Another New XTi Owner

I recently bought a Canon EOS XTi (my first DSLR) with two kit lenses (EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II and a EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Silver Ring consumer lenses) and have been looking for a good Canon EOS forum to become a member of. I belong to a very good computer forum so I know how valuable a good forum can be for a newbie who is looking to learn about his new hobby. I came across this one, read through some threads and decided to register. This looks to be a very good community.

I'm not totally new to digital photography, I've been using Olympus P&S digital cameras since 2003 (D-520, C-4000 & C-750) and thought the XTi would automatically take much better pictures than the P&S cameras but found out that's not the case...I found out you gotta put some time in to learn how to shoot with a DSLR first and invest in some better lenses. After the holidays I hope to pick up a EF 50mm f1.4 USM to start with and a EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM as a walk-around lens.

I've been hearing about the underexposure problem with some XTi's and the front/back focus issues of DSLR cameras in general...I'm not sure if my XTi suffers from either of these yet since I'm not really sure what to look for. I did shoot in the "green box" automatic setting the first day I got the XTi and the indoor pictures did come out a little dark but after I edited the images with the Canon Digital Photo Professional software they looked a lot better. And my photos do appear to be in focus but they are just not as sharp as I thought they should be. The problem might be the 18-55mm lens I have as I hear it's not the highest quality lens around. The 75-300mm lens does seem to shoot a little sharper so I think for now I'll blame the 18-55mm lens on the quality of my pictures (that and of course the novice DSLR user behind the XTi...me). I'm currently messing with the in-camera sharpness and contrast settings to see how they affect my pictures too.

Anyway, I'm glad I found this forum and hope to learn a lot from all the experienced photographers here. Any information, tips and tricks or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Samanax

Congrats on the new camera and welcome to POTN.

Some of what you've read is true, but most can be overcome using in camera settings. Months of awesome reading here on POTN. Enjoy the XTi.

its a great camera and those are capable lenses you have. don't let the negative press lead you to believe you cant capture good pics with the setup you have.

J.

Welcome to the forum. What computer forum do you belong to? I have been looking for a one and the few I have joined have not been it. Anyway, enjoy your new camera and stick around. This is about the best photography forum around.

While the kit is by no means a professional lens, it still can take excellent and sharp shots. Post some pics and we'll see what's going wrong from there.

Welcome!

Congrats & welcome

Congratulations and welcome to the forum!.

As a fellow XTi owner, I would recommend in not getting too caught up in the negatives. I've spent several months worrying about possbile problems with my camera rather than taking pictures. True front/back focuing afflicts a very small number of cameras and is easily fixed by Canon. If you have an issue, it'll surface. Chances are you have years of trouble free photography in front of you. That's been my experience with all my Canon products.

Thanks for the welcome everyone.

I think that I may have been expecting too much from the kit lenses when I first got the XTi. After reading up on DSLRs and the various lenses available I found out that not all lenses are created equal. I wanted my first few pictures to be razor sharp but in all honesty I was shooting in the house at night on the "green box" setting with just a few table lamps for light (plus the on-camera flash)...I wanted "L" lens quality pictures but got a big reality check in the expectation department...you can't expect much from any camera until you learn how to use it properly and how to "see the light". Plus I'm sure that since I was excited about my new "toy" I wasn't holding the camera very steadily and with no IS lens the shots were slightly blurry. As time goes by I'm sure I'll learn enough to start taking decent pictures.

gjl711 wrote in post #4562365
Welcome to the forum. What computer forum do you belong to? I have been looking for a one and the few I have joined have not been it.

I'm a member of the forum over at PCMech.com.

Samanax

Welcome to the forum.

I wouldn't discount the kit lens. It gets a lot of bad press undeservingly. Read through the archive.
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=185522
Learn to use the camera and all of it's settings and you can get great photos with the kit lens. Also learning about how to get the most out of lighting will be invaluable. It's digital so shoot shoot shoot. The expense is already out of the way. Experiment, practice, and ask questions. And most important have fun.

When I got my first Canon I read so many negative comments about the kit lenses that I went out and spent a bit on new glass. It seems to me that I have shot many of my better shots with the kit lens. Enjoy and welcome

For me, the most noticeable difference came when I got the grip and 430EX.

Bounce flash will do wonders

I picked up a nifty fifty (50mm f/1.8) from B&H and I seem to get a lot "better" indoor shots with it as opposed to the kit lens. But I have only had my 400D for a few weeks, so it may just be getting used to the camera. For the price though, you can't beat the nifty fifty.

Welcome to the forums!

Again, thanks for all the "Welcomes".

I looked at the "Kit Lens" thread and now realize that the problem was the user behind the XTi DSLR and not the kit lens that came with my XTi. I really don't know what I'm doing with the XTi yet and after looking over some of the sticky threads I can see I have a long road in front of me. But I do enjoy challenges and hope to become a fairly decent "taker of digital pictures" someday (don't know if I'd ever call myself a photographer).

Does the term "nifty fifty" refer to any Normal 50 mm lens or to a specific one like the Normal EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens that sells for under $100 at most places? I'm currently looking at the Normal EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Autofocus Lens.

Thanks again,
Samanax

The "nifty fifty" is the 50mm f/1.8. It's called that because it does well for the price. They label it "normal" because, on a 35mm camera, a "normal lens is about 50mm - approximately the same field of view as the average human eye can see when looking straight ahead. The 50mm f/1.4 is fantastic, too, although probably quite a bit more in price. In all honesty, I have no idea what it costs - I have studiously avoided looking since my husband bought it for me in October as a birthday present.

Welcome to POTN, and enjoy your XTi! I love mine - even the kit lens!