Posted December 8, 2003 Thanks for all the great responses. I didn't expect everyone to say they loved it, that would never happen, but I appreciate all of you taking the time to repond. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whayne_padden Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Seeing your coming from an SLR background, don't get the 300D, it's a crippled toy at the moment. I'd get a 10D (even second hand) or wait until after PMA. Gosh dare I say even the Nikon D70 might be a much better camera than 300D at least from a functionality point of view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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