Canon 400D (Rebel Xti, Kiss X)

[Josh125]

I think I took 600 ish, give or take I wound up with about 180 or so after pitching duplicates or ones that didn't turn out. Memory cards are cheap so why not fill them up!

I found the need for a wider lens on I would say 20% of the pics. You could get by with one lens, but I'm way to lazy to photo stich to get wide pics

Disney is a tough place to shoot, in a single day you can run the spectrum of situations. I had some, for lack of a better work, artifacts or color distortion in more than a few pics. I'm not sure why. I'll find one and post it to see what the experts say. I shot I think most every mode less M on the trip. So much to learn, but it's so dang fun

 

[Tigger1221]

What is the best long lense for the Canon Xti? My mom went to use hers and it was broken so wants new one. She wants the best zoom she can get.

Thanks,
Jill

 

[mabas9395]

What do you mean by best? Some people say that the longest is the best. Others say image quality is more important than reach. What is the lens that broke?

And what is your price range? Some people would say that this is the best zoom.

 

[captaincrash]

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..

Respectfully, I am humbled by your response. I guess I'm biased because I usuallyhave 2 young kids in tow - so I am always lugging all kinds of junk for the kids and spouse.... so the thought of carrying more than a certain amount of camera gear seems faitly unreasonable. When in reality, if i could get away with hauling less junk for the spouse and kids - I too would shoot and scoot with a heavier load then what I usually carry.

 

[alan]

As a general rule, if it's a Canon lens then something with a letter "L" in the official name of the lens indicates that it is one of the best lenses that Canon produces.

As an example, the Canon 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM.

But, as mabas says, you need to understand what she wants better.

- Exactly how long does she want? "Long" for birdwatching is different from "long" for taking pictures of the kids playing without you being right on top of them
- How fast does the lens need to be?
- How does she want to trade off image quality and price?

Maybe the place to start is "what does she want to use it for"?

regards,
/alan

 

[Tigger1221]

I will talk to her and find out exactly what she wants. SHe keeps saying she wants the zoom of my Canon S5, is there anything like that. They go to the beach and have a 16th floor condo. She wants to be able to take pictures from the condo of the dolphins in the water.

I will ask her the more questions tongiht when she calls.

 

[mabas9395]

The Canon S5 has a long end of 432mm equiv. To get that 'field of view' with the xti, you would need something between 200-300mm.

The EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM is pretty popular. It has more reach in FOV terms (480mm equiv) than the S5 and also has IS. It does not have the "L" designation so it is not professional quality, but used out doors with plenty of light should give great results.

There are a few versions of the EF 70-200mm lenses that also might work. They are "L" so are superior quality, but won't reach quite as far (320mm equiv) unless you add an extender.

If she is serious about getting up close and personal with the dolphins, there is the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM that will get you right in there (640mm equiv).

All of the above lenses range in price from $550 to $1600 so pick your poison. If money is no object there are specialty lenses that will also work. Some of these lenses are quite large if you are used to a P&S, so be prepared.

btw, I am aware that my focal length comparisons/FOV/35mm equiv/etc wording may not be technically correct. I am just trying to help someone find a lens, not teach/debate the infamous "crop factor" topic.

 

[DueyDooDah]

I you want "the best", then you this is it. (No, this is not a mistake.)

 

[captaincrash]

I've got the old 10D....

.... and for a long zoom - my "ticket" was Canon's newish 70-300 IS for about $650 from B&H. It's not an "L" series - but then that also means it is very affordable and light in weight. The zoom range is obviously greater then the usual 70-200 "L" series Canons which would cost about $1800 in an IS f2.8 version... and my 70-300 IS has a 3rd generation IS design. It also has a 2nd setting in IS for stabilised panning (single axis stibilisation)... in case your grandmother wants to track the grandkids running by .... < wink > ..... and it weighs and costs much less then Canons' "L" 70-300 zoom with DO optics. AND... to top it off ... the optical performance of the non-L 70-300 has been reviewed and described as a secret "L" zoom ... while that 70-300 "L" lense with DO gets only medium marks for optical performance!

So.... what do you give up with MY 70-300 IS compared to the better more expensive zooms? COnstruction for one.... as the "L" lenses are usually built more solidly - and are usually water and dust sealed. AND, of course you expect to gain a measure of optical improvement in sharpness at wide open aperature plus a slight gain in contrast and color. AND... the "L" lenses are either faster or more compact in design.

For my dollar, the 70-300 IS for $650 was a flaming bargain for a true Canon zoom.

Although you might consider the 18-200 Tamron or Sigmas, or possibly some of their other zooms - I had a bad experience with the Tamron. It could NOT achieve sharp focus most of the time - plus I did not like the mushy physical handling qualities of it.

Having said all that - I am probably looking to step up to some "L" series lenses in my kit. However, I'll keep the 70-300 IS because it is light and practical.

Another practical zoom is the 28-135 IS. It was the worlds 1st image stabilized medium zoom priced for the general market consumer. I have this one as well and it is my everyday carry lens.

 

[mhutchinson]

If you hurry up, B&H has a great deal on a used 1200mm for just under $100K http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/800557508-USE/Canon__Super_Telephoto_1200mm_f_5_6L.html

If that is too much I would second captain's recommendations

 

[Tigger1221]

Thanks, I told her about THE BEST and after picking her up off the floor told her what Captain Crash said as she love light weight. I told her about the L series but one again her jaw hit the ground when she heard the price.

 

[mabas9395]

Actually, the 70-200mm f/4.0 L is pretty close to the same price as the 70-300 captaincrash mentioned. http://www.amazon.com/Canon-70-200m...3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1200628538&sr=8-3

 

[fwm]

Actually, the 70-200mm f/4.0 L is pretty close to the same price as the 70-300 captaincrash mentioned. http://www.amazon.com/Canon-70-200m...3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1200628538&sr=8-3

Actually, that is not the L series. See: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-70-200m...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1200685565&sr=1-2

 

[Anewman]

Actually, the 70-200mm f/4.0 L is pretty close to the same price as the 70-300 captaincrash mentioned. http://www.amazon.com/Canon-70-200m...3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1200628538&sr=8-3

Actually, that is not the L series. See: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-70-200m...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1200685565&sr=1-2

Sure it is...

They are both "L" series, one is F/2.8 and the other is F/4.0 But they are both L lenses.

 

[jann1033]

i was deciding between the 2 mentioned 70-300 is, 70-200 f4, i ended up with the f4 mainly due to the better build ( i went to see them both)and the f4 throughout...the price was very very close...on fredmiranda at least the f4 was rated 9.5, the 300 8.8.
while the is would come in handy sometimes( when my hands are shaky mainly) i really am not at all sorry i got the f4, it is a fantastic lens

 

[pdarrah]

I am just getting back into photography after being away from it for a number of years. When I got my first digital P&S, I pretty much stopped using film and haven't used our film SLRs in a number of years. (DH and I have a Canon AE-1 and and AE-1 Program). Last month, DH gave me a Canon Eos XTi and I am having a lot of fun rediscovering "real" photography!

Among the old equipment we have a Sunpack "auto 433 D" flash which was a pretty descent flash back then. Is it possible to use this flash with the new camera? Maybe just is "manual" mode? Any chance the "auto" mode would work? Am I risking damaging my camera if I just stick it on and see what happens?

I'm sure we'll buy a new flash in the next year or two, but I would really rather spend some money on new lenses first! Right now I only have the kit lens (18-55). It is really sad to look in the old camera bags and see all those lenses that I can't use! If I can get by with this old flash for a while, it would be awfully nice.

Thanks,

pdarrah

 

[jann1033]

i don't remember the details but i know some older flashes won't work with the digital cameras...i know this cause i mistakenly bought one off some guy on ebay for my rebel xt and thankfully was able to cancel the order since it wouldn't work , it was a canon but from film days. i would think sunpack should be able to tell you thought.

 

[skr8pn]

Though it might not be able to be used on camera it could be used off camera for fill flash. You can get like a $15 remote that triggers off of your current on camera flash. It still useful, just not as much as you hoped.

 

[Groucho]

I believe that the usual danger with old flashes is that some put out too much voltage and can fry the circuits on the DSLR. You may want to toss in the model of your flash along with "DSLR" and see if anyone's measured its output, and if it'd be safe with your camera.

That being said, I recently switched from my ~15-year-old all-manual flash to a modern unit and man! What a difference. It's nice to not have to go into Manual mode and set the specific shutter, aperture, and ISO every time I want to use the flash.

 

[Wick]

Hey guys,

I just bought my first DSLR, a canon eos xti rebel 10.1 mp and I'm excited to get started.

First, I want to get a hold of night shots. This is the main reason I switched to DSLR because I've seen what they're capable of in night shots and dimly/dark areas. My old point and shoot digital (Nikon 4 mp) did a horrible job in these situations-- often, the flash was so incredibly harsh, it made everything look real crappy.

Are there any adjustments I should make to make my night shot look like a real night shot?

Thanks!