Rebel XT problems

I've had my XT for a few months now, and it will, never ever, take a good picture with the kit lens in broad daylight. I was at the beach the other day, and any pics towards the sun whatsoever, came out washed out and white. Anyone have any suggestions? Is this just a common side effect of using an SLR? I mean, I tried shooting in many different modes, but in the green, point and shoot mode, it looks like crap...

Start by not shooting photos towards the sun. Put the sun at your back. That is a good starting point and then take baby steps from there.

I appreciate the help, but maybe you could be more useful...

I can take shots just fine away from the sun, at night, indoors, whatever...Just shooting into the sun is the problem....

are you using a lens hood to avoid direct sunlight into the lens?

if you REALLY want to take photos in direct sunlight you'll need a stong flash to properly expose your subjects. if you meter for them then everything in the background will be overexposed.

when you are taking a photo of somthing that is backlit, you are in essence taking a photo of a shadow. you must take a longer exposure.

the only other thing i can suggest is to brighten your subject with post processing. Photoshop is a strong tool once mastered.

One other suggestion is to use a ND filter to block out some of the highlights in the sky. Shooting these types of pictures is very difficult because of the difference between the highlighta and the shadows, it is more than the camera is capable of.
Practice and experimentation will get yopu the results you desire.

Wayne

Well, like Jim said, if it doesn't work, don't do it. If you point the camera into the sun, every single one of those 22 surfaces of those 11 lens elements, plus the sensor, get a chance to reflect and scatter sunlight where it doesn't belong, sometimes more than once. It's called "lens flare", and the only solutions are to keep the sun out of the picture and use a lens hood to keep the sun off the front lens elements.

Thank you all very much. This is more what I was looking for. I am new to the DSLR and am learning a ton. I can take shots into the sun, ie:at the beach, just fine with my A95, but the SLR is obviously a bit more complex...

Can anyone recommend a lens hood?

not really a great deal to recommend. there are several styles and materials but other than that, nothing much. plastic is best for lens protection if you happen to drop it - there are also rubber ones, and make sure you attach your hood as soon as you remove your lens from the case - you never know!.