jaycai

I've used larger viewfinders, and while it helps see the details, I find that seeing the picture as a whole helps with composition easier. A good photograph will show in a thumbnail, it should not take detailed examination to determine if composition is good or not. It's all a matter of taste, bigger isn't always better.

I read somewhere that the Canon execs wanted to provide the high MPs so large detailed prints can be made. And really a noisy high 14 MP run through heavy noise reduction and then downsized would provide about the same resolution as a native clean 6 MP image, with the former able to give high MP high quailty pictures in good lighting as well. Just saying they may not be completely clueless when it comes to marketing a camera.

If you can open the aperture more in Av mode (F3.5 or F2.8), you can get more ambient light in the picture instead of just flash lighting. Assuming you have a faster lens. Although it's harder to balance the blueish tint of the flash versus warmer orange of most indoor lights, unless you put a orange gel on the flash to warm up the colors to match the interior lights.

The ISO 400 just gives you slightly more noise and you may use more battery power from the flash at ISO 100.

Hey PFace, maybe in your everyday life you debate kindergarten artithmetic with others, but please give me some benefit of the doubt. If I was talking about focus points, I would've wrote focus POINTS, I wrote focus system, the algorithm, internals is the same as the XSi, only 2 fewer POINTS (check out Canon's brochure for the XS). To clarify my logic, the XS and XSi also share the same new battery, battery grip, memory card, and button layout, in addition to the same exterior body (which are all different than XTi), hmm sure sounds like it's more similar to the XSi than XTi. Which was my original POINT.

Sounds like you should get an advanced P&S with long zoom instead of a DSLR for now, and after you've had it for a while to learn more about photography, you'll grow into it more. Consider the Canon SX110 10x zoom in a compact form, or the Panasonic Lumix TZ5 10x zoom as well. The panasonic won't teach you about aperture/shutter/iso since it's automatic, but the Canon will, Sx110 doesn't go as wide as the Panasonic though. As for DSLR, I would go with a Canon Rebel XS or XSi with kit lens, and then get a wide angle or telezoom later on. You can read all about the specs, but it takes some real usage time to get a feel for what they mean.

Bounce off walls and ceilings or shoot through a diffuser, anything but shoot directly with the flash.

I've done the research myself prior to purchasing the XS. The XS kit is at a better discount over XSi ($473 vs $639 on Amazon, 35% price difference). The XS is the most recent release, a few months after XSi, it has the same external dimensions as the XSi, and the same upgraded AF system. Which means it's a stripped down XSi and not upgrade to older technology of XTi. The naming convention is just marketing propaganda. Like most engineered products, the premium version comes out first for those who want the bleeding edge tech, then the manufacturer makes a more value version based on that. Canon's lens IS technology is one example, same in the car industry, ABS brakes, stability control, side airbags were all once only premium features). Sure Canon makes 45-point AF on the top of the line cameras, but if you always want to buy the most expensive body and most feature rich camera without investing in good lenses or your photography skills, you're really just a slave to the marketing machine. The XS kit brings up-to-date 18-55 IS kit lens, which in itself is smarter buy than the older XTi package. I'd say trade in for the 55-250 IS telephoto and it's probably the best value in DSLR package right now.

12 MP = slightly higher noise too. Most reviews don't claim higher sharpness. 2.5" LCD vs 3.0" LCD is a matter of pref, since they both have the same resolution. .81x vs .87x viewfinder, only helpful if you plan to do a lot of manual focusing (live-view helps with this by zooming 5x or 10x on a spot). 14-bit vs 12-bit CMOS, getting very technical, but basically you have 4096 shades of a color vs 16,384, not sure if that's noticeable in real applications, esp if one shoots jpgs and not RAW. 7-point vs 9 point AF points, most people use the center 1 point anyway since it's more accurate. On paper the XSi is better, but given the current price difference and real world use, the XS is a better deal.

Thanks for the comparison. Please shoot wide open and also the short and long end of the telephoto ranges also, hopefully on a tripod or fast shutter to eliminate hand shake.

I got the XS because it was MORE heavily discounted than XSi it seemed. A review I read also stated the same,

which makes sense, the XS kit is $473 on amazon, and XSi is $639, a big difference for that bigger VF, LCD,

spotmeter, textured grip, and 12 MP. The AF system is the same in both (upgraded from XTi, 9 points in XSi vs 7 in

XS though. For me it wasn't worth it. But in real world, unless you need the extra speed or blow up prints a lot, the

XT is probably worth holding onto until the next iteration of upgraded bodies come out.

I just got a new XS, from some of the info I've read up on, it has a faster and more accurate AF system from the XSI model, which was improved over XT. People have complained about pairing the new 55-250 IS lens with the XT having problems, but not so with XS/XSI. Also the XS is better because it comes with the 18-55 IS lens, IS is very helpful, the lens is also improved (sharper & and allows closer focusing) than the older 18-55 that comes with XTi. I think it's a no brainer to go with the XS (which is a stripped down version of XSI rather than upgrade to the older XTi model.

The G10 is really a portable camera with cheap internals and a luxury external feel because for the price you paid, 70% of it went towards the external feel. Whereas with the XSi, 70% went towards image quality.

I'm a new XS owner, and willing to give the AE lock/AF button combo a try for mostly non-action shots. Other than that, I shoot RAW, post process using Irfanview + ufraw + GIMP (all free open source software). Thinking of using ISO on auto more (200-800 range on XS but it doesn't seem to take advantage of the IS in the kit lens), and Av mode to control DOF.

 

One minor annoyance I've discovered (with the XS at least) is that I like to shoot and change settings without the main LCD and using the viewfinder's green LEDs, but I have to half-press shutter to bring up the LED in order to change settings with the wheel. With the LCD on, the wheel registers the changes right away without the extra half-shutter press. If only there was a way to customize the metering timeout too...

 

As for investing in EF lenses, I have to disagree. Technology makes things smaller and better (computers, cellphones, cameras). So EF-S lenses are here to stay, and the FF cameras and lenses will be pushed up to high-end specitalty markets where expense is secondary to image quality.

APS-C sized sensors are here to stay, or even replace mainsteram FF except for the pros who need every ounce of image quality. (like 35mm overtook MF in the past). Technology progress makes better things in smaller packages. The issue of using FF designed glass on new DX bodies is a consumer technique for using old equipment & saving money. Soon (if not already) I believe APS-C sensors will get to be so good at low-light and image noise that the lens will be the limiting factor, and manufacturers will support the smaller sensor size as the de facto standard for most people. The bigger sensors (FF, MF, or larger) will be reserved for specialty applications.

Thanks for the response. I understand the cost-cutting measure in removing the viewfinder sensor, but Canon should've at least enabled the cmd wheel and EV Comp button to bring up the LED when LCD is turned off. Or allow customizable metering times (like they do for live-view shooting mode), the 4 secs default is very short. It seems like a easy and cheap solution to substitute for the viewfinder sensor when it comes to usability.

 

Maybe Canon will implement this in the next firmware update?

I just got a new Rebel XS body (previously Pentax user). Since the XS doesn't have the LCD panel on the top, the

aperture, iso and EV comp are displayed in the main LCD. I like to shoot without using the main LCD, and see the

status in the green LEDs inside the viewfinder. My problem is when I'm shooting, the inside LED panel only stays lit

for 4 seconds and doesn't look like there's a way to extend that time. Every time I want to change my aperture/

shutter speed/EV compensation, I can't directly use the command dial, I have to press shutter half-way so the LED

comes up, and then rotate the command wheel, and even then I only have a 4 second window to do it. It's kind of

annoying that the LED doesn't register unless it's on first. The dedicated ISO button works the way it should, bringing

up the display without other requirements. I suppose I could just turn on the main LCD to display it

constantly (thus using more battery) but since the XS doesn't have an auto-off viewfinder sensor, it's also distracting.

Anyone have any advice or is there some hidden feature I'm missing that extends the metering time beyond 4

seconds? (My older Pentax had this setting adjustable). Or is this simply a usability problem that the Canon

engineers overlooked?

Unless you're going to make poster-sized prints regularly, the sensor technology won't matter much. I would suggest Pentax system for the other requirements.

Do an ebay search for wireless trigger. Ones I found good were the PT-04 (4 channel) for about 20-30 dollars for

trigger and 1 receiver. May not be reliable and long-lasting, but you can always replace them because they are

cheap. I just ordered a slightly newer model where the channel dip switches are outside, and the receiver takes 2

AAA batteries instead of the harder-to-find and more expensive lithium cell.

this camera would be serious competition for the canon G10, panny LX3, Sigma DP2, or any other serious P&S. The

compact size combined with a relatively big sensor is exactly what a lot of us want. The Panasonic G1 is too much

like a DSLR still, whereas this really takes advantage of the m4/3 specs. So what if it doesn't have optical viewfinder,

as long as the LCD has VGA+ resolution

maybe the new digic 4 processor can remove the noise better so a 14MP image (with its blurring NR) resized to the same print size as a 12MP will actually be sharper....

Thanks for the response, I'm talking about the LZ10 or LZ8, which is the cheap (similar to Canon A series), but it has manual controls, and now that the new A series don't), is even more attractive alternative. Just wondering if I set the Lumix to manual aperture, shutter, and iso, and no redeye reduction, there should be no reason for a pre-flash...

I've done some research and the Panasonic DMC-LZ8 (or DMC-LZ10) seems like a good and inexpensive camera

packed with features such as manual controls, wide angle, and fairly good image quality (Canon A720 is the other,

but the replacements are rumored to still only have 36mm wide angle). I'm curious if anyone knows the on-board

flash on the Lumix can be used to trigger an optical slave flash. I know some cameras (such as the Canon A series)

can set the flash output manually, which also disables the pre-flash. Do Panasonic digicams have pre-flashes also?

and if so, can they be disabled (via the slow-syncro mode maybe?).

Another sensor technology that looks promising for lower noise/high ISO:

 

http://www.dcviews.com/press/Sony-CMOS-back.htm

pixel density is a simple & crude way of measuring sensors. There are other technologies that could be at work under the hood that improve overall image quality:

 

http://www.dcviews.com/press/Sony-CMOS-back.htm