New toy II
In addition to getting a new camcorder I have also picked up a new digital camera. I’ve had my Sony Cybershot DSC-F505 for about five or six years now. Before that I had a point and shoot Sony digital camera for about two years. The DSC-F505 has been a great camera and has served pretty well. It still takes great pictures (at 2.1 Megapixels) and I used it last summer when I went to Scotland. The battery life could have been better (I had three batteries to swap in and out), but overall it was an excellent camera. I wanted to upgrade my camera about two or so years ago, but then had to buy an engagement ring instead. :)
I’ve stepped up in the world of digital photography with my new camera, which is a digital SLR by Canon: The Canon EOS Ditigal Rebel XT (or 350D). This is a lot of camera for the price and the review on dpreview was great. I’ve only had the camera since last Friday and I’ve taken several pictures. All the settings, features and menus are taking a while to get used to. So far I’m very happy with the quality of the images from the camera. I think the biggest reason I went to this level of camera was the array of options you get with features and ability to swap out lenses for more flexibility. Originally I was going to “upgrade” my camera of a nice point and shoot camera that I could slip into a small pouch while traveling, but was never happy with any of the models I looked at. Mostly their lack of adequate zoom was the downfall. Once I found models that had a good enough zoom I ended up looking at ones that were not much smaller (or about the same) as the DSC-F505 (this included the Canon S1 IS, which is an awesome camera as well). After the size requirement was busted I started looking at the SLR styles due to the flexibility and features.
I’m by no means an excellent photographer having just been a point and shoot person for years. Having purchased this camera though I’m hoping to pick up more experience with composition, form and get some really great pictures! I have to learn more to justify the amount of money I spent on it. :) The rapid shot capability is taking some getting used to. I can fire off a lot of shots really quick, something the DSC-F505 did as a burst with not as good control or results. The DSC-F505 also would take short (max 15 second) Mpeg video/audio clips. This is something the Canon won’t do, but that’s why I bought a Camcorder right?
I got the camera kit, so it came with the 18-55mm lens. I might ask for a tele-photo lens for Christmas or something like that. I picked up an extra battery for the camera, as well as a 1GB high-speed CompactFlash card for storage. I still need to pick up a 58mm UV filter for lens protection somewhere (I’m a big believer in the UV filter to protect the lens from scratches, etc).
Anyone have any photography tips to share, or thoughts about the camera choice?