Probably Gonna Get An XS

So my wife and I are going to splurge and have agreed on getting the Canon XS It's within our budget and should do what we want it too, which is take pictures of our son growing up. Something better than our canon SD700 point and shoot.

Would you guys if you had a little extra left over buy an add on flash, or a high performance SD card? How important is the add on flash, cuz I heard the built in ones arnt the best.

Anything else as a newbie I should know before I settle down and purchase? Thanks! I'm lookin forward to taking some amazing photography!!

You shouldn't need a high speed sd card. Just get a nice regular 8gb sdhc card. Should be like $25 at any regular retail store.

A flash would be very useful, look at the 430exII.

chugger93 wrote in post #9173594
So my wife and I are going to splurge and have agreed on getting the Canon XS It's within our budget and should do what we want it too, which is take pictures of our son growing up. Something better than our canon SD700 point and shoot.

Would you guys if you had a little extra left over buy an add on flash, or a high performance SD card? How important is the add on flash, cuz I heard the built in ones arnt the best.

Anything else as a newbie I should know before I settle down and purchase? Thanks! I'm lookin forward to taking some amazing photography!!

An XS with the 18-55 IS is going to be a very capable camera. If you have the budget for just one additional accessory, then I would make that a flash like the 430 EX.

Why? A flash that you can point at ceilings and bounce will do more to transform your snapshots from <<meh>> to 'WOW!' than any other piece of kit.

Get the flash and read the stickies at the top of the 'Small Flash' forum here at POTN so that you learn how to use it. This will really transform your ability to shoot common indoor stuff like birthdays and holidays. You will also later find yourself using the flash outside in bright sunlight on vacation for fill. The uses grow with experience.

Getting the 50mm f/1.8 would be a good investment.

What about the 270ex? What are the differences in flashes? Between 270 and 430?

chugger93 wrote in post #9173844
What about the 270ex? What are the differences in flashes? Between 270 and 430?

The 430 has more output power and also swivels side to side in addition to up and down. This makes it easier to use the camera in portrait orientation (turned sideways) while bouncing the flash

I agree that a flash should be your first extra piece of kit.

The XS is a great camera. If you follow my Zenfolio link in my signature, 98% of that was taken with an Rebel XS. Should give you an idea of what you can expect. Although, admittedly, I do have some upgraded lenses.

chugger93 wrote in post #9173844
What about the 270ex? What are the differences in flashes? Between 270 and 430?

270 EX can only bounce when the camera is held in horizontal orientation.

Also, 27 meter guide number will force you to high ISO or less DOF then you may have had in mind when bouncing. Bouncing a flash asks for a lot of flash power, and a GN of only 27 meters will become limiting.

I feel like I'm way in over my head. I read some of those stickies in the flash forum..and I feel like I wont be able to understand bouncing or how to bounce, etc etc with a flash. I'm hoping its worth the purchase and I shouldnt be buying the G11 eeek!

get the 430EXII - best investment you could make - will transform your indoor pictures. Light is your friend.

Look for bargains - think about bing cashback - it will save you 8 percent on ebay, a few percent at adorama and beach camera. There is a bestbuy 10% coupon floating around on the internet too.

if you buy from an internet seller, be sure to check resellerratings.com.

You will quickly realize the kit lens (18-55) is basically like your eye in its zoom capability..At 55 mm its zoom is about what we see normally. I had the itch to get a new lens quickly..and invested in a 75-300 ..then an 80-200. Now my want is a 430 EX II!!

chugger93 wrote in post #9173922
I feel like I'm way in over my head. I read some of those stickies in the flash forum..and I feel like I wont be able to understand bouncing or how to bounce, etc etc with a flash. I'm hoping its worth the purchase and I shouldnt be buying the G11 eeek!

external flash is very simple - point it at the ceiling, rubber band a white index card to the flash head. light years better than the pop up flash.

chugger93 wrote in post #9173922
I feel like I'm way in over my head. I read some of those stickies in the flash forum..and I feel like I wont be able to understand bouncing or how to bounce, etc etc with a flash. I'm hoping its worth the purchase and I shouldnt be buying the G11 eeek!

It's easier than you think. The camera actually manages the flash pretty well for you as you learn.

Here is the basic starting place. Mount the flash and turn it on. Point it at the ceiling.

Put the camera in M mode. Set 1/200, f/5.6 and ISO400. Manually select a focus point and place that point on the subject's face. Take pictures.

This is a recipe for simple, nice indoor pics of your basic family events.

Typical:

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Nice photo JefferyG !! What a sweetie!
...Terry

Does pointing the flash at the ceiling get the light into all the nooks and crannies?

I don't understand how that works.

MikeFairbanks wrote in post #9174233
Does pointing the flash at the ceiling get the light into all the nooks and crannies?

I don't understand how that works.

A bounced flash lights up a large area on the ceiling. This large area becomes the light source.

Large area light souces are 'soft' in appearance because from the perspective of the subject the light seems to come from a broad range of directions. This makes shadows soft edged. The general appearance is similar in some ways to shooting off-camera flash through modifiers like softboxes or umbrellas.

Look at my sample photo above. The subject shows shadows around the right eye, but the shadow is very soft edged because of the relative size of the light source.