Advice please..
Discussion
Some advice for a tyro, please.
I have an EOS 300D. Bought it a couple of months before the 350D came out and couldn't afford/justify upgrading. I guess it's a good enough camera for me anyway, TBH.
Anyway, I'd like to improve my results and I'm wondering what advice you experts might give on getting more equipment; lense, speedlight or new camera body.
My main problems seem to be with lighting/sharpness. So I'm guessing that a better lense would be my first move. I currently have the 18-55mm, 28-80mm and 70-300mm. None are IS so maybe an IS of some sort? I do take mostly daylight photographs, and although I'm pi55ed off with the results of flash work with just the built in flash, I'm guessing that a speedlight would ONLY help with night time shots. Or (and here I show my ignorance) would there be any benefit to me in daylight work by using fill in flash etc?
Then again there is the option of a better sensor in the 400D or maybe 30D?
So with limited funds, my current body and lenses I'm thinking IS lense first, then a speedlight then (one day!) new camera body. Not sure what lense though...
Any help/advice much appreciated. BTW apologies if this is a bit rambling, but late on a Saturday night and after the consumption of bubbly, Wychwood Bah Humbug and Old Tom strong ales I don't expect to make too much sense.
Cheers, in anticipation.
I have an EOS 300D. Bought it a couple of months before the 350D came out and couldn't afford/justify upgrading. I guess it's a good enough camera for me anyway, TBH.
Anyway, I'd like to improve my results and I'm wondering what advice you experts might give on getting more equipment; lense, speedlight or new camera body.
My main problems seem to be with lighting/sharpness. So I'm guessing that a better lense would be my first move. I currently have the 18-55mm, 28-80mm and 70-300mm. None are IS so maybe an IS of some sort? I do take mostly daylight photographs, and although I'm pi55ed off with the results of flash work with just the built in flash, I'm guessing that a speedlight would ONLY help with night time shots. Or (and here I show my ignorance) would there be any benefit to me in daylight work by using fill in flash etc?
Then again there is the option of a better sensor in the 400D or maybe 30D?
So with limited funds, my current body and lenses I'm thinking IS lense first, then a speedlight then (one day!) new camera body. Not sure what lense though...
Any help/advice much appreciated. BTW apologies if this is a bit rambling, but late on a Saturday night and after the consumption of bubbly, Wychwood Bah Humbug and Old Tom strong ales I don't expect to make too much sense.
Cheers, in anticipation.
. Ah. That means that, finally, I need to learn how to post photos? Gulp.
Will have a crack. Some of my photos are pretty good (well I think so but I'm not a pro') but it's the ones that are in low light that are unsharp and/or dark. It might be that I don't know the working range of the various f-stops so I'm not using the camera properly?
I WILL post some up Stuart - cheers.
Now how the bloody hell do I get bloody photos bloody hosted? Grumble. Gonna have to bloody read summat now. Grumble....
Will have a crack. Some of my photos are pretty good (well I think so but I'm not a pro') but it's the ones that are in low light that are unsharp and/or dark. It might be that I don't know the working range of the various f-stops so I'm not using the camera properly?
I WILL post some up Stuart - cheers.
Now how the bloody hell do I get bloody photos bloody hosted? Grumble. Gonna have to bloody read summat now. Grumble....
Lots of options for hosting. This is one http://photobucket.com/.
Would be good to know the shooting conditions and EXIF information if possible (at least focal length, aperture and shutter speed).
Would be good to know the shooting conditions and EXIF information if possible (at least focal length, aperture and shutter speed).
i borrowed one of these from a mate as i was looking at getting a digital to cut down on costs on my fun shoots (i normaly use old nikon FE's and ilford b/w film) but that costs a lot for develping these days any hoo didnt take me long to find a lot of things that i didnt like about 1 the camera 2 cannons and 3 digital
main grips i had were with the multi point metering system it over grenalised and didnt meter properly the image senor also stuggled to render shots that would have worked well on film i found all the factors too limiting to warrnty spending any money on buying one gonig to look for an older nikon as i much prefer the metering system i can live with a small comparimes in quality over film but i cant live with the cannon metering system also i found to achive best results you have to work arround the meter as well and gernaly underexpose a bit now if my 30 year old 35mm slr can get it right you would think that a brand new digital would .... alas no i dont think im giving film up anytime soon
main grips i had were with the multi point metering system it over grenalised and didnt meter properly the image senor also stuggled to render shots that would have worked well on film i found all the factors too limiting to warrnty spending any money on buying one gonig to look for an older nikon as i much prefer the metering system i can live with a small comparimes in quality over film but i cant live with the cannon metering system also i found to achive best results you have to work arround the meter as well and gernaly underexpose a bit now if my 30 year old 35mm slr can get it right you would think that a brand new digital would .... alas no i dont think im giving film up anytime soon
cannedheat said:
How about getting a 50mm f/1.8? It's a good cheap little lens which should hopefully sort our your sharpness issues and allow you to creative with the DoF. What kind of pictures do you take? I wouldn't get too hung up on getting an IS lens.
Yeah, was wondering about a prime lense as it forces you to walk and think when you compose rather than just zoom. F1.8 would help with the light/shutter speed/sharpness.
stuart b said:
Lots of options for hosting. This is one http://photobucket.com/.
Would be good to know the shooting conditions and EXIF information if possible (at least focal length, aperture and shutter speed).
Would be good to know the shooting conditions and EXIF information if possible (at least focal length, aperture and shutter speed).
I will get some up there; took a fair few while out on a drive today so might start with those. I should be able to quote the information as I use standard Canon software to copy shots to the PC.
james f said:
i borrowed one of these from a mate as i was looking at getting a digital to cut down on costs on my fun shoots (i normaly use old nikon FE's and ilford b/w film) but that costs a lot for develping these days any hoo didnt take me long to find a lot of things that i didnt like about 1 the camera 2 cannons and 3 digital
main grips i had were with the multi point metering system it over grenalised and didnt meter properly the image senor also stuggled to render shots that would have worked well on film i found all the factors too limiting to warrnty spending any money on buying one gonig to look for an older nikon as i much prefer the metering system i can live with a small comparimes in quality over film but i cant live with the cannon metering system also i found to achive best results you have to work arround the meter as well and gernaly underexpose a bit now if my 30 year old 35mm slr can get it right you would think that a brand new digital would .... alas no i dont think im giving film up anytime soon
main grips i had were with the multi point metering system it over grenalised and didnt meter properly the image senor also stuggled to render shots that would have worked well on film i found all the factors too limiting to warrnty spending any money on buying one gonig to look for an older nikon as i much prefer the metering system i can live with a small comparimes in quality over film but i cant live with the cannon metering system also i found to achive best results you have to work arround the meter as well and gernaly underexpose a bit now if my 30 year old 35mm slr can get it right you would think that a brand new digital would .... alas no i dont think im giving film up anytime soon
I think the updated cameras, like the 350 and 400, have more flexible metering. Which is why I was wondering if upgrading the camera would help at all. Exposure compensation is very simple on mine, just not sure if I'm using it correctly or if that is where my problems lie.
most of the time i just had to use my better judegment on the metering and always expose a few speeds slower than the camera wanted i think i would have found it much better if it had spot metering like on my own kit all the stuff i did with it i had on manual but i found on some shots the software of the camera was creting a lot of image noise that you wouldnt get on film (long exposusrse on a high apature) on a lower ISO very frustating but im going to try a 350 or 400 and a nikon d80 too see how they fare if not i may have to sacrafice some more cash for a d200 i think the main limit the camera has is 6.1 mega pixles
I think a fundamental review of your photo's/skill/knowledge would be in order before any new kit.
The 300d is a fine camera and typicaly will give as good a pick as the 350/400d.
If your Pics are soft your either shooting with a poor lens under conditions which make worst use of it, not shooting fast enough (shutter speed0 not using a tripod, not sharpening enough etc.
Even the kit lens in the right conditions should produce OK results , Know your kit and how it works.
Typicaly cheap lenses are soft wide open (so shoot stoped down some), shoot fast enough to avoid hand/camera shake or use a tripod, shoot raw & process properly.
The 300d is a fine camera and typicaly will give as good a pick as the 350/400d.
If your Pics are soft your either shooting with a poor lens under conditions which make worst use of it, not shooting fast enough (shutter speed0 not using a tripod, not sharpening enough etc.
Even the kit lens in the right conditions should produce OK results , Know your kit and how it works.
Typicaly cheap lenses are soft wide open (so shoot stoped down some), shoot fast enough to avoid hand/camera shake or use a tripod, shoot raw & process properly.
t40ora said:
I think the updated cameras, like the 350 and 400, have more flexible metering. Which is why I was wondering if upgrading the camera would help at all. Exposure compensation is very simple on mine, just not sure if I'm using it correctly or if that is where my problems lie.
Exposure compensation is always 'simple'.
Meetering IMO isnt something new toys help all the time. Understanding what meetering does is more important - and knowing when its going to get it wrong (and how) is even more important.
On full scene mode it will want to meter the whole scene to 18% grey exposure, basicaly to something like grass. So if your schene, or the parts your intrested in (if you cant fit the whole scene in 5-6 fstops of light) is lighter or darker than this adjust accordingly with exposure compensaation.
i.e:
Snow: Its all white!! so your camera is going to think (irrispective of meetering method mostly) ooh , this is TOO BRIGHT, & expose darker than it should, so you add some exposure (+1 or 2 EV) to make it the right brightness.
Lwo light bar: Your camera is still trying to expose 18% grey, it'll over expose this one as the scene is realy dark (as you want it, atmospheric) but he camera will try expose for daylight, this creating an overexposed image. - EV here.
limited funds etc? Forget upgrading kit for a while and practice more - recommended on another thread but get then read then pratice basic photography by michael langford
as for flash, SAVE your money and buy a good cheap cobra with bounce and av settings (ie manual) for about 10 quid off ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cobra-Auto-250- though £15 is really what they go for, dont get carried away on a bidding war - usuall go for 10 to 20 quid
save money, learn, practice, use the kit you have then invest and upgrade
as for flash, SAVE your money and buy a good cheap cobra with bounce and av settings (ie manual) for about 10 quid off ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cobra-Auto-250- though £15 is really what they go for, dont get carried away on a bidding war - usuall go for 10 to 20 quid
save money, learn, practice, use the kit you have then invest and upgrade
Stigmundfreud said:
limited funds etc? Forget upgrading kit for a while and practice more - recommended on another thread but get then read then pratice basic photography by michael langford
as for flash, SAVE your money and buy a good cheap cobra with bounce and av settings (ie manual) for about 10 quid off ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cobra-Auto-250- though £15 is really what they go for, dont get carried away on a bidding war - usuall go for 10 to 20 quid
save money, learn, practice, use the kit you have then invest and upgrade
as for flash, SAVE your money and buy a good cheap cobra with bounce and av settings (ie manual) for about 10 quid off ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cobra-Auto-250- though £15 is really what they go for, dont get carried away on a bidding war - usuall go for 10 to 20 quid
save money, learn, practice, use the kit you have then invest and upgrade
I like the idea of practice before purchase, although I do know that the standard lenses are quite slow. Good in the right conditions, but slow.
I've now got a photobucket account but I#m having trouble uploading - only got one pic on there so far. When I get some up I'll post them (with info) for feedback and comments as to how I might improve - which I REALLY want to do!
www.flickr.com
enjoy it, the standrd usm lens is fast enough for most conditions but best bet as mentioned is the 50 f1.8 prime
very fast and forces you to move rather than rely on zoom
enjoy it, the standrd usm lens is fast enough for most conditions but best bet as mentioned is the 50 f1.8 prime
very fast and forces you to move rather than rely on zoom
Stigmundfreud said:
www.flickr.com
enjoy it, the standrd usm lens is fast enough for most conditions but best bet as mentioned is the 50 f1.8 prime
very fast and forces you to move rather than rely on zoom
enjoy it, the standrd usm lens is fast enough for most conditions but best bet as mentioned is the 50 f1.8 prime
very fast and forces you to move rather than rely on zoom
Cheers Michael, I'll give this a go hopefully this evening. BTW what size do you usually upload them?
Lee
700 pixels wide is the size to upload. PH has a resizing thingy-majig...so if you post an 800pixel wide photo, it will squish it to 700. It makes pages very nice and tidy, however, it can ruin the image in squishing so stick to 700 
(I use www.tinypic.com , find it very good)
(I use www.tinypic.com , find it very good)T40ORA said:
Stigmundfreud said:
www.flickr.com
enjoy it, the standrd usm lens is fast enough for most conditions but best bet as mentioned is the 50 f1.8 prime
very fast and forces you to move rather than rely on zoom
enjoy it, the standrd usm lens is fast enough for most conditions but best bet as mentioned is the 50 f1.8 prime
very fast and forces you to move rather than rely on zoom
Cheers Michael, I'll give this a go hopefully this evening. BTW what size do you usually upload them?
Lee
to flickr? If speed is of the essenece I get the flickr uploader tool (a must have utility for their site!) to resize the longest edge to 2048, which is still good enough if I need an emergency print. Or I just leave it at the original size - it only resizes if the sides are bigger than the trigger level.
It is a great forum too, its worth going to a pro account if you think you will be uploading a lot as standard only gives you 3 albums to create
click on your image, all sizes
you get two options a html link and a direct link to the jpeg
because the html formatting doesnt work here you technically break the rules but you copy the direct image url (will read something like http://farm1.static.flickr.com/fq3233 and then in here type
[img]^^^^the image url from that last bit^^^^[/img]
only post small or medium with a link then to the actual picture or if you post large it will force us to come hunt you down and beat you to a pulp!
what is your flickr handle?
mine = fluffysnugglebunny1976 (dont ask)
www.flickr.com/photos/fluffysnugglebunny1976/sets/
you get two options a html link and a direct link to the jpeg
because the html formatting doesnt work here you technically break the rules but you copy the direct image url (will read something like http://farm1.static.flickr.com/fq3233 and then in here type
){kind=link}
[img]^^^^the image url from that last bit^^^^[/img]
only post small or medium with a link then to the actual picture or if you post large it will force us to come hunt you down and beat you to a pulp!
what is your flickr handle?
mine = fluffysnugglebunny1976 (dont ask)
www.flickr.com/photos/fluffysnugglebunny1976/sets/
Edited by Stigmundfreud on Monday 19th February 14:49
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