Is the canon 10d as big, and as blurry as I read?

I currently have a sony dsc-f707, and the thing is pretty big. I don’t think the canon, though a different shape, is much if any bigger. The sony is killing me since it is so limited on focusing, and sometimes, it won’t focus, and I miss a shot which really ticks me off.

Now I don’t know how to use a manual camera, well I have a good idea, and will learn, but I see the 10d has an auto mode I can use until then.

Anyhow, I have read that this guy is pretty big and heavy. I plan on NOT using a tripod on probably 90% of my shots. I will use it on vacations a lot, and I don’t feel like lugging tripods around in the rain forests, and across islands. Of course I plan on using a tripod on macro shots, and for long exposure shots, but this will be a lot less frequently then the above.

This is where the blurry shots come in. Will I within reason be able to snap shots with the 28-135 IS lens without any blur? I can do this without thought on my sony dsc-f707, and it gets pretty sharp shots.

Is this a pipe dream or what?

Thanks.
-Chris

you'll be fine.

Blurry shots come if something is misfocused, or your shutter speed is too low. In my experience, anything about 60/sec and above is good to handhold.. I know you can do a lot lower, but i'm just talking about impromtu shooting such as when you're on a vacation and what not.

I actually took my 10d sans battery grip + 17-40L on a vacation, and it was not a problem in the size dept... I know your 28-135 is a tad bigger than the 17-40L but it should not be a problem.

I bought a mini-camera bag just for that specific setup. Works great.

Mane3215 said:

I currently have a sony dsc-f707, and the thing is pretty big. I
don’t think the canon, though a different shape, is much if any
bigger. The sony is killing me since it is so limited on focusing,
and sometimes, it won’t focus, and I miss a shot which really ticks
me off.

Now I don’t know how to use a manual camera, well I have a good
idea, and will learn, but I see the 10d has an auto mode I can use
until then.

Anyhow, I have read that this guy is pretty big and heavy. I plan
on NOT using a tripod on probably 90% of my shots. I will use it
on vacations a lot, and I don’t feel like lugging tripods around in
the rain forests, and across islands. Of course I plan on using a
tripod on macro shots, and for long exposure shots, but this will
be a lot less frequently then the above.

This is where the blurry shots come in. Will I within reason be
able to snap shots with the 28-135 IS lens without any blur? I can
do this without thought on my sony dsc-f707, and it gets pretty
sharp shots.

Is this a pipe dream or what?

Thanks.
-Chris

Click to expand...

--
-Stan
stanc.net

The Sony sounds perfect for your needs. I don't really know why, but the SLRs seem more sensitive to blur. I don't have a Sony, but I have two compact cameras and it's always much easier to get blur free photos in low light. Even using the same care in taking photos the SLRs have more blur.

My arm got sore last Saturday taking photos with my 10D + 80-200 lens + 550ex. It's a large enough camera that performers ignored the pro photographer and would look at me. My backpack has a tripod, camera, and two lenses, and feels like it weights 8 pounds. Of course extra batteries and stuff.

I love the 10D image quality and the feeling of just snapping away. Also it works well with the 550 ex flash.

Bill

stan said:

Blurry shots come if something is misfocused, or your shutter speed
is too low. In my experience, anything about 60/sec and above is
good to handhold.. I know you can do a lot lower, but i'm just
talking about impromtu shooting such as when you're on a vacation
and what not.

I actually took my 10d sans battery grip + 17-40L on a vacation,
and it was not a problem in the size dept... I know your 28-135 is
a tad bigger than the 17-40L but it should not be a problem.

I bought a mini-camera bag just for that specific setup. Works great.

Mane3215 said:

I currently have a sony dsc-f707, and the thing is pretty big. I
don’t think the canon, though a different shape, is much if any
bigger. The sony is killing me since it is so limited on focusing,
and sometimes, it won’t focus, and I miss a shot which really ticks
me off.

Now I don’t know how to use a manual camera, well I have a good
idea, and will learn, but I see the 10d has an auto mode I can use
until then.

Anyhow, I have read that this guy is pretty big and heavy. I plan
on NOT using a tripod on probably 90% of my shots. I will use it
on vacations a lot, and I don’t feel like lugging tripods around in
the rain forests, and across islands. Of course I plan on using a
tripod on macro shots, and for long exposure shots, but this will
be a lot less frequently then the above.

This is where the blurry shots come in. Will I within reason be
able to snap shots with the 28-135 IS lens without any blur? I can
do this without thought on my sony dsc-f707, and it gets pretty
sharp shots.

Is this a pipe dream or what?

Thanks.
-Chris

Click to expand...

--
-Stan
stanc.net

Click to expand...

The 10D with a 28-135 IS is quite well suited to what you have in mind.

Although not the fastest lens around, on the 10D it works very well hand held. Between IS and the very low noise of the 10D (even as high as ISO 800) you can get very nice hand held shots even in less than ideal light. For a walk around lens it's hard to beat and quite sharp.

The combination, at just under 3 lbs is a heavier than your 707.

The 10D AF takes a bit of getting used to (I tend to mostly use center focus only). I'm convinced that the vast majority of the people complaining about focus problems simply haven't taken the time to learn.

A friend of mine has the Sony dsc-717 and has certifiable camera envy over my 10D.

Warning! If you get the 10D eventually you will want to get some more beautiful Canon glass to go with it!

--

Stan

Mane3215 said:

I currently have a sony dsc-f707, and the thing is pretty big. I
don’t think the canon, though a different shape, is much if any
bigger. The sony is killing me since it is so limited on focusing,
and sometimes, it won’t focus, and I miss a shot which really ticks
me off.

Click to expand...

I just bought a 717 as a carry around with a pro card and it is super fast. It wakes up and starts faster than my 10D and is almost as sharp as my 10D with a 28-135 lens.

Mane3215 said:

Now I don’t know how to use a manual camera, well I have a good
idea, and will learn, but I see the 10d has an auto mode I can use
until then.

Click to expand...

Practice with your 717. You will be overwhelmed with all the functions on the 10D. I shoot on Aperture mode 90% of the time. When you understand how aperture relates to DOF you will have a good start. The only time I use manual is mostly for time exposures.

Mane3215 said:

Anyhow, I have read that this guy is pretty big and heavy. I plan
on NOT using a tripod on probably 90% of my shots. I will use it
on vacations a lot, and I don’t feel like lugging tripods around in
the rain forests, and across islands. Of course I plan on using a
tripod on macro shots, and for long exposure shots, but this will
be a lot less frequently then the above.

Click to expand...

Its big and heavy compared to the 707. About 2x big and a lot heavier. You are going to need a good case for it to. The IS is great for off hand shots. I have used a IS lens at 400mm and gotten good shots at 1/15th of a second. Try a monopod. I hate tripods too, but IS is no substitute if you want sharp photos..

You may want to wait until the fall if you can hold out. There are rumors that the new 717 will have IS. If it does I am in. The new Minolta A1 will also have IS.

Mane3215 said:

This is where the blurry shots come in. Will I within reason be
able to snap shots with the 28-135 IS lens without any blur? I can
do this without thought on my sony dsc-f707, and it gets pretty
sharp shots.

Click to expand...

Yes IS would help you shoot down to maybe 1/15-1/30th of a second handheld, but it still wont be as sharp as a tripod. I think the best use for IS is indoors, for events where you can not set up a tripod.

The 717 series are good cameras and from what I have read must be a major improvement on the 707. The 10D is also a good camera, but you really need to buy expensive pro lenses to make it work to its fullest like the 24-70L. Mind you that lens cost twice as much as I paid for my 717.

If you want a conveinient carry around camera the 10D is not it. If you want a Camera with full control that is quite and takes good photos and dont really care about the size the 10D is a good one.

Mane3215 said:

Is this a pipe dream or what?

Click to expand...

No its not a pipe dream, but you are not going to get that much better image quality out of the 10D. You are really talking about 5 compared to 6mp and the 717 is a sharp camera, just noisy. On the flip side the 10D does have a usefull high iso and is realitively quite and is a high quality, well built camera.

These are just my opinions so take them with a grain of salt.

Hit a Ritz store and check one out. I think they have the 10D in stock.

Mane3215 said:

Thanks.
-Chris

Click to expand...

If you have problems using the 707 you'll have many, many more problems using the 10D. I've never encountered a focusing problem with the 707; some people have problems with the 10D. I own a 707 (for sale) & found it to be one of the most user friendly cameras around; took close to 5000 shots with it before going for the 10D which, with a good lens attached, is bigger & much heavier than the 707. Do yourself a big favor & learn everything there is to know about the 707 before you try a DSLR. You admit you don't know how to use a manual camera, yet you own a 707 which can be used quite well manually & doing so would enable you to get the most out of the 707. If you can't get it to focus properly you need to start over with user manual in hand. You mention limited focusing; what the heck does that mean? Sorry if this hurts your feelings but these are the facts.

Mane3215 said:

I currently have a sony dsc-f707, and the thing is pretty big. I
don’t think the canon, though a different shape, is much if any
bigger. The sony is killing me since it is so limited on focusing,
and sometimes, it won’t focus, and I miss a shot which really ticks
me off.

Now I don’t know how to use a manual camera, well I have a good
idea, and will learn, but I see the 10d has an auto mode I can use
until then.

Anyhow, I have read that this guy is pretty big and heavy. I plan
on NOT using a tripod on probably 90% of my shots. I will use it
on vacations a lot, and I don’t feel like lugging tripods around in
the rain forests, and across islands. Of course I plan on using a
tripod on macro shots, and for long exposure shots, but this will
be a lot less frequently then the above.

This is where the blurry shots come in. Will I within reason be
able to snap shots with the 28-135 IS lens without any blur? I can
do this without thought on my sony dsc-f707, and it gets pretty
sharp shots.

Is this a pipe dream or what?

Thanks.
-Chris

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info everyone. I am going to run to ritz tomorrow and check it out, and how it feels. For some reason I didnt even think of that =).

JERPAT:

No feelings hurt. I am glad to admit I am intimidated by fulkl manual mode with slr's. With the 707 however, I feel that I ahve learned, if not mastered the functions. I have used all modes and everything is fine. However I like to take a lot of macro shots of my salt water fish tank, and the 707 just doesnt get me to were I need to be. This is where the focus issue comes in. No matter how much I try to get it to auctofocus, the only way to get a decent and clear shot is to back the camera off much more then I want. The manual focus on this guy is a joke, I think its a waste. This is just my opinion. I am in no way really dogging the 707, it takes absolutely awesome pics on 90% of my photos, however I want more flexibility, and the 707 just cant give it to me.

-Chris

You are right about the manual focus by wire. It just does not work all the time. I had an occasion where I could not get the 717 to focus out far enough. A regular slr manual focus would have. When you go to Ritz take your 707 and a CF card if you have one and see if the store clerk will let you take some side by side shots.

Good Luck.

Mane3215 said:

Thanks for the info everyone. I am going to run to ritz tomorrow
and check it out, and how it feels. For some reason I didnt even
think of that =).

JERPAT:

No feelings hurt. I am glad to admit I am intimidated by fulkl
manual mode with slr's. With the 707 however, I feel that I ahve
learned, if not mastered the functions. I have used all modes and
everything is fine. However I like to take a lot of macro shots of
my salt water fish tank, and the 707 just doesnt get me to were I
need to be. This is where the focus issue comes in. No matter how
much I try to get it to auctofocus, the only way to get a decent
and clear shot is to back the camera off much more then I want.
The manual focus on this guy is a joke, I think its a waste. This
is just my opinion. I am in no way really dogging the 707, it
takes absolutely awesome pics on 90% of my photos, however I want
more flexibility, and the 707 just cant give it to me.

-Chris

Click to expand...

Mane3215 said:

I currently have a sony dsc-f707, and the thing is pretty big. I
don’t think the canon, though a different shape, is much if any
bigger. The sony is killing me since it is so limited on focusing,
and sometimes, it won’t focus, and I miss a shot which really ticks
me off.

Click to expand...

The 28-135mm is great if the light is good - if you are indoors at a resturant and want to only use available light - it won't work - blur city. However, get the 70.00 50mm 1.8 which is VERY light, small and aperature of 1.8 gives you the ability to set ISO to 400 - go to manual mode and set F-stop to 1.8 and shutter speed to 40-60ms and you can snap excellent photos if you have good camera holding technique.

I love and swear by the 28-135 IS USM as well, but if you are in rain forests and low light conditions and don't want to bring a small tripod (just got the Velbon Ultra Max-i when I was in Japan last week - great, small and light and fairly inexpensive) - get a couple of f/1.8 lenses - there are times where I use only the 50mm since you have to move yourself to compose the photos which can be lots of fun instead of just zooming around.....

Good Luck - check my pbase site for lots of snaps. I have a lot more keepers with the 10D than I did with my Nikon Coolpix.....

-John Lehmkuhl
--
MY photos: http://www.pbase.com/realkuhl
10D Lens Examples: http://www.pbase.com/realkuhl/lens_examples