Please tell me i made a right decision

moshe3242 wrote in post #2297712
I think you will be fine with the 30d.
the only thing I can tell you is that I have had the vaio core dou for 3 months now and am looking to sell it.
Its not good enough for post processing and battery life is awful if you plan to use it away from the ac cord.
get an HP or Acer instead, thats what I am going to do

I have this model:

http://www.sony.com.au …duct.jsp?catego​ryId=30604

But i upgraded the memory from 512mb to 1.5Gig.
I will use two softwares for post-processing:
- Adobe Photoshop CS2
- CreativeOne

moshe3242 wrote in post #2297712
get an HP or Acer instead, thats what I am going to do

-another vote for acer .... haven't read this whole thread and I don't even think computer brands is the discussion....but acer deserves a backup vote

Can you afford the;

EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS or EF-S 17-85 4-5.6IS

The first being the better

I did the same thing i got a 17" Powerbook then a 30D love the combination
Next are three L lenses next week then a 5D or 1DMKIIN later

The IS on that lens you mentioned is pretty old and only has advantage of 2 stops.

30 D is a fine camera and will always be a good solid second camera in the following years if you ever decide to upgrade.

I know professionals who are using 20 D's

I think you made a fine choice and got the most bang for your buck. You really need an external flash, though. You might consider the Sigma 500 or the Canon 430EX. Both are great flash units for the hobbyist.

M2One wrote in post #2297727
I have this model:

http://www.sony.com.au …duct.jsp?catego​ryId=30604

But i upgraded the memory from 512mb to 1.5Gig.
I will use two softwares for post-processing:
- Adobe Photoshop CS2
- CreativeOne

I have this one but 1 GB RAM
http://store.topdjgear​.com/ap17pog41noc1.htm​l

Buy smart
Get yourself a good secondhand 20D - plenty around now.

Don't knock the 400D too hard - I am using that (+ battery grip) with one of Canon's most expensive lenses (500 f/4 L IS) and get results as good as (and in some cases better than) friends using 20 or 30D's (my photography is mainly wildlife).

Sony Vaio might have been a mistake. I have a VGN-A117S. The X-Black screen is (IMO) the best on the market but this laptop has been nothing but trouble. Hard-drive packed up two weeks after the warranty expired and they charged me £470 plus DHL International delivery charges to fix it. Now there are two "dead" lines on the screen which I find very distracting but am going to live with. Battery life is dreadful. I'm going down the Mac route next time.

Colin

Personally, I would get the laptop you mentioned and pick up a great 20D and add some really good glass!

I am a firm believer that the camera is not as big an issue as the other two more important things, which is photographer and lenses. If you have talent and really good glass it doesnt matter the body. If you have true talent, it wont matter which way you go between a 20D, 30D or 5D. Your going to get great impressive images either way.

Also, it sounds to me like you are not sure whether you miss your old hobby or not. You seem a little hesitant here. And actually, that is a good thing! Cause your talking about spending a chunk of money here.

Again, there is nothing wrong with a 20D and some really super glass.

28-135mm is a nice range on a full frame camera, not the 30D. Get a 17mm range. Like the 17-40 or the 17-85.

The IS is a great feature but I don't believe it will help a lot in a dark night club. It will help reduce camera shake when hand holding at lower shutter speeds but will do nothing for subject movement. You really need a 1.4 or 1.2 aperture lens for that kind of a situation in order to keep the shutter speed up high enough.

I have the 30D and 24-105L and that is what is on my camera most of the time. It is an upgrade from the 28-135 which was a fine lens (my wife has it now), but I do like the new one better.

I hope you didn't pay too much as those specs are a year old.
Today laptops come with Core 2 Duo

I bought my Powerbook just as my specs came out 1 and a half years ago I paid $4200AUD, the specs are as follows.

FEATURES:
• Tiger Unleashed: The Powerbook G4 comes with Tiger, the latest release of Mac OS X. Packed with many new feature Tiger allowes you to - Organize Instantly and search your entire computer in a single click with Spotlight, access up-to-the-second information with Dashboard and run all of your software faster and enjoy many more new features that Tiger includes.
• G4 Processor: The system is powered by a 1.67 GHz G4 processor powered by a 167 MHz frontside bus, delivering one of the fastest portable computers on the market today. This gives you room to grow with the system and ensures that it will last for years to come.
• 17" LCD Display: The 17" LCD display delivers crisp, clear graphics. It is large enough to allow you to work efficiently while still keeping the laptop small enough to be easily portable.
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 Graphics Card: The display card offers lightning fast graphics, powerful 3D effects and dual outputs. This allows you to effectively and crisply work with dual displays, which increases productivity in many applications.
• 8X Superdrive: The Superdrive allows you to burn DVD and CD discs at lightning fast speeds, making it easy to transport and archive data from your computer.
• FireWire and USB 2.0 Interfaces: The laptop delivers FireWire 400, FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 connections, allowing you to connect a multitude of devices to your computer.
• Lightweight: The 17" PowerBook weighs only 6.9 pounds, making it easy to take it with you wherever you go.
• Sudden Motion Sensor: Apple's Sudden Motion Sensor, a standard feature on PowerBooks, automatically parks your hard drive when it detects a sudden change in position and accelerated movement. This protects your data in the event of dropping your laptop.
• System Includes:
- Apple 17" Powerbook G4 1.67GHz Wireless Notebook Computer - 512MB Memory, 100GB Hard Drive, Tiger, SuperDrive
- Magnet Media - DMTS: OS X Tiger Training - DVD
- S-Video to Composite Adapter
- DVI to VGA Adapter
- Modem Cable
- Power Adapter
- AC Wall Plug
- Power Cord
- Lithium-Ion Battery
- Software: Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger, Mail, iChat, Safari, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iLife (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie HD, GarageBand and iDVD), iSync, iCal, DVD Player, Classic environment, Acrobat Reader, Art Directors Toolkit, EarthLink TotalAccess (includes 30 days of free dial-up service with Earthlink activation), FileMaker Pro Trial, GraphicConverter, OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner, QuickBooks for Mac New User Edition, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive, Zinio Reader, Xcode Developer Tools and Apple Hardware Test

SPECIFICATIONS:

Performance
• Processor: 1.67 GHz PowerPC G4
• Cache: L2: 512K
• System Bus 167 MHz
• Memory:
- Slots: 2 SO-DIMM
- Type: DDR333 SDRAM
- Installed: 512 MB, 1 SO-DIMM
- Capacity: 2GB main memory
- Configuration: 512 MB, 1GB or 2GB total memory
• Display:
- Type: Active matrix TFT-LCD
- Size: 17"
- Native Resolution: 1440 x 900
- Supported Resolutions 4:3: 1440 x 900, 1152 x 720, 1024 x 768 x 1024 x 640, 800 x 600, 640 x 480
- External Resolutions: Not Specified by Manufacturer
• Graphics Display Card
- Interface: AGP 4X
- Installed: ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB DDR SDRAM
- Internal Resolutions: up to 1440 x 900
- External Resolutions: Up to 2560 x 1600
- Dual Display: Yes
- Video Mirroring: Yes

Storage and Expansion
• Hard Drive
- Bays: 1
- Installed: 100GB 5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive drive
- Type: Ultra ATA
• Optical Drive
- Installed: SuperDrive
- Reads CD: 24X; DVD: 8X
- Writes CD-R: 24X; CD-RW: 10X; DVD-/+R: 8X; DVD-/+RW: 4X
• PCIMCIA Expansion: One PC Card/Cardbus Slot supporting Type I or Type II card

Input/Output Connectors
• Ports: FireWire 400: One; FireWire 800: One; USB 2.0: Two
• Display Output
- VGA: Yes, with included DVI to VGA adapter
- ADC: No, (Optional with Apple VGA-ADC Adapter)
- DVI: Yes
- S-Video: Yes
- Composite Video: Yes, with included S-video to composite adapter
• Audio
- Built-in Speaker: Built-In Stereo Speakers with Midrange-Enhancing Third Speaker
- Built in Microphone: Yes
- Headphone Jack: Yes
- Analog audio: Audio line-in minijack
- Digital audio: Only via FireWire
• Video: Analog: S-Video Output; Digital: Yes, via FireWire
• Flash Media Slot: None

Communications
• Wired: Network: 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet; Modem: 56K V.92 (RJ-11)
• Wireless
- Airport Interface: Airport Extreme 54 Mbps; Installed: Yes
- Bluetooth Interface: Bluetooth 2.0+EDR; Installed: Yes

General
• Operating System: Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger
• Security: Kensington Cable Lock Slot
• Internet Access: 30 days of free Internet service through EarthLink. Internet access requires a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
• Keyboard: Built-in full-size keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys, 4 arrow keys (inverted T arrangement) and embedded keypad
• Pointing Device: Solid-slate trackpad
• Battery: 50-watt-hour lithium-ion battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 4.5 hours of battery life
• Power Requirements
- Meets ENERGY STAR requirements
- Line Voltage: 100-240V AC, 50 Hz to 60 Hz
- Power Consumption: Not Specified by Manufacturer
- Maximum current: Not Specified by Manufacturer
- Environmental Requirements
• Operating Temperature: 50-95° F (10-35° C); Relative humidity: 0-90% non-condensing; Maximum Altitude: 10,000 feet
• Storage Temperature: -13-113° F (25-45° C); Relative humidity: 0-90% non-condensing; Maximum Altitude: 15,000 feet
• Dimensions: 15.4"W x 1.0"H x 10.2"D
• Weight: 6.9 lbs
• Warranty: One-year limited warranty
• Support: 90 days of free telephone support

Now i run CS2 with no problems the only thing that happend about a month 3 months ago my mum pluged in a phone downstairs without a filter and damaged my ethernet port( I never used it anyway as i have wireless ) i could buy an PC Card Aadapter for 50$ if i needed too but i don't.

This machine has been flawless besides my mums user error.
I have had no connection problems using my Airport Express over the last year.
If it wasn't for the unfortunate mistake not to have a filter plugged in it would be in 100% working order( i don't need that port anyway)

I used to take this everywhere for the first year in my back pack especially to classes.

If you look after your Mac with common sense it will last (though the older non Intel are very reliable) Though the Intel in time (if not already) will be just as reliable as the PPC Mac's

I paid 2500 dollars including free upgrade to upcoming Windows Vista.