350D, wedding next week + Kit lens? D'oh!!

[zacker]

OK, got the camera.... love IT! but, Will the kit lens be ok for a wedding shoot? Keep in mind that there will be a pro photog there and basically what im doing is taking shots, practicing and hopefully going to make a really nice photo album for the bride and groom.. they are family and im not worried about anything except if this lens will perform in the outdoor light and then indoors in a darker hall and resturaunt! I have a Hoya UV haze filter on it now, should i remove it for the inside shots? also, i have the 420EX flash for the indoors shots with a omni bounce cap. Just dont wanna have everyone see me shooting the whole thing and then have nothing to show for it... because the shots stink!
I will also be shooting the rehersal dinner the night before so i can include those shots in the album AND i plan on making a Photo Story DVD of someof the better shots too...as a special surprise.
thanks!
Oh, if this lens isnt good enough, feel free to suggest a good one... but remember, this camera has wiped out my credit card so i need inexpensive as possible...lol unles someone buys all the stuff i have on e-bay ; )
-zacker-

[zacker]

oh yeah, i also have an ef-s lens off my rebel xl 35mm i can use... its a 18-80 or something like that (i can remember it now... thats kinda bad huh?)
thanks all, AGAIN!
-zacker-

[robertwgross]

oh yeah, i also have an ef-s lens off my rebel xl 35mm i can use... its a 18-80 or something like that (i can remember it now... thats kinda bad huh?)
thanks all, AGAIN!
-zacker-

There is no Canon Rebel XL 35mm (film) camera, and if there were, no EF-S lens would fit it.

---Bob Gross---

[zacker]

well, then its the rebel xs... and i only think the lens is an ef-s because in my instruction manual for the 350D it says to attach a lens line up the white (ef) lens marks and turn, to attach an ef-s lens, line up the red ef-s marks and turn... and the lens on the REBEL XS 35MM, has the so called, red ef-s marks and it does fit and it fits perfectly.. so, what would you think that means? is the lens ef or ef-s?
Thanks for any info you might have!
-zacker-

[robertwgross]

Look, I am not a mind reader.

You should be capable of reading a model number off a camera.

If the camera is a Canon EOS 35mm film camera, then it will not accept any EF-S lens. It will accept any EF lens. There are a few Canon EOS digitals that will accept any EF-S lens as well as EF.

---Bob Gross---

[Jon]

If it has the red mark, it's an EF lens. As you have the DRXT, it doesn't matter whether you have the EF or EF-S lenses- they'll both fit. larger-format and older Canon digital and film cameras will only take EF lenses, so you can't use your kit lens on your film Rebel.

[zacker]

yeah, youd think so huh, but the problem is bob... Im at work, the camera is at home so i cant read the number now.... anyway, beforei/we get off on the wrong foot here, all i want to know is this, will the kit lens on the 350D be good enough to shoot this thing or not... if not, what is a good lens to use. i have never done this before and need the advice of someone who knows.. if you dont then so be it. that is all, and nobody called you a mind reader.. just looking for a little advice. like i said, i just got the 350D on tuesday night so I dont know what i will need. Ef, ef-s whats the difference and why wouldnt both fit the 35MM when they both fit the digital?? Im new to these things, im sure you were once too.
Thanks!
-zacker-

[zacker]

Thank you jon... thats what it is, I had it BACKWARDS... geeze, why didnt anyone tell me eatlier?? the red mark EF, the white mark EF-S... Got it.
Thanks again Jon

[Jon]

The kit lens might be a little slow (too small a maximum aperture), but with flash will probably be OK. It also might be a little short for some shots. That's where your other (EF) lens may be handy, if it's like the 28-80 or 28-90 Canon sold as "kit lens" on the film cameras. None of the kit lenses are world-beaters, but for family pictures they're fine. If you have time to get it, you might think about getting the "nifty fifty" (50 mm f/1.8), which is a really inexpensive (around $70 at B&H) fast EF lens, and will help you indoors with the flash.

Oh, and one other thing - stay out of the pro's way; maybe introduce yourself beforehand and ask how he'd prefer you to work around him (which won't include taking flash shots of the posed wedding party before he's got his). There are a few threads here on wedding photography, both pro and amateur you may want to look at.

[CyberPet]

I'm going to shoot a wedding (well actually 3, two formals and one wedding) next weekend and I'll be using my Tamron 28-75/2.8 most of the time, but also my 80-200/2.8 L (plus I'll be lending a friends wide angle 20-35/2.8 L - and if he gets the lens he's wanting I'm allowed to buy his wide angle).

[zacker]

{Oh, and one other thing - stay out of the pro's way; maybe introduce yourself beforehand and ask how he'd prefer you to work around him (which won't include taking flash shots of the posed wedding party before he's got his). There are a few threads here on wedding photography, both pro and amateur you may want to look at.}

yeah, I will... definetly. I did this before with my sony video cam... I waited for the pro to finish then got my shot. He's getting paid, I will most likly be getting drunk...lol seriously though, He's making his living at this so I will give him a wide berth for sure. I dont want to mess up his job.
Thanks for the advice cyberpet.
-zacker-

[robertwgross]

Ef, ef-s whats the difference and why wouldnt both fit the 35MM when they both fit the digital??

The difference is that the EF-S lens will fit onto your XT, and will not fit onto a 35mm film camera.

---Bob Gross---

[tim]

What John said - with flash it should be ok. The UV filter probably not necessary for that lens, it's not expensive enough to be worth protecting. If it was a cheap filter don't use it, it'll make the pictures worse, if it's multicoated it should be fine.

The 50mm F1.8's a good budget lens, it might be worthwhile using, it's has a few issues but for the price it's good value.

Do say hi to the pro when you turn up, tell him you're family and taking photos for fun, and don't try taking photos of the formal pictures he sets up, i'd find that rude. Any pro worth their salt will be at least friendly so long as you don't do anything that takes a lot of money out of his pocket.

[zacker]

yeah, as i said, he's the one getting paid so he's the boss as far as im concerned. I will stay as far from him as i can. I have been to weddings where the photographers will pose the party, take the shot and then let others take one too... Im sure ill be talking to him / her during the course of the day and seeing if i am getting in the way. Now, to go find a lens.... oh boy... E-bay here i come!
-zacker-

[AXENA]

You can shoot the wedding successfully.... here are my suggestions:
1. Scrap the kit lens and invest in the 50mm f1.4 - well worth it.
2. The 420EX will work however, the omnibounce cap really isn't that great. If you can find it quickly, get the Lumiquest 80/20 bouncer instead. Or the Unibounce. They are all around $20 each and work better than the omnibounce (IMHO).
3. If you have the funds, get the 580EX instead. It has a diffuser built in plus a bounce flap and seems to work well with the DrebelXT and the 20D. Plus then you will be able to utilize a 2-flash system with the 420 as a slave.
4. Inside the church, keep the lens as open as possible. If they allow you to use flash... do so but practice first.
5. At the reception, if the ceilings are white, by all means crank up the flash compensation and BOUNCE that baby off the ceiling... you will get great results that way.

I'll post some "bounced" images for you so you get an idea..... done in a hall with 10-foot ceilings. Be careful though... parts of this hall's ceilings were brown in color and completely killed the bounce-factor.... gotta look upwards before the shoot to see what color the ceiling is.... I learned that lesson the hard way. It was only a small section, but of course it was right where the bride and groom were cutting the cake! A lot of post-work needed to be done to correct the massive brown tints in the shots.

Hope this helps.... and watch out for the soft-focus... use center focus only... aim directly at target's eye and recompose... otherwise, especially for shots with a lot of depth and various subjects that the camera can focus on, you might end up with soft-focus issues.

-GSL

[AXENA]

Here is an example of a dimly lit room (reception) bounce shot off ceiling. The photo is not hi-res, but I think you will get the idea. As for the pose, the reception hall would not allow me to move the center piece or the chair arrangements.... very stubborn people there. In anycase, the shot came out OK despite my disappointment with the posing situation.

Hope this helps...
-GSL

[AXENA]

One more thing.... get that flash OFF the camera body! Invest the $60 in a stroboframe to lift the flash off the camera (reduces chance for redeye). Trust me on this one.... good piece of equipment to have.
-GSL

[zacker]

WOW! now thats some good info from that. The 50MM i keep hearing about, it really is a good lens?? i thought id need more or less a 200 to 300 MM for this. Yeah, i dont care too much for the kit lens, I guess that is why the kit is only 50 bucks more than the body only version....lol I gotta get a lens quick or ill be using the pro1 for this... or bring both. At least i can count on razor sharp images from the pro1... just not any speed.
-zacker-

[zacker]

ok... on a quick search of e-bay, i found this. there are two 50MM EF lenses there one is the 50MM F/ 1.4 for about $200.00 then there is the EFII 50MM / 1.8 for abot $50.00 whats the difference? why is one much more than the other??
-zacker-

[whchan]

50/1.4 has 1/2 stop advantage over the 50/1.8. Therefore, it should perform better in low light situation (if you use f1.4). I have both the kit lens and the 50/1.8, and in an indoor setting, 50/1.8 works much much... much better than the kit lens (not only faster, but much sharper). The only concern is the 50mm does not zoom which may be a problem trying to take shots in a reception. If the lighting in the reception is very dim, kit lens may yield poor results but it should work fine in an outdoor situation (during the day, of cause!). Just remember to stop it down to f8.
Have fun

[lkorell]

The 50 1.4 is better for low light situations and you can do a lot with it without the flash. There are lots of people using that lens for wedding photography.

But, there is one caution about the reception - if people are moving, dancing, etc., using f1.4 will give you way more blurry shots than you want. You will still have to be around f4 to get still pictures.

In future as you become more proficient with your camera, I suggest an investment in the 17-40L lens. It is a great match with the digital Rebel and can do a lot for your image quality. Pair that with a 50 1.4 or 85 1.8 and you are stylin' big time.

What you've saved by spending less on a lower end Canon DSLR ( Rebel is still great quality though) you can invest into good lenses that will really make the Digital Rebel shine at its best.

Lou

[AXENA]

In future as you become more proficient with your camera, I suggest an investment in the 17-40L lens. It is a great match with the digital Rebel and can do a lot for your image quality. Pair that with a 50 1.4 or 85 1.8 and you are stylin' big time.

Lou

Very true... in fact, besides the 100-440L, the first lens that is next on my "hit-list" will be the 17-40.... great walk-around lens. Already have the other two so I need another wide-general use lens. Then there is the 17-75 IS USM... also reported to be a great lens.

[zacker]

HEY GUYS... I JUST ORDERED A 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 EF IS USM Autofocus Lens from B&H. should get it tomorrow... i also got the Zenitar wide (fisheye) off e-bay.. cant wait for that one ...
-zacker-

[LiquidDye]

Hey IKorell, question in relation to your quote
'But, there is one caution about the reception - if people are moving, dancing, etc., using f1.4 will give you way more blurry shots than you want. You will still have to be around f4 to get still pictures.'
How do you figure this one out, you've got me really confused, using F/1.4 instaed of F/4.0 in AV mode will allow for a faster TV, so unless the user is using flash which would be better using F/8.0 and a bit of fill at say F/5.6 or even less say F/4.0 then F/1.4 with only ambient light will allow for a faster Tv thus help prevent blur not cause it surely.

[robertwgross]

There is no instant answer for this one.

A faster shutter allows you to freeze subject motion better. Sure. Using a fast lens with the aperture wide open allows you to push that shutter speed faster, but the wide open aperture gives you a very narrow depth of field. If the subject is very narrow, then this will still work. If the subject is deep, like a group of people on a dance floor, then this will not work. Even with a single person, or a couple dancing, it might or might not work. If a couple is very narrow in depth and if they are moving laterally across the frame so as to stay within the narrow depth, then that is good for focus. If they are moving toward or away from the camera, then they may move rapidly out of the narrow depth of field, and that is bad for focus.

The answer is: It depends.

---Bob Gross---

[zacker]

well, the good or I should say great thing is.... there is a pro working there so im under no pressure or strees to do it right the first time out! Im going to experiment with the whole speed/f-stop/lighting thing and play it by ear. Although i have already told myself i will not use fully automatic mode at all.. we'll have t see about that one. I do have two 1 gb cards to use so im sure i will have plenty of chances to do it right.. i figure if i can get at least 20 pretty good shots, im fine.
-zacker-

[AXENA]

well, the good or I should say great thing is.... there is a pro working there so im under no pressure or strees to do it right the first time out! Im going to experiment with the whole speed/f-stop/lighting thing and play it by ear. Although i have already told myself i will not use fully automatic mode at all.. we'll have t see about that one. I do have two 1 gb cards to use so im sure i will have plenty of chances to do it right.. i figure if i can get at least 20 pretty good shots, im fine.
-zacker-


2-1gig cards? You should go through those with no problem at all! :-) Especially if you are experimenting.... I recommend taking as many shots as you can, at all different aperatures (like you stated) particularly of the same subject in the same spot and lighting. This way you can compare your similar shots taken at different f-stops, flash settings, etc. when you get home... THEN TAKE NOTES! This way, you'll be better prepared for the next one, and the next one, and so on... I make a habit of always taking notes... sometimes during the shoot, almost always after. This way I can learn from my mistakes.... which, unfortunately, happen often.

If there is a pro there, this will be a great time for you to learn. I don't mean from the pro... the fact that there is no pressure on YOU to come up with the wedding's primary images relieves you of that stress to get it perfect in one-shot.

Enjoy! And by all means, share your experiences.... possibly you'll have some tips for us when you get done! :-) Cheers!
-GSL

[AXENA]

Oh.... and by all means..... SHOOT MANUAL! Best way to learn..... don't let the 350 do the work for you.... learn it yourself.... you'll thank yourself later...
-GSL

[tim]

Oh.... and by all means..... SHOOT MANUAL! Best way to learn..... don't let the 350 do the work for you.... learn it yourself.... you'll thank yourself later...

I wouldn't do that, even though i've been using my 20D for a while my keeper rate would probably drop by 80%. Av mode's good enough to start with IMHO.

[AXENA]

I wouldn't do that, even though i've been using my 20D for a while my keeper rate would probably drop by 80%. Av mode's good enough to start with IMHO.

Really Tim? Since getting the 20D, that is the only way I have been shooting... and have learned a lot that way. I'm not saying that your recommendation is wrong (we all have our opinions)... and yeah, the keeper rate might be lower, but in the end, it will be known why the throw-aways happened. But to each his own. I guess if the main objective is to get keepers then your way would be better. Maybe I misread the post (which is VERY possible). I was responding in a manner that he wanted to learn how to get keepers... I'll go back and re-read.... I probably did give bad advice if he wants keepers... but if he wants to learn, then manaual is certainly one of the best ways to learn IMHO.

Cheers!
-GSL

[AXENA]

OK... my mistake.... just noticed Zacker is going to make a photo-CD as a surprise... he'll want the keepers. Your way is better Tim. Zacker... disregard the Manual Shooting mode for this event and wait until another event where you can learn in low-light situations.... go with Tim's recommendation.
-GSL

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

Yea, I tried shooting full manual for a few days when I first got my 20D, but since I'm a total noob to this I find shooting Av mode is most affective. It's faster too when you need to change settings quickly for a different shot.

[dsze]

Be careful. Ask for the photographer's email before hand and ask permission. I have a very specific paragraph in my wedding contract that states something to the effect of if there are other photographers trying to shoot while I'm shooting, I have the right to walk out then & there and still get paid in full... of course, I would never do that. But, the fact is, you're flash may throw off his exposure, the subjects may be looking at you when he wants their attention, you may be able to provide the B&G with free photos, taking potential reprint money from him, etc. Just find out exactly how he feels about you being there taking photos.

-daniel

[zacker]

Wow, thanks guys, for all the great advice... Axena, yeah, keepers are what i am going for but i will shoot ALOT in at least tv or av mode.. I can shoot full manual in and around my house to get the feel. But thanks for the advise just the same. Dsze, Im not so much going to be "shooting" the wedding as a photographer ..but as a guest. I just feel its a great way to learn, get over my shyness at pointing a camera at strangers and just trying to get used to shooting an event. I will talk to the photographer before hand and i WILL NOT shoot his shots..(if that makes sense) I am also going to be doing alot of shots of the guests.. I have seen alot of Wedding Albums with only a few shots of the guests.. I was thinking of going to each table and getting a shot, plus, i never see enough shots of the dancing, oh sure, first dance, father, mother,,all that jazz but just the guests? i hardly see many of them.. i guess i will be going for the Photojournalism theme.. I dont plan on stepping on any toes there. I will be sure to tell the pro that if he has a problem to be sure to tell me and ill stop!
Yes, i plan on getting at least enough shots to make a photo slide show DVD for the couple. Wish me luck

On another note, got my 70-300 ef is zoom today.. awsmoe! what a difference it makes over the Kit lens! wow! Got the Russian fisheye coming tomorrow, only wish i had a chance to grab a 50MM before saturday! Oh well... next time!
-zacker-

[AXENA]

On another note, got my 70-300 ef is zoom today.. awsmoe! what a difference it makes over the Kit lens! wow! Got the Russian fisheye coming tomorrow, only wish i had a chance to grab a 50MM before saturday! Oh well... next time!
-zacker-

Too bad you don't have the 50mm f/1.4 for this wedding.... I think you would like the results. In the past 3 weeks, all I have used is the 50 f/1.4 and the 85 f/2.8. Doing that purposefully so I can master these two lenses.. then off to a 200, then 300mm. BTW, the kit lens isn't so bad... just hard to work with in low light. In normal lighting situations it works well. Also works fairly well with flash... so, not to worry. You do have a Speedlight, right?

Attached is a shot in a NY City nightclub using available light only with the 50mm f/1.4 ... this should give you an idea of what a prime lens can do for your shooting. Done in very little light, no tripod/monopod at ISO 800 at a range of about 15 feet. Lens was wide open at f/1.4 and the shutter was at 1/80 if I am not mistaken. Possibly 1/60. In anycase, it was DARK and the stage lights did very little to brighten the situation up. Have fun!

Cheers!
-GSL

[AXENA]

Above should read 85mm f/1.8 Sorry for the typo....

[zacker]

nice ,that shot was the 50mm f 1/4 ? ? very nice! .. yeah, the 70 mm side of the new lens is going to "hamper" some shots... i guess ill have to stand a few more feet away from the crowd...lol whats the deal with the kit lens? it seems its not as sharp as it should be, you'd think if canon was going to supply a lens with a camera it expects to sell 120,000 per month of, theyd give ya a better lens. The first thing i noticed on this one (over my pro1) was the pics just werent as sharp.. i bet with the right lighting the kit lens would be good for portrait... it has a built in "glamor" blurr....lol The new lens so far (i didnt really have a chance to test it outside...raining) seems to be really sharp..im loving it so far.
Hey, what is a "Prime" lens? does that just mean its the one you use most of the time?? or your favorite?
-zacker-

[zacker]

Ok axena, i just ordered the 50Mm f1.8 (the cheaper one) from dell with next business day shipping. You have convinced me to do it!!! (damn this is getting expensive!) but i think Im pretty well set for now with lenses... HOPEFULLY! as far as i can tell, the 50mm f1.4 is only different from the 50mm f1.8 in that its built a little better but they supposed to perform the same and have the same optics... so, that being that... i will let you all know how it acts once i get it!
-zacker-

[AXENA]

sounds great.... keep us all informed how you like it! I was going to get the 50 1.8, but, saw the results of the 1.4 and figured, what the heck.... may as well take the plunge and spend a few extra $$$ for the extra light capturing abilities. So far, I love the 1.4

Good Luck!
-GSL

[zacker]

i was reading up on the two lenses.. i guess (from what they said) the 1.4 is built a little stronger wit the stainless mount ring and the meter on the side.. the 1.8 is all plastic and the focus ring is a little cheesy but supposedly there isnt any difference in the optics.. the reviewer stated " i guess it was Canon's way of distinguishing (sp?) the difference between the 50MM f1.8 and the pricier 50MM f1.4 . so hopefully it wil be as sharp and clean an Image as the one you posted...
-zacker-

[zacker]

ok, dell sucks! I had to cancell the order for the 50MM from dell... they wont ship till august!!!! they suck! so now i had to order one from Abe's Of Main.. anyone ever deal with these guys before? I hope they arent one of the cheesey NYC stores that try to rip you off.
-zacker-

[zacker]

WOW. just got home from the wedding, it went ok.. got lots of shots, all done in raw, used up one and a half 1GB cards.. so, heres the problem.. I have been shooting in raw format for some time now and have never experinced this big BIG problem. I down loaded all the files to my computer, went to open them and Ps is saying they arent the right type of file, sooo, i head over to Zooom Browser, only about 50 files will open, the rest wont.. WTF??? all the icons for the raw files look normal, just like something is missing from them that is stopping them from opening!! what can i do to open these? is there something im missing?? i have allready cleared the card, this is really bad! Oh, all the shots were viewable on the LCD on the camera.. but not on the computer!!!

[dsze]

Oh man.... this ain't good. Don't don anything else with the cards! Make backups of all the data that you already have in at least 3 different places. Get an image rescue software like photorescue and start it running on the cards. It sounds to me like you pulled a card out of the camera or a reader before it was finished and the data is corrupt. Start running photorescue on the corrupted data ASAP...it could take awhile. ....this is why I never use anything over 512MB cards when shooting weddings. If one gets corrupted, its not quite as bad. I can assure you this though....the Bride will NOT understand that most of her photos aren't accessible. Let us know how you're doing once you start running photorescue.

-daniel

[zacker]

well luckily for me, she had a "pro" there shooting, i was just practicing and she wasnt expecting to get any "great" shots from me. The thing is that her, and the rest of the party is expecting to see some shots e-mailed to them tomorrow and some of the family members are expecting to see the better shots posted on a web site where they can download them. I fear i really screwed up on the download, i have the files and when i right click on the thumbs and click properties, they are there because it tells me how big the files are... its just that PS and zoom browser isnt recognising them.. i think i might not have downloaded a file or something and the worst part is.... i re-formatted the card BEFORE i discovered the files were corrupt. I have checked the re formatted card afterwards and it s working good. I hope like mad i can rescue these.. i will try the photorescue you advised and let you know how that goes.. untill then, any other ideas?? anyone??
thanks Daniel.
-zacker-

[dsze]

OH thats right. I forgot that you were there as a guest. Still...not the best situation. :) As long as the data is there, (just corrupt) I would bet that it can be rescued. Photorescue saved my butt once...as the pro at a wedding.

-daniel

[zacker]

well, im trying it again, the first time i ran it, it found the files but couldnt read them....my luck! im trying the advanced mode and i also e-mailed the company who makes it to get thier input... keep your fingers crossed.
-zacker-

[AXENA]

One thing I do at important events is bring multiple cards with me. Often, I will switch out the cards even if there is plenty of room left for more shots. At one wedding a card went bad. I didn't switch it... it was simply a bad card. After that, I now make sure at critical points, like at a wedding, the cards get swapped out so that at the very least, only a small portion of the event will be lost if I can't get it back. Essentially, when a 1-gig card is about halfway used, I swap it out for a fresh one. This may sound exteme, but the thought of losing large amounts of data on a CF card gives me night-sweats. It's probably overkill, but in my own mind, I sleep better at night doing this. Something to think about.
-GSL

[zacker]

well, i e-mailed the web site of photorescue and they suggest trying a different card reader.. so ill do that next. I dont understand it, i looked at all the files in the camera.. all were there and the few i shot in JPEG.. those are there.. just the RAW files are gone...well, not exactly gone but unreadable!
-zacker-

[zacker]

what hurst the most is that the 'Square Dancing" shots are gone... lol (a bit of sarcasm here)

seriously though, all the "good" shots are gone...funny thing is, there was this one guy there who had a 20D, his wife was in the wedding party, and she told him NOT to shoot the wedding... he didnt so the bride and groom dont even have his pics to fall back on.. what a nightmare!!
-zacker-

[zacker]

well, I am dealing with Pierre over at photorescue.. the program wont work for me but i did send him a sample file that i cant open.. he couldnt either but it is because the program does not recognise the rebel xt raw files. Pierre told me they are releasing the newer version of the software next week and it will have the xt in it.. so im hoping. On another note, just to let you all know how good photo rescue is... i used 1 and a half 1gb cards at the wedding...one im having trouble with the other.. the half, i can see the raw files on my computer... so, to test the photorecsue software, i used the one i know is good.... well, when i ran the program, it found the wedding pics but cant read them just like the other card BUT.... It found all of my florida everglades shots i took with my pro1 back in january!!! This card has been re-formatted a few times since! What an amazing piece of software this is....
-zacker-

[dsze]

Yes, I highly recommend PR. Hope it works out for you.

-daniel

[zacker]

OMG!!!! I downloaded the new version of Photo Rescue last night, I was able to save all the shots from the wedding!!! Photo Rescue IS THE BEST!! Pierre and whoever else are responsible for this piece of software are awsome! I actually used the Beta Version and it read all the files off the card, the card that i had re formatted and thought was gone forever. I highly recomend Photo rescue for tis sorta thing to everyone here ... if you dont have it, get it, QUICK! For $29.00 its the most importatn thing you can do for yourself... allmost as important as Important as having a good Antivirus software.
Now i have to go convert, re size and tweek in PS. Thanks again DSZE, for pointing me in the right direction, and thanks to everyone else who also helped with you suggestions and ideas!
-zacker-

[dsze]

Very cool. Glad it worked out for you!

-daniel