How long does it take to conquer an XSi

[Addiction2k]

Day 2

Getting low on food, may have to eat extra lenses and camera bag to survive......


OK in all seriousness I've attempted about 100 shots around the house and have yet to get a decent one. I put it on M but I can't get it to adjust the shutter speed, or I set the ISO and it changes it. Its a little frustrating. Some of it is probably because I'm not being consistent in my approach but right now I feel like a duck trying to have a conversation with a monkey.

I ordered a couple of books on Amazon (field guide and Exposure) so that I can go thru them exhaustively. I've also poured over the pinned posts in this thread (tho as a techie it drives me crazy that a bigger aperture means less light and field of depth). I'm not afraid of a some hard work but how much time will I have to put into this camera before I can turn out one picture better than I was doing with point and shoot cameras?

[TooManyShots]

Indoor shots are always bad for testing out cameras and lenses because of the usual poor light condition...unless you use flash and expose to the ambient light by -2 to -4 stops....Go outside and test the camera. How long??? As long as it takes before you understand why your shots look crappy....

[darksike]

I too just started with this dslr with an xsi since end of May this year. taken about 9,300 shots so far. took me awhile to learn. I started with AV setting then about a month did all manual. the dummies book is easy to understand and follow, hope it'll help you too. check my flickr from the very beginning of my transition from p&s to dslr. don't get frustrated. you should try to replicate an image and see how well you can copy it. like the out of focus blur and and shutter delay (faucet dripping is nice). good luck. p.s. this forum is great

[bheard1836]

I understand your frustration completely. It will take some time - just likely a lot less than it took me to "get it." I would go to the "P" mode to start. This is basically fully automatic except that you have to choose your ISO and you decide if the flash will fire or not. You can spin the dial to change the apeture / shutter speed but there is no need. With the XSi, this should get you some reasonably well exposed shots while you are learning about ISO, Shutter Speed, Apeture etc...
As soon as you learn about something, use it! So, once you read and understand about apeture, set the camera on Av and force yourself to decide what apeture to use. When evaluating your shoots, it is often the worst pictures that will teach you the most - try to figutre out why it did not come out as planned...

[Inspeqtor]

I also own the Canon XSi. I have had it since June 2008 but I am still learning.

I found a book at Barnes & Noble that also has 2 DVD's that have helped me. The book is "Magic Lantern Guides - Canon Rebel XSi-XS Multimedia Workshop'
The book itself is generic to dSLR users. One of the DVD's is specific to the XSi/XS camera. The 2nd DVD is 'Great Photos with your SLR'. Both are very good videos, very well done.

Here is a link to AMAZON (http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Lantern-Guides-Multimedia-Workshop/dp/1600595669/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1249355993&sr=8-2) with the book, but you might find it locally. I am providing the link so you will know exactly which book I am referring to.

[DreDaze]

I put it on M but I can't get it to adjust the shutter speed,

in M mode you have to adjust everything...put the camera in AV mode...post some pics that don't look good to you...leave the exif in there...others can help you with your settings

[egordon99]

If you've been shooting for awhile, about one hour to "conquer" an Xsi. If you're new to photography, you need to ask yourself "How long does it take to learn photography?"

Just keep at it, be patient, and enjoy the journey!

And once you "get it", switching over to a 5DMKII will be a piece of cake. All you need to know is shutter speed, ISO, f-stop, and most importantly "how to read the light"

[Addiction2k]

... switching over to a 5DMKII will be a piece of cake. ....

Whoa, lets not get ahead of ourselves. Its pretty clear the XSi is kicking my ass, it actually giggles whenever I take a picture.

[Scottes]

100 shots, and you're not happy with any of them?

I think that I took over 3,000 shots - 7 or 8 months - before I was happy with one - happy enough to post here, at least. And I'm no longer happy with those shots - they have all sorts of problems looking back on it, knowing what I now know.

[egordon99]

Whoa, lets not get ahead of ourselves. Its pretty clear the XSi is kicking my ass, it actually giggles whenever I take a picture.

Sounds like you have a good attitude about the learning process. Lots of folks come in here all angry and pissed off that their new DSLR doesn't take nice pictures...The camera is just a tool, and sometimes the tools giggle at you :)

Good luck!

[DStanic]

It took me maybe 6months before i felt like i really knew what I was doing when I first got my XTi. That was almost 2 yrs ago and I still feel am learning all the time. When I got my 30d this past spring, it only took me a few weeks to get used to the different body. I could get used to a 1DsmkIII given a few weeks but that would not nessesarily make me a better photographer.

It's all fun, don't worry about it.. take as many pics as you want digital is free! :)

[Project22a]

I've attempted about 100 shots around the house

I'd say this is a pretty significant part of the problem. Get out of the house and start shooting different things. You'd be amazed at what some good sunlight will do to your settings.

[Addiction2k]

Day 3 shot some good outside stuff today. No wow pics yet but stuff thats as good as what I'd shot on P&S. I've decided to dial the learning curve down and I've been shooting only in A so I can conquer aperture first and then work on that in conjunction with something else.

[LowSpark420]

I have the same camera...LOVE It! Total newbie, but keep clicking. I have found the more I shoot, the quantity at some point you find a quality shot worth smiling about!

[davidinvirginia]

I took about 2000 shots before I began to be happy with my XSi. (Previously had a XT.) Using only the center focus point helps a lot. I also shoot often in P at 400 ISO. Indoors with flash (built-in or external) on M. If you have stuffed critters in the house, they make good subjects - you can focus on their eyes. Model cars are also good. When the dust on the shelves or critters or objects shows up in your photos, you are on your way. Next comes TV with higher shutter speed for action shots. Also - focus and recompose.

[technodunce]

Keep working with your manual. Dialing the learning curve down is a good idea but what you do mean by "A". Do you mean auto. I found it helpful to go through the auto modes with the manual all over again and then move on to P. Because there are some tips in there too and you will realise better the limitations and the capabilities of the auto modes. After that go to P. Once you feel comfortable with all the features and capabilities of P, move on to AV and Tv. Leave manual until you understand the basic laws of good exposure and the relationships between shutter speed and aperture.

I have just got a 40D, my first DSLR. I've realised that I am going to be working with my manual for quite a while if i am going to really get to grips with all this camera can do. Its so different from a film camera and not just a digital compact. I don't want to be one of those people who just have a few settings and do everything with that because I don't know how to make it do anything else.

But if you are new to photography, you really do have a lot to learn.

When someone above says "All you need to know is shutter speed, ISO, f-stop, and most importantly "how to read the light". He/she is making an understatement. How to read the light is not something you will learn in a few days or weeks.

shoot a lot and as indicated thousands not hundreds.

[Kiwikat]

I've had my XSi a bit over a month now. I'm a LOT more confident now than I was even a couple weeks ago. My pictures and keeper rate have most definitely improved too. I can't say I'm close to conquering it- though I feel like I'm a much more formidable foe now.

My biggest problem is checking out my friend's lenses then having to use my kit ones afterwards. There's really nothing that compares to using something like the 400mm L (for a beginner anyways). Feels like you got a bazooka that'll blow up anything you take a picture of. :p

[Scottes]

How to read the light is not something you will learn in a few days or weeks.
+1

I learned aperture, ISO, and shutter speed in 6 minutes. The rest is taking years...

[Addiction2k]

Day 5 I'm starting to get some decent pictures now. Nothing that you guys care about for sure that pictures that are at least as good as my P&S days and even a couple that are better.

[Invertalon]

I rarely use manual mode with my Xsi, only when I really need to "trick" the camera for certain shots. Otherwise, I find Aperture and Shutter Priority much more useful and convenient for me. The hardest part is lighting and exposure for sure. I am trying to improve with that each and every day! :mad:

For example, although out of my hands... We were at this wonderful pier overlooking Cedar Point in Sandusky, Oh... Beautiful skyline all around. The downfall as the poor lighting. Harsh lightening which did no good for my shots. I wish I knew away around it other then PP, but even then, my PP skills could not fix them too much :(

The more you play the better you will get for sure! I have only had my Xsi for a few weeks now and the quality and competition of my photos have improved greatly. One of my biggest improvements came from not being afraid to bump ISO to 800 or 1600 for certain shots. Coming from a few P&S's I was scared of going over 400 for noise issues. It's nice being able to shoot at ISO1600 and do a little noise removal in CS4 to reveal a great picture. I do wish though that the Xsi did have ISO3200 though...

[Inspeqtor]

Today I purchased a gray card, hoping to be able to learn how to use that to get better colors in my shots. Time will tell.

[Addiction2k]

A week in and I've spent the last two days consuming my field manual. Got two or three shots that look like I might be learning something. Got one shot that I thought enough of to turn into my screen saver even tho I know what's wrong with it.

My mind has begun to divorce the normal way of think what a big aperture number is and thats helped a lot. I'll spend the next couple of days rereading the field manual a couple of times and then start into understanding exposure in the next week.

[SkipD]

It's rather silly to make thousands of images to "learn photography", as you won't be able to figure out what's been done right or wrong and learn from the process.

Take a whole day and work on photographing one scene. Make one shot. Analyse it on the computer. Figure out what's good and not so good about the image. Take another one, trying to improve on the first. DOCUMENT the process and what you've done to improve things. With this process, one can actually learn. There are technical improvements (exposure, focus, etc.) that can be made as well as composition improvements (choosing the camera's position, considering perspective, framing better by changing focal length, etc.).

To make the learning process really beneficial, switch the camera's automation off. Use the "M" exposure mode. I recommend a handheld meter for the learning process, but one can use the built-in meter - it's just a bit more difficult to learn with.

[canon_shots]

Absolutely agree with Skip. Pick a scene, and work with it. Go to Av, turn that dial, look through the viewfinder while half pressing the shutter and watch the camera adjust your shutter speed. Take some shots at different apertures and observe the change to the depth of field. Then switch to Tv and do the same, watch how the camera adjusts the aperture.

There is so much to learn, that's what makes it fun. This isn't point and shoot anymore, but once you get the hang of it even a little, you'll be taking shots you never could have taken with a point and shoot.

Read some of the stickies here to get some ideas of how to improve your photography.

And most importantly, don't give up. I bought a 300D two years ago, and couldn't believe how crappy my pictures looked. Today, I feel I'm 10% there. Many of my pictures are WAY better than any of my P&S shots, but the better I get, the more critical I become. It's amazing. Pictures I took 3 months ago and thought were great, I look at today and see ways I could improve. And I try to remember those things on the next shoot.

It's a journey. Enjoy it.

[PhotosGuy]

You don't need to conquer it, but need to get it's attention so it will be willing to work with you, so put it in the "Punishment Corner" for a few days. During that time, read the manual again, & a few of the "Stickys" we've posted here. ;)
Start with this one: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=414088

[HappySnapper90]

How long does it take to get control of an SLR coming from a P&S? 3 months until you get some good shots and 6 months before you really understand what you need to do when to make your SLR give you the results you want.

No way can you make any judgments about your SLR in just 1 day.