New member here

Hi to all:

Can't say how much I have benefitted from visiting this forum and making informed decisions.

I now have a 40D (with a 17-85mm EF-S) which I managed to score as it became an officially discontinued model.

I am an absolute beginner in regards to DSLR photography but have shot film SLR's (Nikon F and Nikon FA) a long time ago, in a world far far away.

Preference for portability followed: Contax T2, then Canon G2 - my first digital camera, and PowerShot S45.

The SLR bug caught me again and it was time to make the return, and I can't be more pleased with the results already. I'd like to learn afresh digital workflow to further enhance the images and hope to share some of my experiences (and results) here.

Here are two examples so far:

Regards,

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Nice. I'd want to increase the contrast slightly on the BW conversion, but other than that, those old skills don't seem to be missing.

Thank you for the encouragement, exactly what I need at this stage. Regarding the BW pic, that was a resize of an already resized (perhaps twice) jpeg so a lot has been lost. I am reading up on workflow right now to determine the next step up from what I am doing right now (something I have been doing since 2001) so anything would be an improvement.

Current workflow (basically evolved in response to friends and relatives asking for images)

Downloader Pro - download files into specified directories (I think I'd keep this step as I have become so attuned to its convenience)
BreezeBrowze Pro - cull out unworthy files, tag good ones, then convert into jpeg (no size change here)
PhotoShop 6.0 - touch up, crop, edit, etc. then resize into reasonable size for sending to friends and relatives.

To do images from 40D justice, would the following work?

Downloader Pro (sort the files into proper directories as I could be using the camera for billable work in addition to fun and hobby)
Canon DPP for viewing and converting (jpeg for friends and family, tiff for more serious work)
LR2
(Photoshop 6.0 to further edit if necessary).

I must have a dozen different ways to massage digital images. DxO 5, Photoshop CS4, DPP, Zoombrowser, Breezebrowser, ACDSee pro .25 and associated parallel editing programs and such that came with a printer or computer that keep moving forward.

All of them have their good points and their flaws. I dislike the newest Photoshop sharpening, but am impressed with DXO. But DxO is cumbersome so I go a quicker route most of the time (unless you want lens correction and perspective control, then there is nothing better).

My usual is downloader pro to file, ACDSee Pro 2.5 for sorting and quick editing and Photoshop CS4 for anything going to big prints--except images that need DxO.

Your flow sounds fine. I think DPP is overkill if you are going into lightroom anyway and LR has more tools, I think than PS6. I'd watch for the next upgrade to Photoshop if I were you, it's likely to be considerably better. With CS2, 3, and 4 you get Bridge which does everything you need for sorting and integration into LR and CSx. So, I imagine CS5 when it comes out will be even better for a one-stop set of programs.

Thanks for the response.

One of the reasons I went with 40D over a seemingly logical 50D choice was that with the money I saved, I would have more funds readily available to upgrade on other items such as 2nd lens or a computer (mine is a 5-yr old Dell with a Pentium M processor, 2Gb maxed out memory and a 32Mb graphics card). A 15 megapixel RAW file would have given it a heart attack, no doubt (hence, another reason for a 40D).

Anyway, I now have DPP 3.6.1 and about to begin LR2 30-day trial. One thing I realized is that DPP does not recognize CRW files shot with my G2 and S45. So right there and then, LR2 seems to have an advantage. I'll keep my PS6 for now since I am so attuned to it and also use BB for quick turnaround.

Having seen this thread, https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=684360 , I feel like when I first discovered the magic of darkroom after years of dropping off films at a Fotomat kiosk in the middle of a strip mall parking lot. I look forward to trying out both programs to see which one suits my needs better and to revisit some shots dating back to 2001.

I checked on CS5 rumors and something might happen this fall. Decisions decisions...

Speaking of decisions, I am exploiting the kit lens 17-85mm to see what would be my immediate need - a second lens with a reach, as in 70-200mm f/4 IS, or replacing it with a faster general purpose, as in 17-55mm f2.8 IS. My daughter's birthday is in October and I'd like a fast lens for that occasion and not to mention the days will be getting shorter from now on, but I do crave for 200mm reach especially when I wake up in the morning and see wild turkeys in my garden...

I took an XTi and three lenses to Europe for four months in 2007. The one getting most of the use was the 17-85 IS and I can shamelessly say that nearly all my images were superb. Quite frankly, how good a lens is is in the luck of the draw.

My last trip I took a 5DM2 and other lenses, including a 16-35 f2.8. It was a heavier kit, but didn't get much better images--possibly some could be printed larger than my current 17'' capability. Since I returned a 16-35 II came on the market and I had a chance to test shoot it against my earlier version and found that it was only marginally sharper at the edges--not enough to persuade me to switch over.

The EFS 10-22 and 17-85 are a heck of a good combination for any of the 40-50Ds or Rebels.

I do understand that 17-85mm has very polarized views regarding its merits and detractions.

The distortion at the wide end is ne plus ultra (and I don't mean it in a sense of compliment) but I might be blessed to receive a relatively good copy of this particular lens - I am quite pleased with its close-up capabilities and center-frame sharpness and actually very fond of this lens. Then again, I have nothing to compare this against except for a good copy of Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI and non-AI versions and 28mm f2.8 AI-S (nothing from the current lineup of Canon EF/EF-S lenses).

For an APS-C or 1.6X format cameras such as 40D, 10-22mm is an essential 2nd or 3rd lens. Perhaps I'd hint my family for potential Christmas present (imagine sweeping snowscapes with bullrushes poking out of the snowdrift and a crisp blue winter sky background...). But for me, perhaps not now, as I do not have an experience with super-wideangle lenses.

After carrying 40D with me for pretty much every minute of my waking moment since its purchase a month ago, including @ work inside LowePro Slingshot 200, I'm beginning to feel that while speed of the current lens leaves much to be desired, my immediate need or satisfaction might come from a wider range of focal length (in the telephoto end) in my lens arsenal. To that end, I may go for that semi-holy grail of lenses, the 70-200mm f/4 IS. It has the same filter size as the 17-85mm and that is a big plus.

However, before delving into lens pornography, I must get to fully know the 17-85mm that came with the camera and be able to extract the best from what it has to offer, meanwhile, the extended rebate offer (that expires August 8 ) dangles in front of me like a carrot, no, like a lens of my dreams...

I must upgrade my computer too... arrrrghhhhh.

I am in a happy conundrum.