Canon 400D (Rebel Xti, Kiss X)

[knelson]

I missed your signature at first glance - you are from Gilroy. Many many years ago (35 years or so) I played Jr. All American Football and we played a "championship" game in the Gilroy Garlic Bowl. Does Gilroy still have the garlic festival and garlic bowl games?

 

[Master Mason]

I missed the $500 part of his question. In the case of $500 I would lean towards a point and shoot.

It does lead toward a topic regarding glass - which is well taken. Once you make that commitment you are commiting towards the brand. Also you are correct about what to carry around - I do not carry all of my glass around any longer. I try to decide what I need before the day starts - except for when I shoot sports. Then I do carry everything.

Your kit is very similar to mine. I didn't get the IS on the 70-200 or the fisheye, and have a 40D but weight wise it is about identical. I have two packs, one will hold everything and is pretty heavy, the other will just hold a subset and I use it for moving lighter. It is fantastic gear and I have been very happy with it.

I missed your signature at first glance - you are from Gilroy. Many many years ago (35 years or so) I played Jr. All American Football and we played a "championship" game in the Gilroy Garlic Bowl. Does Gilroy still have the garlic festival and garlic bowl games?

They do still have the festival, but there isn't any Garlic Bowl anymore. I think they stopped it when they were rebuilding the HS football stadium. Jeff Garcia is an alum and donated the money for them to put in an all weather track and artifical field. I have not heard of any plans to bring it back as of yet, but the pop warner program is pretty strong in town.

 

[boBQuincy]

Of your original choices I would go with the Rebel. Nikons are good but the lack of a focusing motor in the D40 prevents it from using some good lenses.

As noted, you are buying into a system and there are other considerations, such as lens rental and longevity. Sony is new to the SLR market and has a bad habit of suddenly dropping items. Pentax has been around a long time. Nikon and Canon are the big two, and it is easier to find lenses and accessories for them.

 

[BuzzLiteyear]

I have had my XTi for 3 or 4 months now and am looking to expand my possibilities. I currently have the kit lens and the 70 - 300. I'm going to get the 50mm but I am debating on which one (1.8 or 1.4). I guess its the cost that has me leaning towards the 1.8 . I'd like to be able to get crisp low-light shots. Is the 1.4 worth the extra $$$? I'd also like to get an IS lens. Anyone have one they'd like to brag about?

 

[LMarge]

If you scroll down a day or so - there is another thread on this same topic - it may answer your question!

 

[BuzzLiteyear]

Thanks!

 

[captaincrash]

I would move up to the Canon 30D and get a few good lenses - my starter kit is the Canon 30D, 70 - 200 EF IS USM (2.8) L Lense (my favorite lense to use) + 24 - 70 EF L USM (2.8)- my walk around lense. For fun shots add the Fisheye EF 15mm - an extender for the 70 -200 + a speedlite 580EXII. That is what I am using to learn the hobby. I use the battery grip to make the camera offset the lense weight.
I may upgrade in a few years.

I find this mildly entertaining...

.... to offset the weight of a 30D with grip and say the 70-200 IS 2.8 with a 580 EX flash gun I'd use a motorized dolly! Well, the grip does enable a better hand hold given the weight.

And upgrading to what? A studio camera like a 1 series body or $30,000 hasselblad h3d-39 kit? Of course, a slight upgrade would be a 5D... or the rumored 7D... right? But THAT might be out of scale considering the "weight" of the other lenses in your kit.

All kidding aside, the KIT you've described is a nice selection of "toys". I am not accustomed to seeing this configuration out and about much as it tends to be a bit impractical - unless you're WORKING with your kit or in a position to lug tripods and other equipment to spend a day in 'set" shooting positions. I tend to use my kit for vacations, kids ebvents and all day romps at Disneyland... so very very few people would heft that sort of kit in a public setting all day - especially considering they've got amusement rides and long crowded lines to wait in.... I would like to have those lenses one day - however, it tends to be very impractical for my everyday DSLR use... alas, maybe one day i'll add these to my "KIT".... Enjoy!

 

[knelson]

I did not want to have 2 camera outfits. My primary goal for the set up is shooting high school football. www.gopolyfootball.com for my son's team.

 

[MICKEY88]

. Sony is new to the SLR market and has a bad habit of suddenly dropping items. Pentax has been around a long time. Nikon and Canon are the big two, and it is easier to find lenses and accessories for them.

Sony has not dropped digital cameras, they've been a big player in that market, and they bought out Minolta, knowing that dslrs are a neccessary part of any companies digital camera business, I highly doubt they will drop dslrs, especially since everything they've released so far has gotten great reviews and won awards, and they are gaining market share..

 

[MICKEY88]

All kidding aside, the KIT you've described is a nice selection of "toys". I am not accustomed to seeing this configuration out and about much as it tends to be a bit impractical - unless you're WORKING with your kit or in a position to lug tripods and other equipment to spend a day in 'set" shooting positions. I tend to use my kit for vacations, kids ebvents and all day romps at Disneyland... so very very few people would heft that sort of kit in a public setting all day - especially considering they've got amusement rides and long crowded lines to wait in....

actually I carry a very similar set up, wherever I go, including WDW and places like the Pa Renn Fairre. which are all day outings..

A minolta 7d with vertical grip
Minolta 28-70 2.8
Tokina ATX Pro 80-200 2.8
Sigma EF 500 DG super Flash,

occasionally I'll toss either my sigma 28-300 or my Minolta 100-300 lens in my vest pocket in case I want longer reach

once Sony releases their new camera in Feb or March, I'll add a second camera body, then I'll carry both bodies with the 2 previously mentioned lenses mounted,


I'm fairly sure their are several other members here that carry similar setups to WDW..

 

[MarkBarbieri]

For what it's worth, it looks like Nikon has passed Canon as the top DSLR seller in Japan. For Jan to Nov of '07, Nikon has 43.3%. Canon has 39.9%. Pentax was third with 6.3%. I don't have the US numbers, but that gives you an idea of just how dominant the big two are in the DSLR market. On the other hand, the market is growing very rapidly and is still very profitable. More companies are getting into rather than out of the market.

 

[MICKEY88]

For what it's worth, it looks like Nikon has passed Canon as the top DSLR seller in Japan. For Jan to Nov of '07, Nikon has 43.3%. Canon has 39.9%. Pentax was third with 6.3%. I don't have the US numbers, but that gives you an idea of just how dominant the big two are in the DSLR market. On the other hand, the market is growing very rapidly and is still very profitable. More companies are getting into rather than out of the market.

I'd like to see the numbers for the second half of the year since these are the numbers for june and july...


Japan Digital SLR Market Share by Unit Sales
Vendor July June
===============================
Canon 33.3% 51.6%
Nikon 27.4% 32.6%
Sony 21.6% 2.3%
Pentax 14.0% 7.6%
Olympus 2.8% 4.8%
Matsu****a 0.8% 0.1%


it appears that Sony has a larger share than people thinks..

 

[Josh125]

We got back the 1st week of Jan. and finally got the pics processed. This was my 1st trip with a dSLR as I just got it a month or so before the trip. These are what I think to be the better ones, please critique them and help me learn

 

[Josh125]

 

[DisneyJosh]

Nice! Were these taken with a film SLR or digital SLR? I assumed film since you said that they were processed. Either way, they are very nice.

 

[Josh125]

Nice! Were these taken with a film SLR or digital SLR? I assumed film since you said that they were processed. Either way, they are very nice.

Yes, a dSLR. I went back and clarified that

 

[We-Luv-Disney]

Nice work Josh What lens did you use with your XTi?

 

[Josh125]

Nice work Josh What lens did you use with your XTi?

Thanks. They were all shot with a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. I found out I really need a wide angle piece of glass, adding it to the ever growing list

 

[JR6ooo4]

Nice. Very crisp!

and you are not slow in processing. I got back dec 18th and have not processed even half yet. Heheheheee

Mikeeee

 

[mikamah]

Beautiful pics. I can't wait to go in april for the first time with my xti. How many pics did you take total? When we went a year ago, I took over 600, and that was before I came to this board. I can't imagine how many I will take this year.

You said you need a wider lens. I have the 28-135, and wondered if it will be wide enough. I'll have the 18-55 kit lens too, and will bring both. Did you find you wanted a wider view often, or just in specific circumstances? Thanks.

Love the pic of your little girl with the camera. Chip off the old block!!