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Which is the Best Entry Level DSLR For a Beginner?

Mandy — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:11:14 +0000

A Beginners DSLR – Canon Rebel XSi/450D Review

That’s a big question and will change depending on who you are and what you like. But what I can do is tell you my experience as a beginner DSLR user, and hopefully that will help in your own decision making process.

I bought a Canon Rebel XSi /450D in August 2008, it was my first DSLR, and I’m still as happy with it’s performance today as I was when I bought it. I think that speaks volumes about it’s build quality and performance as its an entry level DSLR. Since it was launched Canon has released the 500D, and the 550D will be available from April this year. Although the XSi/450D is not Canon’s latest model in the entry level range I won’t be rushing out to change it. I’m not even tempted by the HD video on the newer models, I want to explore my photography, video can wait. Of course that’s one of the questions I asked myself before I bought it, will it last me for a while or will I want to move on quickly and upgrade? I’m happy to say I haven’t felt that, I’m learning more and more about my camera and still have some way to go. It is an entry level camera but it has lasting features that keep me busy.

After deciding I wanted a Canon DSLR camera the next question was which one, and a huge influence on my decision was budget. Lets face it digital photography is a very expensive hobby and as much as I lusted after a 40D or even a 5D I just didn’t have the spare cash that those cameras demand.

That doesn’t mean I don’t have options for the future, I can buy a new Canon body and my exisitng lens’ will fit it. So I can happily save up for a 5D Mark II (aaaahh…dreaming…) and keep my XSi/450D as a spare body, because of its compact size compared to the larger higher end bodies like the 5D.

The Camera

The XSi/450D has got a 12.2 megapixel CMOS sensor which is well enough to enable me to print poster sized pictures, and it includes the EOS integrated sensor cleaning system.

I bought the body with the Canon’s EF-S 18-55mm, f3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens. I’ve read a lot of talk about kit lens’ being poor quality, but I came from point and shoot land so to me its fantastic my images are sharp and full of rich colours. Ok it’s plastic, and I agree when you look at the kit lens compared to other Canon lens’ then it’s not the best lens in the world, but its not meant to be.

It has a Digic III processor so its fast and can shoot up to 3.5 frames per second and thats fun to try out.

One of the first Canons to use SD or SDHC cards instead of Compact Flash

The body is constructed in plastic instead of metal and is small in size, the 3″ LCD screen is great and I can see images well and zoom in nicely while still in camera to check what I’ve just taken.

I still need to try out the Spot Metering and Live View modes as I haven’t got that far yet. The XSi/450D has got a lot in common with the 40D that came out at the same time, and although its been out a while it’s still no slouch.

In Conclusion

If you are on a tight budget and you want a DSLR that delivers and has great features, but can’t afford (or bring yourself to afford) the 500D or the newly announced 550D. And you want some money left over for an extra lens or tripod then the Canon Rebel XSi/450D is the right camera for you.

Mandy

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Which is the Best Entry Level DSLR For a Beginner?

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Introducing My DSLR – Canon 450D

Mandy — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:49:00 +0000

I love gadgets especially cameras so I really enjoyed spending time looking at which DSLR I wanted to buy. And now I have my very own Canon 450D/ XSi, that I’d like to introduce to you and share some of the first shots I took with it. If you’d like to know why I upgraded to a DSLR, then take a look at my 7 Reasons to Upgrade to a DSLR. You may also be interested in how I went about choosing a DSLR and how I got my short list down to the final 3.

Beginner DSLR

As this is my first DSLR it was important to me that it was easy to use, and the Canon 450D is definitely that. Obviously it is very different to my point and shoot, but it still has the functionality of a point and shoot camera through it’s automatic mode. This was great for me becuase it meant that I could go out and shoot straight out of the box, without worrying about all the different settings.

I’ve actually read a lot of advice from professional photographers saying that for the first couple of months at least, it can be a good idea to keep your DSLR in automatic mode, to get used to the camera before trying to figure out the more indepth controls. The idea being that it’s best to get a good grounding with the camera to start with, and get to know how it works. So you can focus on the composition of your shots and learn the rules of photography, like the rule of thirds. This way you can get to the point with your camera where you can set the shot up looking at the composition and lighting without thinking about it, and therefore you will find it easier to then turn to the more technical side of the camera.

Getting to know the Canon 450D – What are all these buttons on the back for?

And that’s what I’ve been concentrating on for the last couple of months, getting to know my 450D. Getting used to the feel and weight of the camera. Finding out how the 9 AF point focusing system that the 450D uses works, and looking at my composition of shots and where the light is coming from when I’m shooting. Looking at shooting in Manual mode, aperature priority, shutter priority, fstops, focal lengths etc can be very daunting and overwhelming for a beginner. Once I’ve had more experience trying different composition and lighting techniques, and learned how I can use them to enchance and improve my photography then that’s when I will move onto the more technical side of the DSLR.

I’m really enjoying my photography now I use a DSLR, and lots of different shooting opportunities have become possible. The shots I’ve added are actually some of the first shots I took with the camrera – straight out of the box!

Mandy

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Introducing My DSLR – Canon 450D

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10 Must Have Accessories For My DSLR

Mandy — Fri, 15 May 2009 10:42:49 +0000

This is a list of the top 10 items on my digital photography wish list (I have a Canon 450D). Every photographer has a wish list, and the items on the list tend to range from the affordable and practical, to the absolute dream. I’m a gadget fiend so I love researching and adding to my list (actually writing this post is making me drool). So here are the top 10 items that I would love to get my hands on:

1. Remote Shutter Release Cable

If you are wanting to shoot remotely then there are two solutions. Either a remote shutter release cable for shooting long exposures from behind the camera eg. night photography. Or an infared remote controller for shooting in front of the camera eg. self portraits. I am going for the cable release.

2. Sturdy Tripod with a Ballhead

I have a Hama Star 61 that I was given (not going to argue about that!). But on my wishlist I would like a really good sturdy tripod, like a Gitzo maybe and a Ballhead to give better movement.

3. Canon Speedlite 430EXII

My Canon 450D has an integral pop up flash that will do for now. But I would like to experiment and learn how to use a flash unit properly, I’ve never used one before. That will definitely take my photography to the next level, after all they say lighting is key…

4. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens and lens hood is the first prime lens that I want to get, and is definitely the cheapest Canon lens that you can buy. It’s great value for money, and a prime lens that everybody should take a closer look at. Also known as a ‘nifty fifty’.

5. Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Lens

I’d like to upgrade my kit lens an 18-55mm EF-S IS F/3.5 – 5.6 lens, for a more substantial everyday zoom lens. This lens would give me just that and would be a good upgrade from the kit lens. It’s slightly faster with USM and has a nice range, basically a good all round everyday lens.

6. Light Tent/Kit

It’s one thing, and essential to learn how to use natural light effectively when taking photographs, and another to learn the same for artificial lighting. Once I learn how to use a flash properly I can see myself wanting to experiment more with artificial lighting. This is where it can start to get expensive so buying a light tent would be a good place to start.

7. Aperture 2 software

I use Photoshop Elements at the moment for post processing and Canon Image Browser to organise my photo library. Which is fine but I really like the look of Aperture, it gives the ability to organise your photos extremely well and also has some powerful editing tools. And reasonably priced as far as photo editing/organising software goes.

8. Macbook Pro

Ok I’m thinking big! But I’d really love one…My poor old iMac 400 is ageing. And although it has done me proud I would really like to retire it soon and bring in some new big guns. This would make a huge difference to my photography and workflow. And is a dream that could really do with coming true…

9. Canon Powershot G10

For when one is just not enough…No wishlist would be complete without having another camera on it. If I was going to buy a ‘point and shoot’ camera for those times when a DSLR is a bit bulky, then this would be it. It has an impressive list of features, including full manual controls and the ability to shoot in RAW to name just two. And a really nice retro design.

10. Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Eventually. Oh I’m dreaming now… A full frame 21MP DSLR with a High-res 3.0” VGA LCD with Live View and ISO range expandable to 25600. And if that’s not enough it has Full HD (1080, 30fps) movie recording . By the time I could afford this I would have all the lenses I need, so I could just buy the body – what a bargain!

I could go on and on (but I wont). And I’m sure my list will change and evolve as I gain more experience in digital photography, which I’m looking forward to.

But what’s on the top of your list? What would you like to get your hands on? Let me know by leaving a comment below…

Mandy

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10 Must Have Accessories For My DSLR

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What did Santa bring you?

Mandy — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:30:40 +0000

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a happy New Year (if you celebrated them!). Before I move completely into 2009, I can’t help wondering what Santa brought you all for Christmas? And was it photography related?

From my point of view Santa brought me a lovely new camera bag for my DSLR, a Canon 450D. It took a good amount of research before I decided on a Lowepro SlingShot 100 AW. And I have to say that I am really pleased with it, in fact I love it! The build quality and features of the bag are fantastic, it holds a DSLR and 1-2 lenses comfortably and has loads of handy pockets as well. One really nice feature is a built in weatherproof cover that just pulls out and covers the whole bag if it starts raining. It was the unique design of the Slingshot bag though that made me chose it, I can have it on my back and when I see something I want to shoot I just swing the bag around to the front, unzip it and voila! It really saves a lot of messing around taking bags off and getting cameras out and then putting them back on etc..

So what did Santa leave for you? Let me know in the comments….

Mandy

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What did Santa bring you?

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Definition: Image Sensor

Mandy — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:07:16 +0000

Image Sensors are the nitty gritty end of the digital camera. Basically the digital version of film. But just as there are lots of different types of film that you can buy, there are also lots of different types (or sizes) of image sensors, and this can be important when choosing a digital camera.

What is an Image Sensor:

An Image Sensor is a device that converts an optical image to an electric signal. It is used mostly in digital cameras and other imaging devices. It is a set of charge-coupled devices (CCD) or CMOS sensors such as active-pixel sensors. (from Wiki)

Why is the Image Sensor important?

Image sensors come in different sizes, and which size you have will affect the image quality of the photographs taken with it. Full frame sensors are the same size as 35mm film, but they are part of very expensive professional DSLR camera’s!

As always lets look at the simple description:

Compact digital cameras generally have a 1/2.5″ sensor (3% of full frame sensor)

Common DSLR digital cameras generally have an APS-C sensor (around 40% of full frame sensor)

Whats the difference?

So DSLR’s have much larger sensors than those in compact digital camera’s, therefore they have greater image quality.

Some digital compact cameras can be 10 megapixel’s, the same as some DSLR’s (or more) so how come they aren’t as good when it come to image quality?

This is where the size of the image sensor comes in. Take two 10 megapixel camera’s – one compact and one DSLR. The manufacturer is trying to fit the same amount of pixels on the smaller compact sensor as they are on the much larger DSLR sensor. And this is the important part, the compact’s pixels have to be smaller to fit on the sensor, and therefore it reduces the amount of sensitivity and light that the pixels can capture and that works out as a loss in image quality.

Obviously this only comes into the buying equation when you are concerned about image quality, which is another reason why I am looking at a DSLR as my next camera.

Image quality becomes a big factor when you want to print images or enlarge them, anything much larger than 6 x 4 or maybe 7 x 5 and you will notice the difference between the compact and the DSLR.

Mandy

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Definition: Image Sensor

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The Pro’s and Con’s of Digital Point and Shoot Camera’s

Mandy — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:22:34 +0000

Last week I looked at DSLR’s, so this week I thought I would look at the other side of the coin and look at digital point and shoot camera’s.

Point and shoots are extremely popular digital cameras, which means there is a huge amount of models available and therefore a lot of choice out there. You can buy everything from an extremely low end model all the way up to high performance models, which means there’s a model for every pocket. So I thought I would look at this type of camera as a whole, and look at the major pro’s and con’s to these cameras.

Pro’s

great for people new to digital photography, or people who prefer simplicity

easily fits in your pocket

great for snapshots of family, holidays etc…

fully automatic and easy to use, hence the name!

You can buy waterproof and shockproof models

Con’s

the image you see in the viewfinder isn’t the one that the lens will see, and capture

you can’t change the lens

they don’t have manual settings eg. the aperture is set

harder to make creative and artistic photographs

the digital sensor that captures the image is small so the quality of the image is restricted

My camera

When I look at my camera, a Traveler DC-5080 I see how far these type of cameras have come, it’s a fairly low end model (nice and cheap). But it has still produced some good photographs and has quite a lot of features like digital zoom, movie mode, white balance and ISO settings for example. The only thing is the more creative and artisitc I want to be, the harder it is to create what I want to do.

At the end of the day it comes down to what type of photography you want to do? Whether you want to take snapshots, or whether you want to be more creative and artistic with your photography. The answer to this question will be the one to help you decide which type of camera you want to buy.

I would like to get more creative with my photography and try new things out. So my decision on what camera I would buy is to look at getting a DSLR and learn as I go. But I am going to keep a point and shoot as a back up camera, because I still want the opportunity to take quick snapshots, and have a easy to carry camera to use. I suppose I’m after the best of both worlds!

Mandy

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The Pro’s and Con’s of Digital Point and Shoot Camera’s

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Don’t Forget to Set the Date and Time!

Mandy — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:28:59 +0000

I have been updating my Flickr account with a back log of Project 365 photographs which it was in desperate need of, I had become a little behind to say the least.

When I started to notice that the dates of the images were wrong, I don’t normally look at the dates but with working through so many photographs they caught my eye today. They were saying the images had been taken in March 2008! Which I thought was a little strange.

So I checked my computer’s date and time, which were fine so it wasn’t that. The next stop was the camera, which hadn’t crossed my mind as the culprit. I had set the date and time when I had got it over a year ago. But it was the culprit, it’s date was set on 23 March 2008 at 1.15 am for some reason?

The only reason I can think of for this to happen was that a while ago the battery went flat while I was out, maybe that messed around with the date and time somehow, I don’t know. It was easily fixed though through the setup menu.

But since I’m doing a Project 365 it’s important that I have the correct date so I’m glad that I noticed it, and have corrected it now. It just shows it’s easy to miss the simple things, and good to check them every now and then!

Mandy

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Don’t Forget to Set the Date and Time!

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How User Friendly is your Camera?

Mandy — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:00:36 +0000

I am in the process of looking at my camera’s features more closely and getting to know how they work and the best ways in which I can use them. Here’s some previous posts: Shooting in Macro Mode, What is EV Conpensation.

Which is very interesting and I am really enjoying doing it, but it is making me look at how user friendly my camera is. How easy is it to flick between the different settings when changing the shot?

Photography mode

For instance when choosing which photography mode I want to use I have to go into the menu, then capture, then scene, to change it. Most cameras have a photography mode option now and mine has a choice of: auto, sports, night scene, portrait, landscape and backlit modes.

It’s a great mode to have for a point and shoot as there is no manual settings for individual shots. It would be nice if this setting was easier to get at as I use it regularly. But I have to remember this camera is made as a cheap, very small, carry anywhere camera and I am very pleased it has this option at all.

Something to consider when buying a camera

This is something to consider when choosing a new camera to buy, and likely to be one of a growing wish list I seem to be compiling for a new camera.

I think it comes down to prioritizing what is more important and what options would I like to have to hand on a daily basis when taking photographs.

So working out which are my favourite features and which I use the most will help me to make that decision. I am looking at buying another camera this year, but I didn’t realise looking at my exisiting camera would start to build a picture of what I would like my next camera to be.

What’s on your wish list?

Mandy

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How User Friendly is your Camera?

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Traveler DC-5080 Camera Review

Mandy — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:36:54 +0000

In The Photographer Blog image of the week feature that runs weekly on a Monday I share a photograph I have taken and talk a little about it. So I thought it would be good to take a close look at the camera I am using at the moment to take the photographs.

My Traveler DC-5080 is the camera I use at the moment and was a present from my husband a couple of years ago. As point and shoots go it’s at the cheap end of the range, but it is a 5 million pixel camera and I feel takes really nice photos.

Although it does have limitations because of the model I was pleasantly surprised by the options that it does have. Including different photography modes like macro, sport, night, portrait, landscape and backlight. It also has a movie mode although I don’t use that much.

The features that interest me the most are the settings and how much I can adjust them. On this camera I can adjust the EV compensation, white balance, ISO, colour, sharpness and saturation. And these are the settings that I want to learn more about, I will be looking at them seperately in future posts. But I am very happy that I can adjust these and have a mess around with them to see how they work. This is the part of taking photographs that I want to improve on, adjusting the settings to improve the image that I am taking.

The camera itself is nice and small with an internal rechargeable battery making it ideal to stick in my pocket whenever I go out, because you never know when a photo opportunity may happen. All in all it’s a descent starter digital camera for me, and will let me get to grips with the settings and learn more about digital photography.

Which camera do you use on a daily basis?

Mandy

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Traveler DC-5080 Camera Review

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Which Type of Digital Camera Do You Use?

Mandy — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 22:37:25 +0000

So which type of digital camera do you use?

In yesterdays post I took a look at how digital cameras work, so today I thought I’d take a look at the different types available. Although for me it’s not just a question of which type I use, it’s also which type I would like to have! Here are the different types:

1. Point and Shoots

These are great for taking snapshots and are generally small and easy to fit into a pocket or bag, so they can be taken anywhere. They have come a long way and take good images for snapshots and also are reasonably priced. But they do have limited features and options that you can use and therefore limit the photographs that you can take. At the moment this is the type I use.

2. Advanced Point and Shoots

These cameras have all the features of point and shoots but they have greater resolution (megapixels) and have more options and features for taking photographs.

3. Digital SLR Cameras

These cameras are for very keen photographers or professionals. SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex and are very similar to 35mm film SLR’s. You are able to change the lens and may find that some 35mm lens will fit your digital SLR. They are fantastic for being in control of your creativity when taking photographs, and they have very high resolution so they can be used by professionals. But this means they are expensive! And this is the one I would like…

Which one do you use?

Thanks

Mandy

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Which Type of Digital Camera Do You Use?

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