Rebel vs. 10D/20D

Hey guys and gals. I've owned a Canon Digital Rebel for about 8 or 9 months now and I'm having trouble getting good consistent pictures with it. I'm having trouble figuring out if it is the camera, the lens or my in-experience with higher end cameras that is to blame. It seems that I get a good macro shot every once in a while or a decent landscape, but where it really falls short is in the day to day picture taking... like when family comes over and I take some shots, then I put them on the computer (no post work) and my wife says that she is disappointed with the shots. Most appear too dark (very common for indoors in my house) and resulting in a slight blur.

I have two lenses. One is the 18-55mm that came with the Rebel and the other is a sigma EF 28-135 IS USM. I have had some decent pictures with both, but I would like to hear your opinions if it is mainly the camera or not....

Thanks,
Troy

Get a fast prime or a flash, and your low light shots will improve. The onboard flash is of limited use, and your lenses aren't really fast enough for available light photography indoors.

Don't go blaming the lowly Rebel just yet, it's basically a cut down 10D so there is no reason why image quality from your camera shouldn't be on a par with anything that the 10D can produce.

The problem could lie in camera settings, the lenses or your technique, it's hard to say. Can you post some of your problem pics or at least the EXIF data from them?

Can you post some example pics? without seeing them, I'll suggest that neither of your lenses is terribly well-suited for indoor use. That will lead to underexposure and blur from using a too-slow shutter speed. If you're using the "Basic" zone modes (with the pictures), try using the "Creative" zone and setting your ISO higher if necessary to get a shutter speed of at least 1/75 sec (with the 18-55) or as fast as 1/250 with the Sigma. That should help a lot. And check your manual to see how to turn on the histogram in picture review - you want to keep the histogram centered, not all bunched up at one end or the other of the axis. Adjust your exposure accordingly.

Hang in there they will get better.
The Kit lens can be good if used within it's limitation. A low light level lens it's not.
If used at F8 it will produce some pretty good pictures.
Are you shooting in RAW?
It has taken me a while to start getting some good shots but it is a learning curve that you have to go through.
As bad as it sounds it is usually not the camera but the operator.
If you post some shots people here could give you some advice.

Wayne

Thank you all for the comments. I will take some indoors and outdoors pictures and post them this afternoon.

Here are some pictures.

1.

as for you "fuzzy" pic. was the girl moving very fast? the exif data shows you were shooting ISO 400, F5.6, 1/60th shutter speed, at 54mm. 1/60th isnt a very good speed for stopping action, 250 would be much better, try bumping up you ISO to 800 mabye?

the first pic was also taken with 1/60th but you used the flash, and no one was moving too much. the barn was also 1/60th (um... isthat just random?), but the hay isnt exactly jumping up and down

So, here is my secret. I have been taking pictures on the Auto mode of my camera. (Let the lashing begin!) Yes, the little green square is a quick favorite of mine when taking pictures. I think it is from my fear of not selecting the right mode for the pictures I'm taking and having them turn out bad... I really need to read a book.....

-Troy

I recently bought a rebel (my first dslr), and found as soon as I bought the 50mm 1.8 I realized just how much difference the lens makes. Now i'm on a mission to pick up a few "L"s....damn this is an expensive hobby. Do yourself a fav and pick up that lens, it's dirt cheap, also buy a book like Photoshop CS for Digital Photographers. The more I learn about post processing, the better my photos are turning out.

There is no fun (or point) in owning a SLR if you use Auto mode all the time You could buy a book but you should also spend some time playing with the settings yourself and getting a feel for how things look at different settings.

yes, u should at least shoot in P. P will do most of the major decision making for you still, but will allow you to set ISO, metering, white balance. another suggestion would be to start with Av. with Av you can set your aperture (the smaller the app, the more light will be let in and the more durastic the depth of focus or bokeh). also keep in mind that you want a shutter speed at least a stop above your focal length. and a lot more if theres a lot of action going on. for instance, with your 55mm lens, if you are shooting at 55mm, you should have a shutter speed of at least 60, perferably 80. Of course image stabalizers, monopods, and tripods are a whole other story. but using the green square you dont see this info in your viewfinder. so at least switch to P and watch what you camera tends to do in different lightings, and then go to Av and set your apperture and let the camera take care of shutter speed.