Help! New to digial.

[bmarks]

I ordered a 10D on 3/31/03. This is my first digital camera. I've learned a lot from your group in the last month and I'm sure someone here can help me.
I want to shoot event portraits and print them on location. I need a good printer and laptop. Any suggestions?

Thanks, Ben

[raymond_anthony]

HI-ti makes a great printer. i have seen it for as little as 129. and the consumables are only 35 cents each for 4x6 prints. they also have a version of the printer with a bilt in screen for a little over 200 and you can even edit your pics right in there. the downside is its only a 4x6 printer. as far as laptops....come on man DELL of course!

[justme_dc]

What size do you wanna print? Depending on that there are alot of options.... If you want Dye Sub the Kodak 8500 is great. For inkjets there is the great Dye based Canon i950 or i9100. If you want Pigment based inks you need look no further than The Epson 2200.

Are you a PC user or Mac based? The Apple titanium G4 Powerbooks are bulletproof and function flawlessly with the 10D. As far as PC laptops...I couldn't help ya.



Good luck to ya.

[bmarks]

Thanks for the great info. The G4 and the Epson2200 are beyond my budget right now. Someday I would love to own them. I have a Dell desktop. What would you consider the minimum specs? Print size at least 8x10 and 13x19 is better.

Thanks, Ben

[Dans_D60]

bmarks wrote:
Thanks for the great info. The G4 and the Epson2200 are beyond my budget right now. Someday I would love to own them. I have a Dell desktop. What would you consider the minimum specs? Print size at least 8x10 and 13x19 is better.

Thanks, Ben

Dear Ben
13X19 printers are not cheap. The Canon S9000 or S9100 is most likely your best buy. You can get a S9000 for about $425. If you use PS 7 you need as much memory in you desktop as possible. A least 512 meg with 1 gig even better. You will use up a lot of disk space also. I recommend a regular backup routine as you don’t want to chance loosing all those great new digital photos! I found Retrospect v6 a very good backup application. My storage needs have outgrown DVD or tape backup. So, I purchased a fast ATA controller and a third disk drive of 180 gig for about $300. Every night about 2AM, my computer will backup both primary disk drives. I sleep better knowing all my hard work is mirrored and totally redundant by 7AM each day. Good luck and have fun with your new digital investment!
Dan
http://www.pettusphoto.com

[bmarks]

Thanks Dan, that's just what I needed to hear. I doubt that I'll be printing many 13x19s but the option is there.
I'm going to followup the Retrospect v6, that sounds like a great solution to the backup and storage problem.
The photos on your website are great. What lenses are you using?

[Dans_D60]

bmarks wrote:
Thanks Dan, that's just what I needed to hear. I doubt that I'll be printing many 13x19s but the option is there.
I'm going to followup the Retrospect v6, that sounds like a great solution to the backup and storage problem.
The photos on your website are great. What lenses are you using?

Hello Ben:
I have a series of lenses some from my Elan camera. Nice to have compatibility with older EOS film cameras. Anyway, my current list: 50 1.4 (sharp as a tack), 28-70 2.8 L (on the 10D 80% of the time), 15-30 EX (Sigma wide angle – I may convert to L lens someday), 70–200 2.8 L (perfect for closer sports like the marathon images on my site), 70–200 f4 L (I purchased before the 2.8L and now my son uses it), 100-400 4.5 IS L (great with monopod and long range sports like the surfing images on the site). Of course the expense of L glass was acquired over a long time. I’m saving for a 500 f4 as I want to get “tight” on those surfing shots. I’m lucky to live 2 miles from some of the best surfing in the world but, the 500 lens is extremely $$$ so it will be a while!
Dan
http://www.pettusphoto.com