ed_okie

Thank you to everyone for the very worthy insights.

Puppy Face's "[only] 200 shots with RAW images" is most telling, an area of power draw that left me highly suspect. Likewise the stablizer's (IS) power grab. One might reflect: "There's no such thing as a free lunch." IS is a superb if not astonishing function, but the battery-power aspect does come back to bite you. I judge it a fair trade off.

An aside: the more I trial-test shooting RAW images, what once seemed like a superb idea... I'm sliding to the other side of the opinion-fence. The highest Jpeg setting "ain't all bad." It is that instance where theory and reality collide.

Does anyone have insight as to power consumed by various functions of

the 10D? And which function entails greater draw?

My use between charges doesn't begin to approach image numbers (600+)

suggested by Canon. The battery recharger works. Length of charge (be

it 1-to-5 hours past solid light display) doesn't seem to improve

power reserves.

Two lenses are used: 17-40L, and the 28-135 IS... I assume the

stabilizer function's power consumption is significant. What about

the normal AF (autofocus) power consumption of either lens? Is that a

culprit?

(Turning the backside monitor off has modest affect; never use the

built in flash). Does RAW shooting consume extra battery energy over

other settings? Downloading images to computer is always done by

external card reader.

Sign me "baffled."

Has anyone come across a worthy book they can recommend covering in-

depth setup adjustments for the Canon 10D?

A pro�s hands-on use of the camera, of what does and doesn�t work,

those customized settings of particular value, how to best exploit

the many functions without getting bogged down in unnecessary

complexities.

The owner�s manual though complete in covering fundamental

adjustments, never steps forward to explain the �why,� or provide

examples of best use, or when not to use a given tweak.

Beyond which lens supposedly "is best," first and foremost consider the proposed endeavor, that of photographing a wedding... a one-time event. It is a very difficult and expensive event to restage if the photographer fails at doing the job. The "best lens" is a secondary and relatively unimportant issue.

Camera bags have their place (bulky, heavy and clumsy). Likewise the

neck strap (until the neck gives out after an hour or so). The 10D

camera and an attached medium-size lens: Has anyone found a quality

carrier in the form of a hip-holster? i.e., the ability to securely

carry one camera and attached lens when the camera is not in use, but

readily accessible when needed.

Canon's "super telephoto" lenses have two IS modes: one for normal

image stabilization, one for panned shots. Does this feature also

apply to their EF28-135 f3.5-5.6 IS USM lens?

Objective: car racing or athletes running, the ability to exaggerate

blur on the horizontal axis while keeping the vertical axis (subject)

reasonably sharp.