Someone Enlighten Me? ^.^

[Sbuxo]

Some Questions. :taped sh:

Some background information:
-Primarily shooting portraits: fashion/editorial will be the majority.
-Low light & Natural/available light will be typical situations.
-The lens I'll be using will be the Canon 50mm f/1.8 II
-The camera? Well I'm in the horrible 60D vs T2i vs T3i war right now, but I think I'm leaning more towards the 60D because of the body, and pentaprism.
-Photoshop CS5 for light-moderate PP.

So who here thinks the articulating screen is a crucial decision point for deciding between the three?
I mean, I see the benefits but not sure if I'd truly be using it all that much.
But I'm leaning towards the 60D mostly because it's not just plastic, and it's not a rebel.
Any suggestions? Don't tell me to get a 7D or any other camera not listed.
Believe me, if I had the patience to save until I can hit $3000 for the 5D Mark II, I would. But I lack that kind of patience. >.<

 

[sleist]

Focus points work by focusing on edges that cross lines perpendicular to lines within the focus point. Most points will only have a singe line either horizontal or vertical. The cross type will have both in a single focus point with will allow a better chance to find an edge that's perpendicular within that focus point. It can help in low light, but faster glass helps focus too.

My D90 has a single cross-type in the center with the remaining 10 having either a horizontal or vertical focus point. The D300 has 11 cross types out of the 51.

HTH

 

[KmH]

A D300 has 15 cross-type points out of the available 51 points.

TTL phase detection
Nikon Multi-CAM 3500DX autofocus module
Detection range: EV -1 to EV +19 (ISO 100 equivalent, at normal temperature: 20°C/68°F)
51 focus points (15 cross-type sensors)

Vertical focus points are best at detecting horizontal edges and horizontal focus points are best at detecting vertical edges.

 

[sleist]

A D300 has 15 cross-type points out of the available 51 points.

Ya, I had 11 on the brain and mistyped. Thanks for correcting.

 

[mjhoward]

LensRentals.com - How Autofocus (Often) Works.

 

[Sbuxo]

Well, I'm a film shooter, and my SLR doesn't have AF.
If I don't plan on using AF much, is the cross-type important still?

 

[MattxMosh]

Well, I'm a film shooter, and my SLR doesn't have AF.
If I don't plan on using AF much, is the cross-type important still?

Buy a 1N-RS instead.

 

[thingsIsee]

if you are going DSLR and can swing it, get the 7D and a 50mm F1.4, or even the 24-70 F2.8. didn't really say if you had the 50mm F1.8 all ready. the rebel's are nice cameras, but if you have basic photographic knowledge, and experience you will grow out of these cameras pretty quick.

 

[MissCream]

Just a thought... If you have the 1.8 for low light that's good but in no way do you ever want to shoot a portrait and editorial picture with that large of an apture because very little of it will actually be in focus (unless that's what you want...). Anyway I think that your going to need to add a flash into your budget.

 

[kundalini]

If I don't plan on using AF much, is the cross-type important still?

No.

 

[o hey tyler]

If you want to use AF, cross type is important. Not necessary, but it certainly helps. As for wanting to use MF most of the time, does your film camera have a split image focusing system? Digital cameras do not have focusing aids like that.

 

[thingsIsee]

If you want to use AF, cross type is important. Not necessary, but it certainly helps. As for wanting to use MF most of the time, does your film camera have a split image focusing system? Digital cameras do not have focusing aids like that.

you can how ever buy them from Katseye. I had one for me SXI and it worked very well, but found I didn't really like it for every day shooting.

 

[Sbuxo]

if you are going DSLR and can swing it, get the 7D and a 50mm F1.4, or even the 24-70 F2.8. didn't really say if you had the 50mm F1.8 all ready. the rebel's are nice cameras, but if you have basic photographic knowledge, and experience you will grow out of these cameras pretty quick.

yeah..I'd love to get the 7D but right now my budget is ~$1400.
I've basically decided (about 95%) on the 60D, and my original plan has been to just get the body and the 50mm 1.8.

@o hey tyler: :thumbup: good call. yea, it's a split focusing one. do you know what type of manual focusing is on the 60D?

@MissCream: this is just to start out for now, I have a couple of friends who use this lens for the majority of their work. I'm aware that it's plastic-y and falls apart after wear and tear, but I plan to save up for more lenses. Do you have any specific suggestions maybe? I definitely want the 1.4 drool and maybe a nice telephoto. But really, the most experience I have is with nice primes, that's what I shoot my film in. Also, I don't plan on shooting all the way open the whole time. Luckily, I do have flash(es) already. I just epically fail with them.:er:

 

[Sbuxo]

New question.

 

[fokker]

In regards to AF systems - if you're moving from film into digital then now is a good time to learn about autofocus and use it. In most DSLR's it is somewhere between difficult and impossible to properly manually focus the image through the viewfinder (small dim viewfinders especially in the lower end bodies such as the rebel series, no focusing aids, lenses built to autofocus now so manual focus is not smooth or accurate, etc). Autofocus, when used properly, should get your focus bang on pretty much every time. There are still occasions when manual focus works better, but seriously, you will be much better off learning to use the AF.

If you can afford the 60d, then get it. It is a better camera in pretty much every way than the rebels. The rebels feels like a plasticky toy where the 60d is bigger and more solid (magnesium body), sturdy and reliable, better weather sealing, better viewfinder, better autofocus, faster burst rate, etc. You may of course find the extra size and weight a minus point, but I could never go back to a rebel now from my 40d. The articulating screen - a bit gimmicky, but useful in some circumstances. I would not think there would be any advantage whatsoever to this for shooting editorial/fashion portraits. If you can stretch the budget, add a 430EXII speedlite in there as well, the extra light will give you many more options in the long run, plus you can add cheap wireless triggers later to get into the off-camera-flash world.