Which Camera

[Ls3D]

Orientation Sensor simply rotates images, basically the camera 'knows' when it is in portrait.

DSLR's do away with many of the P&S 'feature wars'.. in place there is build quality and advanced processing.

Either brand is user friendly. Choose wisely, the red pill or the blue...

-Shea

 

[fiveoboy01]

My vote is for either the XSi or the D40/D60. There isn't much point in the 40D if you're a beginner... Spend the $ you saved on lenses. Trust me when I say that while the camera will come with a decent lens, you will VERY quickly realize that it is insufficient for some types of shooting, and you'll soon be wishing for several different pieces of glass.

 

[boonbear]

What lenses would be good with it? I live in the mountains, and it would be nice to take some shots of them, and some on trails. Also, is the software that comes with the camera sufficient, or will i need to buy something? and what about printers? Those will come later, but I know I will need a decent printer eventually.

 

[Samanax]

What lenses would be good with it? I live in the mountains, and it would be nice to take some shots of them, and some on trails.

The kit lens that come with most DSLRs is decent enough to get started in photography with. The generally have a decent zoom range to cover wide angle to a moderate telephoto/zoom length. The wide angle end is what you'd be using with landscapes. After you've been shooting for awhile you'll eventually find out if you need a wider wide angle or a longer zoom. But as a beginner the kit will do as you learn how to use the camera and how to shoot properly. Taking snapshots is easy...taking good photographs takes time and a lot of practice.

Also, is the software that comes with the camera sufficient, or will i need to buy something?

Canon DSLRs come with good software to start with. They'll do a good job at simple edits that most new photographers will be doing to their pictures (color, contrast, cropping, sharpening, etc...). I don't know if Nikon DSLRs come with editing software or not.

If you need to do more heavy duty image editing then you'll need a more powerful editor. You can try Photoshop Element 7 (sometimes called the baby Photoshop) which will allow you to do many advanced editing than what the DSLRs come with. Lightroom 2 is another popular choice but it's not so much an editor as it is a organizer (but it can do a lot of editing, just not as much as Photoshop). Photoshop CS4 is the big daddy of photo editors and will allow you to do just about anything you can think of...for a price. Photoshop CS4 costs more than a Canon XSi with kit lens.

There are free photo editing alternatives though. Picasa by Google is popular. FastStone Image Viewer can do simple edits. IrfanView is another simple editor. Pixia is a little more powerful photo editor that has been around awhile. And then there is GIMP, the most powerful free photo editor available. It can do almost everything Photoshop can do but it's not that easy to learn.

and what about printers? Those will come later, but I know I will need a decent printer eventually.

Sorry, can't help you with printers.

 

[fiveoboy01]

I'm not familliar with the software that comes with Canon cameras.

My D60 came with a disc with Nikon ViewNX and Nikon Transfer.

View NX allows you to make some changes but at least from what I tried it was very limited.

I bought Photoshop Elements 7 and for $100 it's a great deal, there are MANY things you can do with it. It also seems pretty easy to use, I've just been "self teaching" myself and I've figured out quite a bit of it myself. I've never used the full-blown CS4 but that program is also 600ish bucks(or more?) and likely way too advanced for any beginner.

 

[KylePeterson]

I have photoshop elements and also lightroom 2. I use them for completely different things. Photoshop I use more for layering photos and or graphics, text, etc.

I think lightroom is a little more user friendly for adjusting white balance, saturation, and exposure

 

[boonbear]

have either of you compared photo elements 7 to PE 6? I read that a lot of people feel that 7 is slower, and buggy. But those reviews were from October, and some of that may have been worked out. I also read that you really need to try to get some literature from the library (like photoshop for dummies) in order to really *get* it.

 

[Samanax]

I use PSE 6 and didn't feel the need to upgrade to PSE 7. I also use Canon Digital Photo Professional to do my RAW to JPEG conversion, unless the horizon is crooked, then I use ACR (Adobe Camera RAW) to correct the horizon and convert to JPEG. Then I complete the editing in PSE 6.

I do have a full version of Photoshop CS3 but haven't installed it yet since my computer is old and would probably choke if I tried to edit pictures. And I'm not even good at PSE 6 yet and would probably be lost in PS CS3.

I plan to get Lightroom 2 after I build a new computer.

But I would try using the software that comes with your camera first. If it can't do everything you want it to do, then invest in a program like Photo Elements 6 or 7.

 

[boonbear]

when something says f4 or f5.6, what does that mean? also, what is iso?

also, what is the difference between the cannon rebel xsi and xti?

 

[Samanax]

when something says f4 or f5.6, what does that mean? also, what is iso?

Learning About Exposure - The Exposure Triangle

Introduction To Shutter Speed In Digital Photography

Introduction To Aperture In Digital Photography

ISO Settings In Digital Photography

also, what is the difference between the cannon rebel xsi and xti?

Comparison Of The Canon Rebel XSi, XTi and EOS 40D

 

[boonbear]

GREAT links Samanax. That answered a ton of questions!

 

[boonbear]

can anyone suggest a good website? I looked and found 1WAYPHOTO.COM, and the prices look scary low. I want to get a good deal, but not get ripped off.

 

[Samanax]

can anyone suggest a good website? I looked and found 1WAYPHOTO.COM, and the prices look scary low. I want to get a good deal, but not get ripped off.

Before buying from any on-line retailer you're not familar with, check the retailer out at ResellerRatings.

1WAYPHOTO.COM

I'd avoid them like the plague.

 

[boonbear]

Before buying from any on-line retailer you're not familar with, check the retailer out at ResellerRatings.

1WAYPHOTO.COM

I'd avoid them like the plague.

jeez!! Thanks not only for the website, but doing the research for me! That would have been a nightmare. I thought the price sounded way to good! I guess I will just stick with amazon.

 

[Samanax]

I buy most of my camera gear from B&H. I do buy some things from Amazon because of the free shipping, but I don't like how they pack the boxes so I don't buy lenses or bodies from them.