All Experienced Photographers

If you have a moment to spare, please help out this novice looking 2 buy a decent camera ($500-$1000).

I have basic knowledge and want quality shots. I travel quite a bit (Europe & the America's), am outdoors alot and take many pictures at work in the vineyards (close-ups of insects and mildew etc for analysis).

My research has led me to the Canon 350d Rebel. Complete package w/ 18-55 lens, holding case, battery and charger, etc comes close to $1000. Is this the right camera for me, or is it too advanced for a novice?

I tend to dive into whatever I get and will be spending lots of time learning as much as I can. However, I don't want something I'm going to need to replace in a year or 2.

If you have a moment and can spare some advice, it would be most appreciated. Thank you for helping this rookie out......

M. Taylor

gypsycreek said:

If you have a moment to spare, please help out this novice looking
2 buy a decent camera ($500-$1000).
I have basic knowledge and want quality shots. I travel quite a bit
(Europe & the America's), am outdoors alot and take many pictures
at work in the vineyards (close-ups of insects and mildew etc for
analysis).
My research has led me to the Canon 350d Rebel. Complete package w/
18-55 lens, holding case, battery and charger, etc comes close to
$1000. Is this the right camera for me, or is it too advanced for a
novice?

Click to expand...

The Canon Rebel XT is designed specifically for people like you. Go for it.

j

Get the Rebel XT. I use the 20D and Rebel XT interchangeably. Both produce images that are very similar in quality. The only way I can tell which images were taken with which camera is by looking at the EXIF data. The XT is a very easy camera to use, and yet it produces very high quality images, straight out of the camera. And it'll offer you room to grow too. You can add a portrait grip, you can add a cable release, it has mirror lock up, and you can even add a split-prism focusing screen (third-party screens are available) if you plan on doing a lot of manual focusing or just want better focus confirmation (it'll help with insect and close-up photography). It's my travel camera of choice because it delivers excellent performance in a nice compact, lightweight package. Just make sure you get an extra battery and a large compact flash card so you can shoot to your heart's content.

gypsycreek said:

If you have a moment to spare, please help out this novice looking
2 buy a decent camera ($500-$1000).
I have basic knowledge and want quality shots. I travel quite a bit
(Europe & the America's), am outdoors alot and take many pictures
at work in the vineyards (close-ups of insects and mildew etc for
analysis).
My research has led me to the Canon 350d Rebel. Complete package w/
18-55 lens, holding case, battery and charger, etc comes close to
$1000. Is this the right camera for me, or is it too advanced for a
novice?
I tend to dive into whatever I get and will be spending lots of
time learning as much as I can. However, I don't want something I'm
going to need to replace in a year or 2.
If you have a moment and can spare some advice, it would be most
appreciated. Thank you for helping this rookie out......

M. Taylor

Click to expand...

But you sound committed to learning, so go for it. You can use the XT (or D50/70, Oly 300/500, Pentax, KM, etc) as a big point and shoot, fully manual, or anywhere in between. A couple things to consider

1. Portability- a dslr is more cumbersome to schlep, but in most cases, it is worth the effort

2. Post processing- most DSLRs require a little more pP than a point and shoot or digicam. The images are good out of the box, but the in camera processing is less aggressive (a godsend for later processing though). Get PS elements, and go to town. It is easy enough to learn, and you will be glad you did.
--



A small but growing collection of my photos can be seen at
http://www.pbase.com/poliscijustin

gypsycreek said:

If you have a moment to spare, please help out this novice looking
2 buy a decent camera ($500-$1000).
I have basic knowledge and want quality shots. I travel quite a bit
(Europe & the America's), am outdoors alot and take many pictures
at work in the vineyards (close-ups of insects and mildew etc for
analysis).
My research has led me to the Canon 350d Rebel. Complete package w/
18-55 lens, holding case, battery and charger, etc comes close to
$1000. Is this the right camera for me, or is it too advanced for a
novice?
I tend to dive into whatever I get and will be spending lots of
time learning as much as I can. However, I don't want something I'm
going to need to replace in a year or 2.
If you have a moment and can spare some advice, it would be most
appreciated. Thank you for helping this rookie out......

M. Taylor

Click to expand...

--I don't enjoy the weight & add on's of the dsl's, I prefer the lightweight of a "P&S". I just purchased the Canon S2 IS, I considered the FZ30, but the noise issues ruled it out. The Fuji S9000 has a lot of (+)'s but it was the lack of the Image Stabilizer that ruled it out for me. The close up features of the S2 are really amazing: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1018&message=17016921 , right out of the box, its ready to use w/o extension tubes to get really good close ups. dslr's have their uses, but not everyone can use them, some buy them so he/she will look"pro" like, some will buy them for the ability to buy additional stuff to add on. but an experienced shooter can use any (almost) camera/mega pixel. you have the right idea,keep learning,never stop .

18 years as a freelancer,(news,magazine, wedding photography) camera equip. over the years: Practica MLT, Canon A1, Minolta 9xi, 7xi, Dimage Z1(see my Z1 shots at http://www.photobucket.com ALBUM NAME: buckl the COMMUNITY album was done with the Z1, and most of the photos in the album:Other were w/the Z1)

Just about every manufacturer has an 'entry level' DSLR aimed right at you. They are all pretty good, so I'd try and physically hold as many as you can, to decide which suits you.

Some have commented here that the Rebel is WAY too small. Others love it. I have no data, I've never touched one, sorry.
What suits me, may not suit you. It's your money, buy what suits you.

Tim

--
http://catmangler.smugmug.com/

Tim the Grey said:

Just about every manufacturer has an 'entry level' DSLR aimed right
at you. They are all pretty good, so I'd try and physically hold as
many as you can, to decide which suits you.
Some have commented here that the Rebel is WAY too small. Others
love it. I have no data, I've never touched one, sorry.
What suits me, may not suit you. It's your money, buy what suits you.

Click to expand...

For me, the Canons and Nikons felt huge. I fell in love with my Oly the minute I held it. Any of the entry level dslrs will produce terrific images, particularly if you upgrade the lens at some point. Get the one that feels good to you and whose menus/buttons feel easy to use.
--
Theresa Kelly
http://theresak.smugmug.com/
Oly E-3OO + some other stuff

Constructive criticism always welcome!

, a Nikon D50 (probably the best beginners camera) or an Olympus 300,500 dual lens kit.

I'd go for the Nikon D50.

I shoot Nikons, Canons and Olympus, but if you're a Pentax or sigma shooter, feel free to bash me and call me a troll=)
--
Anders

http://www.teamexcalibur.se/excalibursida4.html
http://www.teamexcalibur.se/excalibursida4a.html

event photography and photo journalism

Theresa K said:

Theresa K said:

For me, the Canons and Nikons felt huge. I fell in love with my

Click to expand...

Oly the minute I held it. Any of the entry level dslrs will
produce terrific images, particularly if you upgrade the lens at
some point. Get the one that feels good to you and whose
menus/buttons feel easy to use.

Click to expand...

I have biggish hands, and tend to feel cramped on most of the entry level DSLRs, except the d70 which fits me perfectly. even the D50 feels too small. I suppose I could adapt, but the second I picked up a d70, it was a perfect fit. Of course, my mitts aren't your mitts, so go pick them up and see what speaks to you.

A Pentax DS or DS2 would be good. The build quality is excellent and so is the viewfinder. This will be critical for taking the macro shots you want to take. All PK lenses will work and meter, so you can pick up a lot of old high quality glass. They are also coming out with a lot of new lenses. These are top quality and considerably cheaper and smaller than L glass.

For available light and high ISO use, it rocks. This is ISO 800 with a slight amount of color correction and resized for the web.

I think the camera will be fine. In my opinion, it is very hard to go wrong as a beginner. With more and more experience, you will learn what you like and dislike about any camera and that will help you to decide what to get next time. For now, just understand that none of them are perfect and that you will sooner or later find yourself putting up with things that don't work exactly as you want. You'll find the same thing with the next camera too. And the one after that.

For now, the Canon sounds like a good place to start. It is affordable, it takes good pictures and it has enough features to allow you to get a feel for what is and is not important to you.