Need help

[superspryte]

I need help from people who know things about cameras. In particular I'm looking at getting a DSLR so I can stop taking crappy photos all the time because my camera is a retarded point and shoot that's all fall-y apart-y. Oh yeah, and I don't know anything about cameras except point, shoot and maybe select a few settings

Comments

[langostino]

Flashmemory is cheap enough I wouldn't worry about it. You can get a CF reader for $10.

Megapixels are overrated. 8.0 is enough for a 4-foot-by-6-foot print without pixelation. If you plan on severe cropping it might come up, but I'm guessing it won't typically matter. Sensor quality is much more important.

Lenses are very important, though. What lens does your friend have? If he's shooting weddings, that lens may be better than the two kit lenses that come with another model. Also, buying a body is kind of a commitment to use that brand of lens more or less forever. But you can get old used lenses for cheap (I've bought a whole film camera before, just for the lens, for $100). Just make sure they're compatible with the Canon mount.

[superspryte]

Right, I adjusted to list the lenses. Basic 18-55 for my friend and the extra one is the 18-200. Possibly of note, my friend's camera cannot use USM lenses, not that I know what that means.

[langostino]

Zoom isn't everything; in fact it's closer to nothing I would say. Quality of glass is the most important thing, followed by how fast the lens is (what its lowest f-stop is).

My favourite lens is a 50mm f/1.8. If I need to zoom, I move my camera. The crispness is so much more important than the zoom. Also beware lenses with wide zoom ranges--it's hard to be a good lens across many different focal lengths.

USM is an autofocus motor in the lens itself (as opposed to the body). USM is faster and quieter, and USM lenses are more expensive. You can use a USM lens on a non-USM body, just not use the USM motor.

[superspryte]

Good call. These are the things I need to hear because I honestly have no idea.

Thanks!

I also found out Canon pairs the 350D with USM lenses so the first review I read was done by a moronface, perhaps.

[improbablechaos]

Honestly, the only significant downside to using CF cards for me would be not having the ability to pickup an EyeFi card for geotagging my shots. The upside? It's one less piece of gear to want.

[superspryte]

I read about EyeFi. I don't like the idea that my shots would be geotagged...because I don't like people knowing where I am unless I want them to know.

[improbablechaos]

True. It should be easy enough to strip that information during editing, before posting. It would be mostly for my own records though. I have a lousy memory at times.