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Is DREB too bulky for parties, heavy traveling?
- Thread starter Hollie
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ROPO
Well-known member
I am not a big fan of the kit lens, though others like it. Neither the 28-200 nor the 28-135 are particularly fast enough for low light. Have heard mixed reviews,too on the all in one zoom.
Those lenses are certainly manageable though for carrying around all day.
If I were leaving tomorrow (!) and wanted to pack light, I think that I would just take the 28-70 2.8 and give up the extended zoom.
I suppose if Canon could develop a great 28-300 2.8 lightweight lens "we" would be all set!!!
By the way, I just bought an optitech camera strap to replace the Canon strap - its an elastic strap - and it really does reduce the camera+lens weight around one's neck. $10-20, and well worth it.
Hollie
Senior Member
salem
Leading Member
Hollie,
I don't take my DR as many places as I would like. I take an S330 instead. I am just not ready to be that much of a dork. Maybe next year.
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http://www.pbase.com/eyekode
steve93101
Active member
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I had the same considerations. It all depends on personal opinion what is too heavy etc. In my humble opinion the 300d with the kit lens is good all around range, wide angle and zoom. Thats why Canon supplies it as a starter ! For parties ( read low light w/o always needing to use intrusive flash) I also take the (small) 50 mm 1.8 Although lacking the wide angle range, I believe you will find it a sharper lens, I personally will try and use it instead of the kit whenever possible . This leaves me without a big zoom range, but lets not forget the 55 is really a 90mm or so with the 1.6 conversion and more important we are working with a 6 megapixel camera whose images we can crop ... as good as having more zoom with a les megapixel camera, no ?!?
Persoanlly, it depends if I am going out to play and might want to take some pictures ... in which case I'll resort to my trusty, small P and S Oly 3040 or if I am going out to take PICTURES ... in which case I'll take thr Rebel .
Thank You For Your Support
SS
Persoanlly, it depends if I am going out to play and might want to take some pictures ... in which case I'll resort to my trusty, small P and S Oly 3040 or if I am going out to take PICTURES ... in which case I'll take thr Rebel .
Thank You For Your Support
SS
isambard187008
Forum Enthusiast
problem 1: low-light and no AF assit lamp
this results in the dreb creating it's own stroboscopic effect and usually failing to focus anyway.
solution 1: switch to manual focus and either be very good/quick at it or use narrow aperture to enlarge dof.
solution 2: use external flash (e.g. 550ex). this creates it's own problem of making the camera even bigger.
problem 2: there is no way you are going to dance with the 300d not even using the light kit lens (which is probably the best lens for parties).
solution 1: treat party as photography session. not really an option imo.
solution 2: leave it to one side (if it's a 'safe' party e.g. house party)
solution 3: get friend to hold it. only works if you have a friend who will pay your inconvenience price.
for parties, i use the 300d+kit lens+550ex. though this will only be at house parties where i can leave the camera somewhere when i'm not using it OR when i decide it's not a party at all but a photo opportunity.
otherwise, i use my sony cybershot u-20 which is probably the polar opposite to the 300d. it's small, and for all practical purposes has 2 controls: on/off and shutter. but it fits into my pocket and i can jump around at the same time!
i have many more photos with the u-20 than the 300d. a camera that's too heavy/bulky/inconvenient will not get used. only you will know whether realistically you will take it to parties.
this results in the dreb creating it's own stroboscopic effect and usually failing to focus anyway.
solution 1: switch to manual focus and either be very good/quick at it or use narrow aperture to enlarge dof.
solution 2: use external flash (e.g. 550ex). this creates it's own problem of making the camera even bigger.
problem 2: there is no way you are going to dance with the 300d not even using the light kit lens (which is probably the best lens for parties).
solution 1: treat party as photography session. not really an option imo.
solution 2: leave it to one side (if it's a 'safe' party e.g. house party)
solution 3: get friend to hold it. only works if you have a friend who will pay your inconvenience price.
for parties, i use the 300d+kit lens+550ex. though this will only be at house parties where i can leave the camera somewhere when i'm not using it OR when i decide it's not a party at all but a photo opportunity.
otherwise, i use my sony cybershot u-20 which is probably the polar opposite to the 300d. it's small, and for all practical purposes has 2 controls: on/off and shutter. but it fits into my pocket and i can jump around at the same time!
i have many more photos with the u-20 than the 300d. a camera that's too heavy/bulky/inconvenient will not get used. only you will know whether realistically you will take it to parties.
Hollie
Senior Member
Eyekode,
You have a point, I really don't want to look dorky with that Ugly American look; camera hanging from neck, wearing socks with sandals and shorts etc. A waistpack holding the camera might look better or do you think that still looks dorky?
Hollie
"better to look good than feel good"
You have a point, I really don't want to look dorky with that Ugly American look; camera hanging from neck, wearing socks with sandals and shorts etc. A waistpack holding the camera might look better or do you think that still looks dorky?
Hollie
"better to look good than feel good"
Hollie
Senior Member
Hollie
Senior Member
I like your ideas and agree that I would only take the DREB to safe parties, not massive black tie affairs.
I did not know there was no AF Assist. Did I read the assist is coupled to the flash? But there is no flash exposure compensation...
How do you'all deal with this? Does the external flash only control the AF Assist or does the on camera flash also? Do you miss the AF Assist?
Not just talking about parties, also heavy travel.
Hollie
I did not know there was no AF Assist. Did I read the assist is coupled to the flash? But there is no flash exposure compensation...
How do you'all deal with this? Does the external flash only control the AF Assist or does the on camera flash also? Do you miss the AF Assist?
Not just talking about parties, also heavy travel.
Hollie
Mats Neander
Leading Member
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Mats N
http://www.pbase.com/matsinsweden
It´s too bulky if you´re considering the 7 as to bulky already!
I have the 300D7D-Reb, and find it very clumsy although I like it nevertheless.
Had it with me at a concert yesterday and geee, WAS IT in the way all the time, me standing tight among a mass of people...
I´d like canon to bring out a successor of smaller size, a bit bigger than the 300V but notably smaller than the 300D/D-Reb.
THAT would be something!
Pentax is seemingly going that way with forthcoming models, and I hope Canon follows...as I also do find the Nikon D100 somewhat better shaped.
I have the grip too, and it´s good for getting two batteries into it, but the position of the second shutter release is a bit disappointing, making the camera shake easily when shooting vertical shots, even though it´s better than not having it...
With the 70-200/4L it´s a pretty good package though, so in the end it depends on what situations you´re using it at...sometimes too clumsy, sometimes much better.
In itself it´s a very good camera, that might make it easier to choose...(?)
Mats in Sweden
salem
Leading Member
OMG, you just described me exactly! (in the summer)
Don't get me wrong, I love my DR, but I still prefer to take a small camera to parties etc. The DR draws too much attention. That is just me, some people can pull it off, but the DR takes 2 hands so where would the beer go?
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http://www.pbase.com/eyekode
Steven Blackwood
Senior Member
There is an AF-assist but, compared to the 550ex, it is very distracting. It's more like a bright white strobe. The 550ex has a more gentle red lightt emitted. If you have a 550ex, be advised that it will only focus-assist reliably with 7-point or center-point focus.
Steve
[email protected]
http://www.pbase.com/kit_n_kaboodle/profile
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Steve
[email protected]
http://www.pbase.com/kit_n_kaboodle/profile
isambard187008
Forum Enthusiast
there is AF assist of sorts: the camera pops up the internal flash and strobes it continuously when trying to focus. if you're shooting people, then its pretty much useless, because they're not going to keep a pose while being blasted and if you're taking candids, well, enough said. also, i tried using this form of AF assist once and after 2-3 secs of 'focussing' it still failed, so i'm not sure how well it works in any case.
the external flash has its own AF assist lamp (barely visible red light). the camera focusses ok with the flash AF assist lamp.
i don't find FEC all that useful. the camera usually exposes shots fine without FEC.
for travel, i don't mind carrying the 300d. in fact, i take it almost everywhere. it is light compared to some other SLRs. and if you only take 1-2 lenses then it is manageable.
the external flash has its own AF assist lamp (barely visible red light). the camera focusses ok with the flash AF assist lamp.
i don't find FEC all that useful. the camera usually exposes shots fine without FEC.
for travel, i don't mind carrying the 300d. in fact, i take it almost everywhere. it is light compared to some other SLRs. and if you only take 1-2 lenses then it is manageable.
DRG
Veteran Member
Hi Hollie,
I bought my DRebel after owning a Canon S40 (a much smaller camera) for some time. Even though I also owned a film SLR and knew what to expect in terms of size and bulk, I still knew that I wanted to minimize the impact of all that and to maximize the chances that I'd bring my camera with me as often as possible.
To help this happen, I spent some time selecting a good camera bag. I wanted something just large enough to hold the camera and up to two lenses, as well as something that wouldn't get in my way or feel awkward while wearing. I settled on the Tamrac Velocity 7 bag. It is a sling bang that sits on your back, backpack style, but which readily swings around to the side or front for easy topside access to the camera. Check out this and similar bags to see if they help improve the convenience of carrying a DSLR with you.
Also essential to traveling light is to learn not to bring all of your equipment with you wherever you go. It's often possible to anticipate the type of shooting that you'll be doing and to pare down your shooting kit accordingly. For example, if you are going to an indoor party, you probably want to emphasize wider angle and faster lenses and leave the slower telephoto zoom at home. The inexpensive yet fast and sharp 50mm F/1.8 might be all you'd need for such an event.
David
caterpillar
Veteran Member
If I am going to a party, I am going there to enjoy myself. The exception is if I was hired or am tasked to take pictures of the occasion, then that's another story. If I am there as a guest, the 300D would be the furthest from my mind. But then again, if I know that my favorite athlete or movie star would be there, maybe I'd take it.
But honestly, if you are going to a party, you will be there to have a good time. If I were to bring a camera, it would be a P&S like the Olympus or my old dc-4800. This is just to take group pictures and some memories of the night.
As for the 300D, I found it light and not that "big" with the kit lens. For travelling. Not that heavy either. In fact, when I got it and put it in my duffle bag, I was surprised to find how light my duffle bag was. I had to remind myself that I had a U$1,000 in there. The only time I noticed I had a camera there was when I put in there a 28-105 3.5-4.5 mk1 lens. Suddenly, it reminded me of my F3 and some of its lenses.
The 300D with the kit lens is reasonably sized and not that heavy. In fact, the 300D is just a tad bigger than the smallest DSLR, the *ist D.
If you are going to argue about image quality, my take is that if you are going to a party, you are not going there for a photos session. A reasonable P&S will do just the same. As for travel, that could be different. But then again, as I said, with the kit lens, it is small enough and light enough for me.
That probably answers it for you. You couple that with your penchant of loosing things, maybe it would be best to get a U$250-350 P&S. It will be smaller, lighter, and maybe it will even fit in your pocket (like the A80/70 or S400).
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- Caterpillar
M
misha
Guest
Hollie wrote:
That's 80mm equivalent though - not good at all for group pictures. A 35mm F2 may be a better option.
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Misha
That's 80mm equivalent though - not good at all for group pictures. A 35mm F2 may be a better option.
--
Misha
Jeff G89017
Well-known member
For me there are times to be artistic and times to socialize. A digital or film SLR with a big flash is too much for me to bring to a party. I bring one of my Sony P & S cameras. For travel the DLSR is good if you don't mind carrying the equipment.
isambard187008
Forum Enthusiast
agreed. i'd go even wider and go for 24mm.
I took my 300d and Sigma 500 DG Super flash and 17-40 F4L to a party recently.
It fit in a fairly small camera bag.
The bigger problem is it isn't stealth by any stretch of the imagination. People tend to be very away when you are pointing that thing at them. After a bit they loosen up but at first, they WILL notice it.
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If you are a new user chances are good your question is answered in the FAQ at:
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It fit in a fairly small camera bag.
The bigger problem is it isn't stealth by any stretch of the imagination. People tend to be very away when you are pointing that thing at them. After a bit they loosen up but at first, they WILL notice it.
--
If you are a new user chances are good your question is answered in the FAQ at:
http://www.marius.org/eos300dfaq.php
For a small gallery of my photographs, see:
http://ratphoto.home.comcast.net/
See my profile for my equipment
ceoyoyo
Leading Member
The kit lens with my Rebel. I think it was the 24-70mm F2.8L on the 10D.
--I used my Rebel at one party and my supervisor got me to use his
10D at his Christmas party last night. My Rebel was fine -- the
internal flash was good enough for pretty much everything and its
reasonably light and fairly unobtrusive. The 10D on the other
hand, bulked up with 550 flash, L lens and hand grip was pretty
intimidating. My arm was getting tired. The kids were fine (they
like cameras) but the adults always got a deer-in-the-headlights
look every time I came near.
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Robb
Robb
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