david_storm

<p>I would not trust a multi thousand dollar camera and lense to something less than $100 dollars..</p>

<p>I donated my point and shoot camera to my girlfriend's daughter, since she is interested in beginner photography, so I guess now I can either take pictures with my cell phone or<br>

Canon Xti<br>

18-55mm<br>

55-250 IS zoom lense<br>

Tamron backpack.</p>

<p>I have never had to deal with camera repair before, but I wonder if Canon utilizes any kind of factory authorized repair shops in your local area so that you could deal with it in person and feel more comfortable with how your cam is treated...</p>

<p>go and get a large hammer and.....................just kidding.. If i was in your shoes, I would probably take it to a camera repair shop that you trust, and get their opinion so that the camera doesnt get damaged.</p>

<p>I currently have windows XP on an older computer, but planning to get a laptop soon, as well as a newer camera. most likely a canon 7D</p>

<p>I was wondering if I could get some recommendations for photo editing software that is user friendly for someone that is new to these type of programs? One that is reasonably priced? I downloaded a trial version of lightroom, and it looks so complicated that it makes my head spin.. I am interested in starting to shoot in raw, and would need to process my photos. something that has a watermark option would be nice..</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Levon, I am getting serious about this hobby more than before, even though I had some decent slr film camera's years ago.. I live in the pacific northwest, and my main interest is outdoors and wildlife. I have not invested any money in lenses yet, so i guess my big decision is whether I want to go full frame or crop in the long run. I am expecting some money from an insurance settlement, so i will have several thousand to play with......</p>

<p>I really appreciate all the help. I think I pass on the xti and look for something better quality, like anything from a 40D to a 5D that I can grow into..</p>

<p>I am thinking of buying a used rebel XTi. i was wondering if the camera has a counter that would say how many shutter actuations that it has had? I would not want to buy it, if it was near the end of its life, and I am new to dslr's.</p>

<p>Thanks.<br>

David</p>