Did I make a mistake.......

Hello everyone,

I am at the very begining of my photography life. For my B'day the family pitched in and suprised me with a XTi kit w/ the smaller 18-35 lense and a 75/300 III USM lense.

I'm very happy with the pictures so far, still learning a lot on all the features. The 75/300 lense is very nice, but I need to get a tripod to reduce the shake.

My question is, is this a nice set up? I ask, and I maybe off base, because looking through a lot of the posts, this camera kit and lense take a beating. Maybe I just haven't been in the right area for talk about this set up/lenses.

Is this camera "bad"? I know it was fairly expenseive, I would like to think that it's a good camera.

Thanks your input and any suggestions.

Mike

It's an awesome camera. There will always be a few people that feel differently but there are hundreds of users on this site that will totally agree with me.

jmann12180 wrote in post #4146826
Hello everyone,

I am at the very begining of my photography life. For my B'day the family pitched in and suprised me with a XTi kit w/ the smaller 18-35 lense and a 75/300 III USM lense.

I'm very happy with the pictures so far, still learning a lot on all the features. The 75/300 lense is very nice, but I need to get a tripod to reduce the shake.

My question is, is this a nice set up? I ask, and I maybe off base, because looking through a lot of the posts, this camera kit and lense take a beating. Maybe I just haven't been in the right area for talk about this set up/lenses.

Is this camera "bad"? I know it was fairly expenseive, I would like to think that it's a good camera.

Thanks your input and any suggestions.

Mike

Welcome to POTN... personally, I woudn't bash the xti, as I used to own one. It was my starter setup. For my earlier needs, it was the right body for me... As I continued to learn the craft, I eventually realized I needed a body with a higher burst rate, because I shoot a lot of sport action shots. I upgraded and kept the xti around as a second body... eventually selling it. It'll boil down to what your photography needs and style are... There are a lot of folks here who use the xti and get fantastic shots.

Cheers.

You’ll get a ton of opinions here from it’s a great setup to its crap and everywhere in between. My personal opinion is that you fortunate to have such a loving family and their gift is awesome. Be very happy and grateful. As to the camera, the XTi is simply the best value out there easily capable of producing pics that would rival cameras costing many times more. The 18-55 kit lens is a great starter lens as is the 75-300 and will outshine any compact or point and shoot camera by a wide margin. They will service your needs for a long time to come. The two lenses do have some weaknesses but realize that those weaknesses are when compared to say the 17-55IS, a lens costing 15 times as much and there are things you can do to maximize the image it creates such as stay in the f/5.6-f/8 range as it is the lenses sweet spot. So enjoy your new setup, it’s an awesome gift.

Hello Mike welcome to the forum!

No mistake has been made and there is NOTHING wrong with your equipment whatsoever. The combination of lenses and camera body that you have can produce stunning results, regardless of their cost or what other people may think of them.

If I had the power to show you some of the photos that I have seen taken with the kit lens and/or the Canon 75-300mm you would be amazed at what they can do. I have owned both of these lenses at one time or another and although not top of the line equipment, they perform well given the proper setting, circumstances and camera settings.

The purchase price of a lens or camera does not determine its value, what determines its value is the satisfaction you get from the photography that is produced by the equipment.

I would recommend picking up Bryan Peterson's book entitled "Understanding Exposure" and that combined with a good, thorough reading of your cameras owners manual should get you on the right track.

Welcome to POTN! Be prepared to sink in lots of $$$ because of our enthusiasm!

XTi is a great DSLR to learn with! It's the top of the line amateur camera. It has awesome resolution and some new handy features.

Don't worry about IS (image stabilized) lens because it will teach you proper holding technique. Remember: in the old days they had no AF and no IS.

If I may suggest, add the nice and cheap 50/1.8 for those times you need a faster lens for those dark indoors events. It also nicely "bridges" your two zoom lens.

The XTi is a great entry level DSLR that you will be able to use and continue to learn on. It has tons of great features. The same goes for the lenses you have - good for a beginner set up.

Learn first, upgrade when they start limiting you.

bauerman wrote in post #4146985
The purchase price of a lens or camera does not determine its value, what determines its value is the satisfaction you get from the photography that is produced by the equipment.

I would recommend picking up Bryan Peterson's book entitled "Understanding Exposure" and that combined with a good, thorough reading of your cameras owners manual should get you on the right track.

No mistake...great start...and as noted above, both comments are spot on.

Please, do yourself a favor and go get "Understanding Exposure" and read it twice.

Please...as an ex-photo editor and ex-photo teacher, I can not stress enough about understanding the basics.....

For some reason people think having a fancy camera automatically gets you great shots. In reality, a fancy DSLR camera can create far worse shots than a P&S if you do not understand exposure.

EDIT....BTW, I re-read that book about twice a year.....and learn / recall something new each time.

Is the XTi "bad"!? No, not at all. It has most of the features of the 30D, Canon's previous advanced amateur/pro-am model. It can produce images completely indistinguishable from ones made with a professional level camera. I own an XTi myself and I've been shooting for a few years (including 35mm film). Its a great camera.

Your lenses are similar to what I started out using. You can do really nice stuff with such a setup. Don't listen to those who criticize lower-cost gear, they usually just have very different needs.

Definitely get yourself a sturdy tripod. Not the $30 model made for 4 ounce digital cameras but a solid one that won't vibrate like a tuning fork. A remote shutter release will also be handy so you don't shake the camera when taking the shot (though you can always use the camera timer for this instead).

And, whatever you do, HAVE FUN!

Remember, the longer your lens, the less sturdy the end of the lens will be if you're holding it, causing more blur.

The kit lens takes a beating, but a lot of people don't realize that technically it's the best value you can get anywhere! Not too familiar with the performance and cost of the 18-35.

gjl711 wrote in post #4146982
words

I couldn't have possibly said it better.

Jmann, if you'll get sucked in, and provided you stick with us, you will, you will buy better glass once you'll know why you need it, which one you need and eventually, a camera that will suit your needs.

For a little more quality you pay a lot more (here you'll learn that it's always worth it and you'll also learn 101 ways to explain that to your wife so that she lets you buy it) and then in the end, what people notice is what is ON the photo, not the camera/lens it was shot with, always.

I think it’s a great camera to start with. I have been very happy with a lot of my pictures and so have a lot of other people. The camera is very user friendly, just take the time to learn it and you will enjoy it a whole lot more. There are also a lot of great pic’s on this site that have been taken with that same set up.

Welcome to the forum!! There's TONS to learn here, and some great people as well! You're starting out with a very nice set up. Learn your camera, go out and shoot with it...do a lot of reading in the forum and soon you'll be selling an arm and a leg to buy equipment and lenses! I'll double what 'ebann' mentioned above...buy a Canon 50mm f/1.8 II lens and you'll be set for quite some time until you'll really need more equipment.

And BTW..the XTi is a wonderful camera! Have fun with it!

You've got a great set-up and it's capabilities will surpass your skills. (no offense, we are all pretty much in that boat) As you get more into photography, you may find you need/want different lenses. But, you can see what your lenses, and others are capable of here:https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=141406
Oh, and Welcome to POTN!

Hello everyone,

Thank you all for the comments. I am very lucky to have a family like this. I have been having a lot of fun with this camera, some much to learn. But it's all good and fun.

I'll take the advice on the 50/1.8 lens. I did go out an pick up a tripod last night, so I'm hoping the pics are a little sharper (less "shake") with the 75/300. Plan on hitting the local Borders for the Bryan Peterson - Understanding Exposure book this weekend.

I look forward to my new adventure in photography. Thanks again.

Mike