Need Lots Of Help PLEASE

[attagirl]

Hi... I currently own a sony cybershot 3.2... this has been my first and only digital camera for about 3 years. I have got into more photography type pictures and I just don't think this camera is doing what I am looking for. I recently took some pictures of my new cousin and being I was indoors... the pictures looked pretty grainy. After having to edit a lot of these pictures... I have been looking around at something I can use for photography type and get better quality with out a lot of hassel of pushing a buttons and changing everything.

I was told about a "Canon Rebel" about a year ago. I have looked and read about some of these and I don't compeletly understand what I need and don't need in a camera.

The price of a canon rebel scares me a little and doesn't seem to be going down much in the last year.I am not real familiar with digital camera's and what it is I need other than a zoom lens for zooming at a distance.:confused: I am sure I can find something to give me more clear pictures in different lighting situations with out spending $800.00. I just am not sure what it is I need to be looking for.

I would appreciate any reviews of any kind or if someone out there knows exactly what I am talking about and has been there done that and found something great, I would love to hear about it.

Thanks,
Tonya

[CyberDyneSystems]

Hi Attagirl,. welcome to the forum :)

For good reviews,. check here;
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/

The step up to a camera like a Digital Rebel means a steop away from a single camera,. and a step towards adopting a camera "system" the system incorporates a Camera body,. and bunches of other stuff,. the lesn is not necesarily included. In either case,. you can buy more than one.

Right now you may want to look at the Rebels replacement,. called the RebelXT in the US,. but on this forum we also will refer to it as the 350D,.

It can be purchesed with a bundeled lens,. (and if your starting out it should be) ;)

You'll also need Compact Flash cards,. for that Camera the bare minimum CF card size is a 512MB,. but I'd get two of whatever card size you decide on.

[markubig]

I have been looking around at something I can use for photography type and get better quality with out a lot of hassel of pushing a buttons and changing everything.
Hi Attagirl - First off, welcome to the forum!

a Digital Rebel might not be the right camera for you then. You might be better off with the Canon G-series cameras. They are advaned P&S cameras that allow you to shoot like a P&S, but gives you controls similar to a DSLR, if you want it. I came from a Canon G3 and the pictures were great!

If you go with a DSLR, there are a lot of variables you have to consider (which I am still learning) to get the best possible picture out of it.

Additionally, you mentioned that you didn't like editing pictures. Post Processing is a considerable part of digital photography. Pictures out of the camera are great, but are even better with a little bit of PP adjustments. The Canon G-series does a lot of the processing in the camera whereas the DSLR doesn't.

You can get a used Powershot G2/G3/G5 for roughly $300. Again, you can use them as a P&S or use the features to control shutter speed, aperture, ISO, White Balance, etc. Once you find yourself liking the control aspect and using them more and more, it is then that you should consider a DSLR

[CyberDyneSystems]

Mark makes some great points,.
If the step up to an SLR like the Rebel is daunting ,. both in price and in added confusion,. check out the "G" series,. and another I would look at foor it's flexibility and ease of use is the "Pro 1 IS" .. going for about $350.00 these days and a great flexible camera :)

[tim]

I've been using digital SLR cameras for about 6 months, before which I used a Canon point and shoot A70. In 6 months I think i'm beginning to be competant, and in another year I might consider myself good at taking photos in a variety of situations. Then there's the issue of composition, lighting, etc.

The advice to get a G6 or similar looks like a good suggestion for you, IMHO.

[mdm]

Hi, I'm just like you 3-weeks ago I had a kodak point and shoot. I've been thinking about what I needed to be able to get better shots. I bought the digital rebel and I am having a blast, Just go for the digital rebel or xt. You sound like you want to learn and its perfect for trying out all the settings because you can instantly see your results, keep or delete. The upgrade is worth it.

[attagirl]

Hi and thanks for the welcome!!!!

Ok I have read your replies and thanks so much for the extra help... it has given me a little more to think about.

I have done some extra reading on the difference in dslr and the slr.... something I am still trying to understand. I am reading that the dslr's faster in shutter release???? Which may not be so important to me at this time, but I would prob. love!!!! my main prob. is just getting good pictures in different light situations.

Yeah I think editing is all apart of photography... and I love to edit even when I don't have to :) , but just about all my indoor pictures had a grainy look over the photo and I had to blur out a lot of the skin areas of all the photos to get rid of it, which left me with a little less sharpness that I didn't have in the first place.

I know at this point anything would be better than my sony.. and I tell you this sony will take awesome pictures out doors if I am up close with out using too much zoom. So I think if anything else could give me great quality pictures like that indoors or using zoom it would be better than what I have.

So I guess my question is... do you think a G series will give me just as nice pictures in different lighting situations as a rebel, minus the fast shutter release. My main wish is clear pictures in different lighting situations.

Thanks,
Tonya

[ed2day]

If low-light is your priority a DSLR is probably a better performer than point-and-shoot due to bigger lensses/ less noise. However while the Rebel can be certainly be used in P&S mode, my opinion is that owning a DSLR requires a commitment to learning more as you go along--if you're not interested, then I think you're better off with a good P&S (high end G series is good suggestion). But either way (DSLR or P&S) dealing with different lighting situations is where you have to start forgetting about "point & shoot" and learning a bit more about your equipment and turning a couple knobs. Indoors, the biggest difference maker I found was an external flash and that's probably true for a P&S also. In fact I was pretty blown away when I first got my 420EX flash, just popped it on my Rebel, pointed it to bounce off the ceiling, and started firing away in fully automatic mode. With my cheapo 50mm lens I got what I thought were pretty professional looking portrait shots--what an improvement over the camera flash!

[Maureen Souza]

Welcome attagirl!. I felt a bit like you when I first ventured into the Canon P&S world 2 years ago. Every few months after I 'learned' my camera I felt dissatisfied with it's limits and I'd buy an upgrade. Last year I bought the Pro1, then the teleconverter lens and by Christmas time I knew I wanted a DSLR and the power of control:) Now I have that and it has been fabulous learning what my lenses do best and how to use them. Fortunately I have always been a Canon user and so it was pretty easy jumping up each level when I bought the newer cameras. Sometimes it is easy to doubt yourself with a good camera but everyone here on the forum can help you along and of course, practice is the best teacher.
Good luck and looking forward to your posts.

[markubig]

Yes, I also agree that you should get an external flash, with whatever you choose to go with. The on-board flashes are just too direct and too harsh to give soft, evenly-spread light. The G-series cameras also have hot-shoe mounts to attach any of Canon's EX-series speedlites.

do you think a G series will give me just as nice pictures in different lighting situations as a rebel
Absolutely! And in the right hands, it could probably create better pictures, IMHO. I've said it before that there are photographers who can create photos with a P&S that I can only dream of creating with a DSLR. It's all a matter of understanding composition, exposure, depth of field, etc.

I just recommended a G-series because you were sitting on the border of P&S and DLSR, and the G-series will give you the experience of both, but at a more affordable price. However, if you feel that you are willing to learn, spend money on lenses, lenses, and ummmm . .. . lenses, then go for the DLSR. You will get quality with either right now.

To give you an idea of how a G3 can perform indoors, here is a picture that I took with my G3 at a wedding last year. I also used a 420ex bounced off an index card. It's not the best picture, but it's nice, nonetheless. You should also be able to find other guys here who make awesome pictures with their G cameras

Good luck!

[mikeymike]

getting my 300d was the best thing that i have ever done.
and the best money that i have ever spent

[dkord]

Most point and shoot digital cameras use an automatic ISO setting by default, this is like using fast or slow speed film. Which means that they will variate between ISO 100-200, some 50-200. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive to light, the farther your flash will go; also the noisier(grainier) the pictures will get.

You can manually set the iso, but you will have to shoot in the P mode or the Manual mode, not the Automatic mode. Go into the settings, or set up and pick a 50 or 100 iso.
The downside to this is that your flash distance will be shorter or you will need brighter available light, because the camera will be less light sensitive.

Some cameras, like the Canon G series or Sony's V3, will let you use a larger flash for better coverage(not cheap). That will help, even with a digital slr most folks will use an external flash.
You probably can buy a generic external flash that will go off when your cybershot goes off to make up the distance, they have a built in slave sensor. I've seen them for less the 50 dollars. You'll need a bracket or buy one with a bracket to hold the flash if your camera doesn't have a flash mount. I think Sony even makes one.
This might be your quick fix til you decide to take the plunge to dslr. You should bring your camera with you to see if it's compatible: some digital cameras have a slight delay to the flash or preflashes and it fools the slave flash into going off early. To test it, take a picture of the flash going off so you can see if it fired on your screen, be sure to angle it a little and not shoot straight on.
There's also a grip that will delay the flash for certain digital cameras so it will fire at the right time.

[SkipD]

Tonya, having made the transition from a Canon G2 to a 20D, I can tell you a couple of things. First, the G2 is capable of some fantastic images. However, there are a few limitations which you might want to understand.

First, the G-series cameras are much slower to respond to your finger pushing the shutter button than the DSLR's. This timing issue isn't a big deal for taking photos of static subjects, but can be a big thing if you are trying to photograph action where you are trying to anticipate and photograph a particular instant in time.

Second - the single choice of lens on the G-series (the one that's built onto the camera) doesn't give you the flexibility of lens options for a DSLR (or a film SLR, for that matter). The G-series lenses are fairly slow (they don't let as much light through as some of the SLR lenses), making available-light photography in lower ambient light situations a bit of a problem.

The zoom range of the G-series lenses can't come close to matching the range of interchangeable lenses on the SLR's, and the SLR lenses are generally of better optical quality. You may want/need a wider wide-angle or a longer telephoto than the G-series can provide you.

All that said, the G-series cameras can provide a very cost-effective way to do a lot of creative photography. They can give you a learning tool to decide whether or not you need more. I have been into photography heavily for over 40 years (advanced amateur and occasionally part-time pro), but just got into digital a few years ago with the G2. I have always known what the SLR family could do for me, but the jump to a high-end set of lenses and the 20D body was a rather expensive move. I needed to be really sure that I wanted to make the plunge, considering the fact that I have some very good (but very old) film equipment. None of my old lenses work on the modern digital cameras, so I had to buy everything new.

I hope all this rambling helps.

[skyphix]

Just so you know, the only difference between a DSLR and an SLR is the DSLR is Digital... both have removable lens systems.

Yes, SLR's in general have faster shutter release than point-and-shoots. I like my girlfriends A75... but if she didnt mind something bigger I would've gotten her a ProS1 or a G-series camera. It sounds like those are more what you're looking for :)

[dkord]

I would kill for a (relative quality) 35-140 f/2-3 that cost $500!