Which Canon dSLR..rebelXT, 20d, 30d

With the XT going for half of what a 30D is going for, and with no real difference in picture quality between the two, a XT and a good lens, is a compelling argument. If money isn't an object, then go for the 30D, better build quality, bigger lcd, more features. Nice pic with the point and shoot.

thanks all... I appreciate the help!

Knife photos are always a challenge...

especially when all you have to display them is 100KB. Sheesh!

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If its just knives, there's no real big advantage to the 30D over the XT. You can invest in a couple macro primes with the xt for the same amount as just the body alone of a 30d.

Really great shot, especially since it was with a point & shoot! Actually that is a really great shot even for a DSLR and I have to commend you on the post processing using Digital Image. I have used that program as well as Photoshop and if you can do that good with the Microsoft stuff I cant imagine what you could do with the far superior Adobe product. I use an XT with a Tamron 28-75 for images just like this but not knives. An XT would serve you well but keep in mind DSLR's require a little more ramping up than most people "including me" think they will coming from the point & shoot world. Previous film SLR experience is helpful but you have found one of the best resources in this forum anyhow. The people here have helped my abilities immensely so keep coming back.

Well, I got the rebel XT with the kit lense..thanks again for all of your help.....saving for the Canon Normal EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM Macro NOW hopefully should have that next month...

> saving for the Canon Normal EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM Macro

Get the Canon 100mm Macro so you will not be on top of the knives and have room to light properly.

Lighting will be most important part of shooting knives.

Congrats on the XT...

Lightstream wrote:
I use my EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro for product shots. Canon 350D or 20D - doesn't make a difference, I find both to be equally capable cameras when taking pictures on my workbench. The 60 macro will allow you to do closeup shots and highlight extremely fine details of your craft. I have the 50mm f/1.8 lens and the 60 macro completely blows it away. (it had better, it costs at least 5X more! )

Get proper lighting, perhaps a couple of 430EX flashes, ST-E2 wireless transmitter to control both flashes. Get a light tent, position the two flashes to fire through the sides of the light tent. Mount the ST-E2 on top of the camera, it will send the signal to the flashes to fire.

The 60 macro is a tremendously sharp lens, more than sharp enough for almost any imaginable purpose and often, too sharp especially for portraits where it brings out every little speck and flaw

I use both the 350D and 20D interchangeably, and I don't notice a difference in quality. As far as I can see, both cameras are capable of delivering exceptionally good images. I find that proper lighting makes a big difference, too.

Johnny V,
I decided on the 60mm because of this post... This seems to be exactly what I am looking for....Just thought of something..will this lense be subject to the 1.6 factor? if so isn't this more like a 100mm? or is the ef-s lense already corrected for the 1.6 factor....see give someone a little bit of information and they think they almost know what there talking about...

What lens do you have now? The factory zoom?

If a zoom I’d do some test still-life setups and see what focal lengths you constantly use. Then decide the between the 60mm or 100mm.

In a previous life I was a catalog shooter out of NYC...shot tons of Macy’s advertisements to name one client – with 4x5 and 8x10 cameras. With silverware I had my camera far enough away where I could light and add fill cards as needed. But also you don’t want to be so far away that you’ll be high on a ladder.

I hadn't thought of that...a good way for me to see what I really need...thanks for the tip!

bladepurveyor wrote:
Johnny V,
I decided on the 60mm because of this post... This seems to be exactly what I am looking for....Just thought of something..will this lense be subject to the 1.6 factor? if so isn't this more like a 100mm? or is the ef-s lense already corrected for the 1.6 factor....see give someone a little bit of information and they think they almost know what there talking about...

It's still a 60 mm. It'll behave exactly like any other 60 mm lens would on a 350D. The "1.6 factor", better known as the cra^hop factor, only refers to the angle of view of any given lens on the APS-C cameras compared to the same f.l. lens on a FF 35 mm camera. Focal length is an absolute property of a lens; all lens focal lengths are measured the same way. Which body it's used on doesn't make a bit of difference to that.

Jon,
Thank you ....I wasn't too sure on that, this new cra^hop factor is all new to me .....now I fully understand...

Add my vote to the "always go for the glass" category.

For the type of shooting you are doing now, the XT would be a great camera. If you can not afford to buy the best lens you can get, then it doesn't make much sense to invest in a much more expensive camera body.

Enjoy!

Crop factor...

If you have a 50 mm lens, it is with a 1.6 crop factor actually an 80mm.

You have to multiply the lens "mm" number by 1.6.

Got it!