[EauDeAnnie]

So I'm kind of new to using DSLR. I love photography and plan on buying a DSLR soon. However, I'm not really sure which to get. I was thinking maybe the Canon rebel xTi or xSi. I know the xSi is newer but is it worth it to pay a little bit more for it or should I just stick with the xTi?
Any other suggestions on other DSLRs? I'm used to using Canon cameras and I know that Canon usually have great quality cameras so I'm not really sure about other brands.

Thanks erure & watcher.
I'm still not sure, since I'm a very indecisive person, lol. I'll probably go to the store to test out the cameras.

Should I stick with the kits or buy some other lenses?

[watcher]

Thanks erure & watcher.
I'm still not sure, since I'm a very indecisive person, lol. I'll probably go to the store to test out the cameras.

Should I stick with the kits or buy some other lenses?

start with the kit. once u get a better idea of what you want, buy the lens you relly want

[jo3y]

Are there any sites that I can learn more about all the info with the Lenses? I'm looking to get a everyday type of lens like XX-200mm. Someone recommended a Tamron and told me that it's pretty good since I'm still new to the DSLR camera world.

If anyone can recommend me sites so I can learn more...Thanks!

Oh, and if anyone wants to know or can possibly give me some input, its a TAMRON 28-200mm F/3.8-5.6 XR and its for a Sony. Thanks in advance.

[Maxx]

So i'm finally going to buy my second lens for my Nikon D40,
and I was thinking of buying one of these 2;

- Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens with an HB-34 Lens Hood
- Nikon Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF Zoom Lens with an HB-26 Hood

which one do you guys think would be better?
I'm still a beginner, and I sorta like taking pictures of people(groups), and scenery/landscape

and one more question.
I tried searching online but found nothing about it,
but what do lens hoods do?

[d0wne]

^what did you use? All I did what put "what do lens hoods do" in google and the first link was:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/canon-l...Lens-Hoods.aspx

[Maxx]

I typed in what do dslr lens hoods do.
And all I got were sites that sell lenses and cameras.
Neways, Thanx for the link, I appreciate it.

[watcher]

Are there any sites that I can learn more about all the info with the Lenses? I'm looking to get a everyday type of lens like XX-200mm. Someone recommended a Tamron and told me that it's pretty good since I'm still new to the DSLR camera world.

If anyone can recommend me sites so I can learn more...Thanks!

Oh, and if anyone wants to know or can possibly give me some input, its a TAMRON 28-200mm F/3.8-5.6 XR and its for a Sony. Thanks in advance.

for a lot of people, this lens is enough. for those that want pop, sharpness, etc of the best lenses, the tamron wont do. but the main question you should ask is what kind of photos you awnt to take. the 28-200 is a hyperzoom that's convenient, but wont give you enough speed or sharpness that the nicer lenses give you.

So i'm finally going to buy my second lens for my Nikon D40,
and I was thinking of buying one of these 2;

- Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens with an HB-34 Lens Hood
- Nikon Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF Zoom Lens with an HB-26 Hood

which one do you guys think would be better?
I'm still a beginner, and I sorta like taking pictures of people(groups), and scenery/landscape

and one more question.
I tried searching online but found nothing about it,
but what do lens hoods do?

for portrait/group shots of people and landscape pictures, i would go for a focal range that's 70mm or LESS. 20mm~50mm would be my recommendation.

lens hood blocks stray light from entering the lens. it helps reduce/prevent lens flare

[jo3y]

for a lot of people, this lens is enough. for those that want pop, sharpness, etc of the best lenses, the tamron wont do. but the main question you should ask is what kind of photos you awnt to take. the 28-200 is a hyperzoom that's convenient, but wont give you enough speed or sharpness that the nicer lenses give you.

Thanks Watcher. I want to know whether the lens is a decent lens to get for everyday usage. I still use kit right now and there were a few times I got really disappointed because there was something far but my lens couldn't reach and I instead got a picture of the whole background. But I have another question...when you mean the "sharpness that the nicer lenses give you" do you mean that its OK and do-able or you mean it just wont be as clear or sharp in general. (Sorry if I read wrong) So this lens should be good?

[watcher]

Thanks Watcher. I want to know whether the lens is a decent lens to get for everyday usage. I still use kit right now and there were a few times I got really disappointed because there was something far but my lens couldn't reach and I instead got a picture of the whole background. But I have another question...when you mean the "sharpness that the nicer lenses give you" do you mean that its OK and do-able or you mean it just wont be as clear or sharp in general. (Sorry if I read wrong) So this lens should be good?

for an everyday lens, it's decent. you'll get the reach that you want.

as for sharpness, when you take pictures with the more expensive lenses, you will notice that the images have more contrast and comes out extra sharp. lesser expensive lenses don't have the same quality optics to provide sharp images across the board. at times, you will take pictures that look soft. for a lens like yours, your images will come out sharper if you stop down your lens [decrease your aperture].

check out this photo gallery and examine the photo quality. these were all taken by the lens you are currently considering:
http://www.pbase.com/cameras/tamron/af_28200_3856_xr

[jo3y]

Thanks for all the input watcher, but I decided not to get it (for now at least) There was a good deal on it so that sorta influenced me to want it more but I think I'll hold off a little longer.

[watcher]

^ not too familiar with sony lenses, but tamron and sigma i am well aware of. if you want a telephoto zoom lens, it's better to go 70-200 or 70-300. hyperzooms like the 28-200 or anything greater than 3~4x zoom usually have tradeoffs when it comes to image quality

[erure]

This is only something I'm only thinking about, but how do people get into wedding photography?

[d0wne]

This is only something I'm only thinking about, but how do people get into wedding photography?

For pros, they first build up a portfolio by doing a number of weddings really cheap or even free. It might even be the wedding of a friend or relative. After that, it's all about getting your name out there by showing potential clients your portfolio that you've been building.


For me, my friend's sister found out I had an SLR and asked me to shoot her wedding. I got paid and even got a few future clients by just giving a buttload of people my card with my info and flickr account.

[erure]

^Congrats that sounds awesome

I guess I should get a flickr and upload photographs onto it -- people can freely download your photographs though, no?

[watcher]

^Congrats that sounds awesome

I guess I should get a flickr and upload photographs onto it -- people can freely download your photographs though, no?

depends on your account. if you go pro, they can download the original. i think if you get basic, they can only get the edited version that pops up on the flickr album view. [not sure, i've always had pro]

as for wedding photographs... im just at an age where most of my buddies are getting married [except me...grrr] so naturally they ask me.

[erure]

depends on your account. if you go pro, they can download the original. i think if you get basic, they can only get the edited version that pops up on the flickr album view. [not sure, i've always had pro]

as for wedding photographs... im just at an age where most of my buddies are getting married [except me...grrr] so naturally they ask me.

Why would you pay more so that people can freely download your original photograph? O_O

I have had some issues in the past with people taking photographs that I made and not giving credit to me, which I abhor.

[watcher]

Why would you pay more so that people can freely download your original photograph? O_O

I have had some issues in the past with people taking photographs that I made and not giving credit to me, which I abhor.

you need a pro account so other users have access to your original. [probably done to save bandwidth for nonpaying users] otherwise, people can only download the 'thumbnail' version [which is like a 600x400 size or similar]. you also get unlimited storage, video, etc. if you go pro.

[d0wne]

^exactly. With pro you can have the option of letting people download the org. file or preventing download at all. You set all this up on your account settings.

Get a flickr pro. You'll be able to archive all your pictures online.

[watcher]

^ it's fairly cheap too... like 25/year

[erure]

I need to vent. My friend recommended a website company named mypublisher, where they print and bind photo books for you. I thought this would be a good idea to get for friends and family, so I re-edited all the photographs that were going to be on the book (that took painfully long) and ordered five identical books on Sunday. Mypublisher said that it takes 1-4 business days to process the book, and since I'd ordered on Sunday (technically it was Saturday night right after midnight), I thought that at the latest, I'd have the books on Friday (I'm leaving for Korea tonight) if I paid for overnight shipping. I got a shipping confirmation e-mail yesterday and was happy that it went according to plan and that I would have the books today. However, the FedEx tracking did not come up (the window just said that there were no orders with that tracking number) until today. I checked it fairly regularly too so that I knew what was going on. It turns out that they shipped the books today and they won't arrive until Monday, and by then I'll be in South Korea. WTF. I'm so pissed right now -- I sent an angry e-mail to mypublisher, because it seems like they lied about the shipping. Someone was not doing their job. I want a refund but I highly doubt they will give me one. I'm so pissed off.

//edit
Okay so I vented and now I'm back to being sane. It still pisses me off when I think about it, but in the end, I guess it's my fault for not doing it earlier. It just annoys me because it seems like they were lying when they said that they shipped the item and sent me the tracking number, but it wasn't actually shipped until today. I've been having terrible luck with on-line purchases lately, from that stolen package to this.