10D new user wants tips and help

[moocher]

This is my 1st post in this forum after many months of lurking and absorbing many of the threads here.I have just purchased a used 10D with 28-200 F3-5.6 USM . Now,is this lens adequate to get me going for a while ? Also i have a few questions about the camera and a problem with breezebrowser i hope you can help me with

1/What is the sharpest aperture on the 10D ?

2/ What colour space should i use for general use ?

3/ What custom functions do most of you use and why ?

4/ What colour temp to use ?

5/ Any other tips that will help me get the most out of camera/lens ?

The problem i have breezebrowser is this.

When i select a RAW to convert i get the conversion dialogue box but no picture appears and the pc freezes resulting in having to turn the power off then back on. It was fine before converting a G5 RAW . Does anybody have any ideas on this ?? . Sorry if the questions seem basic to most of you but we were all learners once !!! :)

[steven]

Lots of questions and if you search the forum you will find answers to all of them.

I will fill in what I have learned from the forum so far:

1) Depends on the lens. General opinion appears to be that most lens fully open are not as sharp.

2) Adobe has a larger spread than RGB but it does not matter since either will work great.

3) Only set two:
A) The one that lets me set ASA speed down to 50. Because there are times it is just very bright out there.
B) The one that lets me "zoom" in the camera LCD on a piece of the picture.

Now that I have answered the question I need to add that I have a 1Ds so the functions are different.

4) Colour temp varies with light source. Generally useing auto white balance works unless you have some challanging light source. If you are facing some lighting that auto white ballance does not work for shooting in RAW format will give you than chance to correct later on.

5) Take lots of pictures :D

[petiot]

Hi moocher hi steven

Tell me Steven, where did you find your option to set the iso speed to 50??? (am i missing something?).

anyway to answer moocher's questions, i personaly use the (*) button as the focusing lock button (i cant remember what the number of the function that let you do that), but it is usefull to compose recompose and it allows to dissociates the focus lock from the exposure lock.
Another usefull custom functions is the one that let you use the "set" button to either select parameters (sharpness, saturation etc) or iso speed setting.

well that what came to my mind. but keep reading this forum (i have learned everything i know from those guys!! ;)) and you wil progressively discover a lot about the 10D (and photo in general).

Dan

yes ok i missed the line "i have a 1Ds ... i hate you steven ;)

[moocher]

thanks for the prompt replies

The lens is my one and ONLY lens at the moment as , like i said , i am new to DSLR coming from a G5 . I have read mixed reviews of this lens but as i said i have nothing to compare it with and to my inexperienced eye it seems ok . I will enjoy what i have for now.....

Anyone have any ideas on the bb querey ?

[DaveG]

This is my 1st post in this forum after many months of lurking and absorbing many of the threads here.I have just purchased a used 10D with 28-200 F3-5.6 USM . Now,is this lens adequate to get me going for a while ? Also i have a few questions about the camera and a problem with breezebrowser i hope you can help me with

1/What is the sharpest aperture on the 10D ?

2/ What colour space should i use for general use ?

3/ What custom functions do most of you use and why ?

4/ What colour temp to use ?

5/ Any other tips that will help me get the most out of camera/lens ?

The problem i have breezebrowser is this.

When i select a RAW to convert i get the conversion dialogue box but no picture appears and the pc freezes resulting in having to turn the power off then back on. It was fine before converting a G5 RAW . Does anybody have any ideas on this ?? . Sorry if the questions seem basic to most of you but we were all learners once !!! :)

1) The middle apertures of any lens will be sharpest. With large apertures the lens typically isn't sharp and you run into depth of field sharpness issues. With small apertures you run into the lens error called diffraction, and while there is tons of D of F the image is made softer by diffraction.

2) Adobe RGB. I think that it's become the industry standard.

3) Some of these are in the menu setup rather than the custom function:

- I turned the Auto-off to 15 minutes from the one minute default. It was a royal pain waiting for the camera to come back on. - Auto rotate enabled. This will save hours at the computer. - Shut off the beep. - Enable the high speed (3200) ISO. You can always choose not to use it, but it might as well be ready.

Custum functions:
CF2: Make sure that the camera will NOT work if there's no CF card aboard. CF4: I now can use the * button on the back of my camera to activate the AF. CF6: 1/3 increments in stops. If you CAN get this kind of accuracy, why not? Besides there really is no such thing as a half stop.

4) I shoot nothing but RAW so the colour temp is moot. The camera is left on AWB as a parking place that's as good as any I suppose.

5) Use a tripod. Use a tripod. Use a tripod.

Do you see a pattern here? NOTHING will give you sharper, better composed and more thought-out images than a tripod. Without a tripod you'll need to shoot wide open with fast enough shutterspeeds to attempt to give you some form of sharpness. Why be trapped in that place? Of course you could increase your ISO, but you really don't want to do this. While no one really mentions it ISO 100 in the 10D is amazingly better than any higher ISO's, at least from the images I've seen in mine. Your longer lenses will become amazingly sharp once you give them a steady base. You get to choose the aperture - see answer #1 - and select the depth of field that you WANT, not that you've been forced into.

Of course this suggestion is based on a non-photojournalism type of assignment. You will need to handhold at sporting events and things like you kid's birthday party. But for elective "I just want to make some good photographs." assignments, then the tripod is a key tool. Finally and most importantly, if I shoot without a tripod I hear a little voice in my head that says, "You don't really care about this do you?" And I hate that little voice.

[MediaMagic]

along with the other very fine answers here, I would suggest studying and practicing exposure compensation. Not just learning how to spin a dial, but actually practice it regularly. I would have to say that my serious study of EC on the 10D improved my photography by leaps and bounds. Sure, you can achieve excellent results pushing exposure in PS or during RAW conversion, but there's nothing quite as satisfying (in photography anyway) as nailing your exposures spot on, exactly the way you planned them.

[robertwgross]

I have just purchased a used 10D with 28-200 F3-5.6 USM . Now,is this lens adequate to get me going for a while ?

I have a lens like that. I think it is f/3.5 to 5.6.

It is a very versatile lens due to the zoom range, but it is not as perfectly sharp as some other good lenses.

---Bob Gross---

[moocher]

thanks for the replies


bob, regarding the lens , could i have got better or equal for the money from buying non canon for this range ? like i said , i am new to DSLR and i took the shopkeepers word that it would cover most eventualities OK . I am of the school of " start at the bottom etc " . surely i have the most important bit ( 10D ) to learn,fail,get a bit better then MAYBE , when pound notes allow , move on to what u guys use and recommend !! More tips for my current combination would be a BIG help . Thanks[/quote]