donald_a

OK, that makes sense, especially since the center AF point is high precision compared to the other AF points, right?

I have an XTi that I'm just starting out using. When using lenses with a wide

aperture in which focus becomes important I'm having some problems making sure

my focus is where I want it. If I have a static subject, that's easy; I can

just adjust the AF focus point. But if there is a lot of motion, for example a

party, how do I make sure my focus is on for every picture? I could just focus

manually, but that adds another thing to do (I'm still working on getting my

exposures right). I could change the AF focus points in real time, but I don't

think I could do it fast enough since the composition of the frame changes

drastically from shot to shot. Any suggestions?

You'll want a wider lens, like the 10-22mm, especially for Iguazu and probably for Patagonia also. There are a lot of falls (including the most impressive one) that you can't see until you're really close.

Does anyone know why equipment costs so much more in Europe than in the US, even after accounting for currency exchange rates? Is it import duties or something?

Thanks. Apparently "canon 55-250" isn't enough information to find it using the Amazon search function.

I don't see the 55-250 on Amazon, but it's on the Canon USA website listed as being available in March. What is the price going to be?

Why isn't Canon going to market this lens here?

It seems silly for Canon to have three Rebels in the lineup. Although, if they keep the 350D and you can get it with 18-55 IS for around $400, that seems like a pretty sweet P&S (versus say the G9)

I would make a recommendation to consider an external flash. In my personal experience this has made a world of difference in the quality of my pictures. Especially if you want to take a lot of pictures of indoor family events, i.e holidays, birthdays, an external flash will set your pictures apart from the standard point and shooter's stereotypical harsh flash pictures. I have the 430EX and it is really worth it. If money is a huge concern, you could consider the 420ex.

I have an XTi and it allows changes in aperture setting in 1/3 stops, i.e.

f/5.6->f/6.3->f/7.1->f/8.0. My question is whether or not Canon lenses are

physically varying the aperture in such small steps? In other words if I set

my aperture to f/6.3 is the physical lens opening actually f/6.3 or is it f/5.6

with some compensating processing done in the camera?

Raw+JPEG is the best of both worlds. You can use the JPEG right away, but if you need to or want to make adjustments later on the RAW file is there. I wish the XTi had a RAW+S setting; I would use that for travel when uploading pics to an internet cafe computer (to save upload time).

Well, I was playing with it again and the problems seems to be gone. I put the flash on my Elan 7N to see if I could duplicate the problem and it was happening on the Elan which I knew shouldn't happen because I've used the flash plenty on that camera. Then I toggled the Off/Slave switch on the flash and the problem went away. So I think I good now, but that was weird.

I just bought an XTi and I'm trying to use my Speedlite 430EX and I'm having

some problems getting everything to work as I expect. If I'm using camera

inside and I'm in Av or Tv mode without the flash everything works as expected,

for example if I'm in Av mode the meter tells me I need a long shutter speed in

low light conditions. However, when I turn the flash on, the shutter speed is

fixed at 1/200 sec, which is the sync speed for the XTi. In Tv mode I get the

blinking smallest aperture. This happens with all my lenses. It's like the

camera is trying let as little ambient light in as possible and expose

everything with the flash, but that's not how it's supposed to work in the

Av/Tv/M modes, right? Do I have some option set that's making the camera

perform this way? Thanks.

I just bought an XTi, so the advice I'm giving you is what I'm actually doing myself. The best system to start with would be: XTi($520); Canon 18-55mm IS ($175); Canon Speedlite 420EX or 430EX, ~$160 used and $230 new, respectively; Sandisk 2GB Ultra II Compact Flash card ($35); Canon EW-60C Lens Hood ($17); Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson ($17); a 58mm UV lens filter ($20). You should also consider the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens for $75. On the XTi this will be a portrait lens and having the large aperture will allow you to experiment with depth of field. You could also consider getting the Canon 75-300 F4-5.6 III USM lens ($150 used). This isn't a great lens but it will allow you to experiment with a telephoto lens.

 

I wouldn't get the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 or any other prime lens(other than the 50mm f/1.8) right now. Why? First, all the primes will be more expensive than the 18-55mm IS. Second, getting any reasonably priced prime lens will mean you won't have a true wide angle lens(the widest lens < $400 is the Canon 24mm f/2.8). Losing the wide angle capability means you wouldn't be able to make some landscape shots as well as architecture shots. I'm assuming you don't have a particular favorite subject yet, so you'll want to try all sorts of things.

 

The core of this system, the XTi, 18-55mm IS and the flash will be more than enough for you to play with and learn about photography. Get excited; the XTi is a very nice camera and will make you want to take pictures all the time.

Briggs, thanks for the advice. I'll pick up the XTi field guide. In making the film to digital transition, I guess one main difference is using histograms to check my exposures. Is that right? Are there any other differences?

I'm getting my XTi today (has anyone noticed the recent price drop?), and I was

just wondering if anyone has any advice that I should know about to hit the

ground running. I'm a Elan 7N user so I understand all the basics, but if

there are basic digital SLR user tips I should know I'd be grateful.

 

BTW, is a $700 differnce between the XTi and 40D justified. I guess it depends

on the user, but it seems like a lot to me.

Thanks for the response. I probably should have gone to a physical camera shop first before posting this; I guess I got excited. I'll check out the Mini Trekker. I'm basically looking for something that doesn't scream camera bag. It looks like the Lowepro Slingshot series is good for the easy access issue, but I don't think there would be much room for books, etc. because of the shape.

I'm looking for a relatively inexpensive backpack for travel. Currently I have

a little Lowepro bag with room for my SLR with a small lens attached plus

another lens in the front pouch. I have this bag inside a regular backpack.

This is a little awkward and would like a one bag solution. The Canon 200EG

seems like it would be perfect except that it looks like you have to unzip it

all the way to take out the camera, which isn't optimum for security purposes

(I would also have to cover that big Canon label/bullseye). I want something

with a zipper at the top, not going down the sides of the bag, so I can just

pull the camera out without opening the rest of the backpack. I also need the

front flap to put my documents and books. Any suggestions?

I agree that the 17-40 is the closest thing Canon has to a crossover lens. I think the 17-40 wouldn't get much everyday use on my film camera. When I get the XTi, I'll use the 17-40, Tamron 17-50, or 17-85 as my everyday lens. For now, the 28-105 seems to be the cheapest of the mid-range normal zooms (24-85, 28-105, 28-135) and roughly the same optical quality. I can't believe I've kept the kit lens for so long when the 28-105 is just a little more expensive.

Thanks everyone for your help. As Yakim pointed out, my problem is that my lenses are crappy, with the exception of the 50mm. So this means that a real upgrade will involve both a new body and lenses. So there's no real incremental IQ/film-to-digital upgrade path, especially since there is no real crossover zoom lens. So for now, I'll just buy the 28-105mm which should yield some IQ improvement over my kit lens.

I have a trip coming up at the end of August. I want to eventually purchase

the XTi, but I probably shouldn't spend the money right now. In the meantime,

I want to have the highest image quality possible. Here is my current gear.

 

-Elan 7n SLR ,28-80mm kit lens (from film Canon Rebel) ,50mm f/1.8 lens ,75-

300mm f/4-5.6 III USM ,Olympus 5MP point and shoot camera

 

In terms of upgrades here are the options that I came up with:

 

1. Buy nothing. 2. Buy 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM lens to replace kit lens

3. Buy used Digital Rebel camera (300d) 4. Buy point and shoot camera (<$300)

 

As far as #4, are there any P&S cameras less than $300 that would beat my

current film gear in terms of image quality?

 

Anyway, I'm really looking for help in terms of analyzing the image quality

upgrade path vs. price. I'm leaning towards #2, since I won't have to learn a

new camera in basically 2 weeks before the trip. Looking back, I regret using

the kit lens for my travel pictures.

I'm trying to figure out if the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 has any compatibility

issues. The two possible issues I've thought of so far are:

 

1. Does it work with the enhanced precision center AF point(for f/2.8 or

better lenses)?

2. Does it provide distance info for use in the E-TTL II system?

 

Answers to these questions or any other compatibility issues that should give

me pause before buying this lens would be greatly appreciated.

Very interesting. Has anyone made any observations using this type of analysis that contradicts the convential wisdom regarding focal length? For example, is 28-80mm really the best "overall" range and how fast does the percentage of pictures taken start to fall off after 80mm?

Here in the US, it looks like both have been dropped by about $100, the XTi to ~$700 body only and the XT to ~$530.

After looking at the Bob Atkins website the only thing that's making me hesitate on the 420 is that the 430 has automatic zooming correction for different frame sizes and can transfer of white balance info, both of which I may need when I go to the XTi.