matthew_bensley

I personally use a 17-400 4L and a 70-200 4L, which together run more than the $1000 cap you mention, but I think are well worth the extra money. I suspect that the soccer and lacrosse games will be during the day time and even with shutter speeds faster than 1/400, a maximum aperture of 4 should be fine. I think substituting the 70-300 is fine as long as you will be shooting in the afternoon and not under field lights. If you want to shoot at night, you are going to have to get a 2.8 zoom or an even faster prime. Shooting professional baseball games under bright lights at night at f/4 still leaves my photographs dark. Of course, shooting RAW, I can underexpose and lighten everything up in post-processing.

In case there was a little too much rambling there:

If you will be shooting games during the day time:

17-40 4L and 70-200 4L

or change the telezoom with the 70-300

If you are shooting at night:

get a telezoom or prime telephoto with maximum aperture with number smaller than or equal to 2.8

Matthew

Is the idea that these are items Canon wants to clear before releasing shinier items to the masses? I'm not familiar with Canon's (apparent) seasonal rebates.

Thanks

Matthew

I feel excited that I seem to be totally backwards in my logic. I'm 'in the market' and the time to take a photo being (in my estimation) longer than a point and shoot camera has kept me from taking the plunge quite so quickly. I suppose I'll have to find another excuse now, until I buy my camera.

Best, Matthew

What makes me pose this question is that I have dealt with many, many people who are far too slow with adjusting their camera settings in preparation of taking a shot. I am sure that it is inexperience with fairly advanced equiptment that is at fault. Some of my family members, who enjoy playing with high priced cameras, just don't take a lot of photographs except when the rest of us are around. I always try to keep my prep time to the absulte minimum because of how annoyed I often feel as the subject of these other photographers :)

Best, Matthew

Just for fun, I was wondering, in a walking around setting (hiking, party, sight

seeing, etc..) how long you spend from the time you decide you want to take a

picture until you actually take the shot.

Do you save time by setting custom settings for conditions you think you will

encounter?

Does your first shot take considerably longer to set up than your second and so on?

Also, as your experience with your camera has grown, has your time to ready your

camera decreased?

Or, do you not use your DSLR when you know you only have a couple of seconds

between wanting to shoot to taking the shot.

Best,

Matthew

Hi, I am interested in beginning my 'career' as an amateur photographer and

lately have been studying up on the Canon EOS cameras. I have two questions

that I hope won't get me laughed at (too much!).

1: What is the point of the additional grip that you can attach to your camera?

I don't plan on buying any very long lenses, at least to start, so I wonder if

this would just be overkill to use. On the other hand, if I start without using

one and then later get one, am I going to kick myself for not using one from the

start?

2: I plan on teaching myself how to take real pictures and not the usual

'box-camera' style shots I have been doing up until now with my P&S camera.

What should I consider in deciding whether or not to get a flash for my camera?

Thanks for the help, I have a great interest in learning all I can about

photography, but it is the little, silly things like this that I could use some

enlightenment on before I purchase my first camera of this type.

Matthew