I uploaded a few pictures that GTG and I took earlier in the fall with Buddy in Washington Park. We used GTG’s good 35mm. Getting the prints back only made me want a digital SLR even more.
We got them developed at Target but didn’t spring for the “Kodak enhanced printing”. Some shots turned out great others were super grainy. I also added the option to put them on CD so I’ve been going through and correcting the levels as well as trying to de-grain them.
I rather cut out the middle man in the future. My printer printed out the photos just as well as Target. Even better after I took some photoshop to them.
Anyone got a fancy digital SLR? Or anything with a huge zoom? How do you like it and what brand are you using?
I’ve had my Canon EOS 20D digital SLR now for almost two years. I totally love it and do not plan on buying a new camera for years to come. There are a ton of things to consider when stepping up to a DSLR, but the thing that catches most people by surprise is that you can’t see a live video image on the LCD panel - you have to actually look through the viewfinder. I prefer this method so no biggie, but some people aren’t willing to made the leap.
My favorite thing about DSLR’s is that they have the ability to take a photo at the exact moment that you push the button. There’s still a slight delay if you have autofocus or some other auto settings, but it’s not too hard to have it set for instant photos. Also the Canon I have turns on in about a tenth of a second. If you hold your finger on the shutter and turn the camera on, it will have taken a picture before your finger leaves the ‘on/off’ switch.
At work we have a Canon Rebel XT, and it is almost as good of a camera for about half the price. It’s a little smaller and made out of less durable material, but all the important pieces are identical.
My advice to anyone buying a DSLR is to spend as much money on the camera body as possible and buy good lenses when you can afford them. A good quality lens will make so much more of a difference than you’d imagine.
Also don’t worry about megapixels. Take for instance an 8 megapixel camera. If you’re looking for more pixels, assume you won’t notice any difference unless you have twice the resolution. Multiplying this on the X and Y axis means you’ll need 32 megapixels to achieve this, and that’s not something you’ll find. Bottom line - 6 megapixels is all most photos ever need, 8 is nice and leaves room to crop down to 6 mp.
Chris, G-Pa & I both have Canon Rebels & basically the same lenses. You can look at them Thurs. I love mine. Got it almost new (tell you story later). Use it to take photos of the band (am un-official photographer). G-Ma will tell you G-Pa uses his to take photos of ‘everything’.
Dave - Thanks for the advice. I might bounce some questions off of you if I get close to buying one.
Cath - GPa’s camera is awesome. I got to play with it at one of the last family get-together. I will have to play a little more over T-day.